The International Student Blog

As we head into the new year, we are excited to announce important enhancements to our International Student Facebook and Twitter accounts! Not only has our number of fans continue to grow, International Student’s Facebook fan page and Twitter handle will now be the new social media hub for our family of international student websites. Instead of having to fan or follow us across multiple accounts and sites – we now offer international students one convenient source for all the very latest social media action.

The sites that we are integrating into one are:

InternationalStudent.com - our main site offers information about studying abroad, including useful advice pages for studying in the USA, UK and Australia along with our dedicated study abroad center for US students who want to travel abroad.

InternationalStudentInsurance.com – finding the correct health and travel insurance plan is often overlooked by most students, but an essential part of any travel or study experience. International Student Insurance offer low cost, comprehensive plans that could save you up to $700 when compared to your schools insurance plan!

InternationalStudentLoans.com – funding your education abroad experience is the most challenging for many students. International Student Loan provides students with a unique loan comparison tool which shows you loans that fits your specific situation, and its designed just for international students.

ESLdirectory.com – locating an english language school (ESL) is the first step for many international students. The ESL Directory is where you can find schools from around the world dedicated to teaching and improving your English language skills.

Whether you are looking for information about which University you should apply for, where to find scholarships, what health insurance plan will save you the most money, how to find a loan to finance your study abroad… with this integration we will be able have a social community where students from around the world can talk about and find information about anything relating to international education.

For most of our fans – the integration will be seamless if you currently fan or follow us on our main international student Facebook and Twitter account. However if you are a follower of one of our other sites, please join us today and move across – over time we will be closing down the other account.

Fan us and follow us today:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/internationalstudent

Twitter: https://twitter.com/intstudent

As the new school year has just started, most international students registering for classes will need to show proof of adequate health insurance coverage – or you will need to enroll in your schools insurance plan. Most school insurance plans are expensive, and by showing proof of alternative coverage you can save up to $700 a year! For example, students from the University of Hawaii can save $754 per year and students from Florida International University can save $717 per year!

The Student Secure plan offers excellent, affordable coverage for all international students, including coverage for:

- Up to $300,000 policy maximum
- $100 deductible
- Provider Network in the USA
- Meets most school requirements (check them here)
- Starts at just $28/ month

Find out more and start the year off right by saving money!
http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/student-health-insurance/

As students all across the country head back to school for the start of the new semester – international students are heading to orientation and making their final preparations so they can enroll in class. One of the requirements many schools have, is that students either enroll in their school’s insurance plan or they have to show proof of coverage that meets certain requirements.

Typically school insurance plans are very expensive, and although its an easier option to enroll in your school’s plan – there are cheaper insurance plans available! But for most students, finding and researching all the insurance plan options and checking to see if they will meet your schools requirements is sometimes just too much work!!

HOWEVER…. there is an excellent resource that all students should check out. The school insurance requirement database, which has thousands of schools all over the USA listed in there. Simply find your school and it will instantly tell you if the Student Secure plan will meet your school’s requirements, provide you with the pricing and access to your schools insurance waiver form. It takes all the hard work out of finding a cheaper, alternative health insurance plan.

http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/school_requirements/

With the new “Smart” insurance plan, there are plans available to students that start at just $28/month and upwards depending on the plan that is being purchased. For more information and further details please see the Student Secure – International Student Health Insurance plan.

With the World Cup just under 80 days away – the tension and excitement is starting to build as the world biggest tournament prepares to get underway. The 2010 tournament is held every four years, and this time around South Africa are the hosts – and people from all around the world will converge on the African Nation.

If you are one of the lucky ones who was able to get tickets, or you plan to travel to South Africa and get last minute tickets – you will want to make sure you are covered by a high quality health and travel insurance plan that will cover you in the event something happens. World Cup Insurance offers that plan, and with rates as low as $7 for just 7 days of coverage and the flexibility to design coverage limits to suit your needs and desires.

The plan includes international toll free access in South Africa and around the world, so if you need assistance, help is never more than a phone call away – and you can purchase coverage immediately online!

For more information and to purchase a plan please visit: http://www.worldcup-insurance.com/

With the new year only weeks away, a new semester will start for many students – some will be returning back to school and for others it will be a start at their new school. To help you with this, we have provided a checklist of things you need make sure are in place for the new semester:

1. Check/ Book Flights
Check and reconfirm your flights for your trip over. If you have not booked a flight yet it is not too late and it could actually save you money as Airlines tend to put sales on after Christmas.

2. Arrange Accommodation
When you first arrive, make sure you have accommodation during the first few nights.

3. Finances/ Student Loans
Make sure all your finances are in order – if you still are short of funds, you can still apply for an international student loan

4. Student Health Insurance
While some schools will automatically require you to enroll in their insurance plan, other schools will leave this up to you – and most schools will not allow you to register without proof of insurance. Save yourself time and hassle by applying now, so that you have confirmation ready when you arrive to register for classes.

5. Stay in touch
Being in a foreign country can be daunting, so make sure you have a way to either call home or for home to call you with an international calling card or sim card.

6. Ask Questsions
You will most likely have lots of questions, hopefully your international student advisor will have answered them all and they are the best person to talk to. However if you want another perspective try international student forums for information and to talk to other students.

…..and the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy yourself!

For many students in the USA, health insurance is not something you want to have to think about, or worry about! However, it is often the case that your school will not provide you with insurance (and so you have to look for a good plan on your own) or your school will provide a plan but its extremely expensive!

The Student Secure plan from InternationalStudentInsurance.com provides students with an affordable international student health insurance option that will meet and exceed all US State Department requirements – but will also meet most school requirements.

The plan provides up to a $300,000 policy maximum and coverage including mental health, maternity, pre-existing condition coverage, and much more. Coupled with this, you can now use the InternationalStudentInsurance.com School Insurance Requirement database to see what your school requirements are quickly and easily – saving you time and energy!

For more information on the Student Secure plan please see:
http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/student_secure_international/

and to visit the School Requirements Database please see:
http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/school_requirements/

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