Getting ready for orientation! - Social Activity

Hi everyone! This is Natsuki!

Only a week till the orientation! I hope you guys are all excited for the start of your new life in State College!

Orientation volunteers are getting ready for the social activities! In addition to many mandatory sessions (I know, I know, some of the mandatory session seems boring, but you really should go!!!), we are also planning various fun events! Social activity is a great opportunities to get to know other new students as well as the volunteers. I highlight some of my favorite events here...

Dinner Tour
Scheduled on January 5, 8 and 9.
Volunteers will lead groups of new students to their favorite restaurants in downtown. Dining with your new friends will be a good way to get to know each other. You can ask questions you have to the volunteers, too. They will show you around the downtown to introduce their favorite spots! Look how many people joined in the dinner tour in the last spring orientation!


Scavenger Hunt & Life in State College session
Scheduled on January 7 (scavenger hunt), and 8 (Life in State College session)
On Wednesday, you guys will be divided into small groups and solve series of questions together. Questions will ask you to find certain objects and buildings on campus and downtown. It is fun way to learn the way around of the area you will be living, and it was a huge success last year! (The photo is from the last year!)
On the following day, you will attend Life in State College session to complete the quiz and check the answers. You may have additional quiz to get a bit more points at the last minute! We will also share the photos you took during the Scavenger Hunt.



Shopping trips
Scheduled on January 5 and 6.
You guys will need various items to start your life in State College... Bedding, notebooks, some foods, nice winter jacket (Yes, it gets down to -28C in the winter)... State College is not really the best place to do fancy shopping, but you guys can get basic stuff. Volunteers will help you guys to go to shopping centers.

Other events...
Bowling, Laser tag (see photo), Star gazing show... and MUCH MORE!

We try our best to organize fun events throughout the orientation week. I remember that I was so lonely and getting homesick when I first came to Penn State, and when I went to London this summer. So, don't stay in your room all by yourself. Come out and have fun with us :)

You will find many posts about the social activities in the Orientation Leaders room in Days Inn. Come and find out about exciting events for the day!

Question on Housing (White Course) and Summer Internship

Hi this is Ming, Here is a common question concerning housing (at White Course Apartments) and related to it a question about what to do in summer: "Hello, I am from Italy and I have been admitted to the Energy and Mineral Engineering department for a Phd. First of all thank you for all the usefull information. I have just received the white course single apartment lease agreement and I see that for the spring semester the lease ends 5/17/2009. My graduate assistanship is for the spring semester and for the autumn one. So what does usually happen during the summer semester? do you think it would be possible for me to find some kind of internship on campus? If I return home will I be able to store my belongings somewhere? I am asking you this because I am booking my flight and maybe you could advise me on a possible return date. A return ticket would be much cheaper! Any time I might be able to return to Italy for a couple of weeks. Thank you again" Answer: The white course apartment allows tenants to stay on throughout the whole year. What you need to do is to inquire from the housing office there once you are here (or even before you arrive if you could) the procedure to entent your apartment's lease. Be sure to do it quickly though as housing is in high demand. If you continue to rent the White Course apartment, you would have a place to store your belongings or you could ask a friend to help you out.  Answer: Summer graduate assistantship is something every international student needs to "negotiate" with their advisors and department personally. Some graduate students gets a Research Funding for certain summer project, some becomes part of the ongoing reseach, some advanced students get to teach a summer course, some go for internships, some work part-time in the university's library or eateries, and there arel some who doesn't get any financial assistance at all for the summer. Note: as an international student, you can only work on campus even in the summer unless it is an internship (as part of your studies). Answer: Airline ticket prices fluctuate from month to month, so it is really depending on your schedule. If you have decided to stay here during Summer, then you could still go home for a couple of weeks before the Summer sessions begin or after they have ended. Check out the Penn State Academic Calendar.  I hope these info helps. See you soon!

Worst Case Scenario (International Flights/Connections)

Hi, this is Ming.
Well, the title is a bit scary but don't worry too much. I just got back from Malaysia (home-country) and had arrived in State College in the wee hours of the morning. I would like to share my travelog with some of you especially the ones who will be traveling abroad (specifically to the US) for the first time.

My travel really started in Singapore's Changi Airport. My original flight was supposed to be Singapore-London-Newark. Then my flight from Singapore-London was delayed and I was rerouted to Singapore-Hongkong-San Francisco-Newark. Then a typhoon hit Hong Kong and the flight was delayed for 12 hours. By the time the plane arrive in San Francisco I have missed the Newark flight. So they put me in a local hotel and rerouted me (it's already 3 a.m by this time)to a Philadelphia flight the next day with the final destination being State College.

What I'm trying to say is "don't worry". Flights get rerouted and delayed all the time. But there are certain things that you must be aware of. E.g:
Don't assume that your flight is on-time all the time (check the airport departure monitor they don't always announce the delays.
Whenever you are rerouted, please double check your luggage with the airline to make sure they are getting rerouted as well.
While it is frustrating to be delayed, try to be polite when you are talking to the airline personnel. They can't control a lot of the events e.g hurricanes or even heavy traffic. They also just doing their job. Be nice.

On another point, when you enter the United States, via any of the airports, your luggage will checkout and returned to you. You must collect your luggage and check them in again for the next domestic connection. Again, make sure you keep the luggage tags issued to you when you check-in for the first time...you will need them in the event they get lost.

Note: As of Aug 7th 2008, State College Airport (or University Park Airport) is being renovated for expansion. Due to this, the luggage carousal (where you claim your baggage) is closed). You will need to collect the luggage outside the airport. Don't worry, there are signs. Speaking of signs, look out for ISS Orientation signs and posters in the airport (as well as the Bus Terminal)

Where to send your luggage (from the airport) in Spring

Hi this is Ming. (The following information is for Spring 2009)

As we expect new students, parents, family members to start arriving in State College either by car, bus or planes (University Park Airport is the official name for the airport nearest to the campus), you may like to know the nitty-gritties of traveling to Penn State University:

Luggage: As the planes flying into University Park Airport are quite small (sometimes for only 36 passengers), your luggage may NOT arrive at the same time as you. Sometimes, due to the high-volume of passengers at the beginning of the semester your luggage may actually need to be flown in by another plane. When this happens, there is a possibility you won't get your luggage on the same day. Subsequently, IF you are asked to provide a forwarding address (where to deliver your luggage). 

If you're coming in in Spring (January), please send them to:

Days Inn

at 240 South Pugh Street
State College, PA 16801
(814) 238-8454

Days Inns is where you will be staying for the duration of the Orientation Week in Spring. 

ATTENTION: Please DO NOT SEND your luggage during the Orientation Week to any other addresses such as the International Student Services (ISS) Office in Boucke Building. That is the administrative office and there will be no one taking care of your luggage there.

As usual, make sure your NAME IS CLEARLY WRITTEN on your luggage to make identifying them easier when they arrive in the hotel. 

Getting Cellphone

Hi, this is Natsuki! 

Today's topic is cellphone. If you look at the page 46 of your orientation booklet, there is the list of companies you can refer to, but here I am going to write some general advice.

Exchange students and other students who are going to stay here only for the short period of time, it is often difficult for you guys to buy a plan, because the contracts often last for 2 years. Also, if you don't have the social security number, you are usually required to pay deposit at the beginning of the contract and you may not get it back until the end of the first year of your contract. The amount of deposit varies, but it could be several hundreds dollars. So typically, one-year or one-semester students buy minutes, and top it up as you go.

Many undergraduate students may not have social security number (you can't have SSN unless you have a job), but may be planning to stay in the States long enough to buy a contracts. You guys will be required to pay deposit, but I thought it's worth it. Your deposit will come back eventually (unless you do something terribly wrong), and you can get better rate.

If you have social security number, and are going to stay here for a while, there shouldn't be much trouble purchasing any sort of plan!

If you have your cellphone from back home, try to bring it just in case. You may simply be able to switch sim card, and not have to buy a phone.

Please note that you cannot use address of your temporary housing or international student services when you make a contract. So be sure to know where you will be living after the orientation, when you go to buy a phone!



Either you get cellphone or not, make sure to call your parents back home as soon as you arrive here... Orientation leaders don't want to receive any more phone calls from mothers crying and asking if her kids arrived safely or not!