Packing Tips with Program Alumni, Shuai Chen!
I've been in the US for more than a semester, time flies in the blink of an eye when I look back. There are things I didn’t bring with me when I first arrived, like a compatible smartphone, so I had to buy a new one that works in the US. According to my personal experience, here’s a brief list of what you should bring and not bring from China to the US.
Should not bring:
Heating appliances: Don’t bring any heating appliance like a hair dryer, electric blanket, and electric kettle since there’s a different working voltage between the US(110v) and China(220v). The heating appliances from China cannot work normally with only half the voltage supply.
Certain kinds of medicines: Traditional medicines made from animal organs, or with ingredients including strychnine, ephedrine, and morphine can’t be brought to the US. For any sort of medicine you are going to bring, keep it in the original case in case of casual inspection by customs officers. Also, you’d better not bring medicines not exceeding the amount of personal use. Keep in mind that the doctor’s prescription should be carried with your prescription medicines.
Chinese Android smartphones: All the iPhone now sold in the US only supports the eSIM, which means the physical SIM card tray has been removed totally. Besides, if you are using an Android smartphone made by a Chinese technology company, it’s likely to have a 3G signal here even though you’ve applied for a 5G plan due to incompatibility. In my opinion, buy an iPhone in China. With a general background of the exchange rate from CNY to USD rising, some products (especially shoes and digital devices) in China sold on shopping days like June 18th or November 11th may have a lower price than the US.
What you should bring or prepare:
Campus Housing: This is not something you can bring from China, it’s just a recommendation on choosing a residence place when you first come to the US. You’d better choose a dormitory as your first residence place in the US, for the price of most houses or apartments for renting before the beginning of a semester, then find a new place other than campus at the end of the semester and find more good choices and meet a better price.
Clothing: It’s more recommended to buy clothes and then ship them here if you are not as tall and strong as most Americans. (Mostly because the size of clothes in the US do not fit you, either you will see long sleeves with a fit size or fit sleeves with oversize. A good way to ship things or stuff from China is to find some friends with the same requirements so that you can share the shipping fee and save some money.
Things that are cheaper or can only be bought in China (including but not limited to): smartphone cases, screen protectors, smartphone chargers and charging cables, thermal underwear, daily necessities that can be used for a long time such as washing bags (protect delicate clothes), wall hooks.
- Shuai Chen, GHP @ NCSU