Rewind: Banking

After International and New Student Orientation, I had one more week to explore Chicago before classes began. The week passed very quickly, as I was quite busy moving into my new place, getting a cell phone and mattress, and picking up necessary groceries. Additionally, I was preoccupied with trying to find a bank to deposit my traveler’s chueque and Demand Draft. I finally settled on Chase Bank, which has been a pleasant experience so far. I have discovered that policies may differ widely by bank. As such, it is advisable to visit the bank’s website and gather some basic information about the available options before visiting bank personally. Some banks accept the passport and copy of SEVIS I-20 as proof of identity, which is required to open an account; other banks require a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN), for which most international students do not initially qualify. This made things very frustrating. Nevertheless, once I got settled into my new apartment, I felt much relief.
Sleeping on my own mattress again was wonderful!

Here are some of the important websites for getting settled that I found very helpful:

www.att.com (This is a website for atnt mobile services, lot of good offers for students)
www.dealsofamerica.com, www.buy.com, www.bath&beyonds.com (Best site for buying basic home utilities, mattress, bath, etc)