What happened in Boston was a shocking tragedy, and our empathies go out to all those who were killed and injured and to their families. Unfortunately, this is the era we live in now and uncertainties are part of life. Nevertheless, these incidents will not deter people from travelling and exploring the world. We would, however, advise travellers to be cognizant of their surroundings and to exercise more caution.

Things may go wrong and unforeseen incidents and mishaps can occur anywhere, anytime, as it happened in Boston, but you must be prepared to face them. Also keep in mind that travel medical insurance is obligatory if you are planning a trip overseas whether to meet a relative or to spend some leisure time. In fact, you can overcome the pain and financial strain if you have an international health insurance policy handy. With travel medical insurance, you can be covered against emergency evacuation, medical expenses incurred on injury received during your trip, an accident, trip interruption or cancellation, loss of passport and wallet, misplaced luggage, inability to seek assistance in the event of natural disaster, and other such potential risks.

Benefits of Travel Medical Insurance
It is indispensable for you to have comprehensive travel medical insurance program to have your overseas trip covered against the unexpected. Such policies offer innumerable benefits to the policyholder, including emergency evacuation, repatriation benefits, lost baggage benefits, accident medical insurance, illness insurance, accident life insurance, natural disaster benefits, and limited trip cancellation.

You may get immediate assistance with arrangement of cash or any other bill settlement service from the insurance provider if you are a victim of theft overseas and have lost your wallet and other valuables.

You are rest assured that you would be protected in the event of emergency evacuation following a terror attack. Most travel insurance has international assistance and arrangements for emergency or medical evacuation of travellers.

Your travel health insurance policy offers you comprehensive financial protection against all kinds of risks during your overseas tour.

Thus, your travel medical insurance policy will cover you against all potential risks during your trip to ensure you enjoy quality time on your vacation and worry least about any likely risk. When you know you are covered against major possible risks, you can travel with peace of mind and enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

In order to enter US as a student, you are required to apply US Embassy or Consulate for a student visa. You can only submit an application for a visa once you are given the mandatory I-20 or DS – 2019 form from the institution you have been accepted to.
The below mentioned information is summarized to help you identify with the visa process.

Types of Visa
Primarily two types of student visas are available:
F-1 (Student Visa) –Students enrolled in a full-time academic or language program are required to apply for the F-1 visa. This visa allows students to stay in the US for the full time-span of their academic program and extra 60 days. F-1 students must continue a full-time course and finish their program before the expiry date mentioned on the I-20 form.

J-1 (Exchange Visitor Visa) – Students who require practical training which is not available in their home country and is directly related to complete their academic program are issued the J-1 visa. The J-1 visa compels the student to come back to their home country after the completion of their studies in the US for a minimum of two years, before being entitled to apply for an immigrant visa.

The laws and rules for international students entering to US are complex and should be appropriately looked into before applying for a student visa.

Visa Application Procedure
A candidate may submit an application for a student Visa not before 120 days of the registration date mentioned on the FORM I-20. If in case, the registration date has already been overdue or the applicant may not practically be able to arrive at the institution by the registration date, then the applicant is required to obtain an amended Form I-20 or a letter from the issuing institution stating by expected arrival date of the applicant.
Aspirants must apply at the US Embassy or Consulate with the required documents like:

1.  Copy of visa appointment
2.  Valid Passport
3.  A printed copy of the online filled Non-immigrant Visa Application (Form DS-160) form
4.  Applicant signed Form I-20 issued by the authorized official of the concerned institution
5.  Specified Passport size photograph
6.  Receipt of the Visa fee
7.  Evidence to prove the financial ability to cover the costs of the education and other involved maintenance

A place where management was born, US, is a land of dream achievement, of affluence and a life as you want it to be. Home to finest business schools, US, still remains renowned learning centre of choice for many Indian students looking for MBA from a foreign university.
Here is a list of preferred 5 management colleges in US:
1. Columbia Business School
With the focus to impart business education and specialized groundwork for undergraduate and graduate students, Columbia Business School was established in 1916. It has one of the most selective admission processes among top business schools. It is reckoned amongst the six Ivy League business schools. Columbia Business School offer MBA, Executive MBA, PhD programs, and some non-degree Executive Education programs for business managers and company executives.
2. Harvard Business School
The dream of every student who wishes to pursue MBA from the US is to get admission in Harvard Business School. It is consistently ranked amid the finest business schools in the US and the world. Harvard has a two year-fulltime MBA program, eight doctoral programs, and more than 80 executive education programs.
3. Stanford Graduate School of Business
Broadly regarded as one of the best business school in the world, Stanford has built an international reputation of the professional school based on its innovative programs. It offers two-year MBA Program, designed for business leaders, one-year Stanford Sloan Master’s Program for mid-career executives, PhD Program for academics, Executive Education programs for experienced managers, and Faculty research program.
4. Wharton School
Wharton School established in 1881 is the first collegiate school of business in the world. It provides education to undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, and doctoral students with 10 academic departments and 20 research centers. It tags-on an international approach in providing management study to students.
5. MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT was started with the aim to impart business training to engineers. MIT provides management education and cutting edge research options to the students from more than 60 countries. Here apprentice and faculty work in chorus with corporate partners to work out the real-world challenges.

Apart from the above mentioned institutes, there are many other recognized business colleges and universities renowned for quality management programs. The above list is not all inclusive. We will come back with the list of other important business schools in US. Whichever region you choose, you’re sure to find the right campus for you. Your journey to study in the United States begins today.

Life can be very exciting when you are able to earn your pocket money and don’t have to ask anyone else for basic expenses. Juggling from college to job every day and taking time out for self- study can soon suck up the initial excitement and make life stressful. If you feel tired most of the times, it is because you are so busy doing daily activities that you have stopped taking care of your health. Eating nutritious food at regular intervals with many glasses of water a day is what it takes to keep the energy level up and enthusiasm intact.

Try and incorporate some simple steps in your routine to feel the change:
1. Replace your morning cup of coffee with a glass of warm water with or without lemon juice. You’ll feel much fresh and re-energized by cutting down on caffeine drinks. It’s not easy to give up old habits, like we all say, easier said than done, but there is no harm trying.
2. Cut down on the over-the counter snack with a fruit or home prepared sandwich. These changes cannot happen overnight and you don’t have to worry if you are not being able to do it everyday. It takes time to change habits and once you observe your energy level better than before, that will be your driving force.
3. Sit and eat: Mealtimes are not part of job; they are your personal time to relax and chew on your food. Spending 15 to 20 minutes to sit down and eat your food doesn’t sound much, but is a very important investment in your health.
4. Drink lot of water and spend quality family time. Eating dinner together and talking about your day will make you feel happy.
5. Fresh and colorful veggies, soups and salads are great snack options for a healthy diet.

You don’t have to spend hours in kitchen to put together a tasty and healthy meal. Especially for people who hardly get any time in the day to do anything apart from study and work, just taking care of these simple things will make you feel healthier.

Knowing the happenings of the world through newspapers and media is essential for every person so that they are aware of where they live and what happens around. Nowadays with the growing demand of working in a diverse culture, knowledge of just the happenings is not enough. Also if you are going to be directly involved in jobs that contribute more to the country’s economy, a more deeper knowledge is required, to be successful. The course, “International Studies” offer such knowledge by providing an insight into various global societies, common problems that dominate politics and governments of various countries, ties and treaties that shape the relationships between countries, different cultures and languages. As the name “International Studies” suggests, to gain a better understanding of the subject, travelling becomes necessary. During this kind of travel, though we might possess a health coverage, it might not provide for emergency evacuation. This can be taken care of by possessing a medical evacuation repatriation insurance.

Earlier this course was integrated with the study of International Relations which focused more on inter-country relations. But with the emergence of International Studies as a separate subject of study, a deeper understanding of all the global issues affecting the nation could be achieved. This helps the students in understanding the real life situations and respond better. For those aspiring to get involved in politics, this course will definitely be a boon as it will throw light on various factors affecting the nation and help them handle the situations in a more intelligent way. It will also help them understand the culture and beliefs of their neighbouring countries and trading partners and help them build a harmonious relationship. International Studies also helps those involved in other fields by educating them on how to apply their knowledge of globalization and culture in an international environment because working in a foreign location is becoming more common and considered a part of the package.

Since travelling is an integral part of any career these days, we possess a basic health coverage by default. However in cases of extreme emergencies like a medical evacuation, possessing a medical evacuation repatriation insurance alone can help. It does not provide medical coverage but covers for medical evacuation and repatriation. This insurance can be availed by UTSA students enrolled on UTSA employee plan when he/she travels outside his/her home country.