International Committee
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Committee Chairs,
Sara, Vanessa and Christiana
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The International Committee organizes activities to meet the needs of the international partners and their families. It serves as a resource for information and assistance for international partners. The International Committee's primary goals are to:
- Support international partners as they settle-in professionally, personally, socially, and psychologically during their stay in Charlottesville.
- Serve as a resource for information and assistance.
- Promote international culture and share different cultural backgrounds.
- Plan activities to help international partners integrate with other partners while helping them come together as a community.
Useful Information
Job Opportunities for International Partners: Denise Karaoli, the Assistant Director for International Programs and Opportunities in the Career Development Center, is open to helping international partners with visa questions and working permits. She can be reached at KaraoliD@darden.virginia.edu or 434-924-6748. Volunteer Opportunities in Charlottesville: Throughout the year there are a great number of volunteer opportunities at Charlottesville. Since the majority of international students hold a VISA that does not allow working in the US, these volunteering activities have traditionally been very interest ways to keeping in touch with your professional skills while helping the community. If you want further information, you can contact the Community Service Committee. Studying at UVA: If you are interested in academic opportunities at UVA, make sure your VISA allows you to enroll an American School. Notice the application process may take several months. Moreover, UVA will ask you to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) should your mother tongue not be English, and some other tests depending on the type of studies you are interested in (GRE, GMAT...). The Continuing Studies School at UVA offers non-credit courses. Partners with VISA type F2 can enroll these courses. Credit: Car / Transportation: You can buy a car through a dealer or from an individual. The local newspaper lists advertisements for cars for sale by individuals http://www.dailyprogress.com. The University also provides University Transportation Service on-campus and off-campus. It is convenient since it is hard to park in some areas of the University. Housing: Refer to the housing information on the DPA web site. Review the terms of the rental contract carefully, since they might differ from your home country’s practice. Driver's License / Photo ID: In the U.S. it is the official personal identification. Refer to http://www.dmvnow.com/. It is necessary to pass two tests to obtain an ID - one written and one practical. Ask for help from Marsh Pattie, Director of Student Affairs.
Language: All Darden partners are invited to attend FREE Cultural Meetings. These meetings are held weekly at Darden, check the Calendar of Events for dates and times. Our goal is to promote a discussion on several subjects interesting to all partners. Partner's home culture is appreciated and US culture is discussed. This is the most popular activity of the International Committee. Everyone that enjoys a good conversation is welcome. There are also many opportunities to attend English as a Second Language classes. See this document for more information.
Medical Insurance: Medical care is very expensive, so it is vital that families purchase individual insurance plans if you will not have one through an employer. Full-time students are required by the University to enroll in an insurance plan; many options are available: Provided by UVA and Darden and by a variety of insurance companies, or international student associations in the U.S. Carefully review the fee and coverage of the contract. - Entertainment:
- You can always find activities at UVA through on-line student calendar. There is also information about things to do in the Relocation section of the DPA web site.
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