When you're as hopeless as me you need someone else to show you the ins and outs of starting university. Because lets face it there was no way I was going to single handedly navigate myself around a 13 square mile campus and ever seen any of my new friends again.
Luckily this is what international student orientation is for ! An exercise in hand holding where someone else literally sets up your US bank account, prints your ID card, takes you around campus and makes you become friends with other international students.
The first day of ISO was a general administration day for all students. We received ID cards, set up US bank accounts and filled out our visa information. The staff then dragged the several thousand new international students to lectures about health insurance, finance and how to use your ID card. I was amazed to learn I can load money onto my Penn State ID and use it to buy food on campus and in town !
I was amazed in a different way at the lecture on health insurance.
Do you know if I were to be hospitalized in the US I would be personally responsible for paying the cost of the doctor, the specialist, the ambulance ride and all the medication I made need ? UM WHAT. This is not how we do it in New Zealand ! I definitely looked like I should be seeing a doctor during that lecture, my mouth widening with every word as the health insurance lady went through how much every ambulance ride costs. In summation, America doesn't have a comprehensive health system so you must either buy insurance or pay an enormous amount for treatment. This doesn't mean health insurance is that much cheaper - a year at Penn State costs $1800 US !
After all the stress of learning the terrible truth about the American health system we had "Meet the President" drinks on the front lawn of Old Main. Naive as always, I thought we were getting to meet Obama. Clearly I wouldn't have passed admission tests to Penn State, it's probably a good thing the New Zealand system is much more lenient because seriously, why would Obama come to central Pennsylvania to meet people who can't even vote for him !? But there was me, iphone poised at the ready to snap Barrack as he emerged from the doors of Old Main, only to get a picture of the President of Penn State instead.
A couple of days later we had a specific orientation day just for exchange students. There is about 40 exchange students studying at Penn State this fall mostly from New Zealand, Australia, Germany and the UK. Once again we were inundated with lectures about immigration, health insurance and cultural differences, which were no where near as stress inducing than that first talk about health insurance.
Hopefully I won't be getting lost on Monday when I begin classes and I will live to tell the tale. Given that 40,000 students are arriving this weekend it might be difficult, even ISO might not have saved me yet ...
Luckily this is what international student orientation is for ! An exercise in hand holding where someone else literally sets up your US bank account, prints your ID card, takes you around campus and makes you become friends with other international students.
The first day of ISO was a general administration day for all students. We received ID cards, set up US bank accounts and filled out our visa information. The staff then dragged the several thousand new international students to lectures about health insurance, finance and how to use your ID card. I was amazed to learn I can load money onto my Penn State ID and use it to buy food on campus and in town !
I was amazed in a different way at the lecture on health insurance.
Do you know if I were to be hospitalized in the US I would be personally responsible for paying the cost of the doctor, the specialist, the ambulance ride and all the medication I made need ? UM WHAT. This is not how we do it in New Zealand ! I definitely looked like I should be seeing a doctor during that lecture, my mouth widening with every word as the health insurance lady went through how much every ambulance ride costs. In summation, America doesn't have a comprehensive health system so you must either buy insurance or pay an enormous amount for treatment. This doesn't mean health insurance is that much cheaper - a year at Penn State costs $1800 US !
After all the stress of learning the terrible truth about the American health system we had "Meet the President" drinks on the front lawn of Old Main. Naive as always, I thought we were getting to meet Obama. Clearly I wouldn't have passed admission tests to Penn State, it's probably a good thing the New Zealand system is much more lenient because seriously, why would Obama come to central Pennsylvania to meet people who can't even vote for him !? But there was me, iphone poised at the ready to snap Barrack as he emerged from the doors of Old Main, only to get a picture of the President of Penn State instead.
A couple of days later we had a specific orientation day just for exchange students. There is about 40 exchange students studying at Penn State this fall mostly from New Zealand, Australia, Germany and the UK. Once again we were inundated with lectures about immigration, health insurance and cultural differences, which were no where near as stress inducing than that first talk about health insurance.
Hopefully I won't be getting lost on Monday when I begin classes and I will live to tell the tale. Given that 40,000 students are arriving this weekend it might be difficult, even ISO might not have saved me yet ...
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