International students who go for doing their master's in the U.S. find themselves in a totally different environment than they are used to back in their home country. Here is a comprehensive list of what you need to know when you go for graduate studies in the U.S.
Assignment: Once a semester starts, a graduate student will be doing at least one assignment a week. Most of the assignments may not be as easy as your undergraduate assignments back in your home country. Again if one starts working on it just the day before the submission, one may not finish it in time. For most of the courses, assignments play a big role in the overall grades.
Bike: Bike or the bicycle is most probably going to be your mode of transportation during your study days in the U.S. It is the cheapest and the fastest vehicle available for a graduate student to go from one point to another.
Credit card: Your best friend in times of economic stress during your graduate studies. At least once during your studies you may be forced to use the credit card. Always remember one thing — if you don't use it wisely it would land you in trouble forever.
Dollar: The scarce commodity in the hand of a graduate student. Always try to make both ends meet with whatever you have.
Exams: An integral part of the courses you take. Professors will be testing your practical knowledge rather than your theoretical knowledge as you are used to in India. Initially you may find it tough but within a few weeks you will get used to the system.
Fast food: At least once a week you will be eating from either Burger King or Taco Bell or McDonalds. The reasons: you are too lazy to cook or you don't have time to go home for lunch. Whatever be the reasons, the result of eating fast food will show up on your body in a year or so as you start gaining lots of weight.
Google: Your life as a graduate student revolves around Google. Google has answers for many of your problems.
Hourly-job: The first thing a graduate student starts looking for once he/she lands in U.S. Some are lucky to get an hourly-job that can pay for the day-to-day expenses.
Internship: Getting an internship is the dream of any gradate student. In addition to a good pay, an internship offers real time experience that will be very helpful in the job search after your graduation.
Jobless: When you come to do your graduate studies be prepared for the worst case — not getting any job during the extended period of your study. The key here is not to lose hope and keep searching.
Kitchen: Never ever cooked in your life time? OK, things are about to change. You will be cooking food on your own or else you cannot survive on the money you make as a student.
Laundry: You wash your own clothes in the laundry machines in the apartment. It might be a new experience for some.
Manage: Very important factor to succeed. You may have to do so many things (study, hourly-job, cooking, etc) at the same time and one has to be a good “manager” to succeed in all these.
Night out: You may have experiences of ‘Night out' during your undergraduate studies. But now be prepared for many more ‘Night outs' especially during the last few days of the semester.
OPT: OPT or Optional Practical Training is the work permit with which you can work without a visa for a year for all graduates and for 29 months for some graduates (graduates of STEM). OPT process has become complex over years and you will be talking a lot about it starting a few months before your graduation.
Party: Graduate study is not all about studies, it is also about parties. Friday and Saturday nights are meant for partying and you are going to have a lot of fun during these parties.
Quality: Whatever it be — studies, hourly-jobs or exams or assignments it is the quality of the work that matters. Always strive to produce quality work and rest assured that you will be coming out with flying colours.
Room mates: Don't even think of staying in an apartment on your own when you are in U.S. for graduate studies. You may have to share a room with one or two or three others depending on the location of the school and your financial conditions.
Soda: You start drinking soda more than water. In some shops it is cheaper than buying drinking water.
Travel: Spring and summer break (total of four months) are for travel. You have lots of places to visit in the U.S. and this is the right time to go. A nice way to spend time away from school and studies.
USCIS: U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services or USCIS is the agency where you need to send all your documents for processing your visa and other immigration papers. You will be hearing a lot about this during your study days in U.S.
Visa: You will be forced to think/talk about this almost every day you are in U.S. The F1 visa status places a lot of restrictions on students and you will be reminded of your visa status during your entire stay in U.S.
Walmart: One-stop shop for all your shopping needs. You get almost all the stuff you need and more importantly at a very low price.
Yardstick: You should be keeping a yardstick for yourself all through your studies and see that you achieve those yardsticks. If you cannot, you should look back and see why you could not meet them.
Zest: The most important thing, the enthusiasm to accept the challenges you face during the graduate studies and the zest to overcome it. If you have that zeal everything else will fall in place.
A. N. Brijesh Nair
Associate Professor,
School of Mechanical and Building Sciences (SMBS),
VIT University, Vellore.
