My overall experience is good so far, there’s a good learning curve- both personally and professionally, when you are in a foreign country with limited resources at your disposal. This makes us creative, hard-working and pro-active. The approach to education in USA is different than what I experienced in India, in the way that it’s more practical, can be tailored to your interest and fun indeed.
Course Curriculum :
It is very relevant, I want to become a Data Analyst, and the course structure is very apt for this.
Exams :
My scores : GRE 313: Verbal 153, Quants 160 TOEFL 103. These are the only exams I gave. I had to submit my CV, 1 SOP, 2-3 LORs, undergrad college transcripts. Yes, I had an interview with a faculty member who wanted to know about my reason for choosing the university and course, background in education and related experience and my future goals.
Placement :
Given the post COVID economic scenario, it’s harder than usual to get your dream job. I’m still in the process of job search and will know better once I get one.
Internship :
I got a summer internship which converted to Fall Co-op at Caterpillar Inc., my profile was Data Analytics Intern.
Fees :
The fees is $1234 for 1 credit. My course is a 48 credits course, which totals my fee to $59,232.
Scholarship :
I hadn’t applied for scholarships but I was given one anyway, the scholarship didn’t have a name and amounted to $4000 for 2 years.
Faculty :
The faculty is very experienced, in fact most of them are currently full time tech employees at good companies, which helps us gain real-world knowledge through relatable examples. One such professor who changed my view on coding was Prof. Alan Tan. His course was perfectly structured for a beginner in Python. All the professors are approachable and are happy to connect with us on LinkedIn.
Campus Life :
Campus infrastructure and extracurricular activities are as good as they can get. We have clubs in each department that cater to the coursework to stay relevant; example Product Club (for those interested in a Product/Project manager career).
Hostel :
The living expense in Silicon Valley is high, one of the only drawbacks for an international student. This includes rent, taxes on basic things, electricity, utilities etc. Hence, student prefer to over-share space here, eg. 2-3 people share one bedroom of a 2BHK.
