Tulsa Community College International Student Pre-Arrival Packet 1 Contents 2 Welcome Pg. 3 ISS Staff Pg. 3 Tulsa Community College Pg. 4 Pre-Arrival Information Visa Stamp and Entering the U.S. Living Arrangements Money Health Information What to Wear Pg. 4 Pg. 4 Pg. 5 Pg. 5 Pg. 5 Pg. 6 Post-Arrival Information Pg. 6 Port of Entry Getting to Tulsa Pg. 6 Pg. 6 Checking in with ISS New International Student Orientation Pg. 7 Pg. 7 Registering for Courses Paying Tuition and Fees Pg. 7 Pg. 7 Getting Settled Banking Where to Shop Where to Eat Transportation Utilities Pg. 8 Pg. 8 Pg. 8 Pg. 8 Pg. 8 Pg. 8 International Student Support Coalition Pg.9 Final Note Pg. 9 Welcome The TCC Office of International Student Services, (ISS) which is located at the TCC Northeast Campus, was created specifically for the Tulsa Community College student on an F-1 student visa. Currently over 250 international students from over 65 countries are pursuing their academic goals at Tulsa Community College. The ISS Office provides a variety of support services in the following areas: admissions, F-1 visa regulations advisement, academic advisement, orientation, seminars and other activities to assist students in successfully completing the English as Second Language program or Associate degree. As F-1 visa students have a unique admission and application process to obtain an I-20 and maintain visa status, we hope this pre-arrival packet will assist you. ISS Staff International Student Services TCC NE Campus, Room 128 Student Center 3727 E. Apache, Tulsa, OK 74115-3151 Phone: (918) 595-7478, Fax: (918) 595-8451 E-mail: [email protected] Diana Klinghagen Counselor/ International Student Advisor Phone: (918) 595-7533, Fax: (918) 595-8451 E-mail: [email protected] Gary Young-Allen International Student Advisor Phone: (918) 595-7509, Fax: (918) 595-8451 E-mail: [email protected] 3 Tulsa Community College Tulsa Community College awards three degrees -- Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science – all based on the completion of our rigorous academic programs. You'll find incredible academic quality at a reasonable cost at TCC, and a qualified, dedicated faculty willing to work within your busy schedule. At Tulsa Community College, you’ll love your choices. Pre-Arrival Information Visa Stamp and Entering the U.S. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security charges a $200 fee for students to use the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (USCIS). Once you receive your admissions letter and I-20 from TCC, you will need to process the payment for the SEVIS fee. Please go to: http://www.fmjfee.com In order to apply for a valid student visa in your passport, you must have paid the SEVIS fee and present the correct documents to the U.S. embassy or consulate. Please contact the U.S. embassy or consulate in your home country when you are ready to apply. You can access most of the U.S. embassies and consulates online at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/questions_embassy.html Once your application is approved, the visa with your picture and personal information will be placed in your passport to designate you will be attending TCC upon arrival to the U.S. 4 Note: Canadian students who enter from Canada are not required to obtain a visa by interview. Rather, you must use the SEVIS I-20 to enter the U.S. on F-1 status. You must be given a Form I-94 indicating your F-1 visa status when you enter. All first-time new students are not allowed to enter the U.S. more than 30 days before the program start date listed on your I-20. You are required to report to Tulsa Community College before the start of classes. Living Arrangements Tulsa Community College does not provide dormitories; nor does TCC have a shuttle system for campus-to-campus transportation. The requirement of a local contact ensures our international students will have no difficulties establishing a place to live, obtaining transportation, and depositing their money into a bank account. You may think about researching the option of living in an apartment before you arrive. Some students have found Apartment Finder to be helpful in their search. You may find information about the Tulsa area online at: http://tulsa.apartmentfinder.com/Default.aspx Money Based on the experiences of other international students, we suggest the following options for bringing money to Tulsa: Cash: Bring cash to cover the cost of taxis, busses, meals and other miscellaneous expenses. You will want to bring a few hundred dollars cash to help set up your household with items such as: bed sheets, towels, cooking utensils, radio, TV, etc… Private apartments usually require cash or check for a deposit and the first month’s rent. The deposit can sometimes be as much as a full month’s rent. Traveler’s Checks: We suggest your larger sums of money be carried over in the form of traveler’s checks. You can safely and easily deposit the checks into an account once you arrive in Tulsa. Credit Cards: A credit card reduces the amount of money you need to carry with you and it is safe. The easiest and safest way to pay for tuition and many other expenses is by credit card. Health Information While health insurance is not required by TCC, it is VERY important to have health insurance when you are in the United States. Health care is expensive and a person who does not have health insurance MUST pay everything out-of-pocket. A simple visit to the emergency room can cost you a thousand dollars or more. The following is a list of insurance companies offering coverage to international students: 5 The Harbour Group: http://www.hginsurance.com International Student Organization: http://www.isoa.org Collegiate Care: http://www.studentinsure.com What to Wear The culture in Tulsa is rather casual. You should bring whatever you feel comfortable in, and bring clothes that you can wear in any weather. There are many stores for you to go shopping once you arrive. Basically you will need a variety of clothes from a winter coat to light t-shirts. Fall/Autumn: Tulsa is rather hot and humid until mid-October, but by the end of November, the air begins to turn very cold. Temperatures range from 32 degrees to 10 degrees Celsius. Winter: Usually Tulsa experiences one or two snow storms per winter. However, in recent years, we’ve been hit by strong ice storms. Temperatures range from about 7 to -12 degrees Celsius. Spring: By late March or early April the days begin to get warmer. Severe weather including hail, damaging winds, and tornado’s may occur during spring and summer. Temperatures range from about 4 to 27 degrees Celsius. Summer: Tulsa is very hot and muggy in the summer. Temperatures can range from 39 to 24 degrees Celsius. Post-Arrival Information Port of Entry When completing your I-94 card on the airplane, it is very important you spell your name exactly as it appears on your passport photo page. At the airport you will present your I-20 and your passport. Keep your documents in your possession when you travel. Occasionally the immigration officer will ask to see financial documents as well. The immigration officer will stamp page 1 of your I-20 and your I-94 arrival/departure card. The officer will keep the top part of the I-94 card and give you the bottom part. They will usually staple this small white card to your passport. Be sure to keep your I-94 card. If you lose it for some reason, a Customs and Border Protection Office is located in Tulsa at 2222 North Cargo Road (near the airport). Telephone: 918-832-4130. The CBP can assist you in filing for a new I-94 card. Getting to Tulsa Students should fly into the Tulsa International Airport. Most international flights from Europe arrive in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, or Washington D.C. Flights from Asia generally land in Los Angeles or San Francisco. Flights from Latin America generally arrive in Houston or Miami. When you fly into these major cities you may get lucky and have a direct flight to Tulsa. Currently you can expect some delays at security checkpoints, so it may be a good idea to schedule a 4 hour gap of time between connecting flights. You will reduce the risk of missing your connecting flight to Tulsa. Our office is unable to pick up new students at the airport. In the event your local contact is not in town, please take a taxi to a nearby hotel. 6 Checking in with ISS Our regular office hours are Monday-Thursday from 9am-6pm, and Friday from 9am-5pm. Call the ISS Office at 595-7478 to schedule an appointment once you arrive. At the appointment we will need your original I-20, I-94, passport, and anything else our office has requested from you during previous communication. Once you check in, we will have you take a computer-based placement test that will aid us in establishing your class schedule. New International Student Orientation All new F-1 visa students on a TCC I-20 must attend the International Student Orientation. Orientation is held during the last Friday prior to the start of the fall semester, or on the Friday of the first week of the spring semester. Students who begin their studies in the summer must attend the new student orientation at the start of the fall semester. TCC’s International Student Orientation requirement includes transfer students from other U.S. institutions. The International Student Orientation will help you survive the first few busy days of school and ease your adjustment to TCC. Topics covered will include subjects as immigration laws, work authorization, cultural adjustment, education in the U.S., etc… During orientation, we give you the opportunity to get to know other new and current TCC students. The information and topics covered during orientation are essential and help to ensure a good transition to life in the U.S. and at TCC. Registering for Courses You will not be able to register for your classes until you have arrived in Tulsa and have taken a placement test. Following the placement test results, our staff will provide suggestions regarding the courses you should enroll in. However, you are highly encouraged to login to your account and process the enrollment online on your own. Paying Tuition and Fees The Office of the Bursar offers two payment options. The deadline to pay in full is either the first day of the semester or the start date of the earliest class enrolled. The Tuition Option Plan requires a $20 enrollment fee and an additional percentage of tuition as a down payment. More information is available online at http://www.tulsacc.edu/page.asp?durki=4213. You cannot and should not make a payment until after you enroll in your courses. 7 Getting Settled Banking - With a checking account, you will receive a checkbook and usually an ATM card, which will allow you to withdraw cash from your account 24-hours a day. Without a Social Security Number, you will be ineligible to apply for American credit cards. Information on Social Security Numbers and eligibility is discussed at orientation. Where to Shop- Tulsa has two major indoor shopping malls and several outdoor shopping plazas. Most of the shopping areas are within a 10-minute drive from our TCC campuses. The Woodland Hills shopping mall is a little crowded, but it has the most stores. Tulsa Promenade also has movie theaters. Both of the malls have food courts and stores catering to a variety of tastes and needs. In addition, Utica Square is a mid to high-end retail shopping area in Tulsa. Seasonal events are hosted here at this outdoor shopping area. Where to eat- Each TCC campus has food service available to you. However, the hours of operation do not always match our student’s schedules. Tulsa is well known for its variety of restaurants from fast food to gourmet. We have several international cuisines to choose from such as Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Korean, Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican to name a few. Utilities- Depending on your initial living arrangements, you may or may not need to concern yourself with this issue. However, those of you who will be staying in an apartment will need to inquire with the leasing office about whether or not you need to pay water, gas, or electricity bills. Most of these services require an initial deposit. Transportation- Tulsa Transit does provide bus service to the major shopping areas and the TCC campuses in Tulsa. For more information please refer to: http://tulsatransit.org/ The best option for transportation is to buy your own car. Many students buy cars because of the commuter nature of TCC. Used car prices are reasonable. However, buying a car requires you to spend additional money on monthly insurance fees, gasoline, and maintenance. Ultimately, be sure your car is reliable and will enable you to arrive to your classes on time. 8 Note: The State of Oklahoma has strict laws regarding the issuance of driver’s licenses. Your drivers’ license will expire on the same date your program of study expires. Therefore it is temporary. International Student Support Coalition The ISSC needs your help to work for the success of all TCC International Students within the following areas: Developing scholarship/funding ideas. Becoming recognized for efforts and achievements college-wide. Creating a social support network. The ISSC student group meets at the Southeast Campus every Friday afternoon during the Fall and Spring Semesters. If you would like more information, have questions, or would like to get involved, you may contact: Gary Young-Allen (NE Campus) at 595-7509 or [email protected] Diana Klinghagen (NE Campus) at 595-7533 or [email protected] Or current ISSC President (SE Campus) at [email protected] The International Student Services Office strongly supports the International Student Support Coalition and recommends international students attend the weekly ISSC meetings. Additional on-campus opportunities are often announced during ISSC meetings. Final Note Please refer to the Tulsa Community College website http://www.tulsacc.edu for more information about the college and campuses in general. For more information about the Office of International Student Services, go online at http://www.tulsacc.edu/iss. We answer your questions by email and highly recommend you call our office to schedule an appointment instead of walking in. We strongly encourage each student to arrive early. There are many things you need to take care of before beginning your studies. It also gives you the opportunity to explore the City of Tulsa. 9
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