Dear Incoming Student;
Congratulations on your admission to University of Nevada, Reno! Turkish Cultural Association would like to extend warm welcome to you. We look forward to meeting you soon. There are some useful tips for planning your trip to Reno. We hope this information will assist you in arranging your travel to the United States.
A. Before Leaving
B. In Transit
C. Upon Arrival
Before Leaving
When buying a ticket to Reno, make sure that your travel agency books your all connection flights. You'll probably arrive in one of the big cities such as New York, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta or Los Angeles. Make sure that your tickets are confirmed well in advance. Please contact someone from the university (Office of International Students and Scholars or TCA) and inform them of all your flights you will be taking and your arrival time in Reno so that if a delay occurs in one of your flights to Reno, we know where you are. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have. If someone contacts us on behalf of you, please make sure that they tell us your full name, your program and your expected date and port of arrival. Do not carry all your money with you. There are no Turkish Banks in Reno but a few in large cities. However, you may not reach them for a long time. Opening a checking account in one of the international banks such as Citibank or HSBC before you travel to US might be a good idea, so that you can withdraw your money from ATM machines in Reno. You will be charged an extra amount for cash withdrawal every time you withdraw money from ATM machines. You can consult your bank about this amount. In case you use a credit card, there will be small amount ($1.00 to $3.00) of charge every time at the ATM machines. When you arrive at the airport, you may need to give some tip to the people carrying your luggage or for the busses and taxis; so carry around $1 to $5 bills with you. $100 may seem a small amount to us due to inflation psychology, but it is a large amount here. Try to use $1, $5 , $10 or $20 bills. You should take care of any eye and dental problems before leaving Turkiye because the university health insurance policy doesn't cover these. A typical eye exam is about $100 and a pair of spectacles is between $150-$200. Prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses are valid for one year. Dental problems are more expensive. Therefore, please have comprehensive eye and dental examination if you need before your travel. If you have an immunization record from Turkiye, please bring it with you to the UNR Health Center for verification because the University of Nevada Reno requires you to have been recently immunized for mumps, measles and rubella (MMR), and tetanus and diphtheria. You will also need evidence of a recent TB test. This can be done after your arrival for a nominal fee, but you can also do this before leaving home (if you do, remember to bring a letter from your doctor attesting this). If you are on prescription medicines/drugs, carry sufficient supply to last at least a few weeks. Bring your doctor's prescription in case the customs officials ask for it or you need fresh supply here. Learning basic cooking skills before leaving home is a plus. You can bring some spices but make sure that they are sealed and packed properly. US customs laws prohibit entrance of products of meat and milk substances. There are international markets in Reno from where you can find Turkish products such as beyaz peynir, sucuk, zeytin, recel etc.
In Transit
When you arrive in the United States, you will receive a small, white I-94 card, which proves that you entered the United States legally. This small form that you fill out on the plane will be stapled into your passport at the immigration counter at your port of entry (if you are flying, your first arriving airport in the United States). If it is not stapled into the passport, please do it yourself. Please be very careful not to lose this I-94 card because if you do, it must be replaced immediately when you get to Reno. Delays may occur in your flights and your luggage may get delayed or misplaced in transit. For this reason, you should keep your money, passport, wallet and ticket and student documents on yourself at all times. The best way to do is to have a money belt or a passport bag. When If you miss a connecting flight, you should speak to the airline staff at the ticketing desk and they will put you on the next available flight. You do not need to pay extra money for the new flight. Keep in mind the time zone differences when catching flights. Keep track of local time at the airports.
Upon Arrival
If you contact someone to pick you up at the airport, then things should be fine. If you do not contact anyone for a ride, you can always take a city bus (goes to downtown) or a taxi. The cost for the bus is $1.75 taxi costs about $20-$25 to downtown. The airport is only 10 minutes from the university campus and downtown. When you arrive on campus, your first stop should be at the Office of International Students and Scholars located in the Student Service Building, Room 120. Please bring your passport, I-20/ DS 2019, and I-94 card when you come to the office. They are open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, and closed Saturday and Sunday. First you will need to schedule a check-in meeting with an International Student Advisor at OISS, which are offered about three times each week. All new international F-1 or J-1 students must attend a check-in meeting (approximately 1 1/2 hours) upon arrival in Reno in order to be cleared for class registration. It is necessary to attend a check-in meeting, even if a student is transferring from another U.S. institution or has been in Reno for some time in another visa status. As these meetings offer a great deal of information about registration, health insurance, the city of Reno, etc., international students who will be studying on other types of visas, such as J-2 or H-4, are also welcome to attend the first part of the meeting to receive more information about the university and city at large. Students must bring all immigration documents to these meetings (passport, visa, I-94, I-20 or DS-2019 form). Secondly, you will need to meet your Academic Advisor in your department to discuss your course schedule. You should also meet your department's secretary since all your departmental paperwork will be prepared by the secretary. You should visit the Student Health Center with immunization documents.
Hopefully, this information will help you in your preparations to come to the University of Nevada, Reno. Please feel free to contact TCA staff during your pre-arrival preparations or whomever you were in contact with so far. We will be glad to answer any questions you may have!
Above all have a safe, comfortable and nice journey! Traveling to a new country is a fun and important experience.
Best of luck and enjoy US!
Turkish Cultural Association
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