TSA@UIUC

Cost of Living
by Nuntapong Ovararin
In general, the cost of living in this twin city, Urbana and Champaign, is likely a bit low comparing to the cost in other university towns. Due to many factors, the cost of living is ranging between $800 to $1400 per month including an apartment rental expense. One of the most significant factors is what you need for living. Many concerns you need to think of are housing, food and other miscellaneous factors. The university-housing rental rate is about $600 per month, but the apartment rental cost is in the wide range of $350 to $750 per month. The dormitory rental rate includes all the utilities expenses, however the apartment rental cost does not embrace gas, electricity, water and sanitary expense estimated almost $120 per month. In addition to the housing rental, food is another important concern that may charge you about $300-$450 per month, if you go out for dinners. Typically, the Chinese restaurant on campus offers an economical meal which costs you around $5. However, if you cook for your own, you could save up to $200 per month. In addition, you should consider expenses of some personal belongings such as cloth and gas bills, as well as other miscellaneous items such as telephone and cable bills. More important, you should also be aware that rental rates and the cost of living are rising in this town.

Weather
by Thanyawat Pothisiri
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the four seasons……..

From Fall to Winter to Spring to Summer, there’s always a season to match your personality.

What make the climate around here so special is its variation. The gentle spring shower, the crisp autumn afternoon, the white Christmas, the steamy summer night….you name the seasonal stereotype, and Champaign-Urbana’s got it. This is an area where you don’t know what to expect from the weather from year to year: one winter can be mild, and the next can about freeze your ears off.

Typically saying, there are four seasons around here: Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Fall arrives in late September with cool temperatures (30 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 to 20 degrees Celcius), rain, and sometimes snow. Most people enjoy the scenes of trees changing their colors and losing their leaves. From green to yellow to green to red, you can always find yourself in a spot where you can capture the dazzling colors of Fall by a camera and send back home to someone you love. Fall is the time for falling in love with the mother nature. If you have ever wondered what the November rain feels like, here’s the right time for you to find out. For those who aren’t used to this kind of cold weather, you need to dress warm, a sweater and an overcoat would keep you from feeling too cold. This is also a good time to look for a pair of gloves to keep your hands warm and you may need to look for something to protect your ears from frostbite as the winter comes along.

Winter is at its worst in December to March with snow, ice, and cold temparatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit below zero (30 degrees Celcius below zero). For those who ever wonder why they would want to buy gloves and ear protectors, now you can find a good reason for that. Also, you can expect anywhere from only trace amounts of snow to 1″-6″ of snow on the ground. When the snow becomes compressed it becomes slippery, most people have troubles with the icy walkways and roadways. You should wear shoes that have grids rather than smooth leather-soled shoes, and drive cautiously. The worst thing in winter, at least in my opinion, is the “windchill”. You can easily find yourself in a situation where the temperature is 0 degrees but the windchill is 20 degrees below. The windchill would definitely keep you from going outside for whatever reasons. Moreover, it will be necessary to heat your apartment or home, otherwise the waterpipes might freeze and cause considerable damage. Some people also have a symptom of hedydration exposing to heated environment for a long period of time such as overnight. In this case, you would find a humidifier helpful. The humidifier will help moisten up the heated dry air and hence makes you feel better. Remember to dress warmly whenever you go outside. As a suggestion, several layers of clothes are better than one heavy coat.

Spring arrives in late March and generally lasts until late May or June. Rain, winds and mild temperatures are characteristic of Spring. By the way, as an Illinoisan, you are living on the fringe of tornado alley. A tornado is a storm with very high winds that form a funnel cloud. These storms form rapidly and can cause a great amount of damage in a short time. Illinois’ tornado season peaks in April and May, however, the campus area has never been hit in the last five years.

Summer begins in late June and continues through September with hot and humid weather and temperatures ranging from 60 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 40 degrees Celcius). Summer is the best time to enjoy outdoor activities and you would find a lot of people enjoying the summer time too.

Following is what you can expect in C-U month by month in the way of average high and low temperatures, rain and snow.

January: 31.7 (0) degrees high; 16 (9) degrees low; 1.83 inches precipitation; 8.1 inches snow.

February: 36.3 (2) degrees high; 20.3 (-7) degrees low; 1.97 inches precipitation; 7 inches snow.

March: 48.8 (9) degrees high; 31.1 (0) degrees low; 3.3 inches precipitation; 4.1 inches snow.

April: 62.4 (17) degrees high; 41.4 (5) degrees low; 3.94 inches precipitation; 1 inches snow.

May: 73.7 (23) degrees high; 51.7 (11) degrees low; 3.97 inches precipitation.

June: 82.9 (28) degrees high; 60.89 (16) degrees low; 4.07 inches precipitation.

July: 85.3 (30) degrees high; 64.8 (18) degrees low; 4.48 inches precipitation.

August: 83 (28) degrees high; 62.4 (17) degrees low; 4.02 inches precipitation.

September: 77.7 (25) degrees high; 55.2 (13) degrees low; 3.36 inches precipitation.

October: 65.1 (18) degrees high; 43.8 (7) degrees low; 2.68 inches precipitation; 0.1 inches snow.

November: 50.3 (10) degrees high; 33.8 (1) degrees low; 3.10 inches precipitation; 2.2 inches snow.

December: 36.5 (3) degrees high; 22 (-6) degrees low; 3.02 inches precipitation; 6 inches snow.

*( ) show temperatures in Celcius

Transportation
by Sorapong Thamayoungkit
Transportation around the campus could vary depending on your needs and where you live. As I noticed, most Thai students travel within the campus from their housing to classrooms, libraries, labs, other facilities, to grocery stores and supermarkets, restaurants, shopping stores, and others (such as going out of towns). There are many options which you can choose to go to where you want.

Major alternatives are:

• Buses: You are so lucky that Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is one of the best America’s little transit systems (www.cumtd.com or tel. 384-8188). The bus really works. You can go to everywhere in town by various buses for free (you already paid with your tuition). So, pick up a free schedule (on any buses or some front desks) and study it!! Campus buses (line 21,22,23,24) can get you around the campus easily without required showing your ID card. Whereas, the rest can get you around the town but you need to show your ID card to drivers for free ridings. You should study schedules carefully in order to avoid confusing about directions (go North-South, East-Wast) and the days that buses operate.
• Cars: Many Thai students have their own cars. It is not necessary to have personal cars in this town as you have the buses, but you will get around the town more conveniently. You will save time when going out of the campus with a personal car. It may take up to 40 minutes to go to Meijer (a major store) by the bus line 100, comparing to 10 minutes by a car. However, cars do not work for going to classes and around the campus because of hard-finding and costly campus parkings.
• Bicycles: Getting around the campus by a bike is a good idea. There are bicycle paths along many streets. Most buildings have bicycle racks for lockings. There is no cost at all for the riding, but bikes do not work when it rains or snows. Two more things to consider are high rate bicycle stealing (need carefully locking) and frequenly stop and go (watch for cars and people).
• Walking, jogging, rollerblading: If you live near your departments, restaurants, stores, banks, etc. ,You might just walk there. There are almost everything locating on the campus area (except supermarket; Jewel is going out of business). The campus area is not as save as you think. Be careful when walking alone or at night.
• Others: You do not often need other kinds of travelling such as going out of town. However, There are trains, buses, and planes that can bring you out of town. Amtrak goes north to Chicago and south to Carbondale everyday (www.amtrak.com or call 1-800-usa rail). Amtrak station locates on Chestnut street near downtown area. Grayhound buses (3524150 or 1-800-2312222) can bring you to Chicago and St. Louis. Grayhound station is on 15 E. Washington street, downtown Champaign. Suburban Express is weekend bus service to Chicago suburbs from our campus (www.suburbanexpress.com or tel. 3446700). You can buy tickets at 2nd floor Follet’s (corner of Wright & Green streets).

Shopping
by Itthinun Teeraparbwong
Keywords: Mall, Downtown, Twin city, Interstate

Welcome new folks. Worried about shopping? Not to worry. You’re in the market from the unusual to mundane, Champaign-Urbana stores can fit most of your needs. Staring with the malls, not “The Mall Department store” in Thailand, we have two malls, one in Champaign, one in Urbana.

Market Place Shopping Center, Champaign, is on the North Neil street. You can find J.C. Penney, Sears and Bergner’s department stores. Located around Market Place, T.J. Maxx, Office Depot, Kohl’s and Barnes & Noble bookstore/cafe are my favorite. On the other twin city side,Urbana, Lincoln Square Mall is in the downtown. Herberger’s department store, a food mini-court, and locally famous Art Mart are the interesting stores to check them out. On the south of Interstate 57, around 30 minutes driving, Tuscola outlet mall; are you waiting to hear this?; has about 60 factory stores to discover.

North Prospect Avenue, which I call the heart of the town, lies many department stores. This is a new cluster of strip centers. There, you will find Lowe’s, Border’s bookstore/cafe, Target, Circuit city, Best Buy, Meijer, Pier I, Lands’ End Outlet, Staples office superstore, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Radio Shack, and more.

Thinking about oriental stores, where you can find Thai supplies, Far East and Amko are some of them. In the twin city, there are many more stores located in different places such as Old Farm Shops in the south Champaign, Campus town, Champaign’s Mattis Avenue, and many mores. When you arrive here at Champaign-Urbana, the real adventure of shopping will begin. That’s all folks.

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
by Chatdanai WissawapaisalWhat kind of cloth should I bring with me?If you are accepted for the Spring semester which starts in January, try to bring a thick jacket since winter here is very cold. A lot of students buy their winter jacket here in the U.S.
What is the weather in Illinois like?It is generally very cold in winter (-20 degree celcius) and very hot in the heart of summer. It rains a lot in Spring but very nice in the Falls, it’s very nice.
Do I need to buy a car?There are buses that operate on campus as well as off campus. It is quite convenient since the on campus buses come every 10-15 minutes during daytime.
How well in advance do I need to get there?You should get here about 2 weeks or so before the beginning of instruction. So you can get familiar with the place, get a chance to talk to your advisor to plan your study, and be ready when classes start.
Where will I live?

For the university housing, there are two dormitories for graduate students; Sherman and Daniel Hall. Sherman hall has somewhat larger room and is within the walking distance to most of the departments except the engineering ones. It is a good idea to book the room in advance if you’d like a single room. Electricity, heat, water, cables, and phone are included. There are a lot of other undergraduate dorms on campus.
What about off-campus housing?

There are efficiency rooms, 1-2-3-4 bedroom apartments on and off campus. Efficiency room is a studio where you have kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom all in one room. It costs around $300-450/month water included. One bedroom apartment costs can range from $400 to over $600 depending on the conditions. This price generally does not include other utilities which could add up to about $100/month.
What are the difference between living in the university dorm and living outside?

It is a good chance to meet other people living in a dorm. It’s also cheaper since all the utilities are included. If you like cooking, it is more convenient to live in an efficiency room or an apartment. Nevertheless, you’ll be pretty much by yourself unless you have a known neighbor.

How can I do when I arrive at the Willard Airport (Champagin-Urbana Airport.)

You can contact us before in case you want us to give you a ride by contact to anyone in the TSA Commitee page. We will provide that if we are in town at that time. Or you can call a taxi at the airport (but there is no taxi stand outside the airport. you have to call by phone). Taxi usually cost 14 - 15 dollars.
What should I do when I first arrive at the university?

You should report yourself to OISA (Office of International Student Affairs) so you can be scheduled to take an English placement test. A lot of students ended up taking one or two English courses. After that you’ll want to get your university id or I-card which can be used as an ATM, bus pass, debit card to some stores, and a valid entry to the university facilities such as health center and the gym. You’ll need to go to McKinley health center to test your immunity and get some vaccine shots in case you haven’t had ones already. Then you would go to your department to find out who your advisor is and consult with him about your plan of study. You may need to buy a few necessities like pillow, blanket, kitchen wares for your new home. Oh, you also need to open your new account at the bank and get a check book. Best of all, you’ll get to familiarize yourself with people and places here.
How much money do I need in the beginning?

You need to have enough money to pay for the first month rent as well as the security deposit equal to a month rent if you’d like to live in an apartment. You’ll get a security deposit back when you move out. You’ll need some money for food and necessary items for your room. You need not bring a lot of money with you. Once you open your new account, you can have the money transfer to your account later on. Alternately, you may carry a draft with you and use it to open a new account. It will take a few days before you can withdraw cash from the account. Meanwhile you can use your new check to pay for things. It is not typical for students to use cash. They’ll either write a personal check or use credit cards.
What about food?

There are a lot of Chinese, and Korean restaurants on campus besides the usual fast food places. There are two Thai restaurants here. A lot of students cook for themselves. There are a few oriental stores that sell enough Thai ingredients such as fish sauce, can foods, and so on to make delicious Thai dishes. More exotic ingredients that aren’t available here can be found in many Thai grocery stores in Chicago which is only 130 miles from Champaign.
How many Thai students are there at UIUC?

Around 80-90 students total depending on the semester. A lot of new students arrive in Falls.  There are around 20 Undergrad students and around 60-70 Grad Students.

Are there anything fun to do there?

There are big sport centers, ice-arena, tennis courts, soccer field, and several gymnasium if you are a sport person. A lot of students enjoy themselves just watching cable TV at home. Some go out to watch movies or go shopping at the mall. You know, the basic stuff that you normally do when you’re in Thailand. There are also a lot of other interesting activities organized by the student’s organizations and so on. You can also travel to Chicago which is about two hours north of Champaign for dim-sum, Thai food, shopping, the Sears Tower or the museums.
How much does it cost to call to Thailand?

It can range from 7.5 cents up to a dollar a minute. It is wise to talk to a lot of people to find out which telephone company they’re with and how much they’re paying for their long distance.
Do I need to buy a new computer?

It’s totally up to you. The university has many computer centers for servicing students all over campus i.e. libraries, CCSO sites (just computer centers), the Illini Union (student union), dormitories, departments, and more.
Who can I contact in case I don’t know anybody here?

You can contact directly to anyone in the TSA committee. They are very appreciate to help you.
IF I still have some questions, how can I do?

Why don’t you contact us via email, anyone on the commitee page

http://thaiuiuc.org/?page_id=7

Finalized and Updated by: Aukrit Unahalekhaka (aukritu@hotmail.com) - April 19 2008