HOUSING - FINANCE - BOOKS - CLOTHING - COOKING - MEDICAL - DRIVING - COLUMBUS - HOTELS

HOUSING:
 
Off - Campus:

Indian students usually prefer off campus housing, since it is economical and convenient. Peo ple usually end up spending around $200 on the rent and along with utilities it falls down to about $300 - $450 per month depending on how one spends. Off campus housing is not that far away and in most of the cases the apartments are 5 minutes from campus.
There are Two Basic ways to get Apartments:

1. By Moving in with somebody who has been living here for quite some time and needs a roommate.
2. By finding roommates and then leasing out a new apartment.

In order to find new apartments you can call up the realtors and setup an appointment. And if you are looking to move in with somebody or if you are trying to find roommates then please go to ISA's Bulletin board.

On - Campus:

On Campus housing is a great experience and you are able to meet people from various countries and make many new friends. For more information on On - Campus housing please visit the Ohio-State Website.

FINANCE:

Bring as much money as you are permitted to - startup expenditure can be quite high. If you are on University Fellowship, your first pay-check will arrive on September 30 itself, but other Graduate Associates will get their first pay-check only on October 31. In such a situation, you may need about $1500 - $2000.00 for the first two months. Here's an estimate of the initial expenditure from a person who came in last year:

Category of expense                                                 (approx) Amount
Rental deposit + First month's rent                                 $500-700
Purchase of basic spices/rice/grocery                             $50-100
Setting up expenses (pans/bedsheets/beds)                    $100-200
Books                                                                           $50-150
Health Insurance                                                            $287
Telephone (installation, instrument, etc)                          $100-150

All of the above are rough estimates. The minimum expenditure will be about $1000. It would therefore make sense to pick up at least $1500 to include your groceries and other expenses. But, if you cannot manage that (RBI hassles, financial constraints, etc.,) loans from the University may be arranged especially a particular $1000 loan from OIE, whose financial terms are not obscene!

BOOKS:

As far as books go, well they are expensive. It would be advisable to get in touch with the people listed on the departmental contacts or your seniors and you could also use the general discussion area on the bulletin board for that. They might be able to advise you to bring some standard textbooks which are required towards your major. And yes undergrads, our books are hard to find and you will probably end up buying them. But hey it's worth a try!

CLOTHING:

Well the weather plays a big factor in Ohio. We have summer like it is in India and therefore I would advise getting summer clothes but if you are arriving in fall then you better get some woolen clothes. Because by the end of Fall it snows and the temperatures go below zero. So you definitely need one warm winter jacket. If you are arriving in summer then weather is the last thing you need to worry about.

Get some formals incase of presentations and casuals for classes and etc. Although you will find some very good deals on clothing over here and if you are lucky the jacket you buy will be made in India (joking but it does happen a lot).

COOKING:

Anything that you might need for cooking is available here. We have Indian grocery stores and you can get almost everything that you could buy in a market in India. Well but your mom's not going to be cooking, so this might be a good time to get some recepies as most of the desi's cook food at home. You could also pack some utensils that you might need for cooking, pressure cooker, dishes and silverware for example.

MEDICAL:

The two most expensive bills that one could have in the US are from Lawyers and Doctors. Medical treatment is very expensive although the OSU health center takes care of minor cold and fever and infections, it will not be helpful incase you have a major surgery. You will be required to have health insurance and mostly students take the OSU comprehensive insurance. But you better get your check-up done before you leave. It is also advisable to have a first aid kit, and extra pair of glasses. Ask your family doctor for a list of Medicines to carry along when you come here. Complete important check-ups and vaccinations like MMR, Hepatitis B, TB, Chest X-ray, Eyes, Dental etc.. Complete the health documentation that you may have to submit when you arrive here.

DRIVING:

Get your International Drivers License (IDP) and regular license(though regular license wont be of any use!). It is helpful as you will be allowed to rent cars right away. This may not be recommended for slow learners since it is important to instantly adapt to the US driving rules and the left hand driven cars. .

International license are helpful, however you will not be able to bypass any driving tests since Ohio's laws do not permit that. Driving with international license is permissible in Ohio and may be helpful.

COLUMBUS:

Columbus is a friendly place, with the atmosphere of a small town (actually the 13th largest city in the USA - population of 1.3 million if we consider the entire Columbus metropolitan area). People are friendly and outgoing. There is usually something or the other being organized around here on weekends and major holidays for one to participate in. There are also three temples, a gurudwara and a mosque, and a Hindu temple in Columbus (and some of the biggest temples and mosques in the USA within a few hours drive from here!) Columbus is ideally situated within a few hours access of most cities in the Midwest or on the East Coast. Two of the major freeways in the USA intersect in Columbus.
For the last ten years, Columbus has been voted one of the cleanest cities in the USA. A few years ago, it even won the 2nd place in the 'Keep America Beautiful' program. All this and other factors such as low crime rate, low unemployment, good acceptance/assimilation of the international community, etc. make it a good city to live in.

Also Ohio State is the second largest University in America as far as the size of the student body is concerned. And our campus is one of the largest in the country.

HOTELS:

For those who are planning to arrive OSU with their parents, the following are the websites they should look for hotels around campus. Please goto the website and find their closest place around Ohio State University. (try searching by zip code 43210)

University Plaza: http://www.universityplazaosu.com/
Red Roof Inn: http://www.redroof.com/
Super 8: http://www.super8.com/
Holiday Inn: http://www.holiday-inn.com
Blackwell:  http://www.theblackwell.com

Holiday Inn and Blackwell are almost or on campus, however the other 3 are about 5/10 minutes bus ride from Campus. (Check www.cota.com for info about Buses)