International Student Blog

There is still time for students to obtain health insurance for their time in school. With an online application and approval service, the Student Secure plan and Atlas America plan will work for students and provide excellent coverage benefits:

http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/student_secure_international/
http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/atlas_america/

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It’s accepted by 6,000 colleges and universities in more than 100 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada. The TOEFL® test measures the English-language skills you’ll use when you study, so success on the test means success on campus from day one.

Register for the TOEFL test and get a FREE TOEFL iBT Sampler!

Also - get more information about the TOEFL Test from our TOEFL pages online at:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/testprep/toefl.shtml

As we are starting a new semester, I thought I would cover a few topics that deal with some of the things you will be experiencing. I have already covered how to make new friends and so today I thought I would cover the topic of adjusting to your new life, or what has been termed “Culture Shock”.

So what is Culture Shock? Essentially this is the feeling you get when you are adapting to your new surrounding and can take many forms such as sadness/ loneliness, lack of confidence, longing for family, feelings of being lost, etc.. For many international students this may happen within the first few weeks as you are not sure how to react to things, what is appropriate behaviour, what is not appropriate behaviour, and generally trying to adjust to new surroundings.

Of course not all students will experience this, but for those that do it is important that you do not let it get on top of you as the feelings will pass and with time you will learn how things work in your new host country. Of course doing things like keeping in touch with your family and friends back home, joining clubs and groups and talking to your fellow students will always help!

Also - remember that if you really need help talk to your international student office at school. They will be best placed to help you and are there to help you!

Its that time of year when we get in-undated with students looking for insurance coverage, and we get loads of questions about the US insurance system, how it works and what things mean. So I thought the best way to get some information you to help you through the “insurance maze” would be to explain some insurance terms they use in the USA.

Deductible
A deductible is a one time payment that needs to be made before the insurance will pay-out for any charges. Some plans have a one time deductible and others have a per injury/illness deductible. In the UK this is also known as an excess.

Coinsurance/ Copay
When you have met your deductible some plans will require you to pay a % of the remaining costs and this is known as a copay or coinsurance. Some plans will provide 100% and other will pay 80% which will depend totally on the plan.

Premium
The premium is the amount you will have to pay to be insured under that plan

PPO/ Network
A PPO or network is the word used to describe the group of hospitals and doctors that will recognize the insurance and generally when you visit these doctors your out-of-pocket expenses will be much reduced.

Obviously there will be lots of other things that you might not understand about insurance so if you have any questions or comments post them on the blog and I will do my best to answer them. Alternatively please see:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/news/articles/insurance_needs.shtml
http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/resources/index.html

A very interesting topic has come up on our message board recently and I thought it would be great subject considering the time of year, what with so many students starting new schools and new semesters. The topic was how to make new friends, and for some of you this will be very easy - everyone is in the same boat and so everyone wants to talk to as many people and make as many friends as quickly as possible.

But, this is not always the case and having been on both sides of the fence I have experienced times when it was really easy to make friends and other times when it was hard. If you are finding it hard to make friends, some advice I would give would be:

1 - Turn up to all classes, orientation events and try to join in as much as possible. I know this can sometimes be hard, especially if you are homesick but it will make you feel better and you will meet new people

2 - Be open to people, and accepting to new religions, values and peoples thoughts.

3 - Try and join as many clubs as you can, for example if you love playing tennis or basketball then join the tennis club or team - or take this opportunity to try a new sport!

If anyone has any other thoughts on how to make friend - post your comments!

Hand baggage rules to the UK have been changed today after the threat level in the UK was reduced. For all students now traveling to the UK or from the UK you can now have:

Each passenger is permitted to carry ONE item of cabin baggage through the airport security search point. The dimensions of this item must not exceed: a maximum length of 45 cm, width of 35 cm and depth of 16 cm (17.7″×13.7″×6.2″ approx) (including wheels, handles, side pockets etc.). Other bags, such as handbags, may be carried within the single item of cabin baggage. All items carried by passengers will be x-ray screened.

No liquids of any type are permitted through the airport security search point, other than the following items:

Essential medicines in liquid form sufficient and essential for the flight (e.g. diabetic kit), as long as verified as authentic
Baby milk and liquid baby food (the contents of each bottle or jar must be tasted by the accompanying passenger).
NOTE: The definition of liquids includes gels, pastes, lotions, liquid/solid mixtures and the contents of pressurised containers, e.g. toothpaste, hair gel, drinks, soups, syrups, perfume, deodorant, shaving foam, aerosols, etc.

For more information about this please see the DFT Website in the UK

My recommendation would be to not take any hand luggage for the time being, this will help speed you through security check points and avoid any delays!

As you probably all know, the recent travel alert in the UK has gripped UK airports and causing delays and disruption to those leaving or traveling within the UK. After many flights were cancelled yesterday it appears most airports are getting back to normal, but a bit of advice for any students traveling from the UK in the coming weeks be prepared for some changes and these tips will help you:

1. Leave early for the airport - make sure you have plenty of time to check-in, pass security and get to your gate, I would recommend 3 hours in advance!
2. Don’t bring any hand luggage - this will only cause delays when you get there trying to put it into bags for the hold.
3. Only take things you need - you will not be allowed anything on the plane with you apart from things like passport, wallet/ purse, any medication and some personal items - you cannot take food, drink or sweets/ candy either!
4. Wear sensible clothes - you will go through extensive security checks so wear shoes you can take off easily and try not to wear anything that has a lot of metal in it - this will only delay you!

It looks like the “no hand luggage” ban will be in effect for the time being so anything you can do to speed things up will get you to your destination quicker!

Safe Travels!

We are nearing the big 100 mark for our newsletter, with issue 90 being released last week so most of you will have received this already! The issue is packed full with information for the new school year that is right upon us! Plus it contains:

1. Introduction
2. Final Preparations
3. American InterContinental University
4. TOEFL Scores Open More Doors
5. Featured Program: Edenz Colleges, New Zealand
6. Student Sound-off - HOT Topics from the mail bag
7. International Student Identity Card
8. HyperStudy.com Study Search
9. Subscription Information
10. Final Note

http://www.internationalstudent.com/newsletter/issue90.shtml

If you do not receive it via email or are not signed up to get our newsletter then please do so at:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/newsletter/index.shtml

Its free and we provide you with lots of useful information, news, competitions and much more!

Is your school insurance plan just too expensive? $1,500, $1,750 or even $2,000 for just one year or coverage!!!

The Student Secure plan is an alternative to your schools plan and will meet most schools waiver requirements as it includes:

- Coverage for $300,000 (select) and $250,000 (budget) per injury/ illness
- $100 deductible (reduced to $50 at Student Health Center)
- Mental health coverage
- Maternity coverage
- Sports coverage
- and much more

The plan is also very competitively prices costing a 19 year old student just:
Select: $456 for 6 months
Budget: $276 for 6 months

Find out more by contacting the insurance specialists at InternationalStudentInsurance.com:

Web - http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/student_secure_international/
Email - info@InternationalStudentInsurance.com
Talk - (877) 328-1565 option 4