Georgia Institute of Technology USA Arthur Ho Spring 2013 Exchange Part 1 Contents Activity Log Part 2 General Exchange Information Part 3 Checklist Part 1 – Activity Log January 2013 I remember the day I arrived Atlanta at dawn, it was freezing and cold out there, but I was filled with excitement. There are lots of open areas in the campus but not many students as it was still winter break. Little squirrels came out and ran around for food, it was more beautiful than any parks in Hong Kong. February 2013 I have studied in GIT for a month already and met lots of friends. Surprisingly, most of the exchange students here are from Singapore, of course, there were also mainland students and other Europe students. However, I was the only Hong Kong exchange student there. Some Singapore friends, Chinese students and I held a Chinese New Year dinner to celebrate and introduce our traditions to our schoolmates. It was really fun. March 2013 Four of my friends and I rented a car and drove 5 hours for snowboarding in early March. Some of us never snowboard before and one of my friend from China never seen snow before. We were all excited and played for a whole weekend, as we know after this trip, mid term tests were waiting for us. April 2013 Finally finished all the mid term tests. I went to Miami and Cancun with a group of friends. Miami beach was a little bit disappointing but Cancun was amazing! Never thought that there was such a beautiful place in Mexico. We also took the chance and went to the Mayan Pyramid. May 2013 It nearly the end of the semester, all of us were preparing for the final examinations. It was really sad to say goodbye to Atlanta and GIT. I can still picture that day; it was dawn time again but without a single ray of sunshine, gentle rain dropped on our shoulders. The famous Tech tower was standing still half covered but fog and rains in my last glance. Part 2 – General Exchange Information Visa Procedures As I am a resident of the US, I do not need to apply for the student visa of the US. Orientation activities Georgia Institute of Technology holds the FASTE program at the beginning of every semester. The student helpers will introduce everything including the campus facilities, cultures and history of GIT to all exchange students. It is a full day program and the cost is USD75. International Services & Activities There are lots of different activities for international students. For example, city tours to the famous Atlanta Aquarium and Coca Cola Factory and international weeks. Accommodations Exchange students can choose to apply for campus dorms or off-­‐camps rental housing but campus dorms are recommended. There are dorms in different parts of the campus, we can choose the dorms closer to our department buildings. Moreover, there is a dorm calls the iHouse, which is for international students. You can meet exchange students from all over the world and they will hold activities together every week. Course Registration Exchange students who join the FASTE program can register their courses that day with the help of student helpers. There will also be advisors to check your eligibility of studying some courses. Sports & Recreation Facilities There are many sports and recreation facilities at GIT. For example, there are indoor soccer court and Olympic standard swimming pool. You can find all the sport and recreation facilities in the Recreational Centre. Cost/Expenses The expenses depend on how much a student travels during exchange. For the whole semester, I spent a total of HKD100,000 including housing fees and all trips. Social Clubs/Networking Opportunities I joined the housing council of iHouse (Internation House) and the basketball, football and dodge ball team of our house. There are also many different student societies welcome exchange students to join. Health & Safety There is a Health Centre located on-­‐campus. Students can make appointments and see the doctor. Some of the fees might be covered in the insurance. Food Exchange students can consider the meal plan of the canteens on campus. It is a little bit expensive in my point of view. There are also many restaurants on-­‐
campus including fast food and Asian cuisines. I mostly cook by myself in the dorm kitchen. Transportation GIT is located in the mid-­‐town of Atlanta. There are metro stations in both sides of the campus. Students can take the campus shuttle to supermarket and metro stations. You can also appoint a car to pick you up for free at late night. Climate It is cold at winter and very hot at summer in Atlanta with lots of rains. Communication Wifi is covered in the campus area and it is easy to communicate by emails at computer labs. Students can also join plans for local phones or Internet services. Part 3 – Items to Bring and Contacts Checklist Pillows Blankets Bed Sheets Tower Sweater Jacket Camera Notebook Medicines Umbrella Passport Adaptors Others: