Accommodation
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Hotel: $70-150 per night
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First Month’s Apartment Rent: $350-1200
Furniture and Household Supplies
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Mattress (including box spring and frame): $250-500, new.
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Other Furniture (bookshelf, desk, chair, couch): $200-400, used.
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Household Supplies (microwave, TV): $100-300, used.
Refundable Deposits (if you don’t have a Social Security Number)
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Duke Energy: $200
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Secured Credit Card: the deposit depends on the credit limit you want. $300-500
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Cell Phone: $400 (for Verizon in-store applications)
Car Expenses (see attachment on How to buy a car)
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Car Rental: $70-150 per week
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Used Car Purchase: at least $2500, Medium quality $3500-5000, A bit nicer $6000-10000
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Car Insurance: if this is your first time with a driver’s license in the US, you’ll be treated as a new driver and will get a new driver rate. Rates also vary by type of car. Generally, for 6-months of car insurance, Liability costs $800-1500 and Comprehensive Coverage costs $1500-3000.
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Mechanics Check (before purchasing a used car): $30-60
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Annual Car Inspection (required in North Carolina): $30
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License Plates and Registration: varies by car, $150-250/year
Other Monthly Expenses ($/month)
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Cable: $50
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Internet: $20-35
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Landline Telephone: $30
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Water+Trash+Sewer: $15
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Electricity: $70-80 in winter/summer, $40-50 in spring/fall
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Gas: varies by car and use, $60-120
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Cell Phone: $40-90 (varies by phone and service)
SECTION 4 – CELL PHONES & LAPTOPS
CELL PHONES
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“Mobile Phones”, “Calling Cards”, “Landlines” handouts from International House provide useful information http://ihouse.studentaffairs.duke.edu/resources/handouts/telecommunications.html
ALL students should note that many cell phone carriers do not provide good coverage at Fuqua. Verizon
provides good coverage and is the most common choice at Fuqua. This is important to consider, given that
your calls to most classmates will be free – they will not count against your allotted minutes, because calls
within the network of the same company are free.
You need a Social Security Number (SSN) to apply for a cell phone. But if you DO NOT have one, you have
the following options:
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The Duke Office of Information Technology (OIT) offers group plans with Verizon and Alltel for students only. It has special rates, you don’t need a cash deposit and it only requires a 1-year contract. Once you get your Duke Unique ID, you can apply online before your arrival. Within 3-7 days, you will receive an email telling you that your phone is ready to be picked up at the Cellular and Paging Office, Bryan Center on West Campus. For more details, refer to the OIT website at http://www.oit.duke.edu/phonespagers/student/wireless/. We suggest that you order your phone before you arrive so that you will be able to call friends, call school, set up utilities and contact other businesses from day 1.
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Individual Verizon stores offers phone plans and special rates (15% off) to Duke students who don’t have a SSN. It requires $400 security deposit and a 2-year contract (many cell phone companies require a 2-year contract for special rates, and the security deposit is returned 12 months after the contract is signed). Many international students who opt for this service use the store inside Circuit City (near Target): 3400 Westgate Dr, Durham, 27707. 919-493-3481.
Note: Verizon’s security deposit policy is: “Security deposits are held for a period of one year from the date of activation, and are automatically refunded with interest in the form of a check to the billing address listed on the account. The deposit refund is only processed if all payments for the previous 12 months were received on time and in full. Please keep in mind, if your payment history does not meet the requirements, the deposit is held for an additional 90 days. The 90-day review process will continue to cycle until your account meets the criteria.”
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Remember to update you information in ACES after you get your new phone number.
LAPTOPS
The system requirements for computers at Fuqua can be found using the following link:
http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/mba/daytime/incoming/technology/
Prices range from $600 to $2000 as of 2008. Several options are listed below
Location
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Address
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Comments
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The Duke Store
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The Bryan Center, Duke West Campus
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This can be one of the more expensive options
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Best Buy
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New Hope Commons: 5454 New Hope
Commons Dr, Durham
Southpoint Mall: 7001 Fayetteville Rd #
113, Durham
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Good quality of service, a wide range of choices
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Dell website
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www.dell.com
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Lenovo website for IBM laptop
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http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/
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Some discounts available, about 2 weeks delivery time. Bad reviews on customer service
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HP website
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www.hp.com
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