I still remember when I applied for SSN, few years back. Some schools give letter to all students to apply for SSN. But, some universities will give letter only to those who have employment. If you happen to be in one such university, make sure you get a part time job ASAP.

Rules may vary between universities. Check with the university International Office.

I applied for SSN along with 15 other friends. College campus shuttle bus took all the new international students to SSN office. One of my friend got his SSN in 8 days and I waited for a month and finally decided to call them to check the status. Apparently, they lost my application and I had to submit new application. Finally, after 2 months ( total 3 months) I got my SSN. That’s not the end of the story. There was a typo in my last name.

So, had to re-submit new application for corrections and got a new Social Security Card in 2 weeks time.

Without SSN, you will have trouble buying anything. All the credit history, insurance history, employment history and other histories are based on SSN.

I don’t carry my SSN card in my wallet. But have seen people do that. I don’t feel its secure. If you happen to lose your wallet, you lost your identity!