PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM to provide us with the information we need to better prepare for your arrival. Your responses will be confidential. The following information (sent previously) should help you plan.

Gustavus Arrival. We would like you to arrive at Gustavus on August 26 or 27, 2018. You may choose which of those days works best for you, and plan your travel accordingly.

Intercultural Partners. IPs are current students who help with arrival and international student orientation. They will greet you at the airport and welcome you to Gustavus on August 26 and 27!

Flying. We will provide transportation from Minneapolis / Saint Paul International Airport to Gustavus on the Land to Air Express on August 26 and 27. I will make a Land to Air Express reservation, according to when your flight arrives, and pay for your ticket. The last Land to Air Express departs the airport at 8:30 pm, so you should make sure that your flight arrives early enough to make that last Land to Air Express. If Minneapolis / Saint Paul International Airport is your first stop in the U.S., you will go through immigration and customs when you arrive, so you should plan for additional time. If you miss the last Land to Air Express, you may have to stay at the airport or a hotel until the first Land to Air Express the next morning.

Driving. If you plan to drive to Gustavus with family or friends, you may arrive any time on August 26 or 27. You can call me when your get to campus, and our IPs will meet you and help you get moved into your residence hall.

You and I and our IPs will be in communication with each other on your arrival day, in case there are flight delays or other changes to the schedule. You may need to wait for some time between your flight arrival and the next Land to Air Express, but that could be an opportunity to get to know some other new students and the IPs.

U.S. Arrival. Some students may arrive in the U.S. earlier than August 26 or 27 and travel or visit friends, prior to coming to Gustavus. U.S. immigration laws allow you to enter the US up to 30 days before August 28 (the program start date on your Form I-20 or Form DS-2019). So, you could enter the U.S. as early as July 29. Do not arrive in the U.S. before July 29, with your student visa or any other type of visa, as you likely will not be admitted to the U.S. and will experience other immigration problems. If you decide to arrive in the U.S. before August 26, you will be responsible for your own transportation and housing, prior to coming to Gustavus on August 26 or 27.

Family. If you plan to have family accompany you, please indicate on this form. Your family is welcome at Gustavus! We have a guest house on campus in which they may stay for up to three nights, if there is space available. If there is not space in the guest house, they may stay in a nearby hotel. It can be nice for your family to see Gustavus, but there is not much for families to do during the orientation, and it is difficult for students to fully participate in the orientation and also spend much time with their families. You will be very busy! Most international students arrive without family, even though it can be scary to travel so far on their own. We will have our IPs to help you when you arrive at the Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport. So it should be fine to come here without family. And it is also fine to come with family. Whatever you and your family decide should work well.

International student orientation begins on the morning of August 28 and goes through August 31. The orientation for all new students begins on the afternoon of August 31 and goes through September 3. Both orientations are important, so plan to fully participate in both. The international student orientation is mandatory for all non-immigrant (F-1 or J-1) students. I coordinate the international student orientation. It should be very helpful in your transition to a new place, a new academic system, and a new culture. You will make friends and connect with resources! I look forward to spending that week with students from all over the world! It will be fun!