Arrival Information

Arriving in the U.S.

The visa you received allows you to enter the United States: however it does not determine how long you can stay in the U.S. When you enter the U.S. an immigration officer will inspect all of your documents, make sure you have your passport, visa and original I-20 available for inspection. At this time the immigration officer will stamp your I-94 card indicating how long you can stay in the U.S.

International students and scholars may enter the United States up to 30 days prior to the beginning date on the Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019). Make every effort to arrive in time to attend the International Orientation and to establish yourself before classes begin.

You should try to plan your arrival in Dearborn between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (eastern time) on a weekday (Monday through Friday). These are business hours and the offices on campus you need to visit upon your arrival will be open (except on observed holidays).

Arriving on Campus

It is your responsibility to make your way to the University of Michigan-Dearborn from the airport. The closest airport in Michigan to the University of Michigan-Dearborn is Detroit Metropolitan Airport (approximately 20 miles west). We recommend that you take a taxi to the campus or wherever you will be staying. The following taxi companies seem to have the lowest fares (around $26.00):

• Metro Airport Taxi
  Telephone: 1-866-919-5466
  
• Lorraine Cab Taxi Services
  1-313-582-6900

Weather

The weather in Michigan varies greatly throughout the year. This region of the U.S. experiences all four seasons.

Weather during the four seasons:

Weather by the Month:

Conversion Formula:
Celsius (C), Fahrenheit (F)
C=5/9(F -32)

What to Bring With You

Packing for the Weather

For the Winter months, we encourage you to pack warm clothing, sweaters, heavy pants, jackets, hats, scarves, etc. For the summer you will need light clothing such as shorts, light pants, skirts and short sleeve shirts. For the spring and fall you will need a light jacket and an umbrella.

Miscellaneous Items

You may want to bring music CD's or tapes, photographs, cultural items such as traditional dress, crafts, etc. You might also want to bring some initial necessities such as towels or toiletries, although you can buy these locally, you may not be able to get them right away. If you rent an apartment in the area, it is unlikely that it will be furnished, so you should keep this in mind when planning for your set-up costs. You will probably need sheets, pillows, blankets etc.

Electricity

The U.S. uses 110 v. electricity. Since the electric current in your home country may be different, we encourage you to buy your appliances in the U.S. as opposed to bringing them with you.

Money

Currency exchange in the United States is not as common as it might be in your home country. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to exchange your money to U.S. dollars before you arrive in the U.S. However, it is not advisable that you carry large sums of cash with you upon entering the U.S. Therefore, we suggest that you carry traveler's checks and/or speak to your bank about transferring funds at a later date. You may also see about establishing an account at a U.S. bank in your home country like, Citibank or Bank of America. Depending on the regulations in your home country, this may enable you to withdraw money from an ATM in the U.S.