Transportation:

There are not many options for public transport in Athens. Most people, including local students, have and use personal cars to get around. The two public transport options are the UGA Campus transit and the Athens Transit.

UGA Campus transit: Everything related to the UGA campus transit, including schedule and routes, can be found here.

Athens Transit system: Athens transit has about 19 bus routes throughout the city, inclusive of creative and unique options such as bike-and-ride, park-and-ride, half fair etc! UGA students are eligible for free bus rides as long as you present a valid UGA ID. If by chance you are not carrying your UGA ID with you, each bus ride will cost $1.75. Information related to this can be found here.

Both the campus bus system and county bus system are easy to navigate, convenient, and free for students. Uber is another service that might be useful in these cases if you can’t find a free ride.

If you are planning to travel around USA, you could take the Megabus and Southeastern Stages to various locations, such as Atlanta, NYC, Augusta, Charlotte etc!

Flying Chalks' tips:

• Athens public transport is not that well established, it is hard to get to places of interest without a car. Rent a car and go for a road trip!
• Make friends with local students who have cars so you can have easier access to grocery stores or errands you may need to run that are off campus or outside downtown Athens ;) 

Banking Services:

Only about half of incoming exchange students open an American bank account. More information regarding that will be given during orientation, but it is recommended to open an account with Bank of America if you decide to open an American account. To do so, go to the nearest Bank of America branch. You will need two of the following types of ID in addition to a physical US address to open an account:

• Foreign Passport with photo
• Foreign drivers license
• U.S. government-issued TIN
• Passport number and country of issuance
• Alien ID card number; or
• Number and country of issuance of any other government-issued document evidencing nationality or residence and bearing a photograph or similar safeguard

The Bank of America Core Checking Account has a Minimum opening deposit of $25 to start the account. The standard red Bank of America debit card that is issued for the account is a Mastercard.

Major Banks in USA:

1. Bank of America
   Home page: https://www.bankofamerica.com/
   Customer service:1- 800-432-1000
    
2. Wells Fargo
   Home page: https://www.wellsfargo.com/
   Customer service: 1-800-869-3557 
    
3. SunTrust
   Home page: https://www.suntrust.com/
   Customer service: 800.786.8787

Post Office Services:

The nearest post office is in downtown Athens at 115 E HANCOCK AVE STE 100
ATHENS, GA 30601-9998

To locate post offices, you can go to this website and insert your zip code.

Medical Services:

The United States probably has one of the best health care systems, but it is by far the most expensive in the world. As such, it is critical to have insurance before visiting a health care provider and all international scholars are required to be covered by adequate health insurance.

UGA offers the student mandatory plan. It consists of an accident and sickness insurance policy that provides coverage worldwide.  It includes diagnosis and treatment of illness, injury, or medical conditions, along with wellness benefits. Benefits include physician, hospital, surgical, pharmacy, behavioral health services (i.e., mental health / substance abuse), as well as legally-mandated benefits. Coverage under this plan is on a coverage-period basis and cannot be ended early.

To enroll, fill out the electronic enrollment form. Select “Enrollment Form”. Use your 9-digit student ID (81x) number and date of birth to access the Enrollment form. Once this enrollment form is submitted, a student’s coverage will be active in the United Healthcare Student Resources system and an ID card will be generated within 24-48 hours. Your coverage will not be active in the insurance company’s system until you complete this enrollment form. If you do not enroll before the deadlines, the university will complete the automatic enrollment process to enroll all mandated students who do not have an approved waiver request or who did not complete the Enrollment form. 

Students can access their insurance ID card electronically 24 hours a day through their United Healthcare My Account.  Create or log into your United Healthcare My Account at www.uhcsr.com/univofga. United Healthcare will not mail insurance cards unless a student requests one to be mailed through his/her My Account.

Students who are mandated to have coverage under the mandatory student health insurance plan may request to waive out of the mandatory plan if they have other acceptable health insurance coverage. To submit a waiver, go to this link and select “Waiver Form.” Use your 9-digit student ID (81x) number and date of birth to access the Waiver form. 

Questions about student health insurance may be directed to gshiplan@uga.edu or 706-542-2222. Questions concerning plan benefits or claims may be directed to United Healthcare Student Resources customer service at 866-403-8267.

There are two major hospitals and multiple clinics in Athens. You will also have access to the University Health Center (UHC), which is one of the best university health centers in the country. The UHC is located on east campus and can be reached via the UGA bus service. The clinic offers comprehensive medical services including but not limited to dermatology, dental, physical therapy, radiology, urgent care, pharmacy, and a women’s clinic. There are also counseling and psychiatric services students may access as well as health promotional services such as sexual health, tobacco use, and alcohol use. For more information, click here. 

Telecommunications:

If you will be staying in Athens for less than a year, a pre-paid phone is the best option because there is no contract to sign and you can pay the bill online each month using your debit card. Many different plans are available depending on how much you want to spend. To buy a pre-paid phone, visit the electronics section of a major retail store such as Walmart.

If you intend to stay in Athens for more than a year, you can sign a contract with a company such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile instead.

Walmart’s no contract (prepaid) phone offers: http://www.walmart.com/cp/no-contract-phones-plans/1072335

Flying Chalks' tip: International Student Life helps with this during orientation.

Weather:

Athens has mild winters and hot summers. Fall and spring are short, but beautiful. In the winter (from about December to February) temperatures usually range from 0°C to 12°C. Summer starts in May (until about September) and will see temperatures from 15°C to 33°C.

Athens experiences an average temperature of 17 °C.