Welcome new friends!
Hello and welcome to Daytona Beach This beautiful seaside city. Since you are new to this place and there are many places and things that you are not familiar with, the following information may help you for your reference.
About the school:
1. Office of International Students and Scholars
This is the place where all foreign student must go to check in at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Stetson University, or any other nearby university. This is where you will need to go to get your spouse, children, and parents' I-20 invitations to come to the U.S. in the future. If you have health insurance, you will also need to fill out a form there.
2. Student ID Card
Get an Eagle Card at Embry-Riddle, which can be used to check out books, buy drinks and snacks from the retail machines, and load it up with money to buy food at any of the school's cafeterias.
3. Computer Facilities
Generally, each department has its own computer room, and new students can go to the department to apply for an account. In addition, there are several computer rooms in the school, including those in the library, which can be used at will. As long as you're a student at the school, you will have an account and a school e-mail account.
4. Library
The library is located on the fourth floor of the Student Union. In addition to borrowing books with your student ID card (the loan period for graduate students is two months), you can also borrow audio and video tapes, and there are audio and video recorders in the library, which can be borrowed for viewing on headphones or at home (the loan period is one week). There are also computers available for use in the library.
5. Sports Facilities
The school's sports facilities are free to students. There are tennis courts, volleyball courts, basketball courts, swimming pools and gymnasiums, which are available for use with a student ID card.
6. Buying Textbook
There is a bookstore on campus where you can buy textbooks, and there are two bookstores near the gas station in front of the school where you can also buy books and textbooks, sometimes at different prices. In addition, online books tends to have a cheaper price, you can find your textbooks at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
7. Attorney Services
If you are in trouble and need an attorney, the school offers free attorney services and you can call to make an appointment. You can find the phone number and contact information on the school's website.
8. Health Insurance
If you are enrolled in school, the school will require you to buy health insurance. The premiums vary from one insurance company to another, so you can call around and find out which one you want to buy, but you need to get permission from the International Student Office. Here I would like to introduce to you the health insurance of IFCSS (Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars), which is authorized by the school, and it is cheaper and has a better insurance program, so you may want to try it, and you can buy it by phone or through the Internet.
9. Tax Exemption
According to the U.S.-China agreement, Chinese students in the U.S. are entitled to a $5,000 income tax exemption, but you need to apply for it at your school's Human Resource to apply, you need to fill out a form.
Regarding life:
1. Apply for a Social Security Card
If you have a scholarship or grant from the university, you can apply for a Social Security Card. You will need to get a letter from your department verifying your financial aid income, sign the back of your I-20 at the International Student Office, and bring your I-20, passport, and I-94 card to the Federal Building to get your Social Security card. The closest location to Daytona Beach is: (866) 210-8089.
2.Bank
To live in the United States you must have a bank account, you can choose any bank and need to open a Saving account and a Checking account. Sometimes the account requires a minimum amount of money below which you will have to pay a monthly fee.
3. Apply for a Credit Card
There are many agents of Credit Card companies in the school. Usually, at the entrance of the Student Union on Wednesday, you can fill in some application forms and get some free gifts. After a while, you will receive a reply from the Credit Card company.
4. Driver's License Test
First you have to pass an alcohol test, you can call 888-pointless to make an appointment time and place. The alcohol test requires four hours of study and ten multiple-choice questions. It's easy. After passing the alcohol test, you can take the written test. Before that, you need to read the driver's manual, (look for a friend, ask for it at the test center, or check the website). After passing the written test, you can get a temporary driver's license, and you can learn to drive (you must be accompanied by a friend with a driver's license). When you can drive proficiently and pass the road test, you can get a full driver's license.
5. Bus Service
If you don't have a car yet, you can only live in an apartment close to the school You can use the school bus, which leaves from the parking garage at Embry-Riddle and goes to nearby apartments.
6. Buying a Car
The internet has full references to car prices, and it is more reliable to buy used cars at CarMax and Carvana. These websites are more reliable for buying old cars. You can also buy from your graduating friends via WeChat or other social media.
7. Buying Car Insurance
There are many insurance companies that sell
auto insurance at different prices. You have
to call around or ask friends if you want to
get cheap and good insurance. Insurance
premiums vary from one person to another,
from one car to another and from one
receptionist to another. When you buy
insurance, it is better to declare what you
need to insure, so that they won't sell you
something you don't need.Here are the phone
numbers of relatively cheap insurance
companies for your reference.
GEICO 1-800-841-7475,
Progressive 1-866-407-4844,NATIONWIDE
1-877-669-6877
8. Travel
We have many popular tourist cities nearby, including Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, Universal Studio, Cocoa Beach, Bush Garden etc,. For more information, please check the website Attractions. There is a Ticket Center in Embry-Riddle ICI Building where you can buy student tickets for many tourist places, which can be much cheaper.