International Student Blog

Unfortunately I will not be able to post much over the next 10 days as I am on vacation! We may have a few guest posters during this week if topics come up - but look forward to when I get back for resumption of more new blogs!

Remember you can also use our other resources to find out information:
- International Student Forum - ask questions, reply to other students questions and help each other out!
- International Student Newsletter - make sure you are signed up to our mailing list and get our newsletter each month!
- International Financial Aid Blog - if you are looking for funding options, this is a must with blog on all thing related to financial aid for international students

Of course, keep your comments on our blog - for instance if you want to see me cover certain topics just add a comment to this blog and I will tackle those when I get back!

Want to study at the American InterContinental University - California Campus? They offer programs in:

Associate Degrees:
Business Administration
International Business
Fashion Design
Fashion Marketing
Interior Design
Visual Communication

Bachelor Degree:
Criminal Justice
Information Technology
Enterprise Management
International Business
Fashion Design
Fashion Marketing
Fashion Marketing and Design
Interior Design (BFA)
Media Production
Visual Communication

Master’s:
Information Technology
Global Technology Management
Education in Instructional Technology

For more information about this please visit the following link
AIU - American InterContinental University

On May 30th, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, signed into state law a bill to ban the use of state funds for academic travel to Cuba, Iran, Libya, Syria and North Korea. This move was spearheaded after two Florida International University employees who had traveled to Cuba on academic exchange were indicted on espionage changes - though neither of the accused has been found guilty of this charge!

The full article can be found online at:
http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3305

I would be interested to hear your comments on this?

Most students when they come to the USA struggle to purchase things like a cell phone on contract or obtain a credit card from an American bank - and the main reason is that everything in the USA is based around your credit score. Have no score or a bad score and you will struggle to get every day things like a cell phone or credit card! (I know, I have been there!)

To help you out, I have found an article which talks about credit, how it is judged and what you can do to build your score:
http://www.studentplatinum.com/credit_card_education/credit.php

One tip that worked for me to build my credit in the USA was to obtain a small loan with someone who has a good credit score, a joint application. This meant the loan was approved as they looked at the main applicants good credit score but when repayments were made both reports were credited with good, on-time payments - this allowed me to build my credit very slowly until I was approved about a year later for my own credit card.

Our blog is celebrating its first birthday today, having come online on June 23rd 2005 with our very first post at:
http://www.internationalstudentblog.com/2005/06/welcome-to-our-blog.html

We also hope to see more of you in our second year and feel free to post comments and thoughts on what we blog. To do this, simply click on the comments link at the bottom of every post and put your thoughts down! We would love to hear from you!

InternationalStudentGuru

The editor from our sister sites, InternationalStudentLoan.com and IEFA.org have created a new resource for international students who need help, information and advice when looking for international financial aid. There are many resources around that will help you, but where do you find them all? The International Financial Aid Blog will be compiling information each week to help you find scholarships, loans, fellowships and much more!

Check it out today:
http://www.internationalfinancialaidblog.com/

When you are studying abroad, the most important thing to help guard against culture shock and general home sickness is to keep in touch with your family and friends. Email and letters are a great way to do this, but there is nothing like talking to your family to make you feel better!

But….the question I always have when I am in a foreign country is “How do I dial or What do I dial to call home”. To help you I found this great little website that helps you with your dialing codes to countries all around the world!

http://www.howtocallabroad.com/

It is a non-commercial site, so you will not get plastered with ads for phone cards and calling cards - just some really handy information on how to call a specific country, along with the time at that moment, different area codes and some general information!

Are you looking for a school in the USA? Finding the right school online cannot be easy, but with USAcademics.com you have the tool to find out about programs with their tailor made search program - find an ESL school, find a law school, find any school in the USA!

If you want to study in the USA, then check it out and let us all know what you think!

http://www.USAcademics.com

We have now made it even easier to keep up-to-date with our blog. As well as having RSS Feeds so you can track this on your favourite reader, we now have email updates available! Simply enter your email into the box below and you will get an email of every post we make!

One resource that I know many of our readers will find really helpful is our “Ask the Expert” center which is part of our message boards. We now have Bill Kadarusman from Kadarusman Law Offices answering posts covering all kinds of immigration information and advice such as general visa questions, to more complex matters such as H1B processing.

If you have an international immigration question and need some help please visit our message board and submit a post - he is there to help you and could assist you with any issues you may be having!

http://www.internationalstudentforum.com/viewforum.php?f=15