Advice for Carib School 1st Years

[Meatballerina]

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Hello - First off, my apologies if this thread already exists. I did a search and found similar stuff, but it was all a few years old. I could also probably use a Ross interview thread, but I wanted to broaden this to other schools so more people could benefit.

So, I wanted to ask those of you who went to/are going to Caribbean schools (or even any other schools abroad) for your tips and suggestions to consider while preparing to leave.

These are things I'm wondering about:

-What gadgets would you recommend? Any big pros to investing in a tablet, or is my laptop going to be good enough? I've always had a basic phone - should I get a smartphone before I leave so I can stay in touch with family easier via social media? How does cell service work down there?

-What sort of clothing would be best to take with me? I'm mostly thinking in terms of field work here. A pair of sturdy coveralls has never done me wrong, but I'm thinking it might be too much in the heat. Should I bother packing any outerwear at all?

-Advice for booking flights. Homebase for me is NJ. I already have my first roundtrip booked from EWR-Miami-SKB for what I thought was a decent price, but I may be wrong!

-Anything else I definitely should or should not think about bringing with me?


Anyone else feel free to chime in. Sorry again if there's an existing thread. If that's the case, just post the link.

 

[jmo1012]

Hello - First off, my apologies if this thread already exists. I did a search and found similar stuff, but it was all a few years old. I could also probably use a Ross interview thread, but I wanted to broaden this to other schools so more people could benefit.

So, I wanted to ask those of you who went to/are going to Caribbean schools (or even any other schools abroad) for your tips and suggestions to consider while preparing to leave.

These are things I'm wondering about:

-What gadgets would you recommend? Any big pros to investing in a tablet, or is my laptop going to be good enough? I've always had a basic phone - should I get a smartphone before I leave so I can stay in touch with family easier via social media? How does cell service work down there?

this is so much a personal thing unfortunately. some people love tablets, others prefer to take notes on paper. so have them for communication and as "toys," some people have a smaller computer like a netbook to take with them along with a main laptop.

you will have to pay duty on electronics - so if you do bring a tablet, expect to pay some pretty hefty taxes on it. i've known people who've had to pay ridiculous fees like $125 US in taxes for ipads.

if you do purchase a smart phone, you need to be able to unlock it for international use and use a SIM card. don't expect to use a US plan internationally, that will be EXTREMELY expensive. we have 2 phone carriers here, LIME and DigiCell. they're used pretty equally. as far as i know, internet only runs on wifi, no fancy data packages here! you dont need a smart phone to stay in touch, you can easily get by with skype, google voice, magicjack, and other free texting apps.

-What sort of clothing would be best to take with me? I'm mostly thinking in terms of field work here. A pair of sturdy coveralls has never done me wrong, but I'm thinking it might be too much in the heat. Should I bother packing any outerwear at all?

summer clothes are best. its 85 degrees and humid year round! that being said, the dorm rooms, study halls, and classrooms can be freezing cold, so warm clothes are important too!

a lightweight pair of short sleeved coveralls for the farm would be best. no need to get fancy or heavy duty!

-Advice for booking flights. Homebase for me is NJ. I already have my first roundtrip booked from EWR-Miami-SKB for what I thought was a decent price, but I may be wrong!

unless you book in jan/early feb, you probably didn't get the best deal 😉. that said, depending on where you are in Jersey, you may be able to fly in and out of JFK either through Delta (not a common flyer) or Caribbean Airlines.

-Anything else I definitely should or should not think about bringing with me?

bring common, every day items with you. it's expensive to replace or purchase regular things like kitchen stuff here. be smart with how you pack. you can get a ton of stuff here, but you might have to give up a few outfits or pairs of shoes!

Anyone else feel free to chime in. Sorry again if there's an existing thread. If that's the case, just post the link.

so now that i finished answering this, i realize you're going to Ross. So the advice I have may or may not actually apply! however, guess others can read it. good luck!

 

[Meatballerina]

Thank you so much! All your advice still applies. I needed ALL of it. Thank you for the heads up on duty for electronics - I plan accordingly, and carefully. Silly question - are outlets compatable with US electronics or should I get a different charging cable to bring with me?
I did some quick looking at both those carriers, the deals seem really fair. Thanks again for those details. I feel like this is the stuff you really need to plan ahead for or you'll be trying to run all around when you get there doing things, and running around probably isn't the simplest task to begin with.
I will most likely come up with more questions as I start compiling lists of things to take care of.
Thanks!

 

[DjIL]

Thank you so much! All your advice still applies. I needed ALL of it. Thank you for the heads up on duty for electronics - I plan accordingly, and carefully. Silly question - are outlets compatable with US electronics or should I get a different charging cable to bring with me?
I did some quick looking at both those carriers, the deals seem really fair. Thanks again for those details. I feel like this is the stuff you really need to plan ahead for or you'll be trying to run all around when you get there doing things, and running around probably isn't the simplest task to begin with.
I will most likely come up with more questions as I start compiling lists of things to take care of.
Thanks!

I'm planning on going to SGU and my interviewer told me not to buy electrical convertors here in the US. She advised me to purchase them on the island because the US ones she bought all broke. Hope that helps 🙂

I actually have a question about the rain - what should I pack for rainy days? How do you stay dry but cool when it rains and it's hot out? Poncho? lol

Also, is it crazy that I want to bring a drugstore's worth of cosmetic (back ups of favorite mascara, toothbrushes, hair dye) and first aid (IB profeun, qtips etc) stuff with me?

One more, is there even a point to bringing a flat iron or curling iron? Or are all hairstyling attempts futile?

Thanks!!!!!!

 

[jmo1012]

Silly question - are outlets compatable with US electronics or should I get a different charging cable to bring with me?

you need to track down someone from Ross to answer this question. I can tell you that here at SGU, our dorms have both 220v and 110v plugs. the 110v work just fine unless you plug a clock in and then it'll lose time quite quickly! off campus housing varies. the newer places tend to have both plugs but there are plenty that just have 220v.

i don't know if US transformers really do tend to break or not (wouldn't surprise me if they do). if your housing for term 1 has 110v, i think you're best to just try and buy one on the island off another student. we always have a 6th term sale where students are dumping their belongings at great prices. again, track a current student down because they'll be able to give you the best advice

I actually have a question about the rain - what should I pack for rainy days? How do you stay dry but cool when it rains and it's hot out? Poncho? lol

The most honest advice? You're going to get wet haha. I've discovered that there are 2 types of caribbean rain: the type that will soak you no matter how much rain gear you're wearing, and they type that you'll be soaked in sweat because wearing your raincoat is hotter than just getting a bit damp.

best advice would be lightweight rain coat, pair of quick drying pants, and some water proof shoes (for lab).

the other annoying kicker here is that it seems to rain more when it's sunny out so its kind of unpredictable when you might find yourself a bit wet!

Also, is it crazy that I want to bring a drugstore's worth of cosmetic (back ups of favorite mascara, toothbrushes, hair dye) and first aid (IB profeun, qtips etc) stuff with me?

nope not crazy. that stuff either doesnt exist here or is VERY expensive.

One more, is there even a point to bringing a flat iron or curling iron? Or are all hairstyling attempts futile?

i guess it depends on how you deal with humidity. no amount of product would keep my hair from frizzing a bit so i certainly don't bother, but there are plenty of girls who do and are successful. i guess i say bring it if you can fit it in along with all the other important things, otherwise you're bound to have a neighbor you can borrow one from for going out to the clubs

 

[DjIL]

OK thanks, that's good advice!! I'm glad to know of the 6th term sale, sounds like the ultimate garage sale!

 

[nyg3391]

-Advice for booking flights. Homebase for me is NJ. I already have my first roundtrip booked from EWR-Miami-SKB for what I thought was a decent price, but I may be wrong!
.

I booked the same type of flight for Ross, EWR-Miami-SKB. I looked on a ton of different sites and the best I could find was $710.

 

[Meatballerina]

I got mine for $670 round trip after hours/days of hunting. I think we both did pretty well! There are options out of JFK, but honestly I find JFK to be the biggest, hugest, hairiest pain in the butt there ever was. Newark is super easy for me to get in and out of and I'm very familiar with that airport.
I also found cheaper packages, but with multiple stops, long layovers, and in most cases, requiring me to stay a night somewhere or puddle jump, all of which cost money as well.
Are you perhaps one of my classmates? 🙂

 

[nyg3391]

I got mine for $670 round trip after hours/days of hunting. I think we both did pretty well! There are options out of JFK, but honestly I find JFK to be the biggest, hugest, hairiest pain in the butt there ever was. Newark is super easy for me to get in and out of and I'm very familiar with that airport.
I also found cheaper packages, but with multiple stops, long layovers, and in most cases, requiring me to stay a night somewhere or puddle jump, all of which cost money as well.
Are you perhaps one of my classmates? 🙂

I believe so! Your attending this August right?! Newark is also way easier for me to get to. I actually just used JFK for a trip to Florida and I'm going to try to avoid it from now on. The traffic is just not worth the headache.

 

[Meatballerina]

I believe so! Your attending this August right?! Newark is also way easier for me to get to. I actually just used JFK for a trip to Florida and I'm going to try to avoid it from now on. The traffic is just not worth the headache.

Yes! I'm arriving the 23rd, which I believe is the earliest day.
I flew out of JFK years ago, and all I remember was that it took hours to get there from my part of Jersey, when it should theoretically take an hour. Typical Jersey/NYC.
Feel free to PM me if you want to chit chat or swap advice. I've been stockpiling lists of "do"s and "don't"s.