Umang - The Indian Graduate Student Association - Washington University in St. Louis

This checklist covers the tasks you need to complete in the first couple of days after you arrive in St. Louis. Note that items with the red boxes are compulsory/urgent while the ones in black are optional/less urgent.

Report to the International Office

One of the first things you should do after you arrive on campus is to report to the Office for International Students and Scholars located at 6470 Forsyth Blvd. (#95 on this map). You should take your passport, I-20, I-94 (given to you during the flight to the U.S.) and any other immigration documents you have when you report. At this time, you will receive a welcome folder with information about campus resources and St. Louis in general.

Report to your department/school

While this procedure may differ from department to department, you should make sure that you check in and inform your department/school graduate coordinator of your arrival and use the opportunity to complete any necessary paperwork.

Register for English Testing
All incoming International students are required to prove their English language proficiency upon arrival in the United States. Typically, a student is exempt from this requirement if they have a sufficiently high score in the TOEFL/TWE examinations. To find out if you need to take a language proficiency, check this page.

If you determine that you need English language testing, consult the English Language Program Page for testing schedules. If you have any questions, ask your department/school graduate coordinator or the staff at the Office for International Students and Scholars.

Get your Student ID card

We recommend that you get your Student ID card on your first day on campus if possible. Student ID cards are needed to utilize many of the campus resources such as the library, campus shuttle services, and for access to various building during the evening hours. Most importantly, you will need a student ID card to be eligible for certain apartments that are reserved for graduate students.

To obtain a student ID card you need to go to the Office of Student Records located in the lower level of the Women’s Building, Room 50 (#110 on this Map).

You will need some type of picture identification, e.g. passport. The Office of Student Records can be contacted by phone at (314) 935-5959 or via email at student_records@aismail.wustl.edu.

Sign up for the U-Pass

Washington University provides the U-Pass free of charge to all full time students at the University. With the U-Pass, you can ride any public bus and the metro rail in the Metro St. Louis system free of charge. The U-Pass is also needed to board the campus shuttle which runs between campus and the grocery store, the mall, and a few other places. The routes of the shuttle can be seen here. You may apply for the U-Pass on the Washington University Transportation website. Note that you will need to have registered for classes before you can apply for the U-Pass. Typically it takes between 2 - 4 days after you have registered for classes before the system allows you to sign up for a U-Pass. If you have problems, you should email the transportation office or call at (314) 935-4140.

We strongly encourage you to get a U-Pass as it makes getting around a lot easier, especially in the initial few days when you may not have access to a car. The U-Pass will also help when you want to visit places that are further away from the campus.

Meet with your academic/research advisor

Most departments/schools require you to meet with your academic advisor before you register for classes. You should ensure that you meet with your advisor prior to the start of the semester. Remind your advisor to authorize you to register for classes. Many professors tend to forget to do this and you have to keep reminding them gently.

Register for classes

Typically, you will register for your classes using the University's online system called WebSTAC (https://acadinfo.wustl.edu/). Some departments/schools may require a separate paper form. You should consult your department/school for the exact procedure. You will need your student ID number and password (this should have already been provided to you by your department/school) to access the WebSTAC system.

Note: In addition to registration you can use WebSTAC to update your email address, physical home & local mailing addresses, view classroom assignments for your courses, add courses, drop courses, view grades, view final exam dates and locations, file (when the time comes) an “intent to graduate” form, etc.

Complete payroll and tax forms

If you are going to be paid a stipend by the University, you will need to fill out documents before you can start getting paid. Your department/school coordinator should provide these to you when you report initially to your department/school.

Open a bank account

Many students find it convenient to open a bank account soon after their arrival in St. Louis. This ensures that you do not have large amounts of cash, travellers checks, etc. sitting at home and also makes it convenient to buy things at stores (with a Debit card) or by writing checks. Bank of America has a branch on campus in the Mallinckrodt Center (#59 on this map) as well as three or four ATMs at various locations around campus. They also offer a special account for students which has lower fees and minimums.

Look for an apartment

There is no graduate student housing available on campus. However, there are many apartments available within walking distance of campus. If you choose to live further away, we suggest you live near the shuttle route or near the Metrolink so you have easy access to the University.

Like all places, there are parts of St. Louis that are safer than others. When deciding on apartments, it is always a good idea to talk to other graduate students for advice on the best places to live. Do not be tempted by a low rent as it usually means that the area is not that good. Also, at times, the apartment rental places try to scare you by saying that if you don't sign a lease immediately, the apartment will not be available. Do not give in to such tactics.

Quadrangle Housing and the Apartment Referral Service are two places you can start your search. There are various other sites on the Internet that advertise apartments as well as private listings. Another option is to move into an apartment with a current graduate student. Usually there are posters around campus advertising for roommates. Some people have also found places to live by asking other students in their department/school.

When you move into an apartment, unless your roommate has not already done so, you will need to set up various utilities:
   - Electricity - AmerenUE (Website)
   - Gas (for cooking and heating) - Laclede Gas (Website)
   - Phone (landline) - AT&T (Website)
   - Internet - AT&T (DSL)(Website) or Charter (Cable)(Website)
   - Cable TV - Charter (Website)

Attend orientation

Every school in the University has some kind of orientation event. Information about these orientations are usually mailed to you during the summer. We encourage you to attend these orientations as they are a good source of information and a way to meet people and make friends.

Umang holds an orientation for new students from India in August. Check for details on our website. We encourage you to become an Umang member. This will give you free access to all the hindi movies and other events that we hold throughout the year.