International Students: Do you have coverage for summer?
May 16th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelAs an international student studying in the US, it is recommended that you have health insurance in place during your summer months while you are not in school. While most schools have insurance plans that may require that you continue coverage during these summer months, other schools may not have this restriction. If you have a current plan, we recommend contacting your current insurer to confirm that you are insured year round. As an international student, you may already be aware that medical expenses in the United States can add up quickly. With the use of the emergency room or a visit to the hospital, your bill can easily add up to thousands of dollars. Don’t let this happen to you!
Our international student insurance plan will work for you as an international student on a F-1 visa. This is an important considerations for students arriving prior to your classes or those who do not have a plan between terms. The international student insurance plan can be purchased in monthly increments.
This plan works well if you are looking for an annually renewable plan or if you are looking for gap coverage. You can purchase this plan for as little as one month with the option to renew up to 4 years in total. The summer international student insurance plan is available in three levels allowing you to choose the coverage best suited for you. All of our plans provide coverage for doctor visits, hospitalization, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, etc. You can also purchase a plan that includes coverage for pre-existing conditions (after a one year waiting period), mental health, sports, and maternity.
You can insure just yourself, or your dependents under one plan. Once you purchase the plan, you will have access to your account and travel assistance 24 hours a day. If you have any questions, please contact one of our licensed agents to assist in choosing the right plan for you.
Protecting your stuff when staying in hostels
May 13th, 2011 by ahoontrakulIf you are a student and you are planning on studying or traveling abroad on a budget, you will most likely stay in a hostel. Even for those who have the funds to spend on a nice hotel, a hostel can be a nice and fun experience that everyone should experience at least once.
Because you will have to share space with multiple strangers, many of you may be concern about your safety and the safety of your personal belongings when staying in a hostel. While I can attest from personal experience that most people staying in a hostel are nice and friendly, it never hurts to take some precautions. While in most cases the overall experience is perfectly safe, here are some tips to keep your stuff save in a hostel:
– Pick the right hostel – Most of the popular hostel booking websites have ratings from past guests. Pick a hostel with a good safety record and look for any problems others have had in the past. Check if the hostel has security lockers available.
– Bring Locks – Even if the hostel has lockers available, the size may only be big enough for a few small valuables. Some hostels may have locks available but may charge you a fee for the rental. If you bring your own lock, you may just end up saving a few bucks! Along with pad locks for your bag, I also like to bring a laptop lock. Aside from the obvious use of locking up your laptop, the long cable with the loop can come in handy to anchor other valuables to large immoveable objects.
– Keep your valuables separate – Keep a small amount of cash and whatever you need for the day separate from your hidden stash of cash and other documents (passport, credit card, etc.). Keep your wallet in your front pocket instead of your back pocket, you’re less likely to lose it or have it pick pocketed.
– Don’t flaunt your possession – If you are going to be traveling around with a nice camera, laptop or just a big chunk of cash, have it out only when you need it. After all, no one can be tempted to take your stuff if they don’t know you have it.
Chinese International Student Health Insurance
May 9th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelChinese international student health insurance is important if you plan on traveling outside your home country either for a few months or a few years. Whether you are planning to go overseas for college, university, or to learn English, purchasing a medical insurance policy is important to have in place before you depart China.
Before purchasing a Chinese international student health insurance, you may want to contact your school to see whether there are any requirements that your plan must meet. Some schools leave students on their own to purchase an insurance plan. Other schools enroll students in a medical insurance plan with the option to waive and purchase a private insurance. Or, schools may require students to purchase a mandatory plan without the option to waive out.
Whatever your situation is, you will need to contact your school to see what your options are. If your school provides you with an insurance plan, review the benefits of your Chinese international student health insurance to make sure you are familiar with what is covered under the plan. One popular option is the Student Secure plan which can be purchased from one month up to one year, with the option to renew up to 4 years. This plan provides coverage for doctor visits, hospitalization, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, etc.
If you have questions on whether our plans will meet your school requirements, let us know as we’d be happy to assist you with your insurance needs.
This is a first in a series as we look at health insurance needs for Chinese international students.
International Student Insurance shows appreciation for our community!
May 6th, 2011 by ahoontrakulHere at International Student Insurance we like to show our support for international students. If you are a part of an international student organization at a college or university in the US we are currently sponsoring a free pizza party for your club! Check out our International Student Association Social page for more information. Kent State International Mentor, at Kent State University in Ohio, was the first to take us up on our offer.
Recently, International Student Insurance also held a sweepstakes on our Facebook page for a chance to win an iPad. While we had a winner last month, the iPad 2 was in such a high demand that it was sold out everywhere! Instead, we ordered it directly from Apple and they just delivered a brand new iPad 2 to our winner last week. We would just like to share the picture of our happy winner with his brand new iPad 2 here:
If you appreciate what we are doing for our community as much as we appreciate you, please let us know by joining our Facebook fan page and following us on Twitter. The more active our Facebook and Twitter community becomes, the more we will be able to bring you more fun and exciting things in the future. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!
Summer International Travel Insurance
May 2nd, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelIt’s that time of year again – summer time! We know everyone is excited for the opportunity to have a long break and enjoy themselves. What better time to take advantage of the long break and travel overseas! Whether you are planning to backpack Europe, travel the Outback in Australia, or explore the beaches of Central America, be sure to purchase a summer international travel insurance plan. Our summer international travel insurance plan is designed for just that, it is designed to follow you in your adventure of a lifetime, here are just a few of the advantages:
– International coverage outside your home country
– Affordable rates and comprehensive coverage
– Emergency and non-emergency coverage
– 24 hour travel assistance including translation and interpretation services
– Flexibility to choose your doctor or hospital
– Option of 100% coverage up to $1 million
– Option to include the sports rider to cover you for adventurous sporting activities
The Summer International Travel Insurance can be purchased for just a few days up to a year depending on the length of the trip. Not only does this insurance plan coverage medical and health, but the plan also includes travel benefits like trip interruption, natural disaster coverage, lost checked baggage, and much, much more. Once you purchase the plan, you will receive an email confirmation with your documents that you can simply print and bring with you on your trip. Some countries require proof of insurance and that is why with the purchase of the plan you will have access to your personalized visa letter right in your personalized account that is immediately available. Contact one of our licensed agents for more information and to see if the summer international travel insurance plan is right for you!
Choosing which College to Study Abroad in
April 29th, 2011 by ahoontrakulWhen you are planning your study abroad, you would no doubt have to make a decision on where you want to go and which college or university to attend. Many of the factors that would help you determine which college is right for you is similar to that of choosing your college at home.
The first step is to get to know yourself. You need to ask yourself, “why am I going to study abroad?” You will need to think about what you expect to get from your experiences.
Are you looking to just have a lot of fun on your trip and use the opportunity to travel to other countries around the region? Are you looking to learn a new language?
For example, if you are looking to have a lot of community support while you are abroad, you might want to consider joining an exchange program that your University has already set up. This gives you the advantage of knowing that many students have already been there – or perhaps there is a sizable community of people from your own country that would be able to help you adjust to the new environment. But if you are confident with your ability to do things by yourself without much hand-holding, you are freer to choose to go to school where there is relatively few people from your country so you can focus more on your other goals like learning a new language.
Choosing a location
This step is obvious if one of your goals is to learn a new language. If you want to learn Chinese don’t study abroad in Spain and if you want to learn Spanish don’t study abroad in China! Additionally, there are also other considerations when choosing a location. Do you enjoy a big city with a lot of people even if that means your living space may be small? How about the traffic or commute? What is your budget keeping in mind that the cost of living is higher in big cities?
How long is your study abroad trip? Will you be abroad for over a year or just one semester? If you are planning to study abroad just for one semester in the middle of the winter, you might want to reconsider going to study in places like Finland (unless you really enjoys the cold).
Consider your financial need
Many colleges and universities offer scholarships and grants for international students, you would just have to look and apply for it. Not only do you have to consider the tuition costs, you will also have to think about your cost of living; living in London is going to be more expensive than living in rural China.
Many countries especially in Europe like Finland, Spain, etc. also require international students to buy health insurance to get a visa. Most universities in the USA also have school’s specific insurance requirements for their student. So it is important to choose an insurance plan that would provide you with good coverage in addition to an affordable price.
What do you want to do afterward?
Lastly, if you are going to be studying abroad as a full-time degree seeking student, you might want to consider where you want to work after your graduation. Most universities usually have connections to companies or specific areas in which they are located in, therefore if you want to work in the USA or Europe after graduation it may help if you graduate from college in your area of interest.
What to do with your cell phone when studying abroad
April 22nd, 2011 by ahoontrakul
If you have a cell phone service here in the US chances are you’re paying a monthly service fee from one of the major cell phone service provider – moreover, if you have a smart phone you will probably be paying no less than $70 per month.
But now your study abroad dream has come true! You are going to study abroad next semester and you will be out of the US for several months, so you ask yourself, what am I going to do with my cell phone service while I am studying abroad? If you cancel your service and return home, your phone number will be gone and you will have to tell your friends that your new phone number has changed. Let’s face it, it is a hassle! Here are some options that you may want to consider:
Suspend your phone service temporarily
Sure you might be able to use your phone while you are abroad by turning on your international service plan with your provider, however be prepared to pay an extremely high rate for international calls. Another option you may have is to suspend your service temporarily. This means that you will pay a reduced rate to maintain your phone number and at the same time you will stop all phone service while you are away. Different companies have different names for this service and various terms that may apply. Call your service provider and find out what their conditions are so that there are no surprises!
Unlock your phone
Most cell phones sold in the US are locked, which means that the cell phone provider blocks the access so that you cannot use your phone on another company’s network. If you have a smart phone – or even expensive phone – that you want to use abroad, you can unlock your phone by contacting your service provider or Google “how to unlock your cell phone”. Once your phone is unlocked, you can simply buy a sim card, insert the card into your phone, and have a working cell phone for both international and local calls while abroad (this will work if you are using a GSM phone, if you are an AT&T or T-mobile customer).
Verizon uses a different mobile technology called CDMA which is not widely used around the world so this method will not work in most cases. If you don’t want to or can’t unlock your phone you can also rent or buy a whole pre-paid cell phone package to use abroad.
Use the internet to call
If you have a smart phone, download applications like Skype on your cell phone so that you can use it to call home while you are abroad. If you have the iPhone4 or higher, you can also use Facetime over a wifi connection. Service like Google Voice will also let you text message any phone in the US for free and people can also leave you a voice mail on your virtual number.
Hopefully one of these options will help you with your study abroad experience – good luck!
Getting sick while abroad (a personal story)
April 19th, 2011 by ahoontrakulA few years ago I took a solo backpacking trip through Europe after I had finished my study abroad trip in England. It was a great experience and I had a lot of fun.
To begin the story, in one month I would start my trip from Prague. I would make my way south to Austria and Hungary down to Italy then slowly up to Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark and finally ending in Sweden. It was in the middle of this trip in Italy when I had my scary moment which I’m going to share with you.
So I’d finally made it into Italy and I was done with Florence and Venice, I was in Pisa seeing the Leaning Tower and was scheduled to take the train on the same day to Rome. After getting on the train and seeing the nice scenery I’d finally arrived in Rome safe and sound! But that’s when my scary experience happened. After getting off the train my stomach started to hurt a little bit, it was barely noticeable that I didn’t think twice about it. I walked around the front of the train station looking for the bus I needed to take to the hostel, which was further away from the city center, after awhile I found it and got on.
Almost right after I got on the bus my stomach started to hurt intensely, I started to have cold sweat and then my vision started to black out. Now at this point I was already on a packed full bus, going to a hostel and all I had was a printed paper with vague direction of how to get there. The bus doesn’t stop at every bus stop and most of the passengers were Italian who didn’t speak much English. I knew I was in trouble then, since the bus was full I was standing up. I quickly wrap my hand around the railing and put my backpack on the floor between my legs, hoping that my hand will stays wrap around the railing in case I passed out (thinking ahead, I thought it would just look like I was resting my eyes with my bag locked between my legs hopefully discourage people from running away with it in case they saw the opportunity!). After that, I was drifting in and out of consciousness standing there on the bus. In the beginning, I remember just wishing to arrive at the hostel before anything could happen! Luckily after a while I regained enough consciousness that I was able to make it off the bus and, with some help and some combination of pointing and made-up sign language, made it to the hostel.
My insurance ended after my study was done and I didn’t think about getting one during my trip, luckily nothing truly serious ended up happening to me that I would need to be hospitalized for, I don’t know how I would deal with it. Now I’m able to look back and say it was an interesting experience that I can tell people about. But at the time, it was scary to be in a place that you don’t know anything about for the first time and on the verge of completely passing out and not knowing what will happen.
I know that many people probably have just as, if not even scarier moment while they were traveling. If you have any horror travel story just other mishaps that happened on your travel, share it with us.
United States Reaches Out to Exchange Students in Indonesia
April 18th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelAs part of the United States’ mission to build foreign exchanges with countries around the world, Indonesia has been the next focus for bilateral trade and cultural exchanges. Last year, US President Obama announced that the US will spend $165 million over 5 years on this issue alone – and they meant it.
The United States has worked together with Indonesia for over 50 years on the Fulbright Program that works with Indonesians to promote English proficiency, university development, advance technology, improve civil society, draw religious influence into the mainstream, promote scholarships, and reach younger and broader audience as explained on the US government’s Fulbright site.
Now, the United States is expanding its educational exchanges in order to further promote this partnership. As described by President Obama, the current target is to double the number of Indonesian students studying in the United States. Most of this is done through educational fairs where students are welcome to attend. With more than 50 US universities at these fairs, potential Indonesian international students bound to study in the United States speak with recruiters, gather information, and discuss the how-to’s.
But this is just the beginning. The popular perception for Indonesians is that obtaining a student visa is near to impossible. The US government along with American universities are working on changing this image. In fact, according to statistics, approximately 90% of Indonesian that applied for a student visa were successfully able to study in the US as an international student. Changing this image and reaching out to these students is crucial. This comes as each year the number of Indonesians studying in the US drops – last year there was an 8% drop in student enrolled compared to the year before which had just under 7,000 international students.
