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Before arrival
The process of preparing to come to the US to study is no small task! This page is a summary of key items you will need to address prior to your arrival on campus. Please also refer to the the Office of International Affairs (OIA) Welcome Handbook included with your I-20 (OIA Welcome Handbook, PDF, 4.7M).
Be sure to review the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement fact sheet page "Arriving at a U.S. Port of Entry...What a Student Can Expect". This information from US ICE details what to expect at the border, which documents you should keep on your person when traveling, and other important items.
Important resources
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement International Student site. Provides links to important student visitor information regarding documents, what to expect, FAQ's, and more.
The Office of International Affairs--OIA is the office at Ohio State dedicated to assisting our international students with cultural, immigration, and academic issues as they pertain to life at OSU.
MSE graduate student ambassadors While all of our students are happy to assist you with your transition to life at Ohio State, a number of our students have offered to act as "ambassadors." Feel free to e-mail or call these students with any questions you might have concerning OSU, the MSE dept., and Columbus.
International Friendships is a registered Ohio State University student organization and Christian community group seeking to promote friendship and hospitality for international students. This group offers airport pickup and temporary housing as well as welcome activities and English conversation partners.
Arrival date
There is no date upon which you must arrive for the Office of International Affairs (OIA) new student orientation--attendance is required, but orientation sessions are offered on an ongoing basis. However, you must arrive at OSU on or before the date listed on your I-20 form (Section 5). Note, as well, that you may not enter the country more than 30 days prior to this date.
The date in Section 5 is about two weeks prior to the start of classes and thus will give you sufficient time to attend the OIA orientation programs and become acclimated to Ohio State. Completion of the OIA orientation is mandatory; you will not be permitted to register for courses until you have attended an orientation session.
Transportation from the airport
Please arrange for transportation from Port Columbus to your temporary housing well before your arrival date. Taxis may be hired at the airport (roughly $30-$50, plus tip, from Port Columbus to the OSU campus area). You may wish to contact an OSU nationality club (use link to search OSU site) or make arrangements with International Friendships to meet you.
Housing
It is strongly recommended that you secure housing, both temporary and long term, prior to your arrival on campus. For further information about the options available, please see the Housing page of this site.
OIA provides housing information including temporary and permanent options, important housing terms, and information on utilities
Activate your OSU internet account
Before arriving, you may activate your OSU internet account. An e-mail/internet account is provided to all OSU students. The user name and password you establish for this account will permit on-line access to such things as quarterly course scheduling, grades, course web sites, and other important web-based resources provided by the university.
To activate your account, please go to the following web site:
- OSU Account Management
- Please read the security and privacy information and then select "Activate account".
- If you do not have an SSN (Social Security Number), please use your OSU application ID number (i.e., 997-xx-xxxx). If you provided an SSN on your OSU application, please use your SSN.
- Be sure to note your OSU username--in the form "lastname.###", such as "cooper.73"--and the password you established. These items will allow you to register for classes, check grades, etc.
Please DO NOT forward your OSU e-mail account to another e-mail sevice. An MSE department e-mail account will be provided to you upon your arrival in MSE. We will ask you to forward your OSU e-mail to your MSE account so that all of your OSU-related e-mail may be read from a single in-department account.
If you are unable to activate your account from off campus, that is not a problem. Upon your arrival on campus you may use one of the public computing sites to activate your account.
Registering for classes
International students can not register for any courses until they have completed the Office of International Affairs Orientation. Once you have completed this orientation, please follow the steps on the "Registration" page of this site.
Health insurance and health screening
Health insurance
All international students are automatically enrolled in the OSU Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) upon course enrollment. Further information about this health coverage is found on the "Health & Medical" page of this site.
International student health screening
All international students are required to complete a health screening during their first quarter of study at Ohio State at the Wilce Student Health Center (open map in new window)--building 294, lower center of map. Failure to complete this screening will result in not being able to register for subsequent quarters. This is a free service for students who have enrolled--and thus have been automatically enrolled in the OSU Student Health Insurance Plan (go to SHIP details). The fee for non-students--such as spouses and children--is $25 US.
All international students are asked about any medical conditions they may have, any medications they are currently taking, and what medication allergies they may have. They are also asked about their most recent TB test and chest x-ray if they are from a high-risk country, and their most recent vaccinations, if they are to be skin-tested. Students with a recent Measles (within four weeks) or BCG vaccine (within 1-2 years) require different counseling.
Some helpful points when preparing to come to Ohio State:
- Many students report medicines and allergies, but some do not know the English translation for the drug. If you could investigate this with your physician at home, that would be helpful. If you cannot translate the drug name, at least knowing the class of drug would help.
- OSU requires that the TB skin test be an intradermal test, often referred to as a Mantoux (pronounced MAN-TOO) test, read by a nurse or doctor, with an actual measurement in millimeters documented (not just "Positive" or "Negative"). Any negative test must be within twelve months to be accepted. ANY documented previous positive test is important. Students who have tested positive should bring card and/or x-ray to the screening and the health center staff will give further instructions.
- OSU will accept previous chest x-rays for those who have already tested positive in the past, or who are positive at our testing. The x-ray report must be in English, and identified with the patient's name, and be dated within the past twelve months. However, an x-ray alone does not replace the TB skin test.
- OSU appreciates any immunization records students can bring with them.
- OSU also informs students that, if they wish, they can have free TB testing or chest x-rays done at the Columbus Health Department. Information on this is available at the screening program. Students still need to complete the OSU health screening, even if they have a TB test and x-ray performed by the Columbus Health Dept.
Finances
As regards finances, please note that if you were offered a Graduate Research Associate (GRA) position, you can not be paid until after the start of your quarter of admission. Therefore, you will be responsible to supply your own funds from the date you arrive until you receive your first paycheck from the university (approximately FIVE WEEKS AFTER the start of your quarter of admission due to check processing time). Some additional expenses you may wish to keep in mind:
- deposits and rent for housing (often 1-2 months' worth of rent in advance),
- misc. student fees for which you are responsible (approx. $120),
- entertainment, etc.
Note: If you arrive in the US or on campus long before the start of your quarter of admission, international students may face a difficult financial situation in terms of paying for lodging, meals, and recreation. While you may typically enter the US many weeks before the date listed on section 5 of your I-20, expenses in the US can be significant. Many of the OSU student nationality clubs (use link to search for nationality clubs) offer advice on how much money you will need to carry you through this period.
The Office of International Affairs provides short-term loans of up to $1000 to help students through this time period.
Maintaining e-mail contact
You will need to keep an e-mail account open so that we may communicate if there are any questions, problems, or needs prior to establishing your OSU e-mail account.
If you have not done so already, you may wish to establish a free web-based e-mail account at any of a number of sites such as "gmail.google.com", "www.yahoo.com", "www.hotmail.com", "www.mailcity.com", "www.excite.com", etc. Such an address may be read anywhere that you can access the Internet, thus it can be used to communicate during the period after your arrival in the department before the activation of your OSU and MSE e-mail accounts.
We will also need to know if your mailing address changes at any point before you arrive.
