New Students Living in Rolla New student FAQ Immigration Info Tax Return Info

 

Dear Chinese Student,
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) at University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) would like to congratulate you on your acceptance to UMR and extend a hearty welcome. CSSA is the official representative of Chinese students, scholars, and faculties at UMR. We are one of the largest students’ organizations at UMR with more than 300 active members. We are looking forward to meeting you on campus and will be glad to offer you assistance. This letter contains information that will be very helpful to you in arranging your trip to Rolla and the initial period of your life and study here.
1. UMR - one of the best national universities! The University of Missouri-Rolla is one of the four University of Missouri campuses, and the state's primary technological campus. UMR, established in 1871 as the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, has a long tradition as the leading center in the state for education in engineering and related sciences. In keeping with its land-grant tradition, the graduates of UMR have aided in the development of the industrial and technological economy of the state and the nation. The UMR beautiful campus encompasses about 284 acres and combines both old and new architecture. Many new buildings have been constructed in the past several years, including the on-going project of the new Mechanical Engineering building – Toomey Hall. UMR offers degree programs through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and School of Mines and Metallurgy. For more information about UMR, please visit UMR website www.umr.edu.

2. Rolla - one of the top 100 U.S. small towns! Rolla is a small town with a population of around 20,000, and is located 110 miles southwest of St. Louis. You will find that students make up quite a large part of the population. It is set in scenic surroundings and has many beautiful places in and around it. Living is relatively cheap compared with the rest of the United States. You may find distinct four seasons here, summers are warm with the average temperature around 27°C in July, and winters are cold with the temperature falling below freezing. Snowfalls are mild to moderate, with the first snows usually begin in November. For more information of Rolla, please visit www.rollanet.org
3. Some Useful Information on Reception. It is advisable that you plan your flight destined to St. Louis, which is located around 110 miles northeast of Rolla. CSSA will arrange picking up new Chinese students at St. Louis airport. You may contact CSSA (swhv7@umr.edu), your friends here, or secretary of your department for reception TWO WEEKS before you start out. Make sure you provide correct arrival date and time, and flight number to the person you contact.


Note:

  • Please contact ONLY ONE person for picking up, and DO NOT send email to several persons asking for reception at one time.

  • Fee for individual reception is $50.

  • We strongly suggest you to come together in groups, that way we can make arrangement with local car rental service for your reception, and it will be cheaper and convenient to you.

  • Please prepare several quarters ($0.25 corn) for using trolleys at airpor.

  • Missouri is in Central time zone of U.S., the time here is 13 hours later than Beijing time in summertime (April to October), and 14 hours later than Beijing time in standard time.

  • Important Documentation Please keep your passport, I-94, I-20 and cash with you in safety place.

  • Report and RegistrationPlease go to the Office of International Affaires (103 Norwood Hall) immediately after your arrival at Rolla. The office is open from 8:00am to 4:30 pm, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Thursday, the office hours are 10:30am to 4:30pm. When you report to the office, bring your passport and all immigration documents with you. To apply for new student ID, please go to the office in University Center –East. To apply for computer user ID, please go to Department of Computer Science (102 Computer Science Building), or go online at http://campus.umr.edu/it/refcenter/new_stu/. Please attend the New International Student Immigration Check-In, Orientation and Information Fair on time, the detailed schedule will be included in the information packet from Office of International Affairs.
  • Others Please visit homepage of CSSA (www.umr.edu/~cssa), there is a Chinese version of Guide for New Students . We also prepared a public Email account for prospective Chinese students of UMR, umr2000@sina.com, (password: rolla). Just go ahead to talk with other Chinese students about groups' buildup or anything you concern. We hope that above information will be useful to you in getting Rolla safely.

  • If you still have any more questions and concerns, please feel free to contact CSSA (swhv7@umr.edu) or Office of International Affairs (ia@umr.edu). Good luck! Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

 

密苏里罗拉大学新生指南（2007年修订版）

罗拉欢迎你！初抵异域，面对陌生的环境，难免会有困难。希望以下与生活切身相关的资料可以帮您很快的适应新环境。

抵达

飞机一般飞抵离Rolla一个半小时车程的St. Louis-Lambert (STL)国际机场，在飞抵前，请事先与朋友、CSSA (swhv7@umr.edu)或International AffairsOffice(ia.umr.edu)系接机事宜，但只要联系其中之一即可。此外，也可乘机场附近的Greyhound到Rolla，请在机场出口的服务台询问车站位置,到Rolla的下客站位于King's Highway的McDonald快餐店附近，详情请参考www.greyhound.com 。或者可以乘坐每天往返于机场和罗拉之间多趟的USA Express, 起点在机场的terminal， 终点地址由你自己决定；具体时间安排、价格和接送地点请参考：www.usaxonline.com 如需接机, 请务必详告抵达日期、 时间以及航班号。 接机费用一般$50， 付给接机者即可.我们建议新生间提前联系，结伴同行，这样既可以节省每人所需付的接机费用，又可以在旅途中互相关照。

证件

注册：携带护照、I-94、I-20及相关证件注册并申请社会安全号码（SSN） 。
办理学生证：在University Center –East照相并办理学生证。

财务管理

刚到美国，携带太多现金不大方便，有必要尽快开银行账户。Phelps County Bank在校内Havenercenter有分行, 平时取、存现金较为方便, 但属于地方性小银行, 网上银行和服务覆盖面有限；Bank of America是全国性银行，在全国各地设有分行和ATM机，出行在外时比较方便。

银行帐户可分以下四种：

Checking account：这种帐户可以很低的金额开户，基本上没有利息或者有极低的利息，主要用途是用来使用支票来调用该账户中的资金，以支付日常生活的各项费用。这是每人必开的账户类型，学校发放的各项奖学金和资助都会直接汇入该账户。

Saving account：相当于国内的活期存款，利息比checking account高，每个月从该账户取出资金的次数有限定，不能用支票作为支出。 适用于手上有少量多余的资金而且又需要有情况时随时能够取出来的人。

Money market：兼有以上两帐户的优点，有利息，且可开支票，但每月开出的支票数目有限制。

Certificate of deposit (C.D.)：相当于国内的定期存款，利息很高，期限有三个月，半年，一年不等，开户金额通常需要数千。

拿到社会安全号码（Social Security Number，SSN）之后，就可以申请信用卡了，从而开始建立个人的信用历史，为以后在美国的各项活动铺平道路。另外信用卡一般都有消费返点的活动，相当于使用信用卡就有1%到5%的优惠。主要的信用卡公司包括Citi Bank，American Express，Discover，Chase等，刚开始时请申请这些公司的学生卡，通过率较高。推荐申请Citi Dividend Platinum Select for College Students或者American Express Blue for Students，请到他们的官方网站提交申请：www.citicards.com和www.americanexpress.com。注意时常会有广告邮件声称你被pre-approved，要给你信用卡，对此请小心阅读，因为多数这样的卡都是要年费的，年利率也较高。

衣

购衣：以下是部分可以购买所需衣服的地点：Wal-Mart，K-Mart，JC Penny，Fashion Bug (Wal-mart旁)，以及Stage (JC Penny旁边)。在沿I-44往南50 miles的Lebanon有Factory Outlet，可以找到很实惠的牛仔裤和其它衣着。
洗衣：一般房子或公寓内都有洗衣房，也可以到洗衣店。洗衣服都是用quarter，所以平常要将quarter留下备用，不过大部分洗衣房都有换零钱的机器。此外，当心纯棉衣物烘干时会缩小。

食

餐具：所需锅，豌，盘，杯等可以在Wal-Mart或K-Mart购买，也可逛garage sale添购。建议新生可买个微波炉，热饭菜或解冻，方便快捷。来美国时最好携带一把菜刀，因为中国式的菜刀很难买到，价格也很贵。

购物：

Aldi：价格便宜，只收现金或者Debit (ATM) card。
Kroger：24小时营业，可用信用卡。
Wal-Mart：种类多，24小时营业，价格合理。
Country Mart：凭会员卡时常会有优惠。

中式食品店
International Food Store, Downtown Rolla
St. Robert韩国店：单向车程40分钟。
St. Louis中国店：中央，吉祥等(Olive Blvd.)，单程约2小时。

餐厅及快餐店
学校餐厅：地点在Havener Center，可以下列方式付费：现金，meal plan，信用卡/借记卡，或charge到自己的学校帐号上，跟其它费用如学费一起付。
中餐馆：福园，长城，华苑，幸运屋
日式餐馆：京都
美式餐馆：
Pizza：Pizza Inn，Pizza Hut，Domino Pizza，Imos Pizza，Papa John’s
牛排店：Coral，Sirlon Stockade，Gordo's，Shoney's
炸鸡店：KFC，Lee's Fried Chicken
快餐店：McDonald，Hardee's，Wendy's，Burger King，Subway，Taco Bell，Dairy Queen

住

On Campus Housing：学校提供的宿舍包括Residential College、Thomas Jefferson Hall、Farrar Hall、Holtman Hall、Kelly Hall、McAnerney Hall，需要提前进行申请。具体事宜请参考：http://campus.umr.edu/reslife/main.html
Off Campous Housing：绝大部分中国同学均分住在校区周围的apartment或house，大部分在步行十分钟之内。月租视房子和环境而定，一般单人房的apartment房价是从一百多到两百多不等。其中有包不包水电(utilities)，有无家具，离学校远近的差别。主要地点有：Oak Ridge Apartments (价格实惠，但申请者较多，需要排队)，Minner Inn，805 State St.，Robin's Nest等。一般需要付押金。
消息来源：学校图书馆，Center West处的布告栏，本地报纸的分类广告，朋友的信息等。
水电服务申请：Rolla Municipal Utilities (364-2195)，需要$100押金，网址为http://www.rollanet.org/~kwhh20/。
电话、网络、有线电视申请：Fidelity Communications Company， 网址为http://www.fidelitycommunications.com/index.php

行

买二手车的基本要领：
不要急，多花时间找要和自己相处2 ~ 5年的伙计。
看报纸或学校的公告栏。
 打电话与车主联络和询问：车子的里程，年份和配备，卖车原因，车子历史等。
找懂车的朋友与你一起看车，交易前最好到修车场做检查。
交易后凭Title、保险去Licence Bureau缴牌照税和费用后，领取牌照。
汽车保险：一般需要买liability insurance，根据年龄、驾车历史、婚姻状况等不定。有数家agency可供选择。
买车地点：
Owner，最好是first owner，K-mart前的广场常有Owner的旧车。
Dealer ，Bishop Ave上有不少dealer。
贷款买车：银行根据你的信用历史和收入状况可以贷给你一定的款额，年利率很高，而且你必须买full coverage的保险。
参考书：Consumers Report (April Issue)有各年份和车型的评价和故障记录，该杂志可在图书馆借阅。此外，可以在网上查询，如www.edmund.com和www.kbb.com等。

学习

图书馆：UMR图书馆和市立图书馆(Pine St. & 9th St.)
书店：
UMR Official Bookstore在Havener Center，www.umrbookstore.com。
University Book and Supply：1735 North Bishop Avenue，售书内容类似UMR Bookstore。
Rolla Books Store：在JC Penny广场，售各种书刊杂志。

电话

固定电话：本地电话和长途电话的服务是分离的。本地电话服务公司为Sprint，只有在本地电话帐户建立之后，才可以选用长途电话公司的服务。如要往中国拨打国际长途，请到网上购买电话卡，价格基本在每分钟1到3美分，但注意有无时段限制、有无接通费(surcharge)，推荐网站www.hotlhello.com。
移动电话：美国的手机和服务计划（plan）是绑定在一起出售的，每次至少签约一年使用手机的合同，同时手机的价格也就变得很低，通常是免费甚至更低。但对于新生来说，由于没有信用历史，则需要交纳500美元左右的押金才能够开通手机，押金在1年后如数退还。手机不仅方便，而且在手机上拨打你在网上买的国际长途电话卡的时候，费率要更低。推荐多人加入一个家庭计划，可以共享分钟数、平摊话费，非常实惠。

理发

Maria Woo's (1415 Forum Dr., 364-4016, special price for UMR students $7)
Downtown Barber Shop (1004 Pine St.)
Dave's Barber Shop (705 Pine St.)

 

Download:  NEW Student FAQ 2007 version
Copyright © 2002~2007 CSSA, UMR