After School

It is assumed that you will do other things and not just read books while in Nebraska. So these are some pointers of what is there to do. You will probably hear this couple times or you have already heard it: Try as many different things as you can while at UNL.

Sections:

Entertainment

Lincoln is fairly small town and the entertainment options may seem limited if you are coming from Prague or Brno.

Night Out

However you will soon find out that 12th Street Pub and venues like: Brothers, Duffy’s, main Street, Iguanas, Brass Rail, Q etc. can be a lot of fun. You may also find out that Lincoln’s strict no-smoking law can help your lungs (except for Jake’s – the cigar bar).

TIP: The fact that you may be saving your lungs does not mean you should be trying harder to ruin your liver!

Movies

Lincoln also has one of the cheapest cinemas you can find anywhere. Every first Thursday you can watch movies that have been released for couple weeks already for a buck in The Ross during student appreciation nights. Check The Ross also if you fancy something more independent.

Marcus Theater in downtown shows the latest releases.

Huskers

It is almost a legal requirement that you go see at least one football game. If you know nothing about this game you will at the end of your stay for sure. Football defines Nebraska. International Affairs has some free tickets for the first game and your chances of winning are pretty high. Otherwise you will have to look for ticket elsewhere or wait for the spring game which may be free for students. Find out more about Huskers at their website.

Lied Center

Some of the finest world and U.S. performers stop in Lincoln from time to time. Broadway musicals like Rent and Mama Mia made their way to Lincoln in 2005, Russian Ballet in 2006 for example. Although the Lied Center lacks the intimacy of Broadway or West End venues it still worth seeing a gig or two there – especially since students get 50% off. For selected events students can get FREE tickets.

Sports

The Campus Recreation Center is just fantastic. It is free for students and you only need to pay a little bit to rent some special equipment, but most of it is free. Seriously if you ever wanted to get in shape this is the year to do it. Swimming pool, tennis courts, sauna, fitness, climbing wall all at your disposal for free or almost free. Is this great or what?

Sports equipment can be rented or borrowed from the Campus Recreation Center. Details for things they check out are here.

TIP: You can get some equipment like tennis rackets from Selleck for free. It is not in such a good shape, but hey you save a buck or two.

Travel

Traveling may be the most exciting part of your stay and rightly so. The options are endless and you should do as much of it as you can. Some of the best skiing centers in North America (Aspen, Vail) are only some 9 hours away if you drive. Omaha can be interesting place to visit and even more so Kansas City, which is only couple of hours away. Mount Rushmore with the giantic sculptures of former U.S. Presidents is within reach as well.

You will have some of the best memories from your travels. In the past some students made a road-trip to California, where their car died and had to come back by bus. Others were more lucky and made it in tiny Geo Metro to the South of Mexico and as far north as Alaska. Many travelled to the East Coast and West Coast. The real question is where do you wanna go?

Work

With J-1 visa you can get work on campus and also if it is related to your course (internship etc.) off campus.

At the campus you can do any job you get hired to do. You should easily find a job in a canteen, in a library, in the rec center, or with the catering and this is what many Robitscheks did in the past. However ask at your college and it may turn out they may want you to help them with some research etc.

If you want to get a job start looking as soon as possible. Go online, email some people and you might well find a job even before you get to Nebraska. Take advantage of the fact that you arrive before most U.S. students i.e. a lot of semester jobs are still up for grabs.

With work there are also taxes. In short you should not pay any. Also you should not pay Medicare and Social Security. More in Finances section.