What should I pack?

This is the first part of our series of FAQs on studying in America.

We asked a selection of students, already in the US, to share the wisdom of their experiences with us. This is what some of them wrote back to say.

Our Topic: What do I need to pack? What should I not pack?

Reply 1 from Tora Mitra, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts

A student coming to study here in the US should pack clothes depending on the part of the country that he/she is coming to. In general, a student should be prepared to come with one to two light sweaters, although jackets are not necessary to bring along with. The winter is quite severe in certain parts of the US and it is best to buy thick jackets, shoes and accessories for the winter weather once the student is here.

Other things to include in your luggage are a few pairs of jeans, couple of t-shirts, items of personal hygiene, one or two pair of sneakers, a few sets of socks and undergarments to last at least a week (since in most places you need to pay to use the laundry, doing laundry once a week or two is economical especially in the beginning).

A pressure cooker is very handy especially if you want to cook at home (generally preferred as it will be more healthy and economical). I highly recommend bringing along a few Indian outfits especially for wearing to Indian occasions at school or in social circle. Bringing along business suits are optional but not necessary.

Remember to bring medicines for common ailments or any specific medication that you normally take. Keep in mind that there are airline restrictions regarding the amount of baggage that you are permitted to carry without any extra cost.

It is a good idea, though not absolutely necessary, to have a driver's license because there are quite a large number of universities located here in the US where eventually a car becomes a necessity. Of course you can always learn to drive once you are here.

Reply 2 from Shikha Prashad, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (with the help of Njuhi J Karianjahi)

Pack only essentials.

Make sure you know what the weight and size limit is for luggage in the airlines you will be flying with. Only pack to that limit as excess luggage will cost you at the airport. 

Read over the instructions carefully and do not pack anything that is not allowed. Make sure you know the regulations for carry-on and check-in baggage. Some items that are not allowed on carry-on baggage are allowed in check-in baggage.

Spread your luggage between suitcases and label well (with your name and address in the US -- e.g. college address)

Pack your own suitcase so you know exactly what is in it.

Reply 3 from Aniket Malvankar, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York

Medicines, some food to survive a week, utensils, pressure cooker, depending how the weather is clothes eg woolen sweater if you are going in the northeastern region.

Do not take large amount of groceries like rice, wheat and stuff. You should rather take books which are much more expensive in the US. 

Reply 4 from Suba Vasudevan, formerly at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Pack the basic essentials for the 3 Cs -- clothes, cosmetics and cooking.

Clothing
1) One good suit/business dress for both men and women is essential and will come in handy both during class presentations or competitions as well as during career fairs and interviews.  Pair it up with matching accessories such as belts and formal shoes as American interviewers pay good attention to such detail.

2) A couple of business trousers and shirts/tops for both men and women is also extremely useful again during class presentations or to meet with recruiters at casual events.

3) Depending on the climate of the place you are going to – arm yourself with the standard set of jeans, t-shirts, shorts, one pair of walking/tennis shoes and flip-flops.  Remember, do not pair casual trousers with a casual shirt/t-shirt and white tennis shoes!  Also a good jacket or sweater will help, even if you are going to a hot place like Texas or relatively neutral place like Southern California, considering that it will come in handy during winter, irrespective of the state. Do not forget accessories such as socks, ties, et al.

Cosmetics
1) Students in the US dress very casually but also make sure they do are odor-free.  So a basic cologne or deodorant will come in very handy.  Especially because you may have a bout of Indian cooking in your apartment before leaving for school!

2) Bare essentials are always good, but boys and girls, go easy on the hair oil and stock your self up with some hair gel instead if possible, as that comes across much better. 

3) In order to avoid spending money in US dollars on bare cosmetic necessities, make yourself a checklist including soaps, shampoos, conditioners, bath products, shaving products, dental products, feminine hygiene products, sun-screens/ moisturizers and lip balm.  Yes, talking to someone with cracked and chapped lips will turn them away.

Cooking
Again, to avoid having to spend money as soon as you come to the US, it is advisable to carry one-two packs of all the bare essentials of cooking as well as some basic utensils. A list of things to carry: a packet of rice, couple of basic dals, packets of masalas and powders such as coriander, turmeric and chilly powder (one of each kind you anticipate will come in handy), one deep bottom saucepan, one flat saucepan, a couple of regular steel utensils and ladles,
couple of steel plates, cups, glasses, spoons, forks and knives, not to mention a regular cutting knife and a tiny pressure cooker. Bare in mind that all Indian food stuff is available in the US for the most part and chances are, your future room-mate too will be carrying a bunch of stuff with him/her. Just make sure to pack all food stuff in your check-in baggage and not with your carry-on.
 
Reply 5 from S, a student in Michigan

Pack:
1. Clothes
2. Coursebooks for your first term, if you know what courses you'll be taking. Books are expensive here.

Don't Pack
1. Home food that can leak/spill -- the US Customs won't like it.
2. Don't bother with heavy winter clothing for the midwest/northeast coast -- you'll have to buy some here anyway.
3. Electical applicances -- it's 110V on tap here.
4. Your computer, it's fairly inexpensive to get one here

Reply 6 from Anjali, formerly at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

If you're going to a cold place, it's best to pack T-shirts, especially long-sleeved ones. They're very useful to layer with. I've found that it's best to buy warm clothes in the US -- the styles tend to be quite different in India.

Reply 7 from Nikhil, Stanford University, Stanford, California

You will need items to decorate your apartment, room with (you will notice them more than clothes), a pressure cooker --- some light pots and pans.

Reply 8 from Priyanka Gupta, Connecticut

Pack light – you will get everything in the US. There are Indian grocery stores in most places. However take the basic necessities with you so that you don't have to run to the mall immediately. It is also a good idea to buy some small "Indian" things to give as gifts to people there. Take your medicines, and anything else you are particularly attached to.

Reply 9 from Kavita Thomas, formerly at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts

Clothes for cold weather. Make sure you've organised bedding/pillows to be delivered prior to arrival because the college will not provide this.  Do not take food. boston has a decent underground system that is easy to follow.

Reply 10 from Sanjeev Kumar, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Check out this master inventory

Reply 11 from Sridhar Vedachalam, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

It is always good to set up a contact with senior students in your university, because many of these things are specific to the area. Eg, if you are going to a place where Indian population is small, it might be difficult to get spices and Indian foods, or they might be very expensive.
However, if your campus has a large Indian population, an Indian store might not be far off, and such things might be easily available and may not be worth bringing from India, unless they are home-made stuff and have
sentimental value.

Note: Though lot of people claim that winter here is very harsh, and advise not to bring any woollen clothing since they would be ineffective, I would suggest the contrary. Get some good winter clothing from India, and many times they just work fine. Since winter sets in within a few months after landing here, buying new clothes is an expensive proposition, especially if you are short on funds.

Reply 12 from Rammesh P Navaneethakrishnan, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Clothing: Pack lot of undergarments (at least for two weeks), T-shirts, towels, jeans , bermudas, shorts, slip-ons, shoes, socks (white-quarter length), formal clothing, a suit (only black). Suits and formal may be used only for conference presentations, job interviews, career fairs, and formal dinners (if you are in some university clubs). Basic winter sweaters.(applicable to both categories).

Food Supply: If you are short of funds minimal survival food for one week like rice, dal and some curry powders of your liking. Btw it also depends upon which university are you heading to. If you are in some remote location and you only like to eat Indian veggy food then I will suggest bring some additional Indian survival food. Frankly you will get every product available in India in fact you may have more choices here!!!

Utensils: At least one pressure cooker (buy good one and don't be stingy on that), frying pan, some basic plates, cups etc. Stationery/Books: Related books in your field (again mostly basic since most of them will be available in the library), pens.

Eyewear: Have one spare pair of spectacles (and start calling them glasses) if you are one of the fortunate ones to wear specs and also get your latest prescription!!! (Without  prescription you cannot order glasses. Also prescription should not be more than one yr old)

Not to Pack: Winter jackets, winter boots, too much of food.

Reply 13 from Dinesh Rajan, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

a) All the required transcripts and documents including your Indian driver's license if available.
b) Medical Prescriptions and useful medicines.
c) Books necessary for program of study. It is a well-known fact that books in the US are very expensive.
d) Cooking utensils.
e) A good set of formal clothes.

What not to pack:

a) Any electronic device using Indian power supply.
b) Too much of Indian spices and masala powders. Most of them can be procured from nearby Indian stores around the university.
c) Winter wear. Most of the winter wear would be better to get here depending on the expected climatic conditions.

Reply 14 from Nishi Mishra, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota

You must pack
1. Some commom medicines for fever, bodyache, stomach upsets, band aid's, a crepe bandage, dettol etc. As, you will not get all the medicines over the counter, you might have to have a prescription for buying some of these medicines. If you have any allergy or ailment that can occur in certain weather, get the antibiotics and three or four courses for that and keep them with with your prescription when you pack them.

2. A pressure cooker, because you might (most probably) be cooking on your own and a pressure cooker is a rarity and expensive comodity here.

3. Ummm... Enough undergarments for 15 days at a go. There is no concept of drying clothes on windows or in balconys. You'll have to wash them along with the rest of your clothes which will be at least 15 days later or at the max one month! Depends on you.

4. Your passport, I-20, financial documents, degrees in your hand baggage. Basically anything that is too precious to be lost should be kept in hand baggage.

Do not pack:

1. Your cellphone, because only triband and quadband phone work here. The service providers run schemes that  give the phone alongwith the connections, many phones come free with these schemes. If you bring your cellphone and intend to use it, you will have to go through a procedure to certify that the phone is not stolen and will have to take a prepaid plan. Prepaid plans are much more expensive than the post paid plans.

2. If you are coming to a place which has four or five months of long winters and is generally covered with snow, then get some sweaters and sweatshirts from India. Do not pack too many of them, although they'll be helpful as a layer but you cannot rely on them totally. You'll HAVE to buy the winter coats here as the Indian warm clothes are not warm enough for the above described weather.

Reply 15 from Pavan Avasarala, formerly at University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana

I have an e-ail containing a list of thingss that can be brought to United States that someone forwarded to me. In my opinion everything in this e-mail is not necessary and people can filter things out of this list based upon their requirements

Check out this A master list