Things to Get

You need to get, as soon as possible:

Social Security Number: All kinds of people want your social security number. You need one as soon as you can. It's no effort - go to the social security office with your passport, which has your visa in it, wait a while, fill out a form and it comes in a couple of weeks. Your social security number is also how you prove who you are. Don't tell people who don't need to know, and don't write it down on pieces of paper that you leave lying around.

Driving license: People will assume you have a driving licence, for all kinds of things. They might not take a cheque (or check) from you without a driving licence. To do this you need to take a driving test (of which more later). However, if you can't drive, you can still get a driving licence, which doesn't allow you to drive - effectively it functions as an identity card, when you want to prove your name to people.