For Singaporeans who are moving to the United States, be it for work or a student exchange programme, will find themselves consider on what should be brought along. After a month and a half in the States, I realised that, had I have a better understanding prior to my departure, I would have left certain things at home and brought along others.
Travel and Visa Matters
For J1 student exchange visa, there will be a need for you to get your DS-2019 form endorsed by the school before you can exit the United States and be allowed to re-enter during your visa period. It can get complicated if you were to enter the United States earlier to travel, and you decide to fly to other countries prior to the start of your academic term - for more information, do contact your universities or the U.S. Border Protection for more detailed information.
Voltage
The first consideration is about voltage - because you need to get your laptops, MacBooks, handphones and devices to be functional. The United States operates on 110v while Singapore is based on 220v. Most chargers by Apple are commercially prepared for international usage and you will notice the 110-240v symbol on your charger head, this means that you'll only require an adapter and not a voltage converter. However, if the device is specifically designed only for use in Singapore 220v, then you'll need a voltage converter, which can be rather tricky. To save yourself the risk of electric shocks and possible complications, I would recommend you to purchase these in the United States. Microwaves are as cheap as US$40, irons as cheap as US$10 and much more.
Asian Food, Everywhere
Okay, I may sound bias because I'm blessed to be based in Seattle, Washington. Close by the University of Washington is the street filled with Asian-operated eateries known as the Avenue (Ave for short). This means that you need not worry about not getting your food security while living thousands of miles away from home. You'll also soon discover that practically, most of the Asian condiments, noodles, rice, paste... are widely available in the local Asian supermarket - and are decently priced. I could get noodles for US$2 and be able to make 6 meals with it - how about that?
Medication and Vitamins
Unless you have very specific medications that are prescribed by your doctors, there isn't really a strong need for "over-prepartion" of medications because drugstores are literally everywhere. In fact, for vitamins, you'll get access to them at ridiculously low prices to keep you healthy and sane.
Amazon Prime Membership
Are you are student on student exchange programme. Shout: Hurray! Amazon is so generous that they are offering you a six months trial on their Amazon Prime membership program - which is simply so very awesome. You get two days free delivery on almost everything that is checked with a Prime symbol, and no surprises, most of the prices are cheaper than in stores.
Groceries Shopping
There is a trick to doing this, when you first arrive, or a couple of days before you do... you should go onto walmart.com and begin ordering the things you will need (detergent, sponges, fabric softener, peanut butter, pillow, bed spread, fruit jam, blender, water pitcher, microwave safe ware...). Once you exceed the minimum order of US$50, you'll get free delivery. (Please don't look like a complete idiot rushing everywhere on the first few days and carrying tonnes and tonnes of heavy items back to your home). Also, look out for first time customer coupons too - you might just be lucky to get a US$20 off your first order.
Walgreen, Safeway and QFC all have their own "advantage card", which you can get for free with any purchase. Once you are equipped with that card, you get to enjoy a lot of discounts on most items you buy. I realised that things are much cheaper here, you can have quality food affordably.
Study Related Matters
Check for arbitrage opportunities (google if you don't understand) between the U.S. issued textbook sold second hand in Singapore and the prices you can get for resale in the U.S. You must ensure it is the U.S. edition and you can potentially earn yourself US$100 just for buying the book in Singapore, flying it with you, and reselling in the U.S. Bingo, financial arbitrage - easy money for students!
Make sure you buy foolscap paper in Singapore before coming over, because the paper here is really expensive... especially if you study engineering or math related stuff... imagine the stack of paper you will use. Your wallet will thank you for it.
Contrary to popular beliefs, business school in the United States are also graded on a curve and students are generally competitive and highly participative in class. The quality of education here is definitely high and you will gain a lot of knowledge from the time you are here. Homework assignments tend to be due weekly for most classes.
Bank Accounts Matters
Always advice your banker to open two separate accounts - one is your saving account and one is your operational account. Your checking card (debit card) will be tied to your operational account so that you can keep the balance in this account low, in case of card theft, robbery or misuse. The bank will give you a mobile banking pin which you can use to make transfers between these two accounts.
If you are not carrying all your cash in U.S. over from Singapore and plan to do a wire transfer - be prepared for service fees from the U.S. side of approximately US$25 for receiving the money. This is in addition to the charges imposed by the Singapore bank. Some people said Citibank account can withdraw money in the U.S. for free (please check that this is true, and that you have a Citibank ATM in your state as well).
If you plan to travel to Canada or elsewhere during your trip, change all your currency in Singapore. Travelex and the banks charges US$10 in general for all forms of currency exchange - you wouldn't want to experience that like I did.
Library Card
There is a way to get a library card and sometimes you get privileges that accompanies it. In Seattle, with a Public Library Card, you can make bookings on museums tickets for free. However, do note that you will need to produce a form of proof of residential address at the library when you collect your card. You would normally be paying between US$15-25 for each museum you visit. New slots opens at 9pm everyday one month advance booking - you will have to snatch the tickets fast! They are gone in seconds!
You can also borrow books and other materials from the library for your reading pleasure (this includes travel guides to help you plan your road and air trips).
