ASA: Academic Study Associates 2008 Programs

View of New Court: Students are living here!

ASA t-shirts and luggage tags have been mailed out and should have begun last week (except international students – yours should arrive in another week or two). It is very important that you wear your ASA t-shirt when you travel to the program so our staff will be able to easily identify and help you when you arrive.

Please note that we are not able to exchange t-shirts for a different size. Shirts were ordered according to sizes given and unfortunately we do not have extras for swapping. If there was a mistake on our end, please bring your t-shirt to the airport / program and we’ll see what we can do.

Summer contact information (as well as predeparture travel guidance) has been uploaded to your MyASA account. Be sure to print out this sheet and stick it on your fridge for easy reference during the summer!

We have now past the June 1st due date for all forms. Make sure to log in to MyASA to double-check that all your forms and materials have been received. If some are missing, please go to the Form Downloads section of MyASA, print, complete, and fax the form to our office ASAP (fax: 212-334-4934).

NOTE: It may take 2-3 business days for forms to be processed and appear on MyASA, as we have over 1300 students joining us this season. Please be patient and use MyASA to verify receipt rather than contacting our office directly.

Be sure to download and print out the Orientation Handbook / Packing List from your MyASA account (see the Form Downloads section). The Handbook contains important information about the program and guidance as you prepare for the summer. Please read it through promptly, as it holds the answers to many questions, including some you haven’t thought to ask!

Today you will be receiving a series of important reminders and updates to help with your final preparations for the program. Please be sure to read each of the posts in its entirety and attend to the necessary preparations. This will help to ensure a stress-free and smooth start to the summer.

We’ve subscribed this e-mail address to automatically receive postings to the News & Updates for the Cambridge program. We will use this to convey important information to you before the start of the program, and to keep you informed about what’s going on once the program has started.

Please be sure to set this e-mail address as one of your trusted contacts so it does not get filtered as spam. If you would like to unsubscribe, send an e-mail with “UNSUBSCRIBE cambridgeupdates@asaprograms.com” in the *subject* and *no text or signature in the body* to subscriptions@asaprograms.com. If you would like to subscribe an additional address, send an e-mail with “SUBSCRIBE cambridgeupdates@asaprograms.com” in the *subject* and *no text or signature in the body* to subscriptions@asaprograms.com.

Dear Parents and Students,

Recently you were sent a "Before You Go" mailing. If you have not received this, please log into MyASA and download the following:

-- Pre-departure Travel Info
-- Program Contact Information

These documents give instructions for traveling independently and with the group.

There has been some confusion regarding the e-tickets for the group flight on Virgin Atlantic. If you booked through STA travel, all you need when you check-in for the group flight is your booking confirmation and passport. The Virgin Atlantic agent will then give you your boarding pass. If you do not have your booking confirmation, please call STA travel at 1.800.492.3855 and they can provide you with one.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me.

All the best,

Christie
cambridge@asaprograms.com
+1 212-796-8350

Dear Students,

Your ASA t-shirt is being mailed to you next week along with 2 ASA luggage tags. As stated in the orientation handbook, we ask that you wear your tshirt on departure day regardless of whether or not you are on the group flight. This allows us to easily identify you as an ASA student. Although it's not ideal to be wearing the same shirt as everyone else, the plus side is, it's super soft.

Also, please use the ASA luggage tags as it makes locating lost luggage 10 times easier. As always, make sure you are checking MyASA for any important, last minute updates.

If you are traveling independently to London, you will receive an email about a week before departure detailing exactly where to go and who to look for. If you have connecting flights to the JFK, I will run lists and let you know if there are other students who may be on your connecting flight so you can be on the lookout for each other.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend and if you have any questions, let me know.

-- Christie

PS It was recently brought to my attention that the Cambridge Orientation Handbook was not available on MyASA. I apologize for any confusion but it is now available. Please go download and enjoy!

Dear Students,

During the next few weeks, we will be tying up loose ends in preparation for your upcoming trip. Here is a list of things you need to do:

1. Register for MyASA
2. Download and read the Orientation handbook. Keep a copy at home for the parents and take a copy with you to program.
3. If you have not been officially accepted into the program, please go to MyASA to find out what we are missing.
4. Turn in all supplemental forms to our New York office -- housing form, ISIC form (with passport size photo), internet form if you plan on brining a computer, copy of your passport, rules and regulations form (signed by student and parent), health form, copy of health insurance card, and a copy of your travel itinerary (including all connecting flights).

Here at the New York ASA office, we are putting together the final mailings and will update you when those have been sent out.

Let me know if you have any questions!

-- Christie

In just a few short weeks, you'll be on your way to England! From now through the summer, this page will be a key resource to keep you updated on what to do to prepare and what’s going on at the program.

Before you go, I'll be posting details like your mailing address, program phone number, airport pick-up instructions, etc. Be sure to subscribe to ‘News & Updates’ now so as not to miss any pre-program details.

Once the program begins, the senior staff will post updates and photos of what you and your new friends are up to. Encourage grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to subscribe before the summer so that they can see what's happening at Cambridge.

Look for a new post each week. Keep working to complete your pre-program forms and don’t forget to visit the ‘Forms Download’ section within MyASA to get a packing list, the pre-program handbook, and other important materials.