 So, you finally have your FN visa and now it's time to get that education in the US and make your dreams come true. But before you board that flight, I want you to hear some real student experiences so that you're fully prepared for what's to come and you don't start this journey feeling lost or confused. In this video, I'm going to cover important points about accommodation, expenses, health insurance and safety. All of these are must know so keep on watching. Hi guys, my name is Shachi and I'm a travel and visa coach. On this channel, you'll find lots of useful videos about the US visa process so make sure to check them out. So, let's start with the most basic requirement and this is something which you're going to need immediately as soon as you land in the US and this is your accommodation. Now, when it comes to accommodation, there are many variables to think about who to live with, how many people to share the space with, how far to live from the campus and of course how much to spend. But all of this boils down to one main decision that you need to make whether to live on campus or to live off campus. While I feel that there are enough resources to explore the off campus housing, there is not enough information about living on campus. So, for this I have with me Ananya and Ananya is currently pursuing her master's in Cal State LA. She lives on campus and she is here to share her experience. I don't know because the general opinion is that dorms are very expensive, right? So, most people, I don't know, I feel they are scared. Yeah, there are most people, it is actually there is actually 300, 300 dollars of difference. But given the convenience that you don't have to and you get to meet with cool people who stay in dorms and then it is very close to get to classes and then whenever you want to rest you can just go by. So, how has your experience been in the dorms? Like anything that you feel that. So, I have many activities I can play though, I can use all the facilities and videos offered by campus. There is so games room, there is activity lounge and more activities to get the communities together. They happen in the dorms and they have the silent disco and they offer free meals once in a while about some event. They do celebrate different kinds of festivals. Yesterday there was Biryani at the canteen. Wow! How different was it from what you expected? Is it in line or was it like? I did not expect much. I did not expect anything on the cost side because I knew I was going to stay in dorms. So, the dorms P was actually mentioned. So, it is like 8,000 dollars for 9 months. So, you get the accommodation for the winter break as well. Lock 150, 100 are the options that are offered in the cafeteria. So, I chose 150 in the first semester and I had to pay around 1000 dollars. 150 means 1000 dollars for 4 months. Okay. Next up we are going to be talking about expenses. Now, for many of you this might be the first time that you are staying away from your family, from your parents and managing the budget and the expense on your own. And when you start living in the US, you will realize that there are multiple components within expense that you have to take care of. It is not just about managing your tuition fee. You have to think about your rent, utilities, food, grocery, travel and also be prepared for some unexpected expenses like medical care. So, to give you a very clear strategy for managing all of this, I have with me Kavya who recently graduated from New York University and she is going to share all the details with you and also tell you some smart ways in which you can cut down expenses like health insurance. So, you studied in one of the most expensive cities in US and I think probably the world. So, give us an idea of what were the actual numbers, like what expenses did you incur during your time as a student? So, for someone coming to New York, for those coming in the spring 24 semester, I think my ballpark somewhere would be between 1500 to 2500 dollars including rent and utilities. But if I'd only have to break it down to utilities, then somewhere between 300 to 400 dollars. So, that would be a ballpark. I think these are the kind of expense which everybody has on top of their mind, right? And somehow they are preparing and planning for it. That, okay, I need to pay rent, I need to buy food, I need to go out, I need to travel. But during your journey as a student, was this something which was unexpected? That, okay, you didn't really be prepared mentally. That, okay, I'm going to have to shell out money for this as well. But something that I wasn't prepared for was health insurance costs in the US. So, when I paid my first semester tuition, my health insurance cost alone was 1800. And in my opinion, what I first thought was, you know, it's probably 1800 for the entire year for two semesters, but I was wrong. So, in the US, health, especially in universities, depends on university to university, but health insurance can either be paid by semester or it can be paid annually. But that was a very unexpected cost. Because in the winters, health insurance prices can go much higher. For example, in the fall semester, I paid 1800 dollars, but in the winter, I ended up paying 2700 dollars. So, that's a considerable, you know, a steep hike in what we pay for insurances. That was a very unexpected cost. So, not only did you have an unexpected cost, but it only increased? Yes. But why is this health insurance cost such a big thing? Because I think in India, we don't really, I think, have the concept of, you know, why preparing for insurance, because it's really simple, right? You can walk in, just an appointment, you can pay. You of course have family support, which you don't have in the US. So, why is insurance such a big deal? So, insurance in the US is dicey. It's a very tricky concept to understand, right? In India, we probably as kids, we probably never thought of insurance until, you know, we were 18 or 21 or our parents basically had our medical insurances covered or our parents, employers had our medical insurances covered. But here, it's tricky because the laws vary, it varies from state to state. And another makes it tricky are all the terms that a lot of people get confused about. So, that's why it's really important to know a lot and research a lot about US health insurance. So, how did you navigate this? Because I know that you didn't like, you know, end up paying all of that money, but you found a way to save that. So, tell us more about that. What I did was in the second semester, I researched and I found out about Kimber Health. So, Kimber Health is an insurance brokerage company and they were providing a plan called the Essential Plan, which is a $0 plan. And this plan, I actually didn't realize it in the beginning, but this plan is also open to international students. That's one thing students are afraid about if in any case, will this affect my immigration status? But no, this insurance plan will not affect your immigration status by any chance. And the Essential Plan is affordable, obviously, because it's $0 and the coverage is unlimited. That's what makes the Essential Plan very different and very, you know, a great plan for international students compared to all the other plans offered in New York State. So, you pay $0 and you're covered completely? Yes, unlimited. Till you are on student status, essentially. Till you are a student status. And also, even if you're on OPT, you can still have the insurance. So, for me right now, because I'm looking for jobs, I still have this insurance. So, you came, like, you had already paid, right, for your second semester? Yes. So, how did you make this transition and is it possible for others who might, you know, have already paid the university? So, at NYU, yes, it was possible. So, what I did was I paid, I had already paid my fee, my tuition for that semester and my tuition included the $2700 amount I paid for my health insurance. So, what NYU does is, if you are waiving your insurance off within that time period for that semester, you will get it reimbursed. And you will get it reimbursed pretty quickly. Insurance sounds so complicated. So, was getting the insurance also as complicated? Surprisingly, getting the insurance was not complicated. So, all I had to do was go on Kimberheld's website, very easy set of steps. It took me about five, you know, roughly five minutes to apply and it's just basic information where you stay, address proof and things like that and you'll probably be done within five minutes. And another, there's something that I forgot. So, I know a lot of people think, oh my God, this plan was too good to be, you know, too... Is it a scam? Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like, too good to be true. But no, the reason why the essential plan is priced at zero dollars is because it's backed by the New York State Health Department. And so, it's a program that's backed by the State Health Department and, you know, they want to provide subsidized health insurance services. So, I think it's a great benefit if you, you know, if international students can avail these services because it's open to them. And another exciting thing, you know, that I found out was, after I enrolled onto the plan, I had a $75, you know, quarterly OTC gift card, which is an over-the-counter gift card. I could buy over the, I can buy over-the-counter medicines, groceries or anything, you know, from specific stores, from a list of stores. Another thing I'd like to add on, and this is for all those gym lovers, if you guys go to the gym regularly and let me tell you New York gyms and their monthly memberships can be very expensive. So, with the essential plan, with the essential plans, with the United Health Care's essential plan, you can avail up to $400 annually. You can get your gym membership amount reimbursed and that would be up to $400 annually. So, that's another very exciting benefit. So, if you're going to be studying in the New York State, then I highly recommend that you check out Kimber Health. It's a no-brainer. You need to be on their insurance plan. And if you're going to universities other than the New York State, then Kimber Health also has affordable insurance plans for you. So, do take a look. The link for all of this is right below in the description box. So, the next point that I'm going to talk about is something which is very, very important for both boys and girls, that safety. When you're in your home country, you will automatically know how to take care of yourself, what to do, what not to do. But when you come to the US, it's going to be a completely new dynamic and new environment. And a lot of these safety do's and don'ts will not be clear to you initially. So, I highly recommend that you spend the first few days thoroughly understanding the location that you are going to choose to live in and the location of your university. And you should get information about which areas to avoid, what time of the day you should not be alone and also what are the resources available to you in case you face a safety threat. The easiest way to do all of this is to join WhatsApp groups that are going to be floated by your university, by your student council and by your seniors and your peer group. And these WhatsApp groups are going to give you updated information about all the safety protocols. I have with me Kaushik, who is currently pursuing his master's in University of Southern California. And Kaushik is going to share his personal anecdote of how he faced a safety concern and how he takes care of his safety now. Safety is a concern because I have experienced gunshots in front of me in Seattle. Oh my God, are you serious? Yeah, I've been in Seattle downtown. And you're still here? Yeah, I have seen gunshots. So, it is scary. Since I have been living here for an year, now I pretty much know where it's going to be unsafe, where it's going to be safe. And also the university has taken a lot of measures to ensure the safety of students. Like we have free lift service. So, from 6 p.m. till 2 a.m. we have free lift service and throughout the two miles radius of the campus. So, that kind of... And then you can ask for a drop, is it, to go anywhere? It's just like normal booking a cab or Uber or Ola, which you do in India. Similarly, you have a lift over here. Okay. Lift an, as an application, just book a lift. And since you are a U.S. student, you have registered with your email ID. You have a free lift pass, so you won't be charged anything for your... Okay, that's great. Yeah, transport, yeah. So, if you're still here, still watching the video, do give this a thumbs up and let me know which university you're going to. I'm really, really curious to know which universities you've got your admits and your visas for. So, do comment below and let me know. Next, I'm specifically going to talk about the first week in U.S. Now, I feel that the first week in U.S. is really the toughest, because not only do you have to get done with a million things, but you also have to deal with feelings of loneliness, homesickness, and just not liking the food or the weather. And there are small things that you can do, which seem tiny, but they make a big difference. And I have Ani from Golden Gate University, and Ani is going to share two such hacks with you. So, let's listen to her. Anyone and everyone coming to the U.S., the first thing that I would recommend is make sure that you have an international data plan, because once you land here, the only access to internet is Wi-Fi of the airport, which is bad. So, that's the number one thing, because that is your point of contact with everyone in the U.S., right? You come to the U.S., you need to talk to anyone. That's your point of contact. Second, try to find a contact of your friend, your brother, or someone else who already stays here who can pick you up on that day. So, you have a place to stay. If not, second best option is Airbnb. Airbnb is much more cheaper than hostels and hotels. It's the best option if you don't have anyone in the U.S. Next, we're going to talk about culture change. Now, there are a lot of differences between India and U.S., but I feel that the biggest one isn't the way people interact with each other. And as a student, you will have multiple instances in which you need to pitch yourself, you need to reach out to someone, or give a presentation or a talk in a group gathering. So, it's really important for you to understand these differences and be prepared for the nuances and the languages and the terms that are used in the U.S. And this will ensure that you don't face any embarrassing incident or you don't face any culture shock. So, I have with me Kaushik, and Kaushik is doing his master's in University of Southern California, and he is going to share his personal experience of how he adapted to the change in the culture. And his experience has some really funny incidents in it, so do give it a watch. So, what advice do you have for students coming? For students coming, I would say there are some events which are held in India itself, like meet and greet events, pretty much like you should attend them. They are really important because the network and the kind of relations that you build are pretty helpful when you come to U.S. over here. I did not, and I found that those were helpful for other students. So, recommend that. There are a lot of groups that are formed before coming to U.S., join them, be active on them. Networking, as I just mentioned, is a very important part of this entire process. And after coming here, there will be a culture shock. People here dress differently, talk differently. There are certain terms which are used in a much different fashion. For example, whenever you go to a restaurant, you ask for a tissue. Here, you don't call it a tissue. If you ask for a tissue, they'll give you a toilet paper roll. Okay, that doesn't happen to my friends. So, you will find this culture shock. So, what do you ask for? You ask for a towel. Towel? Or a napkin. Napkin, exactly. Kitchen towel or napkin or something like that. So, these are the small, small cultural changes because we are more like a British culture because we are colonized by British people. The terms which are used are British. But a lot of terms over here in the U.S. are American terms. They call a bicycle as a bike. Right, correct. And stuff like that. So, you will over the period of time change and know a different kind of terminology for the same thing. As well as you'll have an accent change. A lot of people do have a slight accent and that's not deliberate. That's because a lot of people don't really understand your accent. In campus, it happens very rarely. But out of campus, it happens a lot. And Mexican people do not really understand Indian accent that well. So, you might have to speak in a little American accent and with time that accent should happen. So, these are all the things that I wanted you to be aware of before you come to the U.S. I really hope that this has helped you. If you have any more questions, feel free to leave it in the comment section below. You can also DM me on Instagram. My Instagram handle is at chachi.mall. And we also have tons of useful resources for FN visa preparation. So, if you're still preparing for the FN visa or if you know someone who is going to appear for their FN visa interview, do check the description box and make use of all the resources. And lastly, do check out Kimber Health. If you're going to come to the U.S., health insurance is a must and Kimber Health can really help you in that. And before you leave, I want you to hear a really sweet and inspiring message from Sudik Shah from University of Southern California. And this message can really help you in getting into the right mindset before you arrive in the U.S. So, do give this a look and I'll see you in the next one. I would advise them to be a little less stressed about the move. The transition is a little difficult initially but then it'll get easier. Eventually, you'll get used to people who were very homesick or could not get accustomed to the culture or the weather you are. In a few weeks, I think, mostly everybody gets used to. So, don't be very stressful about the transition. I would rather say be welcoming, enjoy and be prepared for it. Plan the program duration properly, chart your plans, start your objectives, talk to people again and just ensure you have a full-proof plan and stick to the plan. And also prioritize the fun aspects. There are a lot of things, a lot of events that you can do here over the weekends or the weekends. So, just don't keep, don't stick to your room and just don't keep preparing or looking for opportunities. Have as much fun as you can because there's so many events and it'll cater to whatever your interests are in whichever field, like, you know, U.S.'s campus is a very diverse campus with a lot of programs that they have to cater to and whatever your wherever, whichever field your interest lies in, you have, USC has something for everyone. So, you'll find events that are going on around the campus. So, you'll have to be more engaged in social activities, fun events and parties and musical nights and all that.