An internship guide to the USA- the dream destination!
What comes to your mind first when anybody asks you in which foreign country you would wish to intern? Every Indian from childhood dreams of going to ‘Amrica’. The United States of America is one of the most powerful and influential nations of the world today. It is known across the globe for its world- class institutions like the Harvard, MIT, Stanford and many more. It has become a “melting pot” of cultures from around the world with Indians being in majority to migrate to the USA. Once you reach the States, you will not feel away from home! Also remember that it is not a land of television and the movies. It is large, complex, and diverse, with several distinct regional identities.
Get-in requirements: Technically students going for internships need to apply for student Visa (J1). To obtain a visa, face-to-face interviews at the nearest US embassy or consulate are required. Students Visa doesn’t come under Visa Waiver Program as it covers tourism or business purposes only. The visa application fee is a non-refundable $160 for visas that are not issued on the basis of a petition and $190 for those that are. For more details, you can visit this official link- http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/study-exchange.html
Major Airports: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu are the primary points of entry from Asia. Seattle and Portland (Oregon) have a few international flight options. Of course, if you arrive in Honolulu, you must take another flight to get to the mainland.
Climate: The USA has four seasons the spring (April – June), the summer (July- September), the winter (October-December), and the fall (January – March). For the entire United States, excluding Hawaii and Alaska, the spring season averages 52.0 °F (11.1 °C) which is much lower than the average temperature of India.
People and Work ethics: Americans are believed to be friendly and open. They are socially liberal and they believe in partying hard. Most of the people you will meet in US will be overweight but they love their lifestyle which may seem pretty odd to few of us. The Americans are very hardworking but at the same time are very flexible about their working hours. Usually, people work 8 hours per day.
American Food: Fast, junk, processed — when it comes to American food, these are the best words to describe it. Americans love everything from French fries to hamburger to hot dog. Many of the famous food chains we have today in India are originally from the USA. As almost every student has a fad for fast food, you will have great food time in the USA.
Things you got to do when you are in the US: There are tourist destinations, ranging from the skyscrapers of Manhattan and Chicago, to the natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska, to the warm, sunny beaches of Florida, Hawaii and Southern California.
1. Try your luck at Las Vegas: From gambling to shopping, and fine dining to entertainment, Las Vegas is one of America’s most charming cities. Dubbed as ‘The Entertainment Capital of the World’, you must give your destiny a chance to become richer without efforts!
2. Totally dripping and oozing, the White House: Not just the home to the President but it is a symbol of the national pride.
3. Visit the Chocolate Town –aka Hershey, Pennsylvania – is one of the sweetest places to visit in the USA.
4. Visit the Theme Parks: The USA has got world class theme parks like the Disneyland, the Universal Studio. I am sure you are going to regret if you don’t visit a theme park in the States.
Facts to be known about the country:
1. In USA, almost all the transactions are done by card payment. Literally nobody carries cash in the country.
2. Use as many slangs as you know: Americans are obsessed with superlatives. They love using slangs like omg, AWESOME, and a lot more which you may have seen in any American t.v. series.
3. Don’t use the word “white” : People in the States are socially conservative and very sensitive about racial and religious topics.
4. Traveling in the USA can be expensive and the public transport in the country is not up to the mark. You will see cars cars cars everywhere on the roads with the footpaths being almost vacant. People use their own cars to go anywhere, be it a shop in the neighborhood.
Note: Security at U.S. airports is known to be onerous, especially during busy holiday travel periods. Allow plenty of time and pack as lightly as possible.
The dream country of almost every Indian has an unforgettable internship to offer to you with lot of future opportunities. Have you interned in the United States of America ever? Do you have anything else to add in? Comment in your views and information about the USA and help other interns gain a better knowledge of this great country. And in case you are looking for an internship for yourself in USA, find it here – http://internshala.com/internships/international-internship
Credits –
1. Parts of the above article have been reproduced or rephrased from below websites :
- http://wikitravel.org/en/United_States_of_America,
- http://travel.allwomenstalk.com/, and
- http://travel.cnn.com/
2. Image Sources: http://www.discoveramerica.com, http://www.lacitytours.com, http://www.1zoom.net, http://www.cits.com.cn, http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu, http://www.concierge.com/, and http://www.openscience.com
