PC TECH staff member Tamila offers her suggestions for your time in New York City:

How much money should you bring with you when you come to the United States?  This question concerns many people who are planning to come to America.  Of course, the more you bring, the better!  Speaking practically though, using some simple calculations will help you to estimate how much money you will need during your stay here.

1. The first thing that you should keep in mind is where you are planning to live.  The amount of rent depends on what part of New York you want to live.  Rent is much higher in Manhattan, on average costing you around $2000 for a one-bedroom apartment.  In Brooklyn and Queens, the same type of apartment could cost you somewhat less.  If you go even farther, for example to New Jersey, the rent will often be even lower, averaging around $800-$950 per month for the same size apartment).  Consider the option of living with a roommate: this way you will save even more.
2. If you decide to live in NYC, there is no need to buy or rent a car, since public transportation here is very convenient.  Besides, the idea of spending hours in constant traffic would probably not sound attractive to you (unless you would love to spend half of your day in your own car!).  Buy a monthly MetroCard for $112 and use it as many times as you want!
3. The food in New York City can be relatively cheap, based on my experience.  However, the money you spend on it will depend on what type of food you choose.  For example, eating fast food (caution: unhealthy, not recommended!), such as hamburgers and French fries; will cost you around $200-$300 per month.  Eating better quality food will cost you around $500 per month. Your choice.
4. A mobile-phone connection is very important, especially nowadays. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on it, simply buy a prepaid card that will cost you around $40-$60 a month.
5. Now we have come to a very important topic: CLOTHING!  Here in New York, all of us are lucky.  Compared to other countries, clothes in the United States are very affordable.  If you want to save money, you might want to compare prices at stores like Century 21, Aeropostale, H&M, and JC Penney.
6. Regular spending: let’s add extra money that you may spend on things like a haircut, gym membership, entertainment, etc.  This is may be additional $80-$100 or more a month.
7. Other expenses may include money that you might spend on different activities, such as visiting museums or dining at restaurants (don’t eat at fancy ones very often though!).

Knowing how much money you might spend on each of these items can help you to calculate how much you should bring when you come to the United States. Hope this information helps!

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

1. When you hail (wave for) a taxi, make sure the cab’s light is on.    Many people wave their hands trying to get a taxi and feel frustrated when so many cabs pass them   by.  If a taxi’s light is on, this means it is available.

2. If you want to go to a Museum in NY, find out when there is a free day.  For example:  The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is free on Fridays from 4PM to 8PM.

3. A MetroCard (card for transportation) can be used on the subway and on buses.  You can transfer for free from the subway to the bus and from the bus to the subway.

4. If you go to a restaurant, tipping is advised and expected.  At an average restaurant, an 18% tip is suggested.  At a more expensive restaurant or for superior service, you should tip 20%.   People from countries outside of the U.S. are not accustomed to tipping.  Example:

My foreign friend took me to dinner in NYC and did not tip.  The waitress
came over and said to me, “Was something wrong?”  I said “Why?”  She
said, “Well you didn’t leave a tip.”  “Oh,” I said, “that’s because my friend’s
from a foreign country.  I’ll let him know.”

5.  Most celebrities feel very comfortable in NYC because they can come and go without
being fussed over.  It is a good idea if you refrain from staring at or screaming at them,
or running over to them.

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

If there is one piece of information every student coming to New York should know is that ‘The City’ is expensive. Forget about what you thought expensive meant as New York simply blows almost all other cities out of the water when it comes to high prices. Of course income is high and the job market is well remunerated, but for someone new to the city with no clear job situation the first couple of weeks/months can be pretty rough.

Here are a few money management tips to make sure you don’t spend every precious penny you have or earn on the finer things the city offers.

Don’t live in Manhattan

While Manhattan if renowned the world over for its cultural and entertainment opportunities, it is extremely expensive to live in. A short subway ride to Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx can literally cut your rent in half while offering less traffic, less noise and a more functional neighborhood with more shopping options.

Get A Roommate

If you want to cut down on rent even more, getting a roommate can be a great idea. You will save money by splitting the bills and you can even buy food together. Getting a roommate or two can also be a great way to make friends if you’re new to the city.

The Subway is the Best Option

Forget about buying a car or taking cabs. The subway is the best way to travel efficiently in New York both in terms of money as well as time. An unlimited monthly Metro Card costs just over $100 and beats every other travel option on the market.

Always Carry Some Cash

A lot of neighborhood stores have a minimum of $10 dollars shopping when you choose to pay with a card so even if you’re a card fan, save yourself the hassle of buying something you didn’t need and carry at least $20 in your wallet.

Get Internet, Don’t Get Cable

Don’t spend money you don’t have on expensive cable deals. Every show you want to watch plus countless other entertainment options are available online and you’ll probably need an internet connection for schoolwork anyway so try to avoid cable.

Two Words. Pizza Slice.

Dollar pizza slices are probably the cheapest food next to ramen you can get in NYC. They are delicious and a great snack as well, so make sure you find a good pizza place near the school, your place of work, or where you live.

Forget about Bottled Water, Drink Tap Instead

New York gets its water from upstate through a recently finished and ultra-modern aqueduct, ensuring that the Big Apple gets some of the freshest water in the country. So forget expensive bottled water and drink straight from the tap.

If You Must Eat Out, Do It For Lunch Not Dinner

While eating out is not necessarily the best idea if you’re trying to save a buck or two there are some incredible offers for daytime eating. Lunch menu offers and inexpensive sushi to name two. Make sure you make your schedule work around your lunchtime habit.

New York is an amazing city where culture, entertainment, business and education meet to offer one of the best living standards in the world. In such a busy and diverse environment the most valuable commodity is time. With so many job, school, and entertainment opportunities, having enough time to do them all is a real balancing act. So to save your precious time and give you some great tips when it comes to living efficiently in the big city, we have put together this list.

Know Where To Find Free Wi-Fi

While a high speed internet connection is practically essential in the world we live in today, knowing where a good free Wi-Fi hotspot is located can make a huge impact on your life. In case of a power shortage or internet connection problems at home, knowledge of a hotspot can make the difference between an on-time delivered homework or project and a failed class.

Never Pay Full Price For Tickets To Museums

Most museums in New York have events or weekends where donation based admission will allow you to visit them for free. Certain banks also offer free entry to certain museums or theatres if you get their card. As a student there are a large number of discounts or free admission opportunities throughout the city. To find out more about these offers check out the flyers offered near New York University.

Learn How To Efficiently Redecorate

Living in New York as a student probably means that you are living in a small apartment. If it helps you to pay a smaller rent you shouldn’t hesitate to get a tiny studio or apartment especially considering the new design ideas and technology that allows you to make the most out of your small space. There are many online resources where you can find inspiration, however, consider ceiling to floor shelves, a camouflaged bed, and vertical storage, maybe even a mezzanine solution if your apartment or studio allows it.

When You Go For A Drink, Buy A Bottle

Once in New York it is inevitable to go out for a drink or two with your classmates, roommates or new friends. To save money make sure you always order bottles, especially if you go out in a large group. For example a bottle of whiskey will end up costing a little under what you would pay for two average mixed drinks. This method is particularly effective if you go out with two or more friends. Or even better BYOB ‘Bring your own bottle’ if you are dining out, as many restaurants in the city offer this service, with a small corking fee attached.

Schedule Your Shopping and Avoid Browsing In The Meantime

New York City has one of the largest offers of goods in the world, making any shopping trip as delightful as it is stressful. To make sure you don’t waste too much time or money when you go shopping try to plan large shopping trips once a month or weekly, depending on your schedule. In the meantime try to avoid window shopping or browsing excessively as you will certainly end up making at least a small purchase. Also try to go shopping during times when there are large sales or discount offers.

New York is famed the world over for its amazing mix of cultures and ethnicities. The five boroughs of New York are populated with a diverse group of people that give the entire city a unique charm and an unparalleled cultural depth.

From Chinatown and the rich middle-eastern influence of Queens to leading companies and corporations in every imaginable field and to the thousands of foreign students coming to New York each year to take advantage of the rich opportunities in education and employment, the city is and always has been a cultural magnet.

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Deciding to take the ESL exams and the necessary learning process is a huge part of learning English. But just making the decision to study hard isn’t enough. A careful student will want to find the school that best suits his or her needs. This means that every student should check to see if a school is compatible with their interests. Things like schedule, the location of the school, the instructors, material and teaching methods should rank pretty high when researching a school.

To save you time we’ve compiled a list with the main focus points any student should look over before choosing the perfect school to learn English in New York.

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If you’re going to be travelling to New York City you will probably want to know what to expect weather wise. So make sure you bring a full suitcase if you will be staying for a longer period as New York experiences every season and every type of weather, from scorching hot to freezing cold and everything in between. Officially, New York’s climate is humid-subtropical, making the northernmost big city in the United States a four season city with the coldest month being January and the hottest July. This can be a blessing or a curse depending on what type of weather you prefer.

The city gets at least 234 days with sunshine, with an estimated 2800 hours of sunshine per year. Winters, as surely most people currently visiting the city know, can get pretty intense, ranging from mildly cold and damp, to raging blizzards and snowstorms.  The lowest temperature recorded was -15 degrees Fahrenheit (-26 degrees Celsius) and was registered in 1934 while the hottest was recorded two years later in 1936 and measured up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).

Generally, temperatures in winter range from 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) to 38 degrees Fahrenheit (4.5 degrees Celsius) while the summer average temperature is somewhere around 84.1 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius). Summers are reasonably hot without shocking changes of temperature; however, humidity can be a problem.

While the weather is generally mild with few extreme temperatures, hurricanes or huge snowfalls do tend to happen. Last winter’s heavy snowfall, also known as Winter Storm Nemo or The Blizzard of 2013, was one of the city’s most violent resulting in plane cancellations, a state of emergency and several days of closed schools and other public institutions.

This year’s winter storms are also quite harsh, with blizzards and heavy snowfall causing many flight cancellations and difficult driving conditions. With repeated storms that had an estimated 14 inches of snow each, New York had to dig itself out a number of times.

While the harsh winter weather can make life difficult it does come with a silver lining and that is the magical look that New York has when covered knee deep in snow. Central Park is the perfect destination for tourists as well as locals that want to enjoy the snow, however, Brooklyn Bridge Park or Bryant Park are also delightful this time of year. The weather also makes an average walk through the city an unforgettable experience as Beaux-Art buildings get a magical look due to the snow covered decorations that really bring out the city’s innate beauty.

The ingenuity of New Yorkers is also a fun treat and possibly a great photo opportunity as people on cross-country skies, snow adapted bicycles or improvised, dog-pulled sleighs can be seen across the city.

So if there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s that regardless of season, New York is tough enough to make even the harshest weather conditions work in its favor.