For students going into university...

Have you finally settled on your choice of college and sent in your deposit? Wondering what you can do in the meantime to prepare?

Well, here are some general things that you can do to prepare for the long road ahead.

1. Visa: For students going overseas, you will, in time, receive an I-20 from the school. This I-20 is required if you want to apply for an F-1 visa at the respective embassies for the country of the school that you are going to. You will need to consult the embassy’s website, find out what forms you need to fill in, schedule appointments if required, and so on to get your visa.

2. Finances: How are you going to pay your way? What are the procedures to paying your school fees? If your parents may want to wire money over to you overseas, do you want to set up a bank account with a bank that is more ‘international’?

3. Get pumped up! Go to the school website, talk to people, learn more about school culture and lingo! Find out if they have any orientation programmes or pre-orientation activities! Join Singaporean associations if you are going overseas!

4. Health appointments, if need be. Some overseas schools require that you get immunizations done up before you go over, and some allow you to get those immunizations when you arrive but it may be just much easier to do it in Singapore (especially with the very efficient healthcare system!).

5. Look around at classes, scout around, know what you can skip. This is not very essential but it might be helpful so that you can order textbooks, etc. It will also give you an indication of how much leeway you have if you intend to do crazy things like triple majors etc.

6. Homework! Some schools (especially the UK ones) give homework in advance even before you set foot into their school, and most have assigned readings at the very least.

A general checklist of essentials that you would want to bring over if you are going overseas:

1. Passport, visa, identification documents like ICs

2. Health booklets, other essential documents (like traveller checks, contracts, acceptance letters), money

That’s about it. You can buy anything else when you get over.