The List of Things you Need to Bring Along

You are going to come to the United States with nothing but the bags in your hand and the
resolve in your heart! Make sure you have enough ammunition to last at least a year so you can
live it up in here!
There are so many things one needs to carry, it might make sense for some to share certain
possessions between roommates or friends (but keep in mind that you might have to go another
town for an internship!). Most commodities are available here, however when you have the
constant conversion of dollars to rupees going on in your head, you find that you end up buying
less. Take heart in the fact that things here are not as overpriced as they seem, so in case you
forget to pack something you can always buy it here after a few months. The list is basically what
you might need during your stay here:

1. Medicines:
Medicines in the U.S. are slightly more expensive than in India. But remember you have MEDICAL
INSURANCE! Your doctor's visit and prescription will be partially covered by insurance, however
you might have to pay some amount as co-pay. (Student Health Services will guide you better for
the exact figures.)
It is better to have a small medical kit at home for emergencies and backup. Make sure you have
a doctor's PRESCRIPTION for everything mentioned below here. Use whichever brands that you
are comfortable with, but get medicines to cure:

• Fever : Crocin (paracetamol)

• Headache : Saridon (ibuprofen or methyl salicylate)
• Bodyache : Combiflam (ibuprofen)
• Cold : Sinarest
• Cough : any syrup or lozenge
• Nausea/ Motion Sickness : Avomine
• Diarrhoea : Lomotil
• Acidity : Digene
• Vomiting : Domstal
• Weakness/ Malaise : Electral
• Any allegry medications
• First Aid : Band-Aids, Soframycin, Savlon, crepe bandages, cotton balls
• Vitamin B deficiency : Becosule
• If required, eye drops
• Any personal medication, or homeopathic medicine or ayurvedic medicine that you may
feel that you need.

***Disclaimer: The brands are just a suggestion based on common preferences. Please consult a
certified medical practitioner for the correct quantities and dosage of medicines.***
 2. Bags:

You are usually allowed two bags, weighing 23 kilograms each on an international flight,
some airlines offer a third bag if you present your I-20, some might allow just one. Check
this before booking your flights, or call once you have booked to check. Start your
packing well in advance. Put identification marks and labels on both the inside & outside
the suitcases apart from this, the airlines will also provide you with adhesive labels. Check
with your respective airline about the dimensions and weight of the bag.

Buy suitcases with inbuilt TSA locks or buy those locks separately, so that suitcases could be
open for custom checking. If you have a domestic flight in your itinerary, there might be different
baggage allowances.
While going for an international travel its suggested to buy a hard covered bags. Also if you are
going for PhD or if you have plan to stay over 5-10 years , You must consider buying Samsonite
bags, which is 2x time costlier that Skybags or AT, but quality wise its much better than skybags
or AT.

Here are few of my suggestions:

Samsonite bags:

Hardcovered:

a. SAMSONITE Hartlan Polypropylene 67.5 cms Navy Hardsided Check-in Luggage

b. SAMSONITE Octolite Polypropylene 68 cms Black Hardsided Check-in Luggage
c. SAMSONITE Varro Polypropylene 68 cms Black Hardsided Check-in Luggage (SAM Varro
SP68/25 EXP-Black)
d. Samsonite Astra Poly-Carbonate Navy Hard-Sided Cabin Luggage(55 cms)
e. SAMSONITE Evoa Polycarbonate 55 cms Brushed Black Hardsided Cabin Luggage (SAM
SP55/20-BRUSHED Black)

Softcovered:

f. SAMSONITE Zira Polyester 56 cms Black Softsided Cabin Luggage (SAM ZIRA SP 56/20
EXP - Black)
g. Samsonite Dynamore Polyester 54 cms Black Softsided Cabin Luggage (SAM DYNAMORE
SP55 EXP Black)

American Tourister/ Skybags:

a. Skybags Trooper 65 Cms Polycarbonate Blue Hardsided Check-in Luggage

b. Amercian Tourister Cruze ABS 80 cms Black Hardsided Carry-On
c. American Tourister Georgia Polycarbonate 55 cms Moonlight Blue Hardsided Cabin
Luggage
 d. American Tourister Portland Polyester 70 cms Blue Softsided Check-in Luggage (FL9
(0) 01 002)
e. American Tourister KAM Kiza Polypropylene 79 cms Ash Blue Hardsided Check-in
Luggage

Now you should carry one backpack for day to day use,

Some suggestion for that is

a. Skybags Geek 48 Ltrs Blue & Green Laptop Backpack with Raincover
b. American Tourister Insta Nxt 04 Navy Casual Backpack

3. Things to be kept in the suitcases :

I used this Professional 2 Ring File Folders to keep all my documents in it. Also additionally I used
fedex envelope which came to me with I20 to keep all the copies of documents. You can do the
same also.

• Copy of all the certificates/documents (originals in hand baggage)

• Textbooks are expensive, most will be available in the library, but if you have some
specials needs for a particular course, try to find out.
• Medical history files.
• You do not need to carry a lot of stationery, perhaps just a folder to take on interviews, a
few pens, pencils and eraser.

Things to be kept in the cabin luggage:

Check the airline policy for things that you can carry in the cabin luggage. (Some airlines allow
you 23 kgs! Confirm with your airline and pack accordingly.)

• A change of clothes (in case something goes wrong with your baggage, let us hope not!)
• Some light reading, in case you are not a movie fan.
• Sweater or some shawl
• A few dollars, just in case.
• Travel adapters, mobile chargers, for things with Indian plugs

Things to be kept on person :

It is advisable to get a small slingbag/fannypack to carry passport, copy of I-20, some cash and
boarding passes. This does not count as one piece of baggage if it is just enough to fit your
passport in there!

• Important numbers and addresses, especially of people in the U.S.

 • Handbag or Laptop bag as the personal item (Usually 8 kgs are allowed, confirm with the
airlines you have chosen.)

Documentation :
This should go inside the handbag, not in your check-in luggage

• Original I-20(s) - Take all I-20s, if you have more than one.
• Admission Letter from University
• Other documents that were needed to obtain the I-20 : mark sheets, sponsor letter,
degree certificate and such.
• Travel insurance, if you have any.
• Do not throw away your boarding passes, carry them with you all the way out of the
airport.

4. Clothes:
Dress according to your style. People in College Station are laid back and come casually
dressed to college. You get a lot of free t-shirts here and there, you end up wearing these
everywhere. However, you might want to buy some clothes from India :

• Formals(men,2/ women,2): Keep two sets as the career fair lasts more than one day and
you would be smart to have a backup.
• Tops and Bottoms of your liking : Jeans or shorts or skirts or palazzos or trousers, pair
these up with shirts and kurtas.
• Undergarments(men/ women) : Just keep in mind that usually people do their laundry
once a week, so have enough to last. You might want to buy some extra, as they wear off
in a year due to the dryers here.
• Socks : buy 10-12 pairs of socks
• Sweaters, scarves, shawls : Texas, Florida winters are not cold by American standards, but
not many people in India can call zero degree Celsius "nothing". So just be prepared with
one basic set of warm clothing. However if you are going to places like new York or
Indiana you need real warm cloths. You can just order those after reaching USA.
However, If you want to be on more safe side you can buy it from India too
• Thermal wear(Women/ men) : In case you decide to travel to another state in the winter
break!
• Raincoats, windcheaters, umbrella : It can rain when it pleases, so have some protection
from the showers.
 • Belts, wallet*, handkerchiefs, towels, napkins among other miscellaneous clothing items.
• Bedsheets, pillow covers, thin cotton quilts: Cotton linen is hard to come by ad make sure
you buy what you are comfortable sleeping in.
• Comforters or Blankets: But these in the U.S, they are available at fair prices and this way
they won't take up half of your suitcase.

5. Footwear:
You do get excellent footwear in America, and you can buy online during the
Thanksgiving and Labor Day sales, you will get it for a fair price. For now though, you will
need to buy a few pairs:

• Sports shoes: At least a pair. This is a necessity since you end up walking quite a bit in and
around the campus.
• Weatherproof shoes: You can get really good snow shoes here and since these are really
heavy to carry it is generally not advisable to carry these all the way from there.
Preferrably, do not carry boots, keep some money aside to buy these here.
• Formal shoes(men/women): for the career fair again! Expensive, so it is better to get a
pair, along with some slick socks.
• Open toed sandals might be different than what you are used to, get a pair if you are
accustomed to them.
• Flip flops to wear around the house: or buy them at Walmart for 99 cents!
• Indian shoes to match your ethnic wear(men/women)

6. Personal accessories :

You should bring along personal toiletries to last for the first two months, till you find apt
replacements. Here is a list to make sure you don't forget anything!

• Combs, shampoos, conditioners , bath gel and hair oil

• Soaps, face wash, lens solution (if you use contact lenses)
• Nail clippers, small scissors, safety pins, needles, thread, buttons
• Beauty products like make-up, tweezers, plucker or electronic eyebrow trimmers,
cold/hot wax or epilators (tip : buy a roll-on wax heater here instead)
• Sunscreen is essential, you may want to carry moisturizer, lip balm and other lotions
according to your habits.
• Bathing mug : This is not easily acquired but you might buy paint bucket and mug in
Walmart, those work just fine!
• A tip for girls, you will find sanitary products of all kinds in various stores and at
reasonable prices. You do not need to stock up for months and let those things take up
valuable space in your bags.

7. Utensils :
Try to get flat bottomed vessels for cooking as most of the apartments have electric coil stoves.
You might want to check with your landlord.

The cooking habits are unique to each individual, but keep these few things in mind :

• Rice cookers are what most students buy. An electric cooker is quicker and hassle free,
but buy that in the U.S since the power ratings are different here. If you buy a pressure
cooker to cook dal or vegetables, buy a few spare gaskets and other spare parts since
they are not available in America as easily.
• Frying Pans, tavas, Kadai, bowls, plates, spoons, forks and knives(very important) will be
needed but not more than a few each. You can but this after you come here, but most
students bring at least a few along.
• Tongs, spatulas, serving spoons, peelers and mashers are easy to get.
• Buy kitchen pincers, graters, rolling pin in India, if you need them.
• Metal scrubbers to wash dishes are not available here.
• Containers are cheap and you should buy those in the U.S itself.

8. Food Items:
Try to stock up for the first two months. Try to stick to packed items, and if at all you do
carry home-cooked goodies, try to get them packed from a local grocer. Your food
preferences are your own, however you must check the U.S customs and Border
Protection website.

• Some of the common food items that students carry are raw spices like clove or
cardamom or black pepper, readymade masalas like garam masala or kitchen king
masala, instant food packets like rajma chawal or pav bhaji or instant dosa mix.
• You might want to get basic kitchen ingredients like mustard seeds, cumin seeds,
asafoetida, turmeric powder and chilli powder.

9. Electronic items:

Laptop: I would suggest you to buy laptops after coming here. However if you feel its
essential to buy a laptop before coming in USA, then I can suggest you some

I. Dell Inspiron 5482 and a laptop sleeve

II. HP Pavilion x360
III. Apple MacBook Pro

Keyboard and mouse: you can buy 1) wireless combo or 2) wired keyboard and mouse
setup

External hard drives (v.v. Important): This will help you keeping all your data backed up in
your personal hard drive. S I would like to recommend you to buy 1-2 TB hard drives
1) Seagate Backup Plus 2 TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD also you can buy an External Hard
Drive Case to keep it safe.

2) Western Digital WD 1TB My Passport Portable External Hard Drive

HDMI cable: will be needed when you are giving a presentation

Extra USB cable: a) for IPhones b) for android phones

Headphone with speaker: 1) wireless over the head(Imp) 2) wired

Camera: Its completely upto you, However if you need suggestion, here you go

i)Nikon D5600 with AF-P 18-55 mm + AF-P 70-300 mm VR Kit with Bag and 16GB Memory Card
Free

ii)Canon EOS 200D II 24.1MP Digital SLR Camera + EF-S 18-55mm f4 is STM Lens (Black)

Pendrive: bring 2- 16/32 GB pendrive

Calculator: Casio FX-991ES Plus Non-Programmable Scientific Calculator, 417 Functions

Watch: fastrack smart watch / MI band 4

10. Other essential products:

Extra bags: to keep passport and other important stuff like medicines

Water bottle: 1) plastic bottle 2)copper bottle

Notebooks, pens , pencils

Purse/ Wallet (RFID scanning protected): I would highly recommend you to buy this
product, will be very helpful while travelling.

Sunglasses: Who doesn’t love sunglasses?

I. Ray-Ban UV protected Aviator Sunglasses (0RB3449|59.0 mm|Blue)

II. rayban UV protected ClubMaster sunglasses

Swimming kits: If you are interested in swimming then buy proper swimming kits
 Bike locks: If you are planning to stay out of campus you need to buy a bike there. With
this you need to buy a lock also, which in US costs around 15-20 dollars. So mu
suggestion would be to buy it from here, will cost around 4-5 dollars in India.

Gym kits: take some gym equipment with you if you want to use worldclass gyms
provided by universities.

Lastly, some tips:

• Bring your original Indian driving license along and ensure that it is valid for at least two
years after your date of arrival here. Or bring along your Internal Driving Permit.
• Get your application material if you wish to transfer to another university next semester.
• Get a set of transcripts in case you apply all over again for a PhD.
• Do not forget the original Bachelor's or Master's Degree certificate, since you need to
show that at the University. For those of you getting this later on in the year, make you
have the Provisional Certificate.
• Have a set of copies of visa, passport, I-20 in each piece of luggage.
• Carry some Indian currency too, in case you need it inside the airport before boarding
your flight.
• We repeat that do carry a medical prescription for all the medicines you bring along.
• If you have glasses, get a through eye-check-up before and get an extra pair. Get extra
sets of lenses if you have the habit of wearing them. You will get the solution in the US,
but if you insist on carrying it with you, put it in the check-in bag.
• Keep passport, visa, I-20, and other admission documents in the handbag you'll carry on
your shoulders all the time.
• Confirm your ticket a couple of days prior to the flight directly through the airlines you
are flying no matter how reputed your travel agent is.

***This list is not exhaustive, it is only a suggestion based on the various generations of members
who wrote and rewrote this list.***