Sri Lankan Students Association

E*- Efficiency (one living room, kitchen and bathroom)
Loft**- attic room

Section #1. Kitchen & Food

In most cases, mothers would be the best judges for this section,

- Raw materials for cooking (ask your mother or whoever might cook):

• DO NOT bring rice, dhal (lentils) not even in small quantities; it's abundantly available even in Arlington, Texas. Bringing raw or dry grains to US is illegal; you will be fined for that.

• Chili powder and Curry powder is required in large quantities, for consumption for at least 6 months (~1 kg).

• Dried curry leaves might be a good choice, if someone were wondering how one might carry such things; they don't take up much space or weight. (Coriander can be bought locally!) Do not bring any raw agriculture items to USA. You will be fined for that.

- Miscellaneous: Ceylon tea would be a good choice. It is hard to find good tea around Arlington. US coffee tastes different too.

- You might need deep fry pans or flat pans and other utensils for your kitchen. (Non-stick cookware is the best, believe me!)

- Sweets & Savories: Remember that you cannot really store such fast food for long, not because of the weather conditions but because of the temptation to eat them off. Of course, students might still want to get some, and more commonly parents might want to send some! Keep them coming, you'd find many thankful souls too.

Section #2. Clothing & Attire

Most of the content below will be useful for students of both sexes.
General Wear:

• Get *mostly* casual dresses, like T-shirts, short sleeve shirts and jeans. (Regular fit is the best for guys. Avoid tight-fits/bell-bottoms if you don't want to stand out from others! Boot-cuts are okay.) Girls wear jeans/T-shirts/blouses/skirts frequently enough for daily use. T-shirts and jeans (tight-fits are most common) may be the choice of a few girls, and of course, those are acceptable anyway.
• Formals are *rarely* worn! You need not get more than a few pairs (less than five; this doesn't mean you'd need five anyway).
• Get at least two ties; a blazer/suit is optional. (Either a blazer or a suit is recommended)

Seasonal Wear:

• Get a stuffed jacket, but without fur on the outside (rather, the "inner" outside)! (These might be bought from "Nuwara Eliya" or even in showrooms, of course!) The bottom line is "get something to serve for both cold and rain" (unlike a not-very-expensive leather jacket or a fur-covered jacket. Well, fur coats are not worn by gents anyway, particularly in these parts of the country!) Wear the jacket in the flight - it not only increases your luggage carrying space but also is necessary for the temperature you'd feel inside the flight!
• (Specialized) Thermal wear is NOT necessary. Get a sweater or two. Get a monkey cap - it's better to be protected against cold and be embarrassed (not really embarrassing) rather than shiver all along if you have to walk in a cold windy winter night. Get a pair of gloves too, preferably matching with the jacket (NOT woolen).
• Windcheaters may NOT be necessary, esp. because rain/wind is
  generally cold and these can be substituted with the jacket you'd bring.

Miscellany:

• Get at least one pair of traditional dress. Remember that there'd be a few occasions a year where you might have to represent your culture.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Most students do their laundry once in a fortnight, or even more! Arrive at the number of pairs (*and* miscellany like socks, kerchiefs, undergarments, etc.) you'd get according to this.

• Shoes: Get a pair of formal leather shoes (black, preferably, but
  choose the color according to the shades of formals you'd get) and/or a semi-formal pair which can serve dual purpose. Apart from that, get a pair of sneakers/sport shoes for regular use. Sprint shoes, canvas shoes, or other special purpose shoes may be bought here as per personal preference.
• Get belts that might be necessary for all your pants/trousers - broad ones for jeans, narrow ones for formals, black, brown, etc. Good belts in U.S. cost a *minimum* of $10 each!

Section #3. Assorted

Hobbies:

• Do NOT neglect your hobbies; you'd regret later when you get bored, and that's going to happen frequently!
• Get any (portable, literally as in "easy to carry") sports/games-related items like chess board and coins, swim-shorts/swimsuits etc.
• For other hobbies like painting or music, bring stuff that you cannot easily get here, which includes the likes of paintbrush set, paints, mixing template, charts (yes, if you can!), etc. (you can buy pencils and erasers here, of course!) or flute (rather flutes - which flutist would carry only one flute?), a small violin, etc.

Stationery:

• Get ALL the textbooks listed in the profile for your major. If there's no profile or if there're no textbooks otherwise mentioned, that might mean that you'd not find any textbooks that can be bought from Sri Lanka. (If you don't understand where the profile is, ask if any textbooks for your major would be available in Sri Lanka.) Anyway be ready to pay lot of money for your course books.
• The punching used for papers (for filing) is of 3 holes unlike 2-hole punching in India. So, if you're obsessed with the 2-hole files, remember to get the 2-hole punching unit. (Well, in simpler words, avoiding both files and punches is suggested, and buy the corresponding things here rather than all the hassles! This however, does NOT include zipper folders which need not necessary have filed papers inside!)
• Stapler, staples, glue stick, adhesive tape, etc. may be carried or may be bought here for a comparable price (possibly a bit more on the face value but still it's not called "more expensive").
• Notebooks would not be necessary to be brought from there, unless you prefer for some reason. They're absolutely cheap. Plain papers for fair/rough work are absolutely UNNECESSARY.

Other:

• Get a small cup for use in the bathroom. You might actually find it useful. You will not find cups in US bathrooms.
• Get soapboxes. Soapboxes are not uncommon in the shops here but you might be in for a surprise to see soapbox without drain-outlets for water that stays in there after use!
• Girls would, I guess, anyway know what they need in their makeup kits. If you're in for wild shades of nail polish, lipstick, or eye shades, everything is welcome here!

NOTE: One can buy one's bath soaps, shampoos/conditioners, toothpastes, toothbrushes, shaving foam (or a shaving gel/cream), razor/cartridges, deodorants/perfumes, etc. here or there. The costs are not very different (though in most cases, rates for all these might be just a bit cheaper in Sri Lanka even if they're U.S.-based brands!). If you have been loyal to particular brands, you might want to carry a few numbers of each of those for initial use. You may NOT ever a detergent cake while you're here, though you might want to carry one. Do NOT carry detergent powder, it is cheaper here!
Get at least 2-3 pairs of prescription spectacles if you use them, or be ready to spend around $100 per pair!

• Get any portable (literally taken) relics/memoirs that might represent your culture, which can be useful for display on relevant occasions.
• Get general medication that can serve as a makeshift first-aid kit. The best guide would be a medical shop attendant or a general physician (or a family doctor, of course). If someone is interested, I can make up a list out of my experience (not as a doctor, and not as a medical shop attendant, but just as a "potential patient"!).
• International Credit Cards might be carried as a financial backup.

DO NOT BRING ANY ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BECAUSE THE U.S. APPLIANCES RUN WITH A DIFFERENT ELECTRIC SOCKET AND AT 110 V @ 60 Hz.

• Get as many audio/video CDs (movies or music) for your use. This includes mp3 CDs that you might have burnt on blank CDs.
• Get a headset (headphone, preferably stereo, with microphone) for voice chat with parents and friends back home or just to listen to songs (even if you don't plan to voice chat, get one with a microphone).
• Get wallets that have enough pockets to hold credit cards that you have to carry in future. Girls may get appropriate purses/bags of their choice.
• Get a college bag to suit your daily needs. Remember that the bag might have to accommodate bulky books that you may carry from/to library or even large quantities of printed out papers sometimes! College bags cost $10-$14 here!
• Get your photos. I do NOT mean passport-sized photos which you might never need while you're here (unless you're applying for jobs). You might want to cherish the memories of home and family (and get nostalgic).
• You may want to get trivial things like extra buttons for your clothes, needles and threads (black/grey, white, brown, etc. - "universal" colors are enough), safety pins, nail-cutters, scissors, mirror (a classic hanging mirror - a small one, about 8"x4" should do), etc.
• This is NOT something you'd bring, but this is something I suggest you to LEAVE there! - A few blank white papers signed at the right-bottom side for any need that might arise in your absence - renewals of insurance policies, requirements of bank loans, etc.
• Whether you plan to transfer or not, get extra sets of transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. that you might need if you need to apply to a different school.

Section #4. Money

• A total of $7000-$8000 is what we suggest one to get for everything here (of course, for initial sustenance) - fees, living expenses, personal expenses, etc.To pay your fees, A Bank Draft for $5500 should be taken in favor of "UTA". Your tuition will be around that amount University will refund you whatever extra you pay. draft. So don't have to worry about making it to exact value. If it is not enough, you can your TC or cash to pay the balance. If you have an assistantship from UTA, you get in-state tuition rate. In that case, get a bank draft for $ 2500 in favor of "UTA".
• Get travelers' checks (or travelers' 'cheques', to be more "Sri Lankan") for $1000 as follows:
  $500 x 1 = $500
  $100 x 4 = $400
  $50 x 1 = $ 50
  $20 x 1 = $ 20
  $10 x 3 = $ 30
• Get currency of $500 and not more (getting more than $500 in currency is not legally allowed). You'd not need more either.
• An international credit card might be carried to address unforeseen needs, including payment of fees at UTA, but is not necessary. However, it should be noted that American Express credit card can NOT be used to pay the fees but can still be used for any purchases. MasterCard/Visa is good enough for anything, including purchases and fee payment.

A: Remember to maintain your baggage within the weight limits as required by the airlines you travel. Call your airline and check your baggage size and limit. Otherwise you may have to pay huge sum at the Colombo Airport
Remember always - BE CAREFUL with ALL your documents all through your travel. The following documents are quite important for a peaceful stay in the US!
- Form I-20
- Passport
- Form I-94 (will be given to you at your last flight to US)
- Admission letter
- Demand drafts, Travelers' Checks, and currency
- Other important documents like degree certificate, transcripts, etc.