Tag: F-1 Visa

College Life

Don’t Highjack Your Success in America

Esther Tokognon
People holding American flag

I bet you’ve decided to study in the United States of America because of all the opportunities this country has to offer. I did too!  

If you’ve been reading my articles, you’ve probably realized that this country has a lot of rules that are present nowhere else in the world, but can be detrimental to your success. Although we each have our definition of success, I refer to it on this blog as steps you can take to make your time in America the best it can be! I started this blog because I know that adjusting in this country is hard. It’s very easy to get lost and forget the main reason why we came here.

Below are some rules and advice that may seem basic but are extremely important, especially for international students that are long ways from home. There are things that I learned throughout the years, and I would hate for you learn the hard way! Some of the advice on here are from things that I’ve seen happen to certain people that I know. 

Americans use Fahrenheit

Very few countries use Fahrenheit to measure temperature, the U.S. is one of them. You won’t need to adjust if you are from one of those countries. However, if you are like the majority of us, you will have to adjust to that. Use the weather app on your phone and always check the weather before going out. 

Taxes aren’t included in the price tag

Shopping wasn’t necessarily fun for me. Unlike the rest of the world that displays the full price of an item, Americans don’t do that. In the early days, I found myself having to return items several times cause the total came up a lot higher than I thought it was going to be 😥. There are however 5 states that have no sales tax – Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. If you live in one of those states then lucky you, but if you are like me, save yourself the embarrassment and plan for an extra 3%-10% of total price pf good purchased for state and local taxes.  

Ok, now let’s get into the most important stuff. 

Make friend with the right crowd

Bad things can happen to anyone anywhere. However, there are ways to reduce the probability of those things happening to you. We love America, and the fact that people have the freedom to do what they want. This is also why it’s important to not hang out with the wrong people and get dragged into trouble with them. You don’t want to have a criminal record because of something dumb you did. Entering the workforce in the U.S is very challenging for international students, but will be even harder if you have a criminal record. Please don’t hijack your success by making bad decisions! 

Must be 21 to drink

If you didn’t know that before, now you do! You must be 21 years old to order and drink alcohol. Please follow the rule, even if you were used to drinking alcohol back home. Don’t be tempted to get a fake ID, as you could face serious consequences if you get caught, which may include jail time. Also, even if you have an international passport that technically allows you to drive here, get your state’s driver’s license before you drive. Talk to your International Advisor if you are interested in applying for a driver’s license. Don’t highjack your success in America!

Do not apply for a credit card

Don’t get trapped into the American credit system. Again, as a newbie in America, steps you take now can positively or negatively impact your future. You have no business getting a credit card. Especially if you get them through stores. They make it sound like you will be getting a great discount by signing up for their credit card. Please refrain from doing that, as I know so many people that are now in debt and have ruined their credit score because they opened multiple credit cards with various stores. Your credit score is very important as it shows how fiscally responsible you are. In the event that you were to stay in America after you graduate, this number will be necessary if you want to buy a house, buy a car …etc. Click here to learn more about credit scores.

Please, please, please don’t make these mistakes that can highjack your success in America!

 

American Culture

Tips For Eating Out In America

Esther Tokognon

God bless America, its awesomeness and weird norms!

I wasn’t a fan of American food when I first moved here in 2011. Back then, I called American food anything that was offered at the cafeteria. Although some international and exchange students had no problem with the food, I belonged to the other part that hated it. However, I’ve learned over the years, that American food was more than the food offered at the school cafeteria. Through home-cooked meals offered by American friends and going out to eat at restaurants, I have come to love American food. My ultimate favorite: Kansas City-style barbecue.

When I started going to restaurants, I was very surprised by some of the practices. Although I knew that Americans like to do things differently from rest of the world, I never thought the restaurant etiquette will be different. Below are things that you should know before eating out in America:

Big crazy portions

Be prepared to be stuffed, unless you are going to a fine dining restaurant. American restaurant portions are enormous. However, it wasn’t always the case.  After World War II, the U.S. reformed its agricultural policies and farmers were able to grow food more cheaply. Over time, companies have increased their serving sizes to increase their profits. The below infographic from Yourweightmatters.org (YWM) shows how some American food has changed over the years.

This means you can have more food for what you are paying. I was all about that. Since the portions are very large, I could easily have 2 to 3 meals out of them.

To-go boxes for leftovers

Most restaurants have boxes that you can use to take your leftovers home, since their portions are so large. Do not be shy to ask for one! The worst you could do is to try to eat all that food even though you are full. This is especially important because American food contains a lot of fat and carbs, which means a lot more calories. 

As you may have heard most exchange students and international students gain a lot of weight after moving the U.S. Years from now, you will be glad you made the right decisions by not overeating and saving money.

Tips Tips Tips

Tipping means that you give someone – in this case the waiter/waitress a sum of money as a way of rewarding them for their services. Tips go anywhere from 10-20% of your total bill. Why do I have to pay someone to do their own job? Oh wait, Americans like to do things differently. But this is because most restaurant workers don’t get paid very much and rely on the tips to make a living wage. Why can’t restaurant workers be paid a salary like the rest of the world? Again, Americans like to do things their own way, and this isn’t up for debate. This was very shocking to me when I started going to restaurants, but since I lived here now, I had to start following their norms, and you should too! I wrote about American norms that you must here.

A less private dining experience

In the U.S. the customer is king. Companies want to make sure that their customers are satisfied, same goes for restaurants. Restaurant workers are trained to ensure that every customer is satisfied, and since tipping is so important, the waiters/waitresses try to go the extra mile to get a bigger tip. Due to that reason, they will come multiple time by your table to ensure you don’t need anything. This takes away some the privacy you may be used to in your home country, but feel free to tell them (in a nice way) if you don’t want them to come checking often.

Now that you know these few American restaurants norms, go enjoy the food! Share more tips for eating out in America in the comment section.


Professional Life

F-1 Students Employment Options: On-Campus, CPT and OPT

Esther Tokognon

Do you want to be a boss someday? Start now! In fact, it’s never too early to start thinking about the employment options you have as an international student. As a F-1 visa holder, you are allowed to work in the United States as long as you follow the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS)’s guidelines. This article covers the employment options that I used when I had an F-1 visa: 

On-Campus Employment

This is the least regulated employment option of all three, as it doesn’t require USCIS approval. However, you must maintain an active F-1 status to be eligible for this employment option. Maintaining an active F-1 status means that you will need to be registered in at least 12 credit hours per semester, and be in good academic standing. The latter is as important as the first one because your number one priority in the United States is to study, so if you are failing your classes, you will not be authorized to work on campus. Most universities have their own rules as far as what they consider “good academic standing”. 

Also, most universities will not allow you to start working the first semester. Some have a one year wait time, which means that you can only be considered for on-campus employment when you are Sophomore. Furthermore, you will only be allowed to work part-time (20 hours per week or less) during the semester and over 20 hours during school breaks. Although you probably won’t start working on campus your first year, start looking at departments you are interested in and build some relationship with the those that work there.  Also, checkout one of my previous blog post   for tips on things you can do your first semester or year to ensure you easily find a job when the time comes. I recommend that you take advantage of the on-campus employment opportunity as it will help you a lot and take some load off your sponsor’s back.  

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

The USCIS defines CPT as “any alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education, or other type of required internship or practicum that is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school”. In other words, CPT must be a part of an established curriculum or academic program. CPT is an off-campus employment option and must be related with the field you are studying. You could even get academic credits for some internships. Of all employment options, this is a MUST before you graduate. I cannot emphasis enough on the importance of doing this as you get real world work experience directly related to your field, which will make it easy for you to find a job after you graduate. And for some people, their CPT will turn into their OPT, which was my case. Your school must approve you and notify USCIS before you can start working. A good place to start looking for CPT opportunities is by talking to your academic advisor and your school’s career development center.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

This is the employment option that requires the most planning and time to get approved. As an F-1 student, you may be eligible to participate in OPT in two different ways: Pre-completion OPT (before graduating from your program) and Post-completion OPT (after graduating from your program). The length of a regular OPT is 12 months but can be extended for STEM majors to 36 months total (12 months of regular OPT and 24 months for STEM extension). Please note that if you participate in pre-completion OPT, the amount of time will be deducted from your post-completion OPT authorization period. All OPT opportunities must be related to your field of study. You can find more information on the USCIS website here .

College is hard and your success is important. Reach out to your International Student Advisor to learn more about the employment options that are the most suitable for you. 

College Life

Tips to Start the Spring Semester Right

Esther Tokognon

Before you know it, the holidays season will be over and Spring semester will start at full speed.  Whether this is your first semester in College or not, there are actions you can take now to ensure you are ready to start the new semester. Below are some great tips to start the Spring semester right:

Register for your classes

Most universities or colleges will require you to go through an orientation program if the Spring semester will be your first semester in college. During this orientation session, you will meet with your advisor and register for your classes. However, if this coming semester will be your second one, you have less support. My advice is that you schedule some time to meet with your advisor as soon as possible so you can register for classes. It’s very important to do this as soon as possible because classes fill up quickly. 

Meeting with your advisor early on increases your chances of registering for the courses your major requires. If you do not register on time and all the classes required for your major fill up, your advisor will have no other option but to put you in classes that are available in order to help you maintain your F-1 visa status. Those courses may not be related to your major. 

Buy or rent your books:

Once you’ve registered for classes, look on your university’s website so you can get the list of the required textbook for the classes you register for. Once you have the list, do some research online. Unless the book you need is specific to your school, I do not recommend buying books from the school bookstore. I have spent hundreds of dollars on books I bought from the school bookstore whereas I could’ve spent way less by renting or buying online. These are the 2 websites that I often used throughout my college years that helped save me tons of money: Amazon and knetbooks. Valorebooks is also a great place to use when looking to rent or buy books online. Most of these websites offer free shipping and free return.  

Buy school supplies

Now that you have your books, make sure you buy general school supplies like pens, pencils, sharpies, notebooks…etc. or any school supplies you might need. Amazon and Walmart usually have the cheapest school supplies. By the way, if you are a regular reader of my articles, you will know how much I love Amazon. Amazon has made my life so much easier and that of many people around the world. 

Now that you have your books, make sure you buy general school supplies like pens, pencils, sharpies, notebooks, eraser…etc. or any school supplies you might need. Amazon and Walmart usually have the cheapest school supplies. By the way, if you are a regular reader of my articles, you will know how much I love Amazon. Amazon has made my life so much easier and that of many people around the world. 

Get ready for winter

I hope that you are by now ready for winter! However, if you’ve just arrived to the United States, I recommend you read my article about how to get ready for winter. It contains helpful tips to survive American winter. Like I recommended in that article, get a small heater if you will be living on campus and will have roommates or suite-mates, . This will save you so much trouble or roommates issues.

Plagiarism: The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines plagiarism as “the act to steal and pass off the ideas or words of someone else as one’s own or to use an article without crediting the source”. American universities are very strict about plagiarism and punish it when it occurs. In most universities, plagiarism will automatically result in you failing that class. Some universities will even spell you. Although some teachers will quickly go over it with you when classes start, I recommend you take some time to research about plagiarism before school starts.