<p>@Iron Maiden Read the 4th bullet point [The</a> University of Maine - Housing Services - FAQs](<a href=“FAQs - Housing - University of Maine”>FAQs - Housing - University of Maine) . Knox,which is for int’l first-year students, doesn’t close.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip on the Symphony. I will have to check it out when this phone dies.</p>
<p>That is terrific that Maine has a dorm for internationals that stays open over breaks. That will make it easier to manage travel to and from home.</p>
<p>All the best! :-)</p>
<p>I have found that there are a lot of niches one finds at many schools, but especially the bigger ones once one is there that are not addressed in the handbooks and websites. That is what anyone who is looking to reduce costs has to do. Be intrepid and proactive about finding those opportunities. At some schools, there are some high paying work study jobs, for example, that are open to non work study kids as well, but not widely known or advertised. What usually happens is that kids on WS that use up their allotment can keep those jobs and get paid with non WS funds. What’s odd is that in the cases where I have seen this, it is not apparent that certain jobs have that feature and certain ones don’t when one goes to look at the WS listings. My kids got those jobs on a non WS basis and the pay, location and terms were terrific, but it was sheerly by chance they stumbled onto this cache.</p>
<p>As for internationals needing shelter for holidays, I’ve found that there are usually some provisions that someone will make for those who can’t go home. I know my kids and brothers have brought home folks in that situation as well as a number of my friends’ students. I was in that situation myself in college, and it was never a concern. There were multiple options and someone who does get stuck can tell the RA who I am sure can find a solution.</p>
<p>Do take advantage of all of the orientation sessions offered by the international students office. Get to know the staff there. They can help you with many different things.</p>
<p>janinabapu, that is new information on Knox. Thank you. But my point still stands. Knox is NOT an “international” dorm. A Freshman can be put in any one of the 6 Freshman dorms. UMaine does NOT provide housing for internationals during breaks.</p>
<p>Knox is for all Freshman. There is no international dorm. OP can request it but the odds are strongly in favor of not getting it.</p>
<p>Yes, put a priority into making some friends with people who live nearby. I brought home 2 guys from Scotland for Christmas break, when I was in grad school.</p>
<p>I imagine there are some students who have year-round apts. who would be happy to receive a few bucks to have someone stay there during a break. Having an apt. occupied also reduces the risk of break-ins when the town is empty.</p>
<p>Iron Maiden, You sound very confident! okay. If Umaine really does not provide housing for internationals during breaks, I’ll have to choose between finding a way to stay there and coming back to my homeland.</p>
<p>janinabapu -</p>
<p>The International Students Office should be able to help you sort out your options for the school breaks, so will your friends in the dorm, friends from classes, and friends from clubs/teams/etc. Over the years I hauled lots of my international friends around to mooch off my own relatives during school breaks, and I can say with confidence that if you are a normally friendly college student it is quite likely that you will be able to come up with some place to go that will be less expensive than going all the way home.</p>
<p>Wishing you a great college experience!</p>
<p>Thanks happymomof1 ! I believe there is always a way. I am not worrying much about the expenses. I am looking forward to having a ‘Very Happy’ freshman year and thinking about the money matters after that. I’ll know a lot about that stuff by then.</p>
<p>And yeah, a lot of impending experiences! my first ever journey by plane, the entire 4 years of college and, the, much heard of and seen in the movies, American lifestyle !</p>
<p>American lifestyle - you mean driving up and down commercial strips, eating crappy food from fast food drive-throughs, before you rush home to vote about a singing show on TV?</p>
<p>I’m afraid this won’t decrease your expenses, but have you considered health insurance? Do you have insurance at home which will cover you in the US? Back when I went to school, health care was part of the mandatory fees and everyone could go to the student health center for free. There are still some universities that operate this way, but most sell the student insurance separately. It appears that UMaine mandates coverage for international students and doesn’t include coverage in their regular fees. They do sell a special plan for internationals which is much cheaper than their regular plan.
[The</a> University of Maine - International Programs - Health Insurance](<a href=“http://www.umaine.edu/international/current-students/health-insurance/]The”>Health Insurance - International Programs - University of Maine)</p>
<p>Also, if you don’t find a student book exchange group, and end up buying books through Amazon, you can also sell your books back on Amazon when finished. Be sure to use the USPS special cheap rates for mailing printed matter and mail them yourself. I generally am able sell the books back for about the same amount I paid for them, so out only the Amazon selling fee and postage.</p>
<p>I’m sure once you get there and find friends, maybe some of them international, they will have lots of tips about how to get what you need cheaply. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>charlieschm Yeah, sure! why not ! It would be a great fun !</p>
<p>Janinabapu- I just wanted to say I hope you enjoy your time in Maine and are able to make it through on your budget. It looks like you are trying to minimize costs and that is commendable. Be prepared for cold winters in Maine and make sure you bring or are able to buy a really warm winter coat. I would look at Land’s End online in May-June as they have clearance items that are awesome.</p>
<p>celesteroberts I totally missed it! I don’t have a health insurance in my country. I searched UMaine’s website but couldn’t find how much the fee is. How much do health insurances usually cost? </p>
<p>lammb66 That’s a good idea! and thanks for your wish !</p>
<p>On the link above, click on ‘Cross Agency’ and then on ‘student brochure.’ It explains the cost of the policy and what exactly it covers. It looks like about $2000. That is a few hundred $ less than what they charge domestic students. Health insurance is really expensive. You don’t have to buy their policy. I think you can shop around, but the policy has to satisfy some guidelines they set down. I don’t know if you could find something cheaper. Maybe if you contact someone in the Intl Student Office they would have ideas. I’m sorry to have to tell you this. I don’t know how it’s handled in other countries.</p>