1. If I don't have any friends at U of M, how can I find a
person to pick up at the airport?

If you don't any other friend who can provide airport pickup, FACSS
will try to help you. But you need to contact our FACSS: facss@tc.umn.edu
as early as possible and provide the following information:
1).Your name (use capital letter for your family name), gender and major;
2).Your flight number, arrival date and time;
3). Number of dependents and luggage with you.

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2. Where can I stay temporarily after I arrive at U of M?

If no host family is available for you, there should be no problem for
you to live in the temporary place (Centennial Hall) that UMN provides
for new students. (You need to pay a little)

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3. What should I bring to the United States?

FACSS have prepared a "Luggage Preparation Guide", which can be used
as a reference.

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4. Can RA take the English Second Language (ESL) class
for free and how to register for that class?

You should ask your advisor or Graduate coordinator to register the
ESL (English as Second Language) class for you. That class is for TA,
but RA can also take it for free. In addition, IT will pay you $300 for
attending this class to defray the living expenses due to your early
arrival.

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5. Do you think it wise to apply for the university's
residential halls and go for the university's meal plan?

The residential halls are reserved only for the undergraduates. Usually,
we Chinese students cook by ourselves, which will be much cheaper.

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6. How much is it a month if I cook by myself, and how much
is it a month if I eat outside (such as McDonald or Dinning Hall)?

About $150/month if you cook by yourself, and about $300 if you eat
outside.

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7. Would you please rent an apartment for me before my arrival?

We are sorry, but we cannot reserve a place for you because this
involves procedures that have to be handled by yourself. For example,
if you decide to rent an apartment, you will need to sign the lease,
pay the security deposit and the first month's rent. As different
people have different preferences to the house conditions and what
kind of price ranges they feel comfortable with, the final decision
has to be made by yourself.

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8. Do you think it easy to rent an apartment after getting the
campus?

It is not difficult to find an apartment after your arrival, if you are
not too late. Many apartments around the two campuses will be
available for new students.

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9. Usually, how much is the security deposit and how much is
monthly rent?

Usually, the security deposit is equal to one month rent -- about
$500.

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10. Do you think it is better to live by myself or share an
apartment with another guy?

From economical view, you'd better share an apartment with another
one. Normally one-bedroom apartments cost about $500~600 per month.

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11. How can I find a roommate?

You can either send your message to facss@tc.umn.edu , or contact with
other new students directly.

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12. I hear that Minneapolis is a large and populous city in
the US, do you think it is safe to live off-campus?

Actually the off-campus housing is not far from U of M campus,
and twin cities are relatively safe places. 13. How subscribe the
Information Exchange from FACSS? To subscribe, just send an E-mail
to: LISTSERV@TC.UMN.EDU with one line command as: Sub FACSS-L
Your First Name Last Name. Don't send email to facss@tc.umn.edu
for subscription