Hi everyone, I need your advice

Young couple travelling to the U.S. for study.
Will live in the New Jersey area for the next 4-5 years
Both are professional, Fluent English

I suggested to them that states in the middles of the map are less crowded and living cost is lower, but their decision was based on their career and choice of university etc.

Obviously, they should learn about rules and regulations.
What else?

They are familiar with most services, bacause they are similar to where they come from (road signs shapes and colors, 800 tool-free phone numbers ..etc. are all similar and familiar)

What advice would you give, and what should they be aware of.

One advice my daughter and I gave to them is to learn locations of dollar stores ASAP, because they can find there anything they might need the first few weeks they settle. Later they can find other stores

Tell them to get maps of their area and explore right away. Mark important spots such as hospital, grocery store, hardware store, etc. Check out local transit - bus, taxi, uber or whatever so they know different ways to get around and how it works locally.

They should also leverage any of the University resources available and check to see if the institution has a "welcome" package for new students with local information and programs.

Once settled it is always a good idea to meet and greet the neighbors - the old retired type in the community can also be a great resource and local church, community center, government offices (police, fire, school) will also have local information.

Tell them to thoroughly investigate their healhcare options. They'll need insurance here and all the things that are covered/are free there will be expensive here, often ruinously so.

Thanks. Great tips

Regarding health issues, she is a medical doctor. What are the rules about her practicing and prescribing for herself and her husband?
Does she have to get some liscence ?

I know NJ well. Although a small State, it has at least two very distinct cultures, North of the Raritan River ( around New Brunswick), which is oriented to NYC and South thereof, which is more Philadelphia oriented and has some very rural areas. New Jersey is the most densely populated State in the USA. However, the bulk of the population is in the northern tier ( commuting distance to NYC), the coast and just outside Philadelphia. The balance of the State can be very suburban to rural. NJ is ,overall, one of the wealthiest States in the Union, with at least 3 Counties among the richest 10 Counties in the entire country. There is also a distinct Jersey Shore area that stretches from about Aberdeen Twp., south to Cape May. ( Interesting factoids : Cape May Twp. Is further South than Washington D.C. and Cape May County would lie below the Mason-Dixon Line ,if that line were drawn out to the Atlantic Coast).

Can u tell us what University they will attend? I may be able to help with housing recreation, etc , suggestions.

As to doctoring. Yes, she will need to obtain a license. A laborious process, usually requiring a specialist attorney’s assistance., for foreign physicians. The University may help. If not, PM me if they want me to suggest an attorney, that I trust, in that field .

Health Insurance is expensive ,for a decent policy. However, most colleges/ universities have a student plan available at an affordable price, at least comparatively. They should also inquire if their student status qualifies them fo discounts on renters insurance & auto insurance ,as well as a policy of excess liability insurance ($1,000,000 policy is about $150 annually.) NJM has good fees on all three policies, if they qualify. ( I’m not an emissary or employee of NJM.) In any event, they should shop quotes.

Additionally, their school should have an office to assist foreign and other out-of-town students , with housing, etc. I would start there for needed services. Another possibility is for the Dr. to go to her colleagues or medical society to obtain the name of a doctor, local to where they will live & study, who, with his/ her spouse, may be willing to provide some mentoring about local issues, from places to live to good dry cleaners and restaurants, hospital jobs that don’t require a license ,but do require a certain medical expertise, etc. If they are religious, same may apply to talking to their clergy who may have a USA colleague in the area who can help or get a congregant family to help.

There is also one old fashioned custom they may want to observe. If they have good local contacts from their home jurisdiction, they may want to obtain a letter from both their local Mayor and Police Chief, testifying to their good character and present those letters to the Mayor and Police Chief of the town they decide to live-in, especially if it’s one of the smaller bedroom communities that surround university towns.

Feel free to P M me with any other questions,

Thanks Acropolis
Much appreciated indeed.

I will copy your post and send it to them.

She would have to go redo residency (and maybe med school too) to practice medicine (writing scripts for themselves) in the USA, I think.

She wrote to us. They are doing OK so far

Initial impression, she said: I wonder why everything here is jumbo size !! From cornflakes to peanut butter jars, everything is larger than what we have !!

Her sister replied: Yes, when we were there, we used to order one breakfast for the two of us. The plate is two times larger than our usual "breakfast meal".

LOL.

Yesterday she wrote that she is completely surprised. She was expecting that services are much better than ours. However, they are nowhere to compare. In the bank for example, she and her husband asked where to take a number, they were told there are no numbers. They had to stand in a line waiting for their turn. At home, you take a number and have a seat. When your number is called, you see the clerk. Same for getting the ATM card ..etc. Everything is much slower and less automated or organized.

I told her my take on this that most establishments there are geared to serve bigger customers like gov or corporations, or billionaires. They are not focused on serving the average John or Jane. They just do not pay enough attention to the average person.

She wrote also about the cultural differences saying that we always have seen pictures of crowds in trains or busses, always reading something. We always thought they must be vastly knowledgeable. However, looking closer now, they are only reading novels, nothing of real intellectual value.

She added that some nice folks there asked them: How do you see America ? LOL. They thought that we have come from tents and never seen an asphalt road. They answered: OK, nice. But within their hearts, they are saying: We are beyond surprised that this is America.


NOTE to moderator.

I am writing this being a long term member here, feeling comfortable enough to write openly and frankly. The only goal here is mutual understanding of each other culture and personalities. Nothing else.

There is absolutely no intention of offending anyone. If anyone is offended it is not my intention, and I will request the moderator to edit or delete.

Hey Acropolis

My daughter says she misses a nice cup of tea. Most cafe's serve coffee. So, do you know any nice place near the middle of NJ map that serves tea, or a shop that sells nice tea??

Thanks

Your impression of the United States depends on your points of comparison -- where you are in the US and what you're comparing the US to. Some medical researchers from China took a job in a poor part of the country, and upon arrival they complained, "Oh, no, what have we done to ourselves? This looks like a Third World country! Look at the terrible roads! How could the United States look like this???"

This is indeed old-fashioned! I can only imagine this in a period movie. Have you ever seen this in your lifetime? I wonder what outcome might one expect today, as the police is held to a professional standard. They have to treat all calls, requests for assistance, etc. the same whether or not the caller has a letter from their previous township.

Depending on the country where the medical training was obtained, and what certifications are available documenting the training and later experience, some training in the US way of doing things is likely necessary to obtain a license. An acquaintance, a pediatric critical care specialist from Bolivia found he would have to repeat a residency to obtain a Virginia license. He decided to work in IT in a hospital working on AI implementation into the hospital systems. An inquiry with the NJ State Board of Medical Licensure is the place to start. Finding a residency in the specialty of interest and talking with the director of it may be worth the time and effort.

I agree Bingely

And I have cited (in my discussion with the two daughters) my two banks here in the same city. One of them is so bad, I only use ATM to get cash, while the other I do everything online from paying bills to investment portfolio. As I understood later, the first bank is focused on big businesses and not really concerned with the average individual.

Sorry, I don’t know of any. However , if any exist, I’m betting that Princeton is the location and its dead center in the middle of NJ. Try Google.

Princeton is the only high , defensible ground between NYC and Philadelphia. Thus the overnight stagecoach stop. There were originally 3 towns. Kingston to the North, the Queenston and Princeton. Princeton absorbed Queenston. Kingston is still existent.

Princeton may be one of the most beautiful, rich , cosmopolitan and intelligent communities in the United States . Fifty years ago , you would get on line , on a Saturday morning , at the little storefront Local Bank and listen to the tellers do business in 4 or 5 languages, many different currciencies and even gold bullion . The home of the NJ Governor’s mansion and one of the best universities in the world. Also more blond and blue-eyed people than any other town I have ever seen in the Eastern US. It used to be said that the Whos Who ( ie the university professors and researchers) lived North of Library Place ( the town center) and the Social Register ( ie the Johnsons, Livingstons, etc.) lived in the Estates , south of Library PLace.

Many years ago , I lived nearby Princeton and spent a lot of time in town. One day , as I drove into town, on the road that bisects the campus , I almost ran over two young ladies jogging and talking to each other and crossing the road without looking. One of them was a very young Brooke Shields , then a student at the University. Another day, I was walking down the sidewalk bordering the University and I had to move over as 4 of the largest Asian men I have ever seen were boxed around two young ladies walking. I latter found out that one of the young ladies was the daughter of then Filipino Dictator Marcos. The knuckle-draggers were her bodyguards.

Thanks

That's just plain old culture shock.

And...well...it's Jersey.

Anyway, the doctor thing. it's been mentioned before but most likely won't be able to work as a physician. Can probably take a year internship and get a medical license to be a general practitioner (assuming NJ still does that), if not, PA, NY and DE are all close enough to look at them. Or she can try to teach, or find some other non-patient medical job.

Thanks

We have been hearing there are floods in that area

So, what would you suggest for a shelter-in-place survival kit for a young couple (no kids, no pets) living in the middle of NJ map