August 31, 2005

Dear Students,

Welcome back everyone! I hope all of you enjoyed your summer break. I want to thank Mr. Mahmood Al-Hinai for offering his precious time and services in my absence. I also want to thank the cultural division staff for taking good care of the office and our students the past month.

There are just a few reminders and advices that I want to relay to you as the new semester starts.

General Reminders

1. Please visit our website www.omani.info as regularly as possible. All the latest announcements and information from the Cultural Division will be posted there.

2. If you have any questions and concerns regarding your scholarship, check our website to find the answer. Please refrain from contacting the Cultural Division if the answers could be found on the website.

3. Be aware and follow the rules and regulations of your scholarship.

4. Follow the rules and regulations of the country you are studying in.

5. Make sure you have appropriate health insurance coverage.
• Seek advice from the cultural division if you are unsure which health plan is best.
• It is your sole responsibility and not ours to have health insurance at all times.

6. Please make sure to follow the reminder on the reimbursement of various expenses that was sent last February 10, 2005. Click on the following links:

http://www.omani.info/announcements/2102005_11.htm

7. In case of Emergency, the number to call is 202-716-1234. Keep this number handy at all times. Please call this number immediately if a natural disaster (hurricane, floods, fires etc.) hits the area you live in so we can inform your family that you are safe and extend whatever assistance you might need.

8. For inquiries, it is best that you email rather than call. We will make sure that we respond to you in a timely manner.

9. Please be aware that verbal agreements/communication between you and your sponsor/ advisors cannot be implemented by the Cultural Division as we operate based on formal notifications by fax, mail or email directly.

10. Immediately update us by email if there are any changes to your contact information.

11. Please respond to and return our questionnaires / forms in a timely manner. Delayed responses may result in delayed payment of allowances.

12. For any additional air ticket purchases for family members, you must send in your request 3-4 weeks before travel date. This will give us enough time to confirm your booking and purchase your tickets at the standard rate. Requests sent to us less than 3 weeks before travel date will be accepted but will not be guaranteed and extra charges will be shouldered by the student if air ticket is quoted higher than the standard rate.

Academic Reminders:

1. Take courses that are applicable to your study area and do not register for courses that are not.

• No payment will be made for any graduate courses taken by an undergraduate student unless they are elective courses that will be counted towards the undergraduate degree program. Prior authorization from the Cultural Division is required for such courses.
• Students are not allowed to take classes outside their designated schools (specifically community colleges) without fulfilling the requirements specified for such requests.

2. Be aware of add and drop dates for your university. Dropped classes after the deadline will not be paid by the Cultural Division.

3. Be aware of minimum classes/hours required for your degree (graduate or undergraduate).

4. Due to U.S. rules & regulations and instructions from the MOHE, the Cultural Division will be unable to issue Financial Guarantees for any sponsored or private student for any period of time unless we receive sufficient funds from the sponsor of that student that will cover the whole period of the Financial Guarantee (Applicable to all except students sponsored by SQU, MOHE, PDO).

5. Any official requests made by the student must be written and sent to us by email/fax/mail. Verbal requests will not be accepted under normal circumstances.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime if you have any questions or concerns regarding your academics. All other cultural division staff are also here to assist you. May this school year be a success for all of you!

Best regards,

Dr. Talib Al-Salmi

Cultural Attaché