{"620014":{"#nid":"620014","#data":{"type":"news","title":"7 Resources to Help International Students Transition to Life at Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStarting graduate school can be daunting \u0026mdash; especially if you don\u0026rsquo;t speak the language well and aren\u0026rsquo;t familiar with the culture.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlmost half of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s grad students are international, coming from more than 100 countries. That\u0026rsquo;s why Tech offers a variety of resources to help international students transition to life on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERead on to learn about seven resources available to assist new and current international students at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Col\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECheck out the \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/oie.gatech.edu\/ISSS_Campus_compass\u0022\u003ECampus Compass\u003C\/a\u003E. Campus Compass is a comprehensive guide to get you started at Tech and includes information on class registration, paying your fees, and housing. It also provides a checklist for current students on maintaining F-1 or J-1 status, things to do in Atlanta, and a campus map.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESpend summer on campus. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/esl.gatech.edu\/incoming-international-graduate-students\u0022\u003EThe Summer Academic Preparation for Incoming International Graduate Students\u003C\/a\u003E is a four-week summer program that helps international students with communicating in English, giving presentations, listening effectively in class, and academic writing. The program also gives participants the chance to live on campus and get to know the city before classes officially start in the fall.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EImprove your English. \u003C\/strong\u003EWhether you\u0026rsquo;re learning basic English or needing to fine tune your English skills, Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/esl.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ELanguage Institute\u003C\/a\u003E is available to help. It offers an intensive English program, which involves a two-month course for students to work on their communication before starting classes. Or, you can take a short course during the semester, an online course, or a custom course for your specific needs.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFind your niche. \u003C\/strong\u003EJoining a student organization will help you meet international and domestic students while pursuing a new hobby.\u0026nbsp;Tech has many student organizations including cultural groups like the Arab Student Organization, intramural sports like soccer, and recreation organizations like the Amateur Radio Club. You can find upcoming events or organization meetings on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/orgsync.com\/login\/georgiatech\/\u0022\u003EOrgSync\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETry an internship. \u003C\/strong\u003EWant to get some career experience before graduation? You can get credit for an internship through \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/oie.gatech.edu\/accordion-f-current-employment#f_current_employment-page-node-3141\u0022\u003EOptional Practice Training (OPT) or Curricular Practice Training (CPT)\u003C\/a\u003E. Both programs offer a chance to work in your major\u0026rsquo;s field, whether on or off campus. Students have to be enrolled at least 12 hours per semester to maintain their status.\u0026nbsp;CPT can fill internship requirements for City and Regional Planning or Informational Design and Technology. To qualify for CPT, students must get an internship through the Center for Career Discovery and Development and have taken at least one year of classes at Tech.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGet a job. \u003C\/strong\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s never too early to start thinking about your career after graduate school. So, check out the International Students Professional Development Series. Here, you\u0026rsquo;ll find guides on how job searches work in the United States, websites to search jobs by visa listings, and campus resources like Tech\u0026rsquo;s immigration attorney and employment workshops.\u0026nbsp;The series also has information for entrepreneurs including alumni panels on starting a business and campus resources like the Invention Studio.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAsk for advice. \u003C\/strong\u003EThroughout your time at Tech. The Office of International Education\u0026rsquo;s advisors\u0026nbsp;are available for walk-in visits Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 1-4:30 p.m., or by appointment Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9-11 a.m. They can assist with managing your visa status, changing your major, and more.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ol\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information on resources for international students, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.oie.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Eoie.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u0026#39;re an international student, check out this list of resources to make life at Tech easier.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"If you\u0027re an international student, check out this list of resources to make life at Tech easier."}],"uid":"34838","created_gmt":"2019-04-03 15:26:29","changed_gmt":"2022-05-26 17:09:36","author":"asiebold3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-04-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-04-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.oie.gatech.edu\/","title":"Office of International Education"}],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1808","name":"graduate students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOffice of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["asiebold3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}