<p>Does anyone have any experience in getting a driving license in Massachusetts? I don’t have a license in my domestic country, but I did learn driving when I was abducted by a evil organization for two years. I just need to refresh my reflexes. </p>
<p>What about handphones? I’m thinking of getting an AT&T plan, as I can use a SIM card and will be a phone in the bundle. How much is the deposit for this, since I don’t have a SN? If I get Verizon, can I still use SIM cards with my phone outside the US?</p>
<p>Nextly, laptops. How do people usually purchase them–through the internet or down at the shops? </p>
<p>Last of all, jobs. Are internationals completely restricted to on-campus jobs or are there loopholes to this? </p>
<p>Oh, if anyone else have any questions related to the topics above, feel free to hijack the thread.</p>
<p>The MA RMV has plenty of info about driving. From my skimming, if you want to ‘practice’ before taking the actual exam (it seems like this is what you want to do - refresh skills, practice driving on the right side, forget how to drive manual, bask in the loveliness of parking at strip malls) you want a permit ([Massachusetts</a> RMV - Obtaining a Class D Permit and License](<a href=“http://www.mass.gov/rmv/license/5classd.htm]Massachusetts”>http://www.mass.gov/rmv/license/5classd.htm)) and a 21+ driver to sit beside you and guide you for a while, then you can book to take the road test when you feel ready. Driving schools are often stupidly expensive and abducting seniors would probably make more financial sense. </p>
<p>You can work ‘for the university’ on the F1 and volunteer wherever you wish. There’s also a 12-month OPT, pending USCIS approval and employer willingness.</p>
<p>Getting a driver’s license shouldn’t be a problem. You take an short theoretical computer-based test (very easy, you can study the day before) and then you can schedule an appointment for the practical exam. I can’t tell you specifics about Mass. but in CA the practical exam is extremely simple, such as driving around the block for like 10min. You might have to get a letter from the SSA which proves that you are not eligible for a SSN in order to take the exams. Like Agneisse, I also recommend driving with a friend before you take the practical test.</p>
<p>Cellphones, well, if you plan to stay in the US for 2 years or longer I’d recommend you get a contract. Prepaid is too limited and expensive. How much the deposit is depends on your plan, phone and company. Could be anything between $100 and $500 and you might get it back after one year. It’s not about you having no SSN but more about you having no credit history. T-Mobile has some kind of Flexi-Plan (I forgot the name…) which has essentially the same features as a regular contract but you pay in the beginning of the month instead of the end and you can cancel at any time. The phones are a little more expensive with that but you don’t need to pay any deposit. You can use your card/phone outside of the US with almost every provider but it’s kind of expensive so I wouldn’t recommend doing that. Just buy a prepaid card for outside of the US.</p>
<p>Well, I buy all my stuff online. Other’s buy it in stores. Personal Preference
Some people wait until Black Friday to buy electronics in store.</p>
<p>Officially you can work on-campus only until you have spent one year at your university in good standing. Then you can request to get permission for an off-campus job related to your field of study. There is also something called “economic hardship” for international students. If you can prove that unexpected circumstances beyond your control led to a financial hardship you might get approval to work off-campus. That’s usually pretty difficult, google for more information.
Unofficially many people get part-time jobs outside of campus. You can try to talk to small business owners (such a little restaurants/stores) and explain your situation, they might pay you in cash. For people such as Japanese or Korean it’s pretty easy here in CA to get these kind of jobs because many small ethnic restaurants/shops want to hire people from their native country. Depending on where you are from it might be a little more difficult for you.</p>
<p>My tip for you: Get an on-campus job, get a SSN. Then quit the job, keep your SSN and start building credit history through secured loans or secured credit cards. That’s gonna make your life much easier in the long run.</p>
<p>Get a contract cell phone, it’s much cheaper in the long run. The deposit with AT&T is a minimum of $500, and $1000+ for a BlackBerry or iPhone. With Verizon, it’s capped at $400. If you get an AT&T phone it’s not unlocked, if you get a Verizon phone, some have SIM card slots, but most don’t since they don’t use GSM technology (they use CDMA, the standard in the US and Canada). If you get a world phone (GSM/CDMA) from Verizon, they will unlock it for you after 90 days of service, and you can then use your home country’s sim card when you return. </p>
<p>You can only work on campus, working off campus is illegal - if you get caught, you will be deported, charged with tax fraud, and never be allowed to return here again, for good reason.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of a $1000+ Deposit. A little more than one year ago I actually planned on buying an iPhone with AT&T and I didn’t have a SSN or credit history. They wanted a $500 deposit from me, less for other phones/contracts.</p>
<p>Depends on many factors, including things like going to a store in a college town, where they are more accustomed to people without SSNs or Credit, which country you are from, etc. You would need to talk to them directly to determine the exact deposit for your situation, but $1000 deposits are more common than you would think.</p>
<p>Can i use my own phone with their SIM card? (supposing i’ll be signing a contract & probably getting a phone, but still deciding to stick with my old phone)
I’m thinking of either T-Mobile (buying a Sidekick), or Verizon (buying a Blackberry).</p>
<p>Yes you can, check who has better coverage in the area of your school - either AT&T or T-Mobile. The easiest way to do it is buy a sim card off ebay, and then when you call to activate it, ask to activate it on a post-paid plan. You will probably have to pay a small credit deposit, or they will give you a credit limit (ie you can have up to $200 in charges to your account before they cut you off). </p>
<p>Remember that T-Mobile’s national coverage is no where near as expansive compared to AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. Also, the sidekick isn’t that great a phone. I’d strongly recommend a BlackBerry over a Sidekick. If you have friends in your home country that have BlackBerries, you can BBM them for free, compared to paying for intl texts. If you go with Verizon, your best bet is a BlackBerry Tour, it’s a brand new model world phone (GSM/CDMA) that VZW will unlock for free, and is only $99 at Best Buy.</p>
<p>Just wondering, what plans do people usually use? It seems that for Verizon, the cheapest basic plan is at $40. However, there aren’t any free messages provided, and each cost $0.20. An upgrade to unlimited messages’ at $60. For AT&T, I could get the Nationwide basic plan at $40, with specifics rather similar to the Verizon one. I could then add another $5 for 200 messages per month. </p>
<p>Regarding phones, for AT&T, other than the Iphone ($100 for 8gb) and the Sony Ericsson W760a ($30), the offerings are pretty lousy. I’m looking for a good camera phone. The good thing about the Iphone’s that you could use Skype.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that Verizon has the best coverage in my area. I’m probably going with that, just give me a week to get over how gorgeous the Sidekick Orchid is haha.
I checked the price for their phone plan (with a Blackberry) and the cheapest one amounts to ~$80/month because i HAVE to get the Blackberry Web + Email package Isn’t that too expensive?
Not that the T-mobile w/ Sidekick one is much better, at $65/month with unlimited web + text messages…</p>
<p>My Saturday paper always comes with a bunch of glossy ads of phone companies promoting various plans/phones/deals. I’m not sure if these are just a printout of what’s online (will pay attention this weekend) but it may well be the case that individual stores have ongoing promotions not detailed on the websites, so it is entirely possible that better deals will come up and you can change your plans accordingly as you arrive.</p>
<p>Also, in general calls between users of the same service provider are free. So if you anticipate calling your best friend (in the 48 states) frequently, then it will make sense to get the same provider. Just a FYI since it’s quite different from SG (:</p>
Isn’t that too expensive?