Your first 30 days in Chicago as an international UChicago grad student

The first thirty days as an international student in Chicago run on a strange combination of jet lag, orientation events, and panic about apartment furniture. Most things sort themselves out within six weeks. Three things do not, and they cost real money or real time when they get missed. This is the practical checklist we hand to every UChicago international student we work with.

Week 1: paperwork-first

1. Activate your I-20 / SEVIS at International House orientation. This is non-negotiable and there is a hard deadline. Miss it and your visa status is in limbo within two weeks.
2. Open a US bank account. Chase has a branch on 53rd Street. They will accept your passport + I-20 + UChicago admission letter as proof of identity. You do not need an SSN to open a basic checking account.
3. Apply for a Social Security Number (only if you have on-campus employment confirmed — TA-ship, RA-ship, work-study). Bring the I-20, passport, employment authorization letter from the department, and admission letter. The Hyde Park SSA office is at 6256 S. Pulaski; expect a 2-week turnaround.
4. Set up your UCID and UChicago email. Sign up for the UGo Bus Tracker app (free shuttles around campus and to South Loop / Kenwood).

Week 2: apartment + life-admin

1. Set up internet (RCN, Xfinity, or AT&T Fiber on Hyde Park's better-served blocks). Allow a 5-10 day install lead time.
2. Set up renters insurance. Lemonade's app finishes the application in about ten minutes for $100-150/year. Email proof to your leasing office same day.
3. Sign up for UChicago student health insurance unless you have a confirmed waiver. Default is auto-enrollment; the deadline to waive is usually mid-September.
4. Buy a real coat. Chicago in November is not what your weather app promises in August. Marshalls on 53rd is a reasonable starting point; Uniqlo downtown for ultralight down.

Weeks 3-4: the things people forget

1. Register your address with the international student office. Required by federal law within 10 days of moving. Most students miss it because no one explicitly reminds them.
2. Set up automatic rent payment from your new US checking account. The first month was usually paid by check at lease signing; from month 2 it should be ACH. Late fees in Chicago are $75-150.
3. Get a Ventra card (CTA + Metra). Add it to your phone wallet. The 6 bus and the Metra Electric District line are both useful escapes from Hyde Park.
4. Set up MyChart with UChicago Medicine before you need it. The first time you need a doctor is not the time to figure out the portal.

If you'd like the printable PDF version of this checklist, it's free at /checklist. We update it before each fall arrival cycle.