FYI - pickp and hosting

Folks,
Guess most of you have filled up the forms. monel/ramya and nikhil are working hard on ur pickup and accomodation stuff. Just in case you have not do fill it up asap.

Now for those of you who havent understood how the hosting system works please read this.

1. we are doing this as a courtesy and please do not give us conditions like you need this and that. we are trying to help u guys but understand our situation.
2. Hosting will be given only for a few initial days. It will not be for ever. So please start looking for apartments asap and move out, so that other new students will have a place to stay, i mean those who come after you.
3. We will try our best to host you with people from the same state, like people from bombay with seniors who r from bombay kind but it is not for sure.
4. One thing i find a lot, is people requesting to go to veggie house. Free your mind. you cannot expect all that.
5. Try and help the persons with whom you stay by offering them to help with some stuff. and some sweets to those people who host you will be appreciated.
6. offer to pay for anything that the people who host you provide with like phone cards and stuff.

Pickup
1. If you have filled up the form atleast 5 days in advance you can be assured that someone will be there to pick you up.
2. You will NOT repeat NOT be informed as to who will be coming to pick u up or where you will be hosted. However if the seniors decide to let you guys know abt it, its upto them. but IGSA will not inform you abt this.
3. Please try and determine who else is flying along with u in the same flight by interacting with each other in uic_incoming.
4. A real big request, please do not give any of our telephone numbers to your parents in INDIA for them to call and learn your safe arrival. Tell them clearly that it will take approximately 4-5 hours for you to reach home and call them after you land in chicago. They can track your flights if the need be through websites like http://www.aeroseek.com/webtrax/
5. You will have to pay for taxi and do not expect the person who picks you to pay the taxi. It will take upto 30-50$ for a taxi depending on time of the day and size of your luggage. If two people share the cab you can split the money. Carry suitable change with you.
6. If possible have a smaller suitcase with you with enough dresses and stuff that you need for a few days so that you need not open your actual suitcases in the place where you are hosted.

Immigration stuff
1. you will be given a I-94 form on the flight before you land in US. fill that form before to save some time.
2. you will be finger printed and photographed and you might be asked a few questions.
3. have ur passport, i-20 and filled up i-94 form.
4. the whole process takes abt 2 or 3 min but the queues might be long.
5. your luggage will have to picked up outside of the immigration area.
6. usually no one will be asked to open your bagggage but just in case co-operate.


Hope you guys all have a gr8 flight and see you all the IGSA orientation.(date to be announced)


--
Cheers,
Madhu
http://igsa.pages.uic.edu
webteam@IGSA