⏱️ The Excitement and Tension as Departure Day Approaches | Update
Organizing six months of living expenses, budget for sister's visit, cash preparation before departure, and essential documents for opening an account at Bank of Hawaii, providing the most comprehensive reference for living expenses in Hawaii.
Student Insurance
Regarding international student insurance, the most important thing is to include repatriation, although it’s unclear what exactly “repatriation” covers.
To summarize, as an exchange student, I can only purchase option 2 or 4 to meet the registration requirements.
I initially thought buying insurance was just a matter of paying money, but it turns out… you can’t just buy it whenever you want. There are corresponding application times based on the semester for which you need insurance.
This is super strange because course selection restrictions should be lifted (before 12/3), but I see that the insurance for Spring 2026 won’t be available for purchase until 12/8?
It’s not a big deal, just that the insurance fee is slightly more expensive 🤏. I haven’t started recording previous expenses in a table, so I’ll begin organizing that today, to give everyone an idea of how much it costs to go abroad for an exchange for half a year (one semester).
The insurance options available for international students 2 and 4 are priced at 2057.46 USD and 2197.48 USD, respectively. The difference lies in whether dental insurance is included. I’m not sure what dental coverage entails, but based on my understanding of insurance, it probably won’t be very useful…? If there really is an issue, I’ll just return to Taiwan after six months and use Taiwan’s health insurance… right? After all, it’s a difference of 100 USD.
Housing Issues
The school website states that on 12/1, the first round of students assigned to housing will be notified. I’m not sure how this differs from NTU, and I’m worried that my ranking will be very low, leading to not being able to secure a dormitory later. I’m super nervous…
I haven’t received an offer… I’m going crazy…
So I emailed Housing Service to ask if students who did not receive the first round of housing assignments could know where they stand on the waitlist. I expected to be able to assess my chances of getting a dormitory.
The result… I received a very formal response,
“We will continue to release notifications, please keep a close eye on your inbox.
We cannot respond to your inquiry, please be patient, and we advise students who have not received any housing offers by 12/24 to seek off-campus accommodation.”
Uh… but this makes me anxious. The school suggests we arrive before 1/5, and I should start looking for a place on 12/24???
Maybe it’s a cultural difference? I feel like the time for house hunting and consideration is far from enough 💦
But there’s nothing I can do about it, just chill and stir-fry eggs.
Useful Communities
Fortunately, there are Taiwanese people studying for their PhDs at the University of Hawaii looking for roommates, and the rent is roughly within my budget, plus they have a rice cooker…
Although I considered waiting to see the school’s studio… the familiar environment is still more appealing to me…
Mainly, the rent for a private bathroom is just too expensive; an off-campus studio costs 2010 USD per month, no way, I really can’t do that.
Anyway, I’ve gained a lot of information about Taiwanese people in Hawaii! Here are some communities recommended by senior students～
FB Groups:
- Taiwanese Student Association at the University of Hawaii
- Taiwanese Student Association in Hawaii (BYU, HCC, HPU, KCC, UH)
- BYU-Hawaii: Taiwan Student Chapter
Instagram:
About Reducing Credits
Another point to mention is that I have been continuously receiving treatment at the mental health department and need to keep taking some medications (the kind of chronic prescriptions). In this situation, reducing credits is very necessary (especially since my English is still so poor…).
Before departure, medications are a major challenge for me. Do I really have to fly back to Taiwan just to get them for health insurance? Or can I just buy them out of pocket?
In the end, this question was also pointless to ask because it seems like controlled medications can’t be purchased 😅
Right before departure happened to coincide with NTU’s final exam week, which was extremely stressful, so I decided to apply for reduced credits. I can’t live like this!
Applying for reduced credits seems easier than I imagined, but it requires an English doctor’s note, and it appears that a formal diagnosis is not necessary (?).
The school provided a template:
Sample Template for Doctor's Letter/Note
[must be on doctor's office stationery and somewhere on the letter must include the address and contact information]
[date]
To Whom It May Concern:
[student full name] has a medical condition or illness for which I recommend a reduction in coursework down to [number] credits for [semester and year or specific start and end dates within the RCL semester].
Sincerely,
[doctor's signature]
[doctor's full name]