A Pre-MIT To-Do List by Fatima A. '25

If you are an international student who is coming to MIT this fall, congratulations! You have a lot to be proud about. From experience, I can say that right now, you have a lot to be worried about too. Here is a non-exhaustive list of things you should remember to do this summer. Hopefully, this will make your time easier as you arrive at MIT.

1. Documents

I expect that MIT has already sent you your I-20 forms. I also expect that you either have a date for your visa interview soon or have already had your interview. If not, please get on that as soon as possible. 

Keep signed copies of your I-20, your letter of admission and proof of funding on you when you travel. You will need them. And of course, your passport. 

I only talked about travel-related and international-specific documents but there will be some forms that MIT asks you to fill out by specific deadlines throughout the summer so stay on top of your emails and check the Orientation slack so you don’t miss any of these deadlines.

2. Everything Medical 

Stay on top of your medical information card. There can be different requirements for tests and vaccinations for different countries so check those out for your own country and get vaccinated and tested accordingly on time. 

If you are using prescription medicines, try to find a doctor who could communicate in English or at least keep the prescription in your native language. Find a PCP⁠01 primary care provider at MIT Medical and get a new prescription made as soon as possible. There can be restrictions on what you can carry so it is best to plan ahead to avoid any difficulties.

3. People 

Reach out to people who might be able to help you around campus. I got in touch with the Pakistani students at MIT and it helped me a ton. I was able to get advice while choosing a dorm and Ashhad A. ’23 also helped me get from the airport to campus, which I am still very, very grateful for. 

In addition to that, also join your class discord and/or other group chats. Because we have somewhat similar experiences, it is easy to just stay in the international student bubble. Although that itself is an incredibly diverse group of people, international students only make about 11 percent of the MIT undergraduate population. So, you don’t want to be missing out on getting to know most of MIT by just staying in that bubble. Joining class group chats can help a lot with that!

4. Weather

Compare your local climate to Boston’s climate in terms of how hot or windy or humid it is and pack accordingly. You may want to pack some lighter clothes but also be prepared to layer up for the winter. If buying winter clothes poses a financial burden, there are resources at MIT that help you with that, which are outlined on the ISO website. The same presentation also gives recommendations on what to get and where to get it, so if you want to hold off on getting heavier winter clothing and buy it once you get to Boston, that is definitely a possibility. In fact, a lot of people do that to avoid packing lots of things.

5. Electronics 

Look into whether your chargers and other electrical devices fit into power sockets and outlets in the US. There are usually two plug types, one with two flat pins or one with two flat pins and a grounding pin. You may also need voltage converters. There is a Target close to campus, where you can buy extension cords and other things you use, but you might still want to pack power adaptors for your phone and other necessary devices for the first couple of days.

Another thing that I experienced, which I think should be a relatively isolated occurrence, was that the carrier frequencies used by US network providers were incompatible with my phone⁠02 it was a Huawei so I was phone-less for a week or so and had to buy a new phone.

6. Getting to MIT 

Make sure to get your flight tickets as soon as you can! You should also look into how you will get from the airport to MIT. MIT ISO has a very helpful video on this linked here. They might also send more information on this, so check for emails from them. Keep in mind that you will likely have several luggages so plan accordingly.

7. Money 

Make sure to convert some money into USD and keep it on you. The airports I was transiting through also accepted dollars, which was useful. Regardless of that, it will be useful to have some money on you before you are in the US so you don’t have to immediately worry about getting it converted from whatever local currency you use. 

8. Food

Make sure you know what you are doing for food the first couple of weeks before semester starts. If you are arriving right in time for international orientation, you will likely be able to access a dining hall for brunch and dinner. If, for any reason, you are arriving earlier, you will have to sustain yourself until international orientation starts. It would be good if you have a vague idea of what you are doing. For example, you will realize that a lot of things in the US require you to have a debit or credit card. You will need it for your Uber and UberEats⁠03 or other food delivery apps accounts, so do not rely on getting your first meal off UberEats. You will probably also need a SIM card for creating accounts and/or for using most delivery services. MIT will give you a SIM card with your international orientation packet during check-in so cross-check your arrival dates with those times. There is, however, Wifi available throughout campus so you should be able to contact your family or friends before you acquire your own SIM card.

If you are struggling to find food, talk to upperclassmen⁠04 around your dorms, your Residential Peer Mentors or your Orientation Leaders or actual adults.⁠05 Your Area Director and Graduate Resident Advisor are real adults that you will be interacting with around your dorm. They are also there to help you! They will hopefully be able to point you in the right direction. There are also resources listed here for food insecurity or other emergency financial difficulties.

This list is, of course, not perfect and I might have missed things, so be on the look out for emails from the Office of the First Year, Housing & Residential Services, Division of Student Life and the International Students Office. Also, check the Orientation Slack semi-regularly for updates on deadlines and use it to get your questions answered. Your Orientation Leaders are another resource you can use even before you get to campus.

(P.S. Shoutout to Eldar U. ’25 for suggesting additions to this list! Also feel free to throw questions in the comments.)