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Living and studying outside one’s own country is never easy, hence come with an open mind and be malleable and you will have fun and achieve your goals.

I gave the GRE, TOEFL. I bought the Barons GRE and TOEFL guide. I also attended coaching classes but they didnt help much. I didnt prepare well for my GRE and hence didnt get a good score. The coaching classes I attended did have counselors, and they were helpful while I wrote my Statement of Purpose (SOP). I did need a F1 visa; my visa process was long and unpleasant. I was grilled for about 20 minutes, which I believe was because my low GRE score, and the fact that I was going to a top engineering school didnt help my case. I had a travel agent who got me tickets for the trip. I flew with American Airlines as they were the least expensive and offered an excess baggage allowance. Chicago was my port of entry and immigration was a breeze. I took a connecting flight from Chicago to Houston, and then took a ride with a ground shuttle service and got to College Station in the evening. I didnt have time to sign up for the meet and greet service and hence had to run around for a couple of days looking for accommodation. The Indian Association was helpful and got me an accommodation with a PhD student for a week.

In my second year I had an International Students Scholarship, which was awarded to me by the International Students Services.

I was happy with the way the program was structured. The program was flexible but all of us had to study the core subjects to improve our basics. Professors are human beings and hence some are good and some are not so good. But, the level of professionalism shown by the professors is something that impressed me. All of them had their course work well planned out and 95% of the time they accomplished their goal.

I lived in various student accommodations, from private rooms to university apartments. Housing was good enough for my needs as a graduate student, I have no complaints. Most lecture halls were connected by wi-fi and provided an environment conducive to learning. The university had multiple libraries and there was a book that I wanted and I wouldnt get, plus all the libraries had audio visual services. The recreation center at A&M is considered to be one of the best in the country, again name a sport or outdoor activities and you had it there. They would organize tai-chi, yoga, aerobics, dancing classes every semester. Part time jobs are plenty and usually everybody gets a job within the first two months. I worked for the University newspaper, Public Policy Research Institute, and I was also a Grader one semester. Most university towns have an incredible social scene if you want to be a part of it. College Station is a small town and predominantly for students, night life was usually dull during the weekdays but would really light up during the weekends. College Station has moderate temperature, nothing an Indian cannot get used to. There was an International Students Society in A&M. I could fill pages with the number of events they organized for the international student body; their calendars were always full year round. Most events promoted diversity and interest in other cultures and customs.

The university did have a career center. I really cant say if it is easy for international students to get jobs, in my batch everyone did and now not many get a job. It depends on the job market. There is a campus placement process. They organize two career fairs annually and also host a slew of events like dinner with the recruiters. They make it very easy to interact with potential recruiters; I got my first internship at one of these dinners. A large majority of companies attending these fairs are global entities. Again, I cant comment on the work permit process, it varies from individual to individual. A&M has an extensive alumni association, who are very active. I havent been involved with the association as much as I would like.

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