Austin

From Foreignliving

Revision as of 18:58, 28 December 2006 (view source) 70.112.213.59 (Talk) (→Grocery Shopping) ← Previous diff		Current revision as of 22:35, 16 May 2007 (view source) Admin (Talk | contribs)
(12 intermediate revisions not shown)
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	''Note: most of the US-related pages are stubs for now. Help out by filling information or asking someone you know to contribute''.	+	<br><br>
-	This page is part of a broader series of information pages aimed at helping the Pakistani/Muslim community in the US. Here you will find Austin-specific information only, for general information on living in the US, see [[USA:_Current_Residents|Living in the US]].	+	This wiki has moved to <font style="font-size:150%">'''http://www.foreignliving.info'''</font>. Please update your bookmarks.
-	Austin is the capital of Texas, and home to the University of Texas at Austin, better known as simply UT Austin.	+	You can locate the current page under the same categories on the new site. In case of problems, email help[[image:at_black.png]]foreignliving.info.
-	Austin is known as the live music capital of the world.
-	The most famous place in Austin and Makah of all the students, residents and visitors of Austin (leave geeks and nerds out) is the 6th Street. This is the most happening place in Austin where you can party all night long, even all semester long. You have to dress well and smell well if you want the 6th street magic to work for you. The preferred and most liked club by local Pakistani community on 6th street is Exodus where the girls are easy, music is good and entry is cheap.	+	<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
-		+
-	Austenite take great pride in being different and eccentric.  "Keep Austin Weird" has become the city's motto but only very few Pakistani try it out for the fear of communal ridicule.	+
-		+
-	==Essential Paperwork==	+
-		+
-	===Social Security===	+
-	(Office location and instructions go here. Who's eligible and who's not. Can you get SSN if you dont work? What if you're on a scholarship)	+
-		+
-	The social-security cards assigned to non-resident aliens say "For work authorization only". As such, they are often rejected by many services that usually ask for social security numbers, such as when applying for a credit card at Bank of America.	+
-		+
-	Even if you do not plan to work, it is a good idea to get a social security number because it helps you build your credit history which is a necessity in US.	+
-		+
-	Below is the address of the Social Security Office.	+
-		+
-	Social Security Office	+
-	1029 Camino La Costa	+
-	Austin, TX 78752	+
-	512-206-3700	+
-	Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.	+
-	For more information, you may visit the Immigration and Social Security page online, or call:	+
-		+
-	* General Information: 800-772-1213	+
-	* TTY: 800-325-0778	+
-		+
-	For bus routes to reach this site you may use capmetro bus service online website http://www.capmetro.org/	+
-		+
-	===Texas State ID===	+
-	Highly recommended. Helps avoid carrying your passport everywhere, and ringing alarm bells whenever someone sees as Pakistani ID. Note that if you get a driving license instead, then there is no need for a Texas ID.	+
-		+
-	Getting a Texas ID is very trivial. It just costs 15 dollars.	+
-	Following is the contact information and addresses for the issuing offices.	+
-		+
-		+
-	Driver's license customer service phone: 512-424-2600	+
-	Driver's license e-mail: License.issuance@txdps.state.tx.us	+
-		+
-	Austin North Lamar (Closest to UT. Take 1L or 1M bus from Guadalupe)	+
-	6121 N. Lamar Blvd.	+
-	512-424-2076	+
-	Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.	+
-		+
-	Austin South	+
-	4719 S. Congress Ave.	+
-	512-444-5241	+
-	Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.	+
-		+
-	RENEWAL AND DUPLICATE LICENSES ONLY	+
-	Austin Capitol	+
-	1500 N. Congress Ave.	+
-	512-936-2100	+
-	Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.	+
-		+
-	Austin Northwest	+
-	13730 Research Blvd.	+
-	512-335-8131	+
-	Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wednesday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.	+
-		+
-	===Driver's License===	+
-	Highly recommended. Will help reduce insurance premium a few years from now, even if you don't drive in the meantime. The office locations are the same as mentioned in the Texas ID section.	+
-		+
-	*(where to get it from? The general procedure)	+
-	*(online link for the texas drivers handbook)	+
-		+
-	==Banking==	+
-	(It would be nice if someone could import information from the International Office's one-page handout on opening bank accounts, which specifies which of them require a SSN and which of them don't, etc.)	+
-		+
-	===Opening a Bank Account===	+
-	Few things should always be considered when opening an account:	+
-	* What are the associated fees (specifically ask for it: start asking too many questions)? Are there any annual fees, ATM related fees, branch visit fees, fee for transferring money to another account in same bank, any hidden charges etc. You should be able to find a fee-less account.	+
-	* What would happen if I go out of Austin or UT Austin (this time would come, one day, and the answer to this question can be painful if you have not planned cleverly in early days of your Austin life). Solution: get an account that will go with you for the rest of your US (or afterwards) life.	+
-	* Austin is a university town, and almost everybody (or anybody) will open a new account (usually it is called student account) for you without social security number (you are giving them business).	+
-		+
-	====Bank of America====	+
-	Pros:	+
-	*Does not require social security number.	+
-	* Allows online transfer to other Bank of America customers (although this feature doesn't work for most people). It is known to  between Austin fellows.	+
-	* Free unlimited teller services (at branches which provide such services)	+
-	* Free unlimited online transfers within your own checking/savings accounts	+
-	* ATMs located throughout Austin, several on or near UT Campus.	+
-		+
-	Cons:	+
-	*For UT students: The campus (bevo) branch is quite impotent: does not have teller services and cannot resolve most issues without referring to one of the main branches at Lamar or in downtown.	+
-		+
-	====University Federal Credit Union====	+
-	Pros:	+
-	*Does not require social security card.	+
-	*For UT students: Guadalupe branch is a stone's throw from the UT campus.	+
-		+
-	Cons:	+
-	*Only two teller services within a calendar month are free. Subsequent teller-visits incur a $2 charge, although such visits are generally not needed. Visits to the branch with general questions do not count as teller visits.	+
-	*ATMs on campus, but not throughout Austin in general.	+
-	*As far as I know, there are monthly (or annual) fees with UFCU's checking account (I think $3, which is ''the'' worst feature. People with UFCU account add info here please).	+
-		+
-	There are some other good options, e.g. '''Wells Forgo''', '''Washington Mutual''' and '''Chase Bank'''. All of them are well-reputed banks, and are near to UT campus.	+
-		+
-	===Credit Card===	+
-	Getting a credit card is the first step towards building your credit history. Without a credit history, you're screwed, and will have to make deposits in hundreds of dollars for every contract you make with the telephone company, cable service etc. Newcomers given a "secured credit card", which requires a deposit equal to the amount of your credit limit before issuing the card, essentially working as a debit card. This '''builds''' your credit history (It just works as a plain credit card). Students are recommended to try for either ''secured credit card'' (Bank of America for sure) or ''student credit card'' (Chase Bank, I guess).	+
-	Another good way to get a credit card is to get a University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) account. They give a $2000 credit limit card with no deposits (UFCU account holders: please add info here). But, there are some problems with UFCU accounts (as mentioned above).	+
-		+
-		+
-	====Bank of America====	+
-	recommended. Secured credit card helps build credit history, (but requires extra cash to submit as the deposit amount). Long process, a little weired online service, but the one good point: its the largest national US bank, and has ATMs and branches all over the US.	+
-		+
-	(add external link here)	+
-		+
-		+
-	====University Federal Credit Union====	+
-	Provides normal (not deposit-based) credit cards to students. New graduate students get a credit limit of $2000. Approval usually comes through in 24hours. Assessment of online service not known. In time payments results in an increase of credit limit to $2500 in just a few months.	+
-		+
-	(add external link here).	+
-		+
-	==Things to do in Austin==	+
-	* 6th Street (People have preferred UT over GA tech and Stanford just because of this street ... YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT IT)	+
-	* Zilker park (add details).	+
-	* Live music (where? urls?)	+
-	* Lake (add details)	+
-		+
-		+
-	==Housing==	+
-	* http://www.apartmentguide.com/College-Apartments/	+
-	* http://austin.craigslist.org/	+
-		+
-	==Doctors and Health Insurance==	+
-	Insert recommendations and general advice here.	+
-		+
-	For the UT students emergency medical care and basic treatment is free. You need to be enrolled in courses and also need to have UT EID to use the UHS. Here is the website of the UHS http://healthyhorns.utexas.edu/	+
-		+
-	If you are a TA or an RA then you get free medical insurance "UT Select". It covers almost everything including hospitalization and surgeries etc.	+
-		+
-	If you are not an RA or a TA, getting a health insurance is mandatory. "Enrollment in the mandatory UT Health Insurance Plan is automatic at the time of registration, and the cost of the policy will appear on your tuition and fee bill as International Student health insurance."	+
-		+
-	For costs and other information about the insurance, use the following link.	+
-	http://www.utexas.edu/international/isss/insurance/	+
-		+
-	==UT Austin==	+
-	Longhorns! Add info here!	+
-		+
-	Does anyone know how many Pakistanis are studying at UT, or any other interesting stats?	+
-		+
-	UT computer science graduate program was ranked 7 by US News in 2005/6 but is rumored to have slipped to 9 or 10. Add other rankings here.	+
-		+
-	===Finding TAships/RAships===	+
-	(Advice on finding TAships and RAships)	+
-		+
-		+
-	===Getting Internships===	+
-	(mention career center links)	+
-		+
-		+
-	===Salary and Tax related paperwork===	+
-	(this section needs more info)	+
-		+
-	A US-Pakistani tax agreement waives taxes on the first $5000 or earnings. The appropriate from can be obtained from the Payroll Office (in the main tower building) and must be attached to the [[Form 8232]] at the time of submitting tax documents. For non-resident aliens, many of the tax-forms need to be fined each year, so it is advisable to make a copy once you have filled out the forms in order to facilitate filling them the next year.	+
-		+
-	If it takes time for your social security card to arrive, you can ask the university to assign you a temporary social security number in the meantime. (where to go and who to ask? how does it work?)	+
-		+
-	===Student Resources===	+
-	* UT library (needs external link)	+
-	* Laptop check out service (from PCL and FAC libraries)	+
-	* [http://z.cs.utexas.edu/wiki/gracs.wiki] UT computer science wiki (a work in progress)	+
-	* UT legal department, helps students with legal disputes such as car insurance, landlord/tenant disputes.	+
-	* UT Health Center (add details)	+
-		+
-	==Internet==	+
-	Most Pakistanis subscribe to Time Warner's Cable Internet (RoadRunner) (external link needed), which offers a discounted rate of $29.95 per month for the first six months.	+
-		+
-	AT&T also has a special discounted package for UT students (http://www.att.com/U). AT&T is a DSL service.	+
-		+
-	==Cable/Satellite TV==	+
-		+
-		+
-	Cable networks are generally expensive. The most popular service is by the time warner cable.	+
-	http://www.timewarnercable.com/austin/	+
-		+
-	They offer a lot of channels but most of the good channels like HBO and Movie Magic etc still need extra subscriptions.	+
-	They offer more than 300 channels and more channels and movies on demand.	+
-		+
-	Here are the pricing details.	+
-	http://www.timewarnercable.com/austin/products/pricing/austin.html	+
-		+
-	It is advised that you buy DVR too. It records your favorite tv shows without advertisements.	+
-		+
-	==Telephone==	+
-		+
-		+
-	Land lines are becoming obsolete slowly. With some extra money you can buy a wireless which allows you to be mobile of course. Cell phones are  necessity because most of the job interviews are done on a phone, so there is no way to avoid telephone. With land lines you can get a DSL which is much cheaper than a cable internet but at the cost of a reduced speed. And since you have to move to different apartments usually when the apartment lease expires, it is much less a hassle to have a cell phone as opposed to moving a land line.	+
-		+
-		+
-	Most cell-phone providers charge by air-time (in minutes), regardless of whether you initiate or receive calls.	+
-		+
-	Major providers in Austin are: T-mobile, Cingular, Sprint, Verizon (external links needed).	+
-		+
-	(Pros and cons of each package? Or user experience and general advice?)	+
-		+
-		+
-	The cheapest cell phone still cost around 35 to 45 dollars per month. The best deals on almost all the services offer 400 to 600 minutes per month along with free weekends and weeknights. SMS service is expensive and should probably be avoided.	+
-		+
-	All the major wireless services work fine. They have similar coverages despite what different people say. Major services are by	+
-		+
-	T-Mobile	+
-	Cingular	+
-	Verizon Wireless	+
-	Sprint	+
-	Nextel	+
-		+
-	Cell phones usually come free when you buy a new subscription. You have to sign a contract for 1 to 2 years that forces you to stay with that cell phone and service. Breaking the contract early incurs outrageous fees.	+
-		+
-	Getting a cell phone and service is very painful and hard/impossible if you do not have a credit card. It is advised that a credit card is first obtained from UFCU and then should apply for the subscription. Most subscriptions force you to have a driving license or Texas ID first. Not having the proper identification incurs extra fees.	+
-		+
-	==Grocery Shopping==	+
-	The best and cheapest place for grocery shopping is HEB. You can find almost everything there. You can get fresh or canned foods and almost all vegetables and cheap fruits.	+
-		+
-	http://www.heb.com/welcome/index.jsp	+
-		+
-	You can go to this website and find the HEB closest to you. Then you can search the capmetro routes to find proper bus routes.	+
-		+
-	If halal meat is needed the only halal store that I know is	+
-		+
-	World food and halal market	+
-		+
-	9616 North Lamar	+
-	Austin, TX 78753-4152	+
-	+1 512 832 8365	+
-	Open Hours10am-10pm daily.	+
-		+
-	You can get halal food and all kinds of Pakistani spices and vegetables and of course the Shan masalas. You can also get chopped vegetables and naan. It is better to buy packs of "naan" as opposed to making rotis yourself.	+
-		+
-	It is usually inconceivable to cook food without Shan spices. They are very convenient and not so bad in taste.	+
-		+
-	==Getting a Car==	+
-	(Why or why not? Where from? What is needed? Insurance and other stuff? What are the expenses associated with maintaining a car?)	+
-		+
-	==Other Avenues of Help==	+
-		+
-	* The Pakistani Student Association (url needed): A one-time active student society at UT Austin made up mostly of undergrads.	+
-		+
-	* Individuals: Contact information for some of the UT students and Alumni can be found at the [[List_of_students#University_of_Texas.2C_Austin_.5B16.5D | List of Students]] page.	+

---

Current revision as of 22:35, 16 May 2007

This wiki has moved to http://www.foreignliving.info. Please update your bookmarks.

You can locate the current page under the same categories on the new site. In case of problems, email helpforeignliving.info.