Guide · 6 min
Your first 72 hours on campus
The goal is not to do everything. It is to land, get reachable, sleep somewhere safe, and complete the check-ins your university actually requires.
Before you leave the airport
- Keep your passport, I-20 or DS-2019 (or equivalent), offer letter, and housing confirmation in your carry-on — not checked luggage.
- Save offline copies (photos) of those documents and your university emergency contact.
- If someone is picking you up, confirm the name and vehicle before you get in. Campus-arranged pickup is safer than an unmarked ride from a chat app.
Hours 0–24: get reachable and housed
- Get a working number or data plan (airport SIM, eSIM, or campus store). Tell family you landed.
- Go to housing first if you can — rest beats exploring on no sleep.
- Photograph the unit, test locks, and locate smoke detectors and the nearest exit.
Hours 24–48: campus check-in
- Complete international student check-in with your university’s office (often required to keep your status). Bring passport and immigration documents.
- Activate student ID, email, and Wi‑Fi. Write down your student ID number.
- Find the international student office hours, campus health clinic, and after-hours security number.
Hours 48–72: food, money, orientation
- Buy a few days of groceries or a meal plan so you are not skipping meals while jet-lagged.
- If you need a local bank account, use the university’s recommended student options — not a random person offering to “help you open one.”
- Put orientation, placement tests, and course registration on a calendar. Missing one of those is harder to undo than missing a social event.
Continue in the app
In the app, join your university and intake groups, watch “first week” creator videos from students at your school, and message a mentor who arrived last semester.
Groups, creator videos, and mentor chats live in Cohortlyy — not on the website.
Start your transition journey