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Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

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Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#51

Post by the_svd_doctor »

renewiltord wrote: post #21

* Get a credit card. Discover is easy for students. Pay the bill every month. Do not (even once) hold a balance. Do not do balance transfers. Do not churn. Too easy for a newbie to get wrong. * Get a local bank account. Turn off the thing called 'overdraft protection'. It's a loan mechanism. * Find the other foreign students in your class. They'll know where to pirate all the textbooks. Never pay for a US textbook. E…

As another foreign student, this is all excellent advice. OP, follow all of this.

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#52

Post by oldsklgdfth »

renewiltord wrote: post #21

* Get a credit card. Discover is easy for students. Pay the bill every month. Do not (even once) hold a balance. Do not do balance transfers. Do not churn. Too easy for a newbie to get wrong. * Get a local bank account. Turn off the thing called 'overdraft protection'. It's a loan mechanism. * Find the other foreign students in your class. They'll know where to pirate all the textbooks. Never pay for a US textbook. E…

As someone that has finished college in the past 5 years I think this is solid advice.

I would add to this list:

* learn to cook for yourself. Not just frozen food. $50 on groceries can go a long way once you’ve figure out what you enjoy cooking and eating

* stay active. There should be a gym on campus. Use it, set some personal goals and track YOUR improvement, don’t compare yourself to others. Also, play a sport that you like (ex. soccer, basketball) it’s a good way to meet people outside your studies.

* keep yourself and your house clean. It will make for a distraction free environment and will help you stay organized.

* limit your alcohol intake. Don’t drink to excess or just because. It’s common for students to abuse alcohol and it can get in the way of your progress.

* set a bedtime. Develop good sleeping habits. Don’t stay up late watching tv. Put yourself to bed and let your body rest. Staying up late for assignments is also bad.

I guess overall I would say try to learn how to live in a way that helps you achieve your goals easier and sets up your day in the best way possible. Make good habits, be consistent and after a while it won’t be as effortful. But remind yourself what you are doing and why and refrain from backsliding.

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#53

Post by renewiltord »

oldsklgdfth wrote: post #52
renewiltord wrote: post #21

* Get a credit card. Discover is easy for students. Pay the bill every month. Do not (even once) hold a balance. Do not do balance transfers. Do not churn. Too easy for a newbie to get wrong. * Get a local bank account. Turn off the thing called 'overdraft protection'. It's a loan mechanism. * Find the other foreign students in your class. They'll know where to pirate all the textbooks. Never pay for a US textbook. E…

As someone that has finished college in the past 5 years I think this is solid advice. I would add to this list: * learn to cook for yourself. Not just frozen food. $50 on groceries can go a long way once you’ve figure out what you enjoy cooking and eating * stay active. There should be a gym on campus. Use it, set some personal goals and track YOUR improvement, don’t compare yourself to others. Also, play a sport th…

Yeah, defo agree with this. A lot of this is just good life advice for anyone at this stage in their life, but it also is particularly true when you're in the US because:

* Cooking for yourself can be vastly cheaper since there will be steep discounts on food that is about to hit its sell-by date: this food is still usually good for a couple of days. This isn't something you see in every country.

* Gym facilities are really good even in US unis that are only top 50. Like exceptionally good. Squat racks, benches, lots of weights, indoor tracks, sports courts, cheap or free rental equipment. Uni healthcare is also pretty decent unlike general US healthcare.

* The US definitely has a binge drinking problem that is worse than any other country. Participating in many social events will require partaking but if you're smart you can ration the alcohol and still get almost all the social benefit. You definitely don't want to attempt to keep up with the Americans. They are very friendly and will offer you lots but if you've always got a non-empty cup you'll be okay

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#54

Post by happypenguin »

macmcleod wrote: post #49
happypenguin wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This actually isn't true. Servers makr minimum wage, if all night they were tipped $0 then the resturant is required to pay them more hourly to hit minimum wage. Their combined pay from tips and the restaurant's pay must meet minimum wage. That is a federal law so it applies to all states. States can increase the minimum wage but cannot decrease it.

Have you ever worked in one of these positions? I worked in a few and my base rate was $2.13 an hour. If my tips for the day didn't put me over minimum wage ($7.25/hr at the time) on average, the place would pay me more. The people that had that happen more than once a month were fired.

I'm not suggesting to not tip, just correcting the misinformation. Servers are guaranteed minimum wage.

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#55

Post by teatree »

soldehierro wrote: post #39
renewiltord wrote: post #21

* Get a credit card. Discover is easy for students. Pay the bill every month. Do not (even once) hold a balance. Do not do balance transfers. Do not churn. Too easy for a newbie to get wrong. * Get a local bank account. Turn off the thing called 'overdraft protection'. It's a loan mechanism. * Find the other foreign students in your class. They'll know where to pirate all the textbooks. Never pay for a US textbook. E…

> Americans are almost universally wealthy. I would beg to differ. Sure, the average standard of living and "lifestyle" in the US is above many countries, but to say that everyone is wealthy is a flat out lie.

I don't know where you are from, but for people in developing countries even a lower middle class American life is far better than being relatively rich and fighting the daily hassle of living in their home country.

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#56

Post by _ah »

dyingkneepad wrote: post #14

People who know Mexican Spanish may not be able to understand your Spanish, especially the ones who didn't learn Spanish as a first language. Grocery stores often have international sections, you may be able to find some stuff you're familiar with in the Hispanic Foods section. There is dulce de leche, but it's not the same thing. You can find canned yerba mate tea from the Guaiaki brand. Again, it's not the one you…

Asian grocery stores are great. They often have foods from all over the world.

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#57

Post by GoldenMonkey »

soldehierro wrote: post #39
renewiltord wrote: post #21

* Get a credit card. Discover is easy for students. Pay the bill every month. Do not (even once) hold a balance. Do not do balance transfers. Do not churn. Too easy for a newbie to get wrong. * Get a local bank account. Turn off the thing called 'overdraft protection'. It's a loan mechanism. * Find the other foreign students in your class. They'll know where to pirate all the textbooks. Never pay for a US textbook. E…

> Americans are almost universally wealthy. I would beg to differ. Sure, the average standard of living and "lifestyle" in the US is above many countries, but to say that everyone is wealthy is a flat out lie.

Americans pets are wealthier and better fed than 99% of the world’s people.

Ask me how I know.

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#58

Post by soldehierro »

teatree wrote: post #55
soldehierro wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Americans are almost universally wealthy. I would beg to differ. Sure, the average standard of living and "lifestyle" in the US is above many countries, but to say that everyone is wealthy is a flat out lie.

I don't know where you are from, but for people in developing countries even a lower middle class American life is far better than being relatively rich and fighting the daily hassle of living in their home country.

I am distinctly aware of the many differences between life in America and other countries, especially less developed ones. As an American myself, I'm greatful for the prosperity that many of my compatriots tend to take for granted, but I absolutely believe it's a mischaracterization to call Americans universally wealthy. There are definitely places in America where conditions mirror those in developing countries. (Native American reservations especially)

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#59

Post by 2rsf »

dang wrote: post #46
soldehierro wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Americans are almost universally wealthy. I would beg to differ. Sure, the average standard of living and "lifestyle" in the US is above many countries, but to say that everyone is wealthy is a flat out lie.

"Lie" implies intent to deceive. Since it's hard to accurately read intent on the internet, it's better to find a different word to express disagreement. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Thank you! the usage of "lie" is becoming common while people actually mean "wrong"

Re: Ask HN: Moving to US from Argentina for college. Any advice for a newcomer?

#60

Post by dragonwriter »

GoldenMonkey wrote: post #57
soldehierro wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Americans are almost universally wealthy. I would beg to differ. Sure, the average standard of living and "lifestyle" in the US is above many countries, but to say that everyone is wealthy is a flat out lie.

Americans pets are wealthier and better fed than 99% of the world’s people. Ask me how I know.

> Americans pets are wealthier and better fed than 99% of the world’s people.

If so, that would, mathematically, also include a minimum of about 75% of the US population, and that assumes the entire global top 1% is American, which it isn’t.

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