Hello Readers,
Here is my new post in which I will talk about how if you have decided to do Master's or PHD in US, then before coming here make sure you have the right picture in your mind.
So you have decided to do pursue an advanced degree like Master's or PHD and come here as to what we call it as "the land of opportunities". But before you come here, don't have a wrong perception in your mind that USA is a bed of roses. It is not !!
First thing first . You have to do everything yourself . Yes Everything. From making food to doing utensils , house hold chores and what not .
Suppose you come here in fall/spring , first you would want to get adapted to the education system , which is a lot different from India. Here you cannot just wait till the last moment to study for tests or complete an assignment . You have to be well prepared and submit all your work within the deadline. You would learn that deadline is important. It is really important and you just cannot miss it.
Then you would have assignments. quizzes , projects , tests all at the same time and you would have to cope up with the pressure. Also not to forget you have to come back and cook your own food( you can eat outside but initially you would convert every dollar you spend to rupees and you would then decide to eat at home ) , buy groceries , call your parents/girlfriend and all kind of other stuff.
Also if you are doing masters and thinking of graduating early ( in 18 months and not the normal duration which is 24 months ) then you would have to take more course work each semester , which means you have more quizzes, more tests and projects. But there are definitely benefits of graduating early . ( You save money , save time , graduate early , If you come in fall and graduate in next December , then you get three chances of H1- B and some more advantages ) but yes accelerate your coursework only if you can handle pressure.
There will always be tension in your mind to get good grades and at the same time from your first semester itself you would start searching for internships. You would realize that each application would take 10 -15 minutes and even after completing 20 applications you have not heard back from even a single employer. You would still apply more and go to career fair to make sure you get an internship which is really important because usually employers in US converts interns into full time positions.
Also if you are graduating in 1.5 years , that means graduating early and if you get an internship in summer ( which you want ) then that would imply that you are not going to visit home ( India) till you graduate which will make you home sick .
You would work really hard during your internship trying to impress your boss so that he gives you an offer letter for a full time position . But if you don't get one than that means you would have to search for full time jobs in your last semester which is really time consuming.
From day one till the last day you will have to do everything yourself. Keep in mind if you are not used to doing stuff like cooking food , doing household chores etc , there is no alternative and YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
But I don't want to discourage you , as there is a bright future if you work hard and end up getting a good job here.
But also make sure of the current H1-B process. The current quota for H1-B is 85,000. This year USCIS received 233,000 petitions so that means 150,000 will be rejected . And every year the number of petition is increasing . If you are a STEM major then you will get 1 year of OPT and then 17 more months but if your H1-B does not get selected then you would have to go back. Also one more thing to keep in mind is that not all employers sponsors your H1-B visa .
So if you are thinking of studying abroad then do also keep in mind places like Australia, Germany and Ireland.
At the end I just want to say that US is not a bed of roses , come prepared that you have to work hard from day one and there is no alternative to it.
Here is my new post in which I will talk about how if you have decided to do Master's or PHD in US, then before coming here make sure you have the right picture in your mind.
So you have decided to do pursue an advanced degree like Master's or PHD and come here as to what we call it as "the land of opportunities". But before you come here, don't have a wrong perception in your mind that USA is a bed of roses. It is not !!
First thing first . You have to do everything yourself . Yes Everything. From making food to doing utensils , house hold chores and what not .
Suppose you come here in fall/spring , first you would want to get adapted to the education system , which is a lot different from India. Here you cannot just wait till the last moment to study for tests or complete an assignment . You have to be well prepared and submit all your work within the deadline. You would learn that deadline is important. It is really important and you just cannot miss it.
Then you would have assignments. quizzes , projects , tests all at the same time and you would have to cope up with the pressure. Also not to forget you have to come back and cook your own food( you can eat outside but initially you would convert every dollar you spend to rupees and you would then decide to eat at home ) , buy groceries , call your parents/girlfriend and all kind of other stuff.
Also if you are doing masters and thinking of graduating early ( in 18 months and not the normal duration which is 24 months ) then you would have to take more course work each semester , which means you have more quizzes, more tests and projects. But there are definitely benefits of graduating early . ( You save money , save time , graduate early , If you come in fall and graduate in next December , then you get three chances of H1- B and some more advantages ) but yes accelerate your coursework only if you can handle pressure.
There will always be tension in your mind to get good grades and at the same time from your first semester itself you would start searching for internships. You would realize that each application would take 10 -15 minutes and even after completing 20 applications you have not heard back from even a single employer. You would still apply more and go to career fair to make sure you get an internship which is really important because usually employers in US converts interns into full time positions.
Also if you are graduating in 1.5 years , that means graduating early and if you get an internship in summer ( which you want ) then that would imply that you are not going to visit home ( India) till you graduate which will make you home sick .
You would work really hard during your internship trying to impress your boss so that he gives you an offer letter for a full time position . But if you don't get one than that means you would have to search for full time jobs in your last semester which is really time consuming.
From day one till the last day you will have to do everything yourself. Keep in mind if you are not used to doing stuff like cooking food , doing household chores etc , there is no alternative and YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
But I don't want to discourage you , as there is a bright future if you work hard and end up getting a good job here.
But also make sure of the current H1-B process. The current quota for H1-B is 85,000. This year USCIS received 233,000 petitions so that means 150,000 will be rejected . And every year the number of petition is increasing . If you are a STEM major then you will get 1 year of OPT and then 17 more months but if your H1-B does not get selected then you would have to go back. Also one more thing to keep in mind is that not all employers sponsors your H1-B visa .
So if you are thinking of studying abroad then do also keep in mind places like Australia, Germany and Ireland.
At the end I just want to say that US is not a bed of roses , come prepared that you have to work hard from day one and there is no alternative to it.
I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below. Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment