What to Pack
Don’t want to pack all that much?
You can order items for your dorm online before arriving and have them delivered to campus. Many students will order from Amazon.com or Target.com prior to arrival. You can have items delivered to
Washington College Your Name (no nicknames, please - use your name as it appears in Self Service) 300 Washington Avenue Chestertown, MD 21620-1197
Keep in Mind
A valid passport and a student visa that will enable you to enter the United States (F-1: I-20; J-1: DS-2019)
A completed immunization record (you may have arranged to complete it upon arrival)
Completion and submission of all the necessary forms required by the college
Confirmed travel arrangements to come to Washington College
| January: 0°C | July: 24°C |
| February: 1°C | August: 24°C |
| March: 6°C | September: 20°C |
| April: 11°C | October: 14°C |
| May: 17°C | November: 8°C |
| June: 22°C |
December: 2°C |
For orientation, you should make sure that you wear comfortable clothes that are appropriate for hot and humid weather and athletic shoes.
We are located along the Chester River, providing for plenty of moisture in the air. Summers are hot and sticky and winters are cold but relatively clear! We occasionally get light snowfall.
Start following the local weather forecast now!
If you are here during Spring semester, we recommend that you bring a formal set of clothes and also cultural clothes of some sort. During the spring semester we have Birthday Ball, which is a campus wide party celebrating George Washington’s birthday. We also have Culture Night which is a special event meant to demonstrate international cultures. This is a good chance for you to show your culture to America so bring something that represents your country like a national costume and/or specific music.
Unless your phone is tri-band, it’s not going to work in the United States. GSM coverage in Chestertown is scarce so it might turn out to be useless as a cell phone. But it can be used as an address book, alarm clock, digital camera, etc. bringing it won’t be a bad idea. Make sure you don’t forget the charger and that the charger’s voltage is U.S. compatible.
You can purchase prepaid cell phones in the United States. During Orientation there will be a representative from Verizon Wireless on campus to help you get a US phone; Verizon Wireless also has a store in town near the campus.
Many of our students have also had success setting up their US phone through Mint Mobile.
For more detailed information regarding Washington College computer use, telephone service, etc., check out the International Student Handbook.
If you’re thinking about buying a new laptop computer, it might be helpful to check out the Help Desk’s Computer Recommendations Page.