Most U.S. schools have an office or at least a staff member responsible for international-student matters. These offices have different names on different campuses. Possibilities include International Student and Scholar Services, International Education Services, International Education, and some others. You can search your school’s web site for the office’s name if it is not in the information the school sent you.

ISOs are normally responsible for orientation programs for new foreign students, helping students comply with U.S. immigration laws and regulations, fulfilling federal “reporting requirements” concerning foreign students, encouraging educational interactions between foreign and domestic students, and many other matters.

Other offices whose sites you might want to review include student health, student activities, recreation, and housing.

Most U.S. colleges and universities have an office concerned with housing or residential services. Housing-office functions differ from one school to another. Sometimes their only role is to administer student housing that the school owns. Other times they compile information about off-campus (that is, non-institutional) housing. The housing office’s web site will explain its function.

Finally, you may be able to read the school’s student newspaper on line, and learn about the campus from that less formal source

Click here to see a list of the names of many U.S. student newspapers.