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- Report to international student office at MIT right away: iso/
- Get a bank account ASAP: Bank of America is probably the largest bank you can find in the area (Chase does not have any location near Boston unfortunately). You will probably not get a credit card until you have a SSN, so just get the plain checking and saving accounts so that you can pay rent and get paid by MIT. The other option is MIT credit union, but I have never used it so I cannot comment.
- Get a cell phone plan: cellphone plans through major carriers like ATT and Verizon has been really expensive lately (roughtly $50/month/person?) so I got a google number and use SIP calls on campus where there is Wifi (you can call and text for free as long as there is wifi), and uses a service provider called Ting for data when there is no wifi. Though this requires some work to set-up so depends on how much work you want to go through...
- Get a SSN if you are employed (I think that means you have a RA or TA?): double check with international student office on how this works...
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