University Of Kansas - International Student Services: Fill & Download for Free

I read you'll be coming to Lawrence. Are you coming for school?If so, KU has a number of services and offices designed to make life easier for international students. I suggest getting in touch with these offices, starting with ISS and the Applied English Center.International Student ServicesHomepage | Applied English CenterDepending on which part of Asia you hail from, there are a number of student groups that provide a social gathering club for people from the same area. The same goes for different religions, and for many interests like sports and games. Like most US universities, KU doesn't just provide education, but strives to build a community welcome to anyone who isn't hurting others.There has been an anti-racism campaign recently, although it's mainly come from American students who've had to deal with it. Foreign students haven't had to so much, at least from reports.And that's just on-campus.Off-campus: Lawrence is a very liberal city, by American standards. While many people are religious, religion is not very front-and-center here. There's a high value on education. The schools are fantastic, the city arts center is bustling, and we just renovated our city library into one of the best spaces in town.Lawrence is a college town, perhaps one of the most well known. If you are into independent rock or hip-hop music, there are thriving scenes (or so I'm told; my Friday night involves tucking my kids to bed and reading). Bars proliferate, and restaurants cater to (almost) every palate. There are also parades, art events every month, and music festivals, like the Free State Festival, the Busker festival, the Picking and Fiddling championships... and moreover, people actually go to these events. I don't know what that's like in your hometown, but for most of the US, people don't actually attend such things. Of course, depending on your course of study, you might not have time for all that anyways.Downside is, rent is relatively high. You'll likely need a roommate or several, but there are many housing options that are built specifically for students needing roommates. New ones open all the time. Some of them don't exploit their tenants (and KU can help you with that, too). Outside of rent, though, the cost of living is relatively low for the US. Food can be pretty cheap, especially when the local corn crop comes in.Naturewise, Lawrence is windy. Especially up on the hill where campus is. And unlike most of Kansas, Lawrence isn't flat. Visitors get burned by that all the time. It's hot in the summer, and pretty humid, but if that bothers you, we have wonderful pools and parks. There are trees everywhere, which is good when they offer shade, and bad when they trigger allergies or host bugs that bite. It's cold in the winter. Well below freezing. So get a coat and some warm socks. But we do have a wonderful indoor pool and rec centers you can stay warm in. The KU campus has their own. And if it snows, there's great sledding all over town.The thunderstorms can be really severe compared to lots of other places. Lightning shows, huge peals of thunder, winds blowing everything down. Tornadoes do happen, but they're actually pretty small worries. A hurricane will hit an entire region, but a tornado is rarely even 1km across, so if it doesn't directly hit you, you don't have to worry.Lawrence is far from any ocean. Faaaaarrr. I think Galveston, TX is the nearest beach town, and that's a 12-hour drive from here. So if you are used to the salt and the spray and the sea breezes, you will have to do without. On the plus side, there is no threat from hurricanes or typhoons or tsunami.Getting around is always tough for foreign arrivals to the US. Lawrence does have a functioning transit system, which is good by American standards but for most of the world would qualify as sparse. The most frequent lines run every half hour, but the buses are clean, modern, and air-conditioned. If you can get a car, though, I suggest getting one. (Many foreigners get a driver's license here because it's relatively cheap and easy, and the license serves as a general form of ID). Lots of people bike, and the city is full of bike lanes, but with the hills it might not be for you.One transition you will need to understand is that men's college basketball is king in Lawrence. KU's basketball team has historically been one of the best, and is currently a favorite to win the national championship. If you like basketball, you're in luck. KU's arena is a wonderful place to watch games, and many of the players will star in the NBA. Just be prepared to camp out if you want tickets. But overall, Americans love all kinds of sports. Even soccer. Especially in Lawrence, which has a healthy contingent of fans aligned with the local pro team, whose stadium is a short drive away in Kansas City.As you can probably tell, I live in Lawrence. I don't have much to say about the rest of Kansas, since one rarely needs to leave Lawrence. But it is far more conservative socially and politically on average than Lawrence, and it is much flatter geographically. So when you say "Kansas" people get one image, and when you say "Lawrence," people get a completely different one.