Pre-Departure

Pre-Departure Guidelines

  • Inform admissions center that you received your visa and your flight arrival details.
  • Request for airport pick up if you require assistance
  • Book accommodation and receive room confirmation before you travel
  • Plan travel to your accommodation (if not using airport pick-up service or travelling out with collection times)
  • Take copies of your passport and all other essential documents. Make two sets of copies of important documents (i.e. passport, visas, CAS/I20). Also email yourself.
  • Passport size photos (keep minimum 5 with you)
  • Request a letter from doctor about medication you take regularly.
  • Bring a small amount of cash with you for your day–to–day expenses until you have registered at the university and opened a bank account.
  • Be familiar with the attendance policy and health insurance information provided by the university.
  • Complete all prerequisites and paperwork for your program/host institution (if applicable).
  • Notify banks and credit cards companies that you are traveling.
  • Read all orientation materials provided by your program/host institution.
  • If you plan to bring your computer, make sure that you have the necessary converters or adaptors to plug into foreign outlets.
  • Buying spectacles abroad can be very expensive. It is advisable to carry a few pairs of glasses.
  • Your course textbooks are very expensive – you might be better off buying it from your own country if you have the booklist and is available in your country.
  • Luggage lock and tags

What to carry in your hand luggage

  • Passport, Visa and Airline tickets
  • Your CAS statement/ I20 and offer/acceptance letter
  • All the documents you used to apply for your visa, including your transcripts and bank statement(s)
  • A valid passport or travel document, and a valid visa
  • A completed landing card (this will be given to you on the plane)
  • Accommodation confirmation letter.
  • Photocopy of the picture/signature pages of your passport (kept in a separate place from your actual passport).
  • A health or medical certificate, including your TB certificate, if required.
  • Enough money (in local currency) for the first couple of weeks at the University (including some small notes and coins, if possible)
  • Your mobile phone or tablet with access to your accommodation allocation, university email and pdf of our Pre Departure checklist!
  • Contact information of the University, Embassy and friends/family.
  • Spare clothes in your hand luggage in case your luggage is lost (it happens!)
You should also have been provided with a 24-hour telephone number and the name of someone you can contact if you have any problems on your journey, or if you arrive later than planned. You should plan your journey from your point of entry into the country to your final destination, and know when and where you are supposed to arrive.
If you do not have the above information, contact your place of study as soon as possible so that you can be fully prepared for your journey.
Also before you leave home, check whether you need permission to transfer money to your destination country and whether your government has restrictions on the amount of money you can take out of your country. Opening a bank account can take a few weeks.

Packing Basics

Due to personal differences in packing styles and the wide variety of the program locations (and climates), it is difficult to recommend a definitive packing list. Instead, please follow the following general packing tips

Mark your bags, inside and out, with your name and address (in case they are lost or delayed in transit).
  • Don’t pack more than you can carry on your own!
  • Clothing for all four seasons (shorts, short-sleeve shirts to pant, boots, and sweaters, clothes that can layer easily)
  • Address book
  • Bath towel, shower shoes and Toiletries
  • Jacket and umbrella
  • Eye glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and cleaning solution. Bring eye prescriptions.
  • First aid kit (including: motion sickness medications, laxatives, anti-diarrhea medicine, antacids, pain relievers, decongestants, antiseptics, and bandages)
  • Prescription medicines and written prescriptions
  • Portable battery - powered alarm clock
  • Simple recipes
  • Family photo
  • Sewing kit
  • Laptop/iPad
  • Comfortable shoes
  • Backpack
  • Don’t pack any essentials or valuables (e.g., medicines, jewelry) in your checked luggage. Keep all these things with you in your carry-on luggage.
Mark your bags, inside and out, with your name and address (in case they are lost or delayed in transit).

Preparing to Live in Another Country

  • Check out "What's Up With Culture": An online cultural training resource for study abroad students.
  • You are responsible for learning as much as possible about the area(s) to which you will be traveling.
  • Read up on issues relating to gender, ethnicity and religion, sexual orientation, and disabilities for your host country and countries to which you will travel.
  • Read up on current events in your host country
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