Purdue 101: Boilermaker Survival Guide

Table of Contents

Before Arriving @ Purdue

1. I-20/Visa
2. List of stuff to pack
3. PUID/Purdue career account/SSINFO
4. Medical history forms
5. I-94
6. US coins

After Arriving @ Purdue

1. Registration @ ISS
2. Get your PUID
3. Bank account
4. Medical insurance/medical history
5. Transfer credits/schedule classes
6. Cell phone service

Living @ Purdue

1. Residence halls (RH) or off-campus housing (OCH)?
2. Learning communities
3. Destinations: Groceries/shopping
4. Destinations: Entertainment
5. Driver’s license
6. On-campus employment

Random stuff

1. Going home for the holidays?
2. Sending mail/stuff?
3. US culture: Slang words
4. Homesick?
5. Want to travel around the States?
6. Map of Purdue

Before Arriving @ Purdue

1. I-20/Visa

So, you’ve just gotten your acceptance letter from Purdue…what now? Let’s face it, you wouldn’t be reading this guide if you don’t want to come here. Well, the first thing would be to obtain the official entry documents into USA from Purdue. This can be done by sending a reply to the acceptance letter, and you should have the I-20 document mailed to you soon enough.

Once you have the I-20, try to get an appointment at the US embassy by printing out and filling in the forms that you need. The website should have sufficient information for you to complete the paperwork with no problems. http://usembassymalaysia.org.my/consularwebsite/visa/niv/niv_apply.htm

Next, you would want to bring the appropriate documents (depending which visa you’re applying for) to the US embassy at Jalan Tun Razak (very near to Tabung Haji building) and get it processed. GO EARLY as you might have to wait in long lines. Your documents will get processed, followed by a brief interview by the immigration official. From my personal experience, don’t worry about the interview. The official will just ask you a few casual questions (e.g. “So which university are you going to?” “What major?”), and will let you pass as long as you show some confidence in speaking in English. Now the only thing you have to do is to wait for your passport along with the US visa to be mailed to you.

Assalamualaikum, and salam sejahtera.
And before that, I would like to say Ramadhan Mubarak to all Muslims.

How’s the semester progressing? Hope that everyone’s doing great.

Anyways, we will be having our annual Hari Raya picture taken this coming Sunday. Photos taken will then be submitted to the Salam Perantauan columns in the newspapers back in Malaysia sweet home.The details:-

We will be taking several group shots, but any personal requests could be forwarded to the photographer on that day.So, see you guys this Sunday, and be sure to drag your other Malaysian friends along too.

And just as a quick reminder, please be there on time.

Before Arriving @ Purdue

1. I-20/Visa
2. List of stuff to pack
3. PUID/Purdue career account/SSINFO
4. Medical history forms
5. I-94
6. US coins

After Arriving @ Purdue

1. Registration @ ISS
2. Get your PUID
3. Bank account
4. Medical insurance/medical history
5. Transfer credits/schedule classes
6. Cell phone service

Living @ Purdue

1. Residence halls (RH) or off-campus housing (OCH)?
2. Learning communities
3. Destinations: Groceries/shopping
4. Destinations: Entertainment
5. Driver’s license
6. On-campus employment

Random stuff

1. Going home for the holidays?
2. Sending mail/stuff?
3. US culture: Slang words
4. Homesick?
5. Want to travel around the States?
6. Map of Purdue

Before Arriving @ Purdue

1. I-20/Visa

So, you’ve just gotten your acceptance letter from Purdue…what now? Let’s face it, you wouldn’t be reading this guide if you don’t want to come here. Well, the first thing would be to obtain the official entry documents into USA from Purdue. This can be done by sending a reply to the acceptance letter, and you should have the I-20 document mailed to you soon enough.

Once you have the I-20, try to get an appointment at the US embassy by printing out and filling in the forms that you need. The website should have sufficient information for you to complete the paperwork with no problems. http://usembassymalaysia.org.my/consularwebsite/visa/niv/niv_apply.htm

Next, you would want to bring the appropriate documents (depending which visa you’re applying for) to the US embassy at Jalan Tun Razak (very near to Tabung Haji building) and get it processed. GO EARLY as you might have to wait in long lines. Your documents will get processed, followed by a brief interview by the immigration official. From my personal experience, don’t worry about the interview. The official will just ask you a few casual questions (e.g. “So which university are you going to?” “What major?”), and will let you pass as long as you show some confidence in speaking in English. Now the only thing you have to do is to wait for your passport along with the US visa to be mailed to you.

2. List of stuff to pack

          You find yourself counting down the days till you actually leave Malaysia, but you don’t know what exactly to bring…AHHHHH PANIC! Don’t worry. Here’s a list of things you could bring with you; it’s not mandatory to bring EVERYTHING on the list, just pick whichever fancies you, and don’t forget the baggage and weight limit when you pack. Happy packing!

1. PUID/Purdue career account/SSINFO

You will get a letter stating your Purdue ID (PUID) number as you get your housing contract letter or with your I-20. This ID number will be very important to you in the future. Most of us will have a problem setting up a Purdue career account which includes the username and password required to log into SSINFO (www.purdue.edu/ssinfo) or your Purdue web mail (webmail.purdue.edu). If you have any problems with this, please contact the university directly: (1) 765-494-4000 as they cannot help us online due to confidentiality issues. The staff is usually very efficient, and will solve your problem by the next day.

1. Medical history forms

The link to print the medical history forms can be found here: http://www.purdue.edu/PUSH/assets/forms/medicalhistorynew.pdf

After downloading and printing (two copies, one for your own safekeeping) the forms, you would want to go to your family doctor and make sure the documents are signed before you come to US. If you are not sure whether you have already had any of the listed vaccinations, please ask your doctor to give it/them to you anyway. Bring these signed forms with you when you go to PUSH to set up your medical insurance; you will need to hand this form in beforehand.

5. I-94

When you are on the flight from KLIA to your first destination in US/Canada (Washington, Detroit, New York, Toronto etc.), the flight attendants will give you two cards to fill in. One will be the customs card, and the more important one: your I-94. Be sure to take the white card if you have a US visa, and the green card if you don’t. But in the case of students who need a visa, take the white card, fill out the necessary details and hang on to the card for immigration when you arrive at your first US destination (you will be transferring to Indianapolis/Chicago after that). After the immigration officials stamp your I-20, your passport and staple the I-94 to your passport, MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT GET LOST. The I-94 is proof that you have gone past immigration, and you are here in US legally. If your passport does not have an I-94 while you are in US, you are at risk of being deported back…and we don’t want that.

6. US coins

US currency can get complicated sometimes because they don’t state the numerical value on the coins. Here’s a summary of how much each coin costs:

Cent: $0.01 (bronze)

Nickel: $0.05 (silver; bigger than a cent and a dime but smaller than a quarter)

Dime: $0.10 (silver; smallest coin of them all

Quarter: $0.25 (silver; the biggest coin apart from the rare $1 and $0.50 coin)

After Arriving @ Purdue

1. Registration @ ISS

The first thing you’d want to do when you’ve arrived here would be to go to the Office of International Students and Scholars (ISS) at Schleman Hall to register yourself as a Purdue student. If you’re arriving during the week before school begins, the ISS usually has a group check-in session at Stewart Hall (the room differs from semester to semester), so be sure to ask at the ISS office first. Once you’ve checked in, the staff will give you a letter which enables you to make your Purdue ID at the Purdue Memorial Union. So what are you waiting for? Cepat-cepat go lah!

1. Get your PUID

You get your PUID made at the Purdue Memorial Union (PMU), which is approximately 5-7 minutes from Schleman Hall. If you come before the first few days of Boiler Gold Rush (BGR – an orientation event for new Purdue students), you won’t have to wait in a line to get the ID. After getting your picture taken, you’re good to go. Your PUID is basically your ID card, your library card, your meal card if you’re planning to live in the residence halls and the key to the residence halls if you stay out later than 11pm at night.

Another useful thing to do while getting your PUID would be to sign up for a Boilerexpress account. For those who are planning to live in the residence halls, a Boilerexpress account uses your PUID as a ‘debit card’ that can be used to pay for the washers and dryers while doing laundry (trust me, this is extremely useful if you can’t seem to find change for the machines), at the HTM Café at Stone Hall, and for photocopying on campus. It can also be used to pay for snacks and drinks when you run out of ‘Dining Dollars’ that come with the dining package when you apply for housing.

1. Bank account

Done with the basic stuff; now for the iffy daily-life chores. I guarantee every parent gives their children a whole lot of money/bank drafts in order to set up an account, and we don’t want that to get stolen/lost before it’s in the bank. In general, students in Purdue choose one out of the two banks on campus due to convenience issues:

a)     Purdue Employers Federal Credit Union (PEFCU)

-          Has ATMs all around campus, but nowhere to be found outside of the Lafayette region

-          You can get a credit card really easily compared to Chase

b)     JP MorganChase Bank (previously called Bank One)

-          Only has two ATMs on campus: One at PMU and the other at Purdue West (opposite of McCutcheon Hall), the other non-Chase ATMs charge you around $1.50-$2.00 for withdrawing cash or checking your balance

-          Chase ATMs are spread throughout US; if you want to travel, having a Chase debit card would be more convenient than a PEFCU card because you can’t really find a PEFCU ATM outside of campus.

You need to bring your passport, PUID and your acceptance letter to Purdue in order to set up an account for both banks.

1. Medical insurance

PUSH offers their own medical insurance which is really helpful if you need to get a vaccination shot (N.B. the compulsory TB test), but considered a bit too much for the services it provides (some more don’t provide insurance if you get injured abroad). You can go for an international insurance company before coming here, but a lot of things cannot be claimed due to PUSH’s policies. If you are prone to injuries, you should go with PUSH’s medical insurance policy; if not, just go for an international insurance company, and make sure the company fulfills the following criteria:

-          Medical benefits of >$50000 per accident or illness

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