What to think about as a Canadian grad student in the US

[MathCat]

I'm Canadian, and I've applied to universities in both Canada and the US. I've been admitted to one of the top schools in Canada (QS ranks it in the top 30 in math), but I have also applied to some top 10 programs in the US. I'm not that keen on living in the US, so I would only go if I felt that the quality of the program and value of the degree would be worth moving to another country and dealing with being an international student.

 

However, it has occurred to me that I'm not actually that sure about what international students (specifically Canadians) have to deal with if they go to the US. I hope some of you can enlighten me. It will also be my first time on my own (I live with my parents), which will likely be quite a shock. So there might be stuff related just to that, and not the US, that I am very naive about.

 

Things I have wondered about:

• Getting F-1 status appears to be easy for Canadians.
• I think I have to get an SSN - I have no idea how that works as a grad student.
• I don't think I can get a contract on a cell phone.
• I will have to buy almost everything once I move (this is not really specific to the US though).
• insurance? Many funding offers seem to include medical, but I'm not sure about dental or vision, or if there are others I would need too.
• I don't have a driver's license now, and I'm not sure how easy it would be to get one if I need to. I don't really expect to be able to afford to drive anyway, and I took this into account in my choice of schools.
• Will getting utilities be a pain?
• What about banking? I know my bank operates in the US, so I might just be able to open USD accounts and be done with it.
• Have you experienced any social problems as a Canadian international student?

Edit: One more question: was there anything that really surprised you, that you hadn't thought about before you went?

Edited January 2, 2015 by MathCat

[fuzzylogician]

Answers to all but the last question. I have lived both in the US and in Canada as an "international" person, fwiw. 

 

• Getting F-1 status appears to be easy for Canadians.

This is easy for most people, and certainly not a reason not to attend a school in the US. I believe that Canadians can do it at the border, but even if you have to go to the embassy, you'll be done in a few hours and it's not really that much of a hassle.

• I think I have to get an SSN - I have no idea how that works as a grad student.

You can only get a SSN under certain conditions (= you work and get a salary; unless there are special provisions for Canadians that I am not aware of). Otherwise, you get an ITIN number that you use for tax purposes. It won't matter much in your day-to-day life either way, just like you don't use your Canadian SIN number on a daily basis. Your school will know how to pay you without a SSN, and most large banks or branches near universities know how to deal with international students. I opened a bank account without a SSN when I got to the US. Again, not a big problem.

• I don't think I can get a contract on a cell phone.

Not true, but you may need to pay some downpayment in order to get a contract. I never tried to get a contract in the US, but in Canada I got one without any trouble.

• I will have to buy almost everything once I move (this is not really specific to the US though).

Yeah, that will happen anyway. Generally, things like furniture and food are cheaper in the US than in Canada, if that's any consolation.

• insurance? Many funding offers seem to include medical, but I'm not sure about dental or vision, or if there are others I would need too.

Most good funding offers will cover insurance. If they don't, that's something to seriously worry about. Dental and vision are usually not covered but the university will normally offer something that you can buy privately. It's a question of whether it's worth it, but that's something you need to find out on a case by case basis once you get offers. 

• I don't have a driver's license now, and I'm not sure how easy it would be to get one if I need to. I don't really expect to be able to afford to drive anyway, and I took this into account in my choice of schools.

I hear that getting a license in the US is easier than in Canada. Can't compare, though, since I haven't tried at both places. Anyway, this again is one of those things you have to do anyway and shouldn't affect a decision to attend school in the US. Once you have a license, you're a driver like any other. In general, once you're in the US it's almost never relevant that you are an international student. You live there like any other person. 

 

If you don't have a license, you can get a State ID, which is useful for identification pretty much everywhere, including at airports for domestic flights.

• Will getting utilities be a pain?

Not more than for citizens. Not more than in Canada, in my experience. It's basically the same. 

• What about banking? I know my bank operates in the US, so I might just be able to open USD accounts and be done with it.

Large banks and in particular branches near the university know how to deal with international students. It's important to have a bank account in the US, if you're going to live there. If your bank has a branch near where you'll live, that could be a convenient solution. Otherwise, I'd seek a more local option. Credit Unions are usually good options and have good service with fewer fees than larger banks. Unlike in Canada, you can get by without a credit card - you can use your debit card everywhere. Still, you might want to consider getting a credit card to start building your credit score. It may be convenient if you end up staying in the US longer, even if you don't plan to now. You may have to get a secured card at first, but actually I was able to get a 'real' one immediately at my local Credit Union. I started with a small amount and increased my line of credit with time. 

• Have you experienced any social problems as a Canadian international student?

I am not Canadian, but aside from the normal adjustment of moving to a new place, I can't think of any social problems I or any of my international (including Canadian) friends have faced. I'll leave it to others to give you a better answer, though.

[goldheartmountaintop]

I'm a Canadian citizen in grad school in the US. I agree with fuzzylogician on most points, but I wanted to clarify/expand on some things:

 

1) Here's roughly how the F-1 stuff works: You submit a request for a SEVIS I-20 form and it gets mailed to you sometime in the summer. You have to get it signed at the International Students Office of your school every six months if you're travelling to Canada or Mexico (1 year, everywhere else), and also have to bring this form with you whenever you travel outside of the US. Finally, shortly after you cross the US border for the first time, you have to fill out some online forms, also through SEVIS. You don't go through the embassy at all (you also don't have to do much at the border). I forget some of the details now but I think this is pretty much it. It's very straightforward!

 

2) You can get an SSN now as an F-1 student (as of this year), which makes filing taxes easier than with just an ITIN. Otherwise, my experiences were the same as fuzzy's re: not really needing an SSN.

 

3) You can get a cellphone contract (I did). The only problem was that, because I didn't have an American credit score (my Canadian credit doesn't transfer), I had to choose a particularly strict contract with some annoying features (like automatic payment). I'm using Sprint; not sure about other companies. One annoying thing about Sprint in particular is that I don't have cell service in Canada at all (apparently T-Mobile and other phone companies are different, though). When I'm in Canada, I have a very cheap monly plan with an old phone I had lying around (I can activate it whenever I want and it lasts for a month).

 

4) No social problems at all! 

 

5) Re: surprising things about living in the US, I can't think of much. I live in Mass., and I find that it's culturally very similar to southern Ontario (where I'm from originally), though there are some small differences like the currency and using the imperial system. There are some annoying things about being a student in the US that I didn't really know about, like having to file both Canadian and American taxes, but this wasn't a big deal in the end. Also, I had to decline my SSHRC fellowship and accept a smaller one because the one I originally received doesn't transfer out of Canada; the same might go for NSERC but I'm not sure. 

 

Hope this helps! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. Ultimately, I find that, once you get past the first week or so of dealing with moving to a new country, living in the US as a Canadian is quite comparable to living in a different part of Canada.

Edited January 3, 2015 by goldheartmountaintop

[MathCat]

Thanks you two, this is helpful.