International Students

Part-2 How International Students can save money while being at GCC

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Earn money and/or gift cards just by watching videos online and by taking quick surveys:

I wasted thousands of dollars during my Freshman year at college because I knew nothing about coupons or how to rack up points and free gift cards. Sign up for MyPoints accounts. You can earn points just by completing daily activities which includes taking a survey, voting on a poll, watching videos, checking out deals, printing coupons etc. Whenever, I need to shop or sign up for a subscription like Hulu, Sephora and others I usually do it through MyPoints accounts. I always keep MyPoints tab open in my browser and I rack up points all day. It is very easy to rack up thousands of points very quickly by taking advantage of deals from popular stores like Amazon, Kohl’s where you would shop for basic necessities anyway. Other great legitimate sites for taking surveys are I-psos, Inbox Dollars, Survey Junkie, YouGov and I-Polls. College textbooks are very expensive in the USA. Last semester I brought books worth $1000 for free using Amazon gift card balance. You can easily knock off a thousand dollar  bill by using these sites religiously every day. Next time, whenever you are waiting for an appointment try taking a survey or two.

Earn Amazon gift cards just by walking:

Just think how many flights of stairs do you use every day? How many miles do you walk every day when you are rushing from one classroom to another in huge college campuses?  GCC has a pretty huge campus with a college dorm. I keep Steps Cash apps always activated on my I-Phone and I rack up points for Amazon gift cards just by walking to and from one class to another and from one campus building to another building. This is a great app to make sure you exercise by walking every day and you also earn Amazon gifts just by walking. Stay fit and happy walking!

Download FreeBird to get discount Uber rides and to earn cashbacks:

You will probably have to use a lot of Uber rides if you are an International student without a car. Uber rides are very expensive. FreeBird  gives discounts and cashback for Uber rides and restaurants.

Get a secured credit card:

You better start building up your credit history if you are going to live in the USA for the next five or more years to earn a US degree. Credit score is used to analyze everything in the US. You cannot even rent your desired apartment unless you have a good credit score. I knew nothing about credit history when I came to the US.  I wasted one and a half year without building my credit history even though I was paying all my bills on time. I remember asking a bank employee how to get a credit card. The bank employee smirked at me and told me that I cannot get a credit card because I am not a US citizen. The bank employee did not even bother to suggest me to apply for a secured credit card. You do not have to be a US citizen to apply for a secured credit card. You only need a social security number or tax identification number (TIN). So, apply for a secured credit card as soon as you land in the US. Start looking for on-campus jobs as well as soon as you start your semester. It takes several months to get a social security number. You cannot work on campus without a social security number. It is extremely difficult to apply for online credit/debit card with higher cashback value without a social security number.

When I first came to the USA I did not have access to these survival tips. I hope these tips will help you to make the most of your time and money in the US.

 

 

 

 

 

Part-1 How International Students can save money while being at GCC by Zerin Firoze

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I was born and raised in a developing country, Bangladesh, and it was my dream from a very young age to study in the US. A lot of youths like me from developing countries also aspire to study in the US. It is extra challenging for poor students from developing countries to be able to afford to study in the US. Students from developing countries cannot remit money to a foreign country. The US government is also notorious for imposing sanctions in certain countries. Exchange rates plus foreign transaction fees by banks also add up. For example, 1 US dollar is 84 takas in my country Bangladesh. There is no legal way to remit money and corrupt middlemen charge high fees. I am a student from a developing country and here are the following things I have learned after coming in the US. I hope these tips will help you to save both time and money.

Choosing the right college

I would encourage all students to start at a community college first. You can literally save thousands of dollars and still get the same degree and classes at a cheaper price. Many community colleges like GCC do not even charge admission fees. It is completely free to apply for admission. You just need to apply online. So, apply to as many colleges as you want.

Learn to drive in your home country

Many cheaper colleges in the US are located in rural areas with little to no public transportation. You can save a lot of money by choosing a rural location. The cost of living in large cities is extremely expensive. It is not possible for students to pay out of state tuition fees and still afford thousands of dollars per month for rent, food, and other basic necessities. According to American Infrastructure Report Card, the US infrastructure is crumbling and has a rating of D+. Driving schools in America are very expensive. Private one-hour driving lessons are also very expensive and are not available in all rural US counties. So, try to get some driving time before coming to the US. Ask your family members or relatives in your home country to teach you driving for free.

Try to learn about car maintenance and repair before you come to the US. Then, attend a defensive driving course and Driver’s Education course in the US to get your license. You will be very busy being a full-time student once you come to the US. So, try to learn basic life skills while waiting for your acceptance letter from US colleges or for your visa interview.

Learn how to cook and preserve food before coming in the US

I lost thousands of dollars in wasted food. I had no idea how to preserve food. I had no experience in estimating the shelf life of certain food items. I cried when I had to throw away tons of fruits, frozen meat, and cartons of milk. I have been in the US for two and a half years now and I still did not find the time to read all the articles or watch all the videos that I always wanted to watch about food preservation. You can save a lot of money by learning to preserve food. Cooking skills are also important. Next time, hit the grocery store with your mom and learn about basic spices and ingredients if you are not a cooking pro.

Learn how to use coupons and rebate apps

I remember how overwhelmed I was when I first landed at JFK airport and very quickly I became busy with campus life. I had no time to read blogs about saving money in the US as a full-time student. I had no leisure reading time outside college textbooks. Hence, do yourself a favor. Read blogs and website articles about saving money in the US while you are waiting for a decision from US colleges or for your visa interview.

Coupons and rebate apps are not used in my country at all. I became familiar with coupons and rebate apps after coming in the US. It took me two years to learn to use coupons and rebate apps. Now, I am the ultimate coupon queen. I received $54 cashback from Ebates and $55 from Ibotta just for buying groceries and other necessary items. Groupon is also a great website to save money. Learn to use coupons and rebate apps before you even come in the US. Read articles about rebate apps and coupons on the Internet.

I will share more secrets and life hack in part-2 of the same article next week!

 

 

 

 

Our College Experience

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Hello readers of the GCC Blog,

Our names are Zarina and Sabina, we are two international students from Kazakhstan studying Digital Art at GCC.   We are not good in writing stories about ourselves. Thus we decided to write about GCC and Digital art major.

About GCC. We found this college on Internet while searching colleges with appropriate tuition, fees and location. In GCC we love that we can learn new things that we can apply in the future job. This college gives many opportunities to international students. There are many international events and many clubs that you can join.

About Digital Art. We like going to Digital Art classes, because we love creating new projects that we have never tried to do before. We can express our ideas and share them with other students. There are not many students who study Digital Art major here in GCC. The students help each other. We can practice and develop our skills while attending digital art classes.

About MarCom. We decided to work here because we would like to get new experience. I hope MarCom will give us good experience. We want to know the many sides of Marketing, how it works and decide in what field of future work we would love to work.

We are supposed to graduate in fall 2018. After graduation we hope that we will get a good job.

My Time at Genesee Community College

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Hello everyone, I am Helmsley a current sophomore student here in GCC. I am a native of Ghana West Africa but currently live in New York City with my Dad. I lived and played Soccer in Lyon France for one year were my mom currently reside and later moved to the united states in 2011 to pursue a career as a sports agent because back home in Ghana, the ability to play soccer is a big part of the culture.

Ever Since I moved to America, I have been able to stay focused academically which ranked me as one of the top students in my grade and also my college life at Genesee Community College. My time here in GCC has also been great. I have been able to meet outstanding roommates who set an great example In the college community.

The Professors also play a big role because their able to answer any questions I might have on my project and encourage me to stay focused academically. In GCC, I have been able to collaborate with individuals from different parts of the world. Some activities we have participated in, include training with the soccer team, having fun at the student union, playing video games etc.

As I enter my second year at the college, more and more great things have been occurring, including some hours at WGCC (the college’s radio station) as a sports caster and working in the MarCom (Marketing & Communications) Office. After GCC, I plan on transferring to Indiana State University in order to gain a scholarship to Edge Hill University in England and pursue my degree in Sport Management.

Countries You Can Travel With Your American Visa

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Summer is coming, and everyone is planning on traveling. But one thing people worry about it all the time is the visa. As an international student, I collected some countries that international students can go without a visa from these countries and only with our American student visa.

Mexico: International students can stay in Mexico for no more than 180 days with an American visa.

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Colombia: International students can stay in Colombia for no more than 180 days with an American visa that will not be expired in 6 months.

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Honduras: International students can stay in Honduras for no more than 30 days with an American visa that will not be expired in 6 months.

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Costa Rica: International students can stay in Costa Rica for no more than 30 days with a used American visa that will not be expired in 6 months.

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Panama: International students can stay in Panama for no more than 30 days with a used American visa.

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Philippines: International students can stay in Philippines for no more than 7 days with an American visa.

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Serbia: International students can stay in Serbia for no more than 90 days with an American visa.

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Montenegro: International students can stay in Montenegro for no more than 30 days with an American visa, or for the days left for the visa if the visa will be expired in 30 days.

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Albania: International students can stay in Albania for no more than 90 days with a used American visa.

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Dominica: International students can stay in Dominica for no more than 90 days with an American visa.

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Bermuda: International students can stay in Bermuda for no more than 180 days with an American visa or a Canadian visa.

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Since you’ve already had the visa for the United States, let’s not waste it and go to other countries with it. Enjoy your summer more easily!

Studying Abroad at GCC

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In July 2013, I made the decision to come to the United States for college. In April 2014, I got a conditional admission from SUNY Geneseo, which suggested me to come to GCC first for improving my English. In August 2014, I came to this country I had never been in before and started my life at GCC.

I’ve taken a lot of helpful and interesting classes here. The classes I love and I’d definitely suggest are Foundations Academic Success (FYE 100), Ceramics 1 (ART 123), Advertising (BUS 203), Female Role in Film (CIN 242), and Career & Education Planning (CEP 101). As I want to graduate and transfer with Public Relations or Advertising this semester, classes I’ve had before are very beneficial. Also, professors and faculties here are truly helpful.

However, the experience is the point here, which has been more enjoyable and helping me more to be what kind of person I want to be. If you ever used StrengthsFinder to look up your top five strengths, you would probably notice those five strengths have been supporting your life and never changing. It was surprising when I found out my strengths had changed from September 2014 to February 2016. I realized that adventure is the best way to learn. I was a resident assistant at College Village in Spring 2015, and I definitely improved my listening, leadership, and communication skills because of it. I also used to be a DJ for the radio station here and I learnt about communications a lot, as the radio station at GCC is awesome. I also work on campus and it gets me to talk more, write more, and get more ready for my future college and career. I think both classes and all these experiences here is exactly why my strengths have changed, which I also believe I’ve been getting into a better person. This is not a life lesson only from classes, but I’ve been also seeing both cultures, talking to people from different countries, and especially experiencing a different life here. Studying abroad is the most effective way for me to get a better view of the world. Being alone in another country has also made me a stronger person to face to and solve all the problems.

This explains how I believe that, nobody can discover the world for you, and nobody can steal your experience you get for yourself. Study more, see more, and suffer more.

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Customs of the Chinese New Year

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Monday, 8 February, 2016 is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. From February 7th to February 13th this year, people don’t go to school or work for a week, as an official holiday. In this coming week, I’d like to keep posting and sharing something about the Chinese New Year. For today, let me tell you what we do for the Chinese New Year.

Continue reading

Harbin – The Pearl on the Swan’s Neck

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I’m from a city called Harbin, in China, where is as cold as Batavia, NY. But it’s been pretty warm this winter in Batavia, so it’s colder in my hometown right now. I’d like to share with you how people have fun in winter there. First, let me show you something about my city.

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My city Harbin (the red part in the second picture) is the capital and the largest city in Heilongjiang Province. Also, the city is the eighth most populous Chinese city and the most populous city in whole Northeast China. There’re over 9.94 million inhabitants from the city, and a number of people living there who come from towns near Harbin.

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In the 1920s, the city was considered China’s fashion capital since new designs from Paris and Moscow reached here first before arriving in Shanghai.

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On 22 June 2010, the city was appointed a UNESCO “City of Music” as part of the Creative Cities Network.

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Our city is also called Ice City, Oriental Paris, and Oriental Moscow.

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After I came to GCC, cold weather here made me miss home sometimes. Thinking of what we used to do at home, it even made me miss home more.

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There’s a place, Ice & Snow World, open to public by tickets about 20 US dollars every year from New Year to whenever the weather gets warm.

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There’re a lot of ice lanterns and snow sculptures for everyone to see and take photos.

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Also, there’re a lot of fun activities about ice and snow, such as slides made of ice, and skiing with different kinds of funny boards.

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People wear super warm clothes, and just go there to have fun with their families and friends.

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Besides the World, there’re some small parks open for free, also with a lot of fun in there.

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Also, you can see the ice or snow sculptures everywhere by the streets.

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I have to say that the winter is really pretty in our city, which I miss it a lot.

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This is Harbin, China.

The Pearl on the Swan’s Neck.

Four Benefits Of Studying Abroad

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In Japan, there are not many universities and colleges, which offer Travel and Tourism as a major. I could only find a few universities, but those were private schools, which were expensive. I really wanted to major in tourism, so I decided to study abroad in the U.S. and came to GCC. While studying abroad, I got many great experiences. So, I want to tell you about them.

1. The Culture
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Learning different cultures is one of the best benefits to staying in a foreign country. I am learning American culture while living here. I enjoyed experiencing Halloween, Thanksgiving and even Black Friday. They were good experiences that other Japanese people living in Japan could not do. Also, I realize how much I love my home country of Japan, the culture, food, and the people. I would not have realized it if I did not study abroad. It is very important to see my own culture and country from outside of the country.

2. Making The Most Of The Trip

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I enjoy traveling here. I went to Niagara Falls, Toronto, New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Orlando in the 1.5 years that I had been here. Also, I am planning to go to Miami this summer. I never thought I could travel so easily before I came here. If I were in Japan, I could not travel to so many places because it is too far. I plan to travel more until the end of my study abroad.

3. Making New Friends

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I am making friends with a variety of different people. If I went to college in Japan, as we all know, there is not much of chance to meet other people and become friends with them. Studying abroad gives me the opportunity to meet many kinds of people. In addition, in a foreign country, we can become close friends with other Japanese students because they have much of the same struggles and share the same feelings. I have many close friends who share thoughts about our future, have fun, eat, drink, and live together. These relationships will continue after we go back to our countries.

4. Family 

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Studying abroad, I notice the importance of our families. My family supported me through everything. They understand me and welcome letting me go. They support all financial sides and mental sides. They always stay on my side. Sometimes, I miss my family, but I think it is a good time to make sure of the family’s importance. I give thanks for my family more whenever I go back home.

What do you think about studying abroad? Studying abroad brings people many benefits that they will never experience unless they study abroad. Also, there are a lot of opportunities in many ways. It makes your life more meaningful and changes your mind dramatically.

This blog was contributed by Tourism & Hospitality Management Student Yurina Yasutomi.

TOEFL Test Prep at The BEST Center

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GCC is proud to have students from over 20 countries studying a variety of academic programs, and we are excited to announce another resource available for these students. The BEST Center is now offering a TOEFL Test Preparation course for Fall 2014.

Students enrolled in the course will be able to improve their English skills through interactive classroom lessons, tutoring, and extra out-of-class activities.

Preparation includes:

  • reading comprehension
  • sentence completion
  • vocabulary
  • structure of the English language
  • writing exam exercises
  • practical test-taking strategies through practice exams under testing conditions

Students are invited to attend a free program orientation session on Wednesday, September 3rd at 3:00 pm in Room B-260 at the Batavia Campus, 1 College Road, Batavia NY, 14020.

At the orientation session, students will be able to meet instructor Kia Banej, who will provide classroom details and confirm enrollment in the course.

Course Information

Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00 – 5:00 pm.
September 15 – November 12
GCC Batavia Campus, Room B-260
$375 (includes Textbook & Audio CD-ROM)

NOTE: Advanced registration is required by Thursday, September 4, 2014.

Registration

Students must register in-person at the Records Office, Online, by Phone or by Mail:

  • To register by phone with a MasterCard or Visa, call The BEST Center, 585-345-6868.
  • You may also register online at http://www.bestcenter.org .
  • Print and complete the registration form to register in person or by mail. Make checks payable to “GCC”.

Mail c/o Records Office, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020.