Looking back at my journey at the Institute, nothing rings louder than a common mantra repeated here,
“The days go slow, but the year goes by fast.”
It seems inexplicable how much we have grown.
Yet, under the veneer, is a painful period of several weeks scrambling to adjust to day-to-day life in Raleigh, alongside all the new material covered in class! Having moved from literally half a globe away, I had to negotiate a myriad of issues: infrequent bus timings, difficulties in receiving money from abroad and making payments, and coping with the cost of eating out.
Thankfully, having survived all that, I can share some tips about what helped me navigate these 3 areas.
Transportation
Get a car (if within reason) because Raleigh does not have the most developed public transportation system. Another option is to live in areas serviced by the Wolfline (campus bus service), which runs more frequently than the GoRaleigh lines. Where possible, plan your schedule around bus arrival timings, which can be checked on mobile apps such as TransLoc. Carpooling with your newfound friends at the IAA is also a great option!
Money
Transferring money across borders used to be a complex and expensive process. Thankfully, large strides have been made in this area with the rise of Fintech players such as Wise and Revolut. These services can be used to transfer money internationally to local US bank accounts and typically do not count as wire transfers, which tend to have high associated costs. Set up a Venmo or Zelle account early as you are bound to have to send and/or receive money from those many meal outings and happy hours with your classmates!
Food
The cost of meals can quickly add up, and many students at the IAA opt to bring packed food from home. If you are like me and unlikely to win any chef awards anytime soon, there is ‘On the Oval,’ which is a campus food hall less than a 10-minute walk from the IAA, where the typical meal costs about $5. GrubHub can be used to order food beforehand, helping you to avoid the long queues. Subscribing to a meal plan may also make sense with Dining Dollars purchased at a 5% discount.
For those who might not have had to deal with these issues, perhaps this provides some insight into some of the things taken for granted that a new international student might find difficult. And for those that might be joining us from abroad, I hope these tips help smooth the transition into life in the program!
Columnist: Adil Heah