Terms Evanston Apartments Northwestern Housing Downtown Evanston Site Map Website by MediaLawn, LLC
Welcome
to Northwestern University and Evanston, IL, USA!
When you arrive in the United States and come to your apartment in
Evanston, IL, USA, you will find this guide useful. Managers at the
Park Evanston apartment building say that international students at
The Park Evanston often need help with these questions:
Student Visa
Social Security Number
Telephone service
Electric service
Bank account in the United States
Insurance for your car or truck
Where to shop for furniture, insurance and other needs
Reserving an apartment
Privacy in your apartment
Speaking English and other languages
Student Visa: By the time you arrive in the United States, your F-1 or J-1 student visa and the credentials of your family members should be in order. If someone in your family plans to live with you in the United States, they will probably get their own SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019. In order for the International Office to issue your dependents a form I-20 or DS-2019, you should write them on your visa request packet, and show sufficient financial support. Once they get their form, your dependents can apply for dependent status (F-2 or J-2) at the U.S. consulate or the embassy abroad.
Instructions on the Web site of Northwestern University’s International Office, tel. 847-491-5613, www.northwestern.edu/international, are: After you are accepted to Northwestern, the admitting office for your program will send you many items: one item will be your International Student Visa Document Request Packet (ISVDR). The ISVDR has most of the information that the International Office needs to make your I-20 or DS-2019. You should fill in all blanks on the ISVDR, including complete financial information. Failure to do so may delay your visa document. After you have completed the ISVDR, send it to the admitting office for your program – do not send it to the International Office.
Your admitting office will read your information, and then they will send the packet to the International Office. When they receive your request, they will process your I-20 or DS-2019 within three weeks. As soon as your visa document is complete, they will call your department or admitting office to pick it up. They will send it to you by Federal Express (FedEx) or DHL. Please DO NOT call or write to ask the International Office when your visa document will be generated – instead, call your admitting office to ask if they have received your information and sent it to the International Office.
Contact the International Office ONLY if there is an error on your visa document, or if you have questions about choosing the proper visa. In either of these cases, e-mail your question to intoff@northwestern.edu. If you need another copy of the ISVDR, or if you did not get your packet from your admitting office, download the PDF file from
http://www.northwestern.edu/international/forms/index.html
You can get more help from the International Office of Northwestern University, www.northwestern.edu/international. Also, you will probably get help from your country’s consulate and from the consulate of the United States. After you arrive in the United States, the Chicago Consulate of your country can help you. The Kellogg School of Management Web site has the addresses and telephone numbers of Chicago consulate offices. You might want to give your e-mail address to the International Office, www.northwestern.edu/international so that you receive notes about meetings and other news that will help you maintain your status and documents for living in the United States.
Back to Top
Social Security Number: Having a Social Security Number (SSN) will simplify many applications a new resident must complete for services in the United States. To open any bank account or apply for a US credit card, you will probably need to get a Social Security Number. In order to get a Social Security Number, you need to visit the Northwestern University International Office at 630 Dartmouth Place, Evanston, IL and ask for the necessary documents from the school.
After you have the paperwork from the International Office, you can head to the Social Security Office, at 2116 Green Bay Rd. in the Walgreen’s Plaza in Evanston, or phone 1-800-772-1213 or 847-328-2208. You need to take these documents when you apply: passport, I-20 or IAP-66, I-94, and a letter from the International Office in addition to the application form. Your Social Security Number will be sent to you by mail in about 10 days.
Back to Top
Telephone service: Before you can start an account so that you can make phone calls anywhere in the world as well as in Evanston, the telephone company will require two pieces of identification such as your passport and your visa. If the telephone company SBC requires identification from you, the company will instruct you to send copies by facsimile to a national verification center. The process will take two days and the SBC office will contact you at the telephone number you provide in the Evanston area.
On the other hand, the telephone company may have your records from your home country. If so, you will not have to provide the identification documents by facsimile and you may be able to begin telephone service quickly.
You can choose from different telephone companies and decide which services and prices are best for you; but the apartment building might have one telephone company as the preferred provider. Choosing the preferred provider – SBC at the Park Evanston, for example – makes it easier to start telephone service. After you choose phone service and start your account, you can use the service for phone calls and for Internet connections. The 800 number for establishing phone services with SBC is 800-244-4444.
Your telephone options include landline phone service over wires that connect your residence to the telephone company’s wired network, Internet-based service, and cellular phone service.
Phone service with a landline such as SBC provides cannot begin immediately. If you plan to use landline service, be sure and place the landline service order 60 days in advance of your move-in date.
Some buildings, including The Park Evanston apartments, will let you use Internet-based telephone service. Many international students like Internet –based phone service because of the lower cost and because you can keep the same telephone number. An Internet phone service works with a telephone that connects to the USB port on any computer connected to the Internet. Internet phone services are handled through credit card billings through companies like: www.iconnecthere.com. The Park Evanston has tested Internet phones and finds the best models to date are made by Clarisys.
Cellular phones are abundantly available in the United States. Cell phone companies will require credit card billing information. The performance of a cell phone is affected by a building’s concrete and reflective glass. Testing different cellular phone services is advised before making long-term contracts for those services.
Back to Top
Electric service: Each year some international students have trouble with the process that starts the electric company service. There is only one electric company and it is called Commonwealth Edison or ComEd. In order to establish an account and get electricity at your apartment, you need a Social Security Number or other identification, and you need to give ComEd your information including your new address. ComEd’s Internet address is http://www.exeloncorp.com. Choose ComEd and then Customer Service. ComEd’s telephone number is 800-334-7661.
ComEd asks that the person named on the account call to start service. If the account will be in the name of the husband, the husband must call. The electric utility will not start service if another family member calls instead.
Back to Top
Bank account in the United States: You will probably want an account at an Evanston bank or another United States bank so that you are able to pay bills with checks in U.S. dollars. Visiting the bank in person is the easiest way to start your account. At the bank, you will talk to a bank staff person who helps new customers start new accounts.
The new account forms will probably not take very long; the bank staff person will help you. The bank might ask for your visa and information about you, including your new address. The Park Evanston sees very few problems for students when starting new bank accounts.
Back to Top
Insurance for your car or truck: If you buy or lease an automobile for your use while studying in the United States, you need automotive insurance. The state of Illinois can arrest you for driving without insurance. Punishment can be a fine or it could also be a jail sentence. Getting insurance for a car you obtain in the United States should be simple. You will need to provide the vehicle identification number (VIN), the license plate number (on the back and front of the car), a description of the vehicle and information about yourself, including your address in the United States.
Back to Top
Where to shop for furniture, insurance and other needs: Friends and people you meet at Northwestern University will give good advice about where to buy everything from a bed to laundry service. At your request, The Park Evanston will send a list of Evanston merchants, including coffee shops, restaurants, insurance providers, computer stores, and places of worship. You can contact the managers at The Park Evanston / 1630 Chicago Ave. / Evanston, IL 60201 / USA. Phone: 847-733-1630, or visit: www.parkevanston.com.
Back to Top
Reserving an apartment: Choosing a place to live before school begins can protect you from struggling as other students compete with you for a smaller and smaller supply of good apartments. You can examine Evanston housing options with the help of Northwestern University, by reviewing the advertisements in the Evanston newspapers (www.pioneerlocal.com and www.evanstonroundtable.com) and by contacting apartment building owners such as The Park Evanston, www.parkevanston.com, tel. 847-733-1630. If you choose to rent a room from Evanston residents, you might share your common areas, bathrooms, and some bills with a family or any other roommates.
In an apartment at The Park Evanston, you will have a doorman, 24-hour security, and features such as a swimming pool, exercise facility, office center (computers, fax, and meeting room) in addition to the apartment that is your private residence. Most property owners, including The Park Evanston, will require information from you about your ability to meet the financial terms of your apartment lease. You will be asked for references from your bank. If your visit to the United States will be underwritten (paid for) by your family or by a grant from an agency, the apartment owner will most likely require references from the sponsoring family member’s bank and employer.
Back to Top
Privacy in your apartment: The manager of your apartment will try very hard to respect your wishes. Some practices of your country may be different from the way Americans behave in one another’s home, so you can help the manager by explaining your wishes. For example, some students from Asian countries do not wish anyone to enter their apartment. Others ask that visitors remove their shoes, a practice that is not as common in the United States as it is in other parts of the world.
At The Park Evanston, the managers will tell you 48 hours before the times a worker visits the apartment for any purpose. The managers try to please residents by scheduling such visits at times when the resident can be present. However, in the event of an emergency, a Park Evanston manager may enter your apartment to solve any problem as soon as possible.
Back to Top
Speaking English and other languages: Though your knowledge of English may be very good, you may still want conversation and help from people who speak your native language. Northwestern University’s International Office will help you with such requests. You will enjoy shopping in Evanston and the Chicago area for things you and your family need. You can learn how to use the library on the campus and the Evanston Public Library located near the campus in Evanston’s town center. You can contact the Northwestern University International Office at 630 Dartmouth Place, Evanston, IL, tel. 847-491-5613, www.northwestern.edu/international.
There are additional ways to meet and speak with people who know your native language and may be from your country. You are likely to find other residents and students who are living in Evanston while studying or working. International visitors enjoy meeting one another. Managers at the Park Evanston apartment building can help you meet building residents from all over the world; the international groups, along with friends invited from other places in Evanston and Chicago, often gather for meals and social activities.
You can contact the managers at the Park Evanston, 1630 Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA, tel. 847-733-1630, www.parkevanston.com. In addition, many Americans are learning foreign languages and, if you are willing, you may be approached by people who want to speak with you and learn from you. In the same way, Americans will be pleased to help you gain skill in speaking English. People you meet in Evanston and at Northwestern University will want to know you and your country. They will want you to enjoy being in the United States.
Back to Top
DISCLAIMER
These International Student suggestions and information are not guaranteed to be current, complete, accurate or adequate. Users of The Park Evanston Web site should verify the accuracy, completeness, applicability and adequacy of all International Student suggestions and information on this page.
THE PARK EVANSTON, JPI AND NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY make no warranties or representations as to the International Student suggestions and information’s accuracy, unavailability, completeness or timeliness. THE PARK EVANSTON, JPI AND NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY specifically disclaim any liability or responsibility for any errors and/or omissions in these International Student suggestions and information. All information is subject to change without notice. Visitors should read The Park Evanston Web site’s complete Terms & Conditions as well as Privacy Policy.
When you arrive in the United States and come to your apartment in
Evanston, IL, USA, you will find this guide useful. Managers at the
Park Evanston apartment building say that international students at
The Park Evanston often need help with these questions:
Student Visa
Social Security Number
Telephone service
Electric service
Bank account in the United States
Insurance for your car or truck
Where to shop for furniture, insurance and other needs
Reserving an apartment
Privacy in your apartment
Speaking English and other languages
Student Visa: By the time you arrive in the United States, your F-1 or J-1 student visa and the credentials of your family members should be in order. If someone in your family plans to live with you in the United States, they will probably get their own SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019. In order for the International Office to issue your dependents a form I-20 or DS-2019, you should write them on your visa request packet, and show sufficient financial support. Once they get their form, your dependents can apply for dependent status (F-2 or J-2) at the U.S. consulate or the embassy abroad.
Instructions on the Web site of Northwestern University’s International Office, tel. 847-491-5613, www.northwestern.edu/international, are: After you are accepted to Northwestern, the admitting office for your program will send you many items: one item will be your International Student Visa Document Request Packet (ISVDR). The ISVDR has most of the information that the International Office needs to make your I-20 or DS-2019. You should fill in all blanks on the ISVDR, including complete financial information. Failure to do so may delay your visa document. After you have completed the ISVDR, send it to the admitting office for your program – do not send it to the International Office.
Your admitting office will read your information, and then they will send the packet to the International Office. When they receive your request, they will process your I-20 or DS-2019 within three weeks. As soon as your visa document is complete, they will call your department or admitting office to pick it up. They will send it to you by Federal Express (FedEx) or DHL. Please DO NOT call or write to ask the International Office when your visa document will be generated – instead, call your admitting office to ask if they have received your information and sent it to the International Office.
Contact the International Office ONLY if there is an error on your visa document, or if you have questions about choosing the proper visa. In either of these cases, e-mail your question to intoff@northwestern.edu. If you need another copy of the ISVDR, or if you did not get your packet from your admitting office, download the PDF file from
http://www.northwestern.edu/international/forms/index.html
You can get more help from the International Office of Northwestern University, www.northwestern.edu/international. Also, you will probably get help from your country’s consulate and from the consulate of the United States. After you arrive in the United States, the Chicago Consulate of your country can help you. The Kellogg School of Management Web site has the addresses and telephone numbers of Chicago consulate offices. You might want to give your e-mail address to the International Office, www.northwestern.edu/international so that you receive notes about meetings and other news that will help you maintain your status and documents for living in the United States.
Back to Top
Social Security Number: Having a Social Security Number (SSN) will simplify many applications a new resident must complete for services in the United States. To open any bank account or apply for a US credit card, you will probably need to get a Social Security Number. In order to get a Social Security Number, you need to visit the Northwestern University International Office at 630 Dartmouth Place, Evanston, IL and ask for the necessary documents from the school.
After you have the paperwork from the International Office, you can head to the Social Security Office, at 2116 Green Bay Rd. in the Walgreen’s Plaza in Evanston, or phone 1-800-772-1213 or 847-328-2208. You need to take these documents when you apply: passport, I-20 or IAP-66, I-94, and a letter from the International Office in addition to the application form. Your Social Security Number will be sent to you by mail in about 10 days.
Back to Top
Telephone service: Before you can start an account so that you can make phone calls anywhere in the world as well as in Evanston, the telephone company will require two pieces of identification such as your passport and your visa. If the telephone company SBC requires identification from you, the company will instruct you to send copies by facsimile to a national verification center. The process will take two days and the SBC office will contact you at the telephone number you provide in the Evanston area.
On the other hand, the telephone company may have your records from your home country. If so, you will not have to provide the identification documents by facsimile and you may be able to begin telephone service quickly.
You can choose from different telephone companies and decide which services and prices are best for you; but the apartment building might have one telephone company as the preferred provider. Choosing the preferred provider – SBC at the Park Evanston, for example – makes it easier to start telephone service. After you choose phone service and start your account, you can use the service for phone calls and for Internet connections. The 800 number for establishing phone services with SBC is 800-244-4444.
Your telephone options include landline phone service over wires that connect your residence to the telephone company’s wired network, Internet-based service, and cellular phone service.
Phone service with a landline such as SBC provides cannot begin immediately. If you plan to use landline service, be sure and place the landline service order 60 days in advance of your move-in date.
Some buildings, including The Park Evanston apartments, will let you use Internet-based telephone service. Many international students like Internet –based phone service because of the lower cost and because you can keep the same telephone number. An Internet phone service works with a telephone that connects to the USB port on any computer connected to the Internet. Internet phone services are handled through credit card billings through companies like: www.iconnecthere.com. The Park Evanston has tested Internet phones and finds the best models to date are made by Clarisys.
Cellular phones are abundantly available in the United States. Cell phone companies will require credit card billing information. The performance of a cell phone is affected by a building’s concrete and reflective glass. Testing different cellular phone services is advised before making long-term contracts for those services.
Back to Top
Electric service: Each year some international students have trouble with the process that starts the electric company service. There is only one electric company and it is called Commonwealth Edison or ComEd. In order to establish an account and get electricity at your apartment, you need a Social Security Number or other identification, and you need to give ComEd your information including your new address. ComEd’s Internet address is http://www.exeloncorp.com. Choose ComEd and then Customer Service. ComEd’s telephone number is 800-334-7661.
ComEd asks that the person named on the account call to start service. If the account will be in the name of the husband, the husband must call. The electric utility will not start service if another family member calls instead.
Back to Top
Bank account in the United States: You will probably want an account at an Evanston bank or another United States bank so that you are able to pay bills with checks in U.S. dollars. Visiting the bank in person is the easiest way to start your account. At the bank, you will talk to a bank staff person who helps new customers start new accounts.
The new account forms will probably not take very long; the bank staff person will help you. The bank might ask for your visa and information about you, including your new address. The Park Evanston sees very few problems for students when starting new bank accounts.
Back to Top
Insurance for your car or truck: If you buy or lease an automobile for your use while studying in the United States, you need automotive insurance. The state of Illinois can arrest you for driving without insurance. Punishment can be a fine or it could also be a jail sentence. Getting insurance for a car you obtain in the United States should be simple. You will need to provide the vehicle identification number (VIN), the license plate number (on the back and front of the car), a description of the vehicle and information about yourself, including your address in the United States.
Back to Top
Where to shop for furniture, insurance and other needs: Friends and people you meet at Northwestern University will give good advice about where to buy everything from a bed to laundry service. At your request, The Park Evanston will send a list of Evanston merchants, including coffee shops, restaurants, insurance providers, computer stores, and places of worship. You can contact the managers at The Park Evanston / 1630 Chicago Ave. / Evanston, IL 60201 / USA. Phone: 847-733-1630, or visit: www.parkevanston.com.
Back to Top
Reserving an apartment: Choosing a place to live before school begins can protect you from struggling as other students compete with you for a smaller and smaller supply of good apartments. You can examine Evanston housing options with the help of Northwestern University, by reviewing the advertisements in the Evanston newspapers (www.pioneerlocal.com and www.evanstonroundtable.com) and by contacting apartment building owners such as The Park Evanston, www.parkevanston.com, tel. 847-733-1630. If you choose to rent a room from Evanston residents, you might share your common areas, bathrooms, and some bills with a family or any other roommates.
In an apartment at The Park Evanston, you will have a doorman, 24-hour security, and features such as a swimming pool, exercise facility, office center (computers, fax, and meeting room) in addition to the apartment that is your private residence. Most property owners, including The Park Evanston, will require information from you about your ability to meet the financial terms of your apartment lease. You will be asked for references from your bank. If your visit to the United States will be underwritten (paid for) by your family or by a grant from an agency, the apartment owner will most likely require references from the sponsoring family member’s bank and employer.
Back to Top
Privacy in your apartment: The manager of your apartment will try very hard to respect your wishes. Some practices of your country may be different from the way Americans behave in one another’s home, so you can help the manager by explaining your wishes. For example, some students from Asian countries do not wish anyone to enter their apartment. Others ask that visitors remove their shoes, a practice that is not as common in the United States as it is in other parts of the world.
At The Park Evanston, the managers will tell you 48 hours before the times a worker visits the apartment for any purpose. The managers try to please residents by scheduling such visits at times when the resident can be present. However, in the event of an emergency, a Park Evanston manager may enter your apartment to solve any problem as soon as possible.
Back to Top
Speaking English and other languages: Though your knowledge of English may be very good, you may still want conversation and help from people who speak your native language. Northwestern University’s International Office will help you with such requests. You will enjoy shopping in Evanston and the Chicago area for things you and your family need. You can learn how to use the library on the campus and the Evanston Public Library located near the campus in Evanston’s town center. You can contact the Northwestern University International Office at 630 Dartmouth Place, Evanston, IL, tel. 847-491-5613, www.northwestern.edu/international.
There are additional ways to meet and speak with people who know your native language and may be from your country. You are likely to find other residents and students who are living in Evanston while studying or working. International visitors enjoy meeting one another. Managers at the Park Evanston apartment building can help you meet building residents from all over the world; the international groups, along with friends invited from other places in Evanston and Chicago, often gather for meals and social activities.
You can contact the managers at the Park Evanston, 1630 Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA, tel. 847-733-1630, www.parkevanston.com. In addition, many Americans are learning foreign languages and, if you are willing, you may be approached by people who want to speak with you and learn from you. In the same way, Americans will be pleased to help you gain skill in speaking English. People you meet in Evanston and at Northwestern University will want to know you and your country. They will want you to enjoy being in the United States.
Back to Top
DISCLAIMER
These International Student suggestions and information are not guaranteed to be current, complete, accurate or adequate. Users of The Park Evanston Web site should verify the accuracy, completeness, applicability and adequacy of all International Student suggestions and information on this page.
THE PARK EVANSTON, JPI AND NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY make no warranties or representations as to the International Student suggestions and information’s accuracy, unavailability, completeness or timeliness. THE PARK EVANSTON, JPI AND NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY specifically disclaim any liability or responsibility for any errors and/or omissions in these International Student suggestions and information. All information is subject to change without notice. Visitors should read The Park Evanston Web site’s complete Terms & Conditions as well as Privacy Policy.