Arrival Preparation

After receiving your visa, there is still a lot to do before you arrive. Below are
some questions that you may want to ask yourself to help you prepare. You may also
download and print a Pre-Arrival Checklist to help you stay organized.

• Have you received your I-20 or DS-2019 and obtained your F-1 or J-1 student entry
  visa?

• Have you made arrangements for housing on or off campus?

• Have you arranged your travel plans so that you arrive at Southeastern during business
  hours and early enough to attend the orientation programs?

• Do you have a small amount of U.S. currency to cover the initial expenses of your
  arrival (buses, taxi, meals, etc.)?

• Do you have enough US dollars to cover the expenses of settling into an apartment
  in Hammond, i.e. temporary housing, deposit on an apartment, telephone service, etc.?
  If you are bringing over $10,000 in cash to the United States, make sure you declare
  it on your customs form; otherwise the Customs officials have the right to confiscate
  the money and charge a fee.

• Have you contacted the ISO to inform them of your arrival date and housing accommodations?

Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans is the main airport most people
arrive at in Louisiana to get to Southeastern in Hammond. The airport is roughly 50
miles (80 kilometers) from Hammond. There are several ways to get from the airport
to Southeastern:

• Driving Directions – Should you rent a car or have someone drive you, this document will provide directions to Southeastern from the airport that you may print or use
  the navigation here. Please be aware of our business hours located below.

• Amtrak – When you leave the airport, take a taxi to the New Orleans Union Passenger
  Terminal.  You can book the trip from New Orleans to Hammond ahead of time by going
  here.  We highly recommend you do so since trains run on a certain schedule. Once you
  arrive at the Amtrak terminal in Hammond, Southeastern Louisiana University is right
  around the corner by following North Oak Street directly to the university.

• Airport Shuttle – There are shuttles that can pick you up from the airport in New
  Orleans and bring you to anywhere in Hammond.  However, these options can be expensive,
  roughly $200 or more, and we recommend that you share this ride with other students
  who are arriving if possible. We also recommend that you book the shuttle in advance
  by going to airportshuttles.com.Remember, if you are arriving after campus is closed and you will not be living on
  campus or have reserved your on campus accommodations, you will need to arrive at
  a hotel until you can check in with the International Services Office in North Campus
  Main Building in Enrollment Services. Please note that if you are not already approved for on campus housing, we cannot
  temporarily house you if you have not made any other accommodations.

• Taxi – We do not recommend that you take a taxi from the airport to Hammond due to
  the price.  Fairs can run up to $150 or more.

General Business Hours
Monday – Thursday 7:30AM – 5:00PMClosed Saturday and Sunday

Summer Hours
Monday – Thursday 7:00AM – 5:30PMFriday 7:30AM – 12:30PMClosed – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Please see our hours of operation above. If you arrive on campus outside of these
hours, there may be no one to assist you.

Selecting a phone plan may require some research.  Check with other students and colleagues,
particularly those from your home country, for suggestions.  

Some international students and scholars keep their current phone and insert a SIM
card, which can be purchased from local companies.  Please note that if you purchase
a SIM card in your home country before you arrive, it may not work in the U.S. Others
choose to purchase a phone once here in the U.S.   

Below are some suggested questions you can ask a cell phone company to help determine
if their services are the best fit for your needs:

• Are pre-paid plans available? Is this a good option for the duration of my stay in
  the U.S.?
• What are the rates for calls, text messages (SMS), data transfers, and multimedia
  messages (MMS)?
  Cell phones in the U.S. may charge for both incoming and outgoing calls, texts, and
  data.
• Is a deposit required to sign a contract? Will it be returned in full at the end of
  the contract?
• If there is a contract, is there a penalty or loss of deposit if the plan is terminated
  early?
• Can I use a phone I already own?
  If you plan to use your own phone, be sure to obtain the code needed to “unlock” your
  phone for use abroad.
• Does the new plan require a new phone? Is there a fee or monthly charge for a new
  phone?
  Some plans in the U.S. offer phones for $0 USD down, but may charge a monthly fee
  for the duration of the plan.
• Will my phone be compatible with other international networks (GSM or CDMA)?

Airtime: Actual time spent talking on the cellular telephone. Most carriers bill customers
based on how many minutes of airtime they use each month. Airtime charges during peak
periods of the day vary from about 20 cents to more than 40 cents per minute, depending
on the service plan selected. Most carriers offer reduced rates for off-peak usage.

Bluetooth: A wireless method of communications between devices.

Call Waiting: If your line is busy, callers are asked to wait while you are alerted
to their incoming call.

Calling Plan: A rate plan selected by subscribers when they start up cellular service,
usually consisting of a base rate for system access and a per-minute rate for usage.
Service plans are designed to provide the most cost-effective rates for different
types and amounts of usage by the cellular subscriber.

Data: This allows you to access the internet when you are not connected to wifi.

Land Line: Traditional wired phone service. Voice, video and data transmission technology
that relies on wires. Also called wireline.

Local Calling Area: The geographical area that a customer may call without incurring
toll charges.

Off-Peak Periods: Times when carriers offer discounted airtime charges. Each carrier
designates its own off-peak hours, usually after normal business hours during the
week, and weekends.

Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG): Essentially another term for pre-paid, meaning service that
is paid in advance, as-needed, instead of billed at the end of each month (post-paid).
Since service is paid for in advance, there is no generally no need for contracts
or credit checks with pay-as-you-go.

One difference from prepaid is that a PAYG plan can be set up to automatically
deduct funds from a bank account when depleted, instead of the balance simply becoming
zero, rendering the phone unusable until the account is manually replenished.

Peak: Highest-usage period of the business day when a cellular system carries the
most calling traffic.

Roaming: The ability to use your cellular phone outside your usual service area –
when traveling outside of the “home” service area defined by a service provider. Higher
per-minute rates are usually charged for calls made or received while roaming. Long
distance rates and a daily access fee may also apply.

Service Charge: The amount customers pay each month to receive wireless service. This
amount is fixed, and to be paid monthly regardless of how much or how little customers
use their wireless phones.

Service Plan: The rate plan you select when choosing a wireless phone service. A service
plan typically consists of a monthly base rate for access to the system and a fixed
amount of minutes per month. Service plans are designed to provide the most cost-effective
rates for different types and amounts of usage by the cellular subscriber.

SIM card: A Subscriber Identity Module or a smart card that stores data for GSM cell
phone users.

Storage: This is the space (gigahytes) that your device has available to keep files
directly on it, such as photos and apps.

Computer Labs on Campus – The university has a large number of computer labs open to all students, fully equipped with internet access, as well as other software
programs and hardware devices, such as printers and scanners. Also, the university
has a free rental program through the Office of Student Productivity Services. Students
can check out equipment for a certain period of time, such as computers, video cameras,
projectors, etc. at no cost. For more information on checking out equipment, click
here.