Choosing USA Universities
My experience of getting admits to UIUC and how you can make better choices
In 2015, I was 21. And expectedly naive. So, when I knew, I needed a counselor for my preparation for US Masters Application, I thought he/she would be a guide, my trusted advisor who would have my back. Someone who would ensure that I got the best possible university , wrote best possible SoP and ensuring that I got to live the American Dream. And these counselors/consultants charged a bomb. They charged me 35000 rupees and I am talking the year 2015. I am unsure what their rates are now but wouldn’t be surprised if it has crossed 1 Lac rupees. Which is a huge amount by the way. And I also know how these consultants trap people :
By scaring them that the process is complex. It isn’t. It’s just a lot of paperwork
By again scaring them that this their life depends on it and they better do it perfectly, so they take expert guidance. While this maybe a significant part of your life and you need to do it perfectly, you don’t need their expert guidance especially as many offer anything but that.
By sharing how they could get them into best universities. (which are actually tier 2)
Now, I almost fell to this trap. I thought I had a decent profile. A 9 / 10 GPA, decent references and a good GRE score. But when I saw the list of universities my counselor had picked for me, I was very disappointed. Infact, instead of focussing on how these universities could help me get a job, he focused on how good they were by saying , “You know the movie : National Treasure. A portion of it was shot there” (Seriously!).
And after going home and researching myself and asking people who studied at these universities, I realized that my job search and hopes of the American dream didn’t really look that real. Infact, I imagined a far tougher road for me! And here’s the thing. Looking back 10 years, I graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) which is one of the best public universities, yet , it was incredibly hard for me to land a job. That tells you the tale of perseverance required to succeed. And each year, with the influx of more students and ever changing environment, it only gets tougher. So, how do you decide which university is best for you ?
Listing out a few factors in my opinion to consider :
Location :
I made this mistake and I hope you don’t. People really underrate the importance of moving to a city or pursuing a masters course in a college town far away from a city. And I can say location matters because UIUC while being one of the best public universities in USA, is atleast 3 hours away from the nearest big city which is Chicago. Looking back, I would have definitely priortized a university which is close to the below cities :
New York
San Francisco
San Jose
Seattle
Chicago
Austin
Boston
Why do I say that ? Because, these cities have the maximum jobs. And companies are looking for local talent because that means they don’t have to pay for relocation. Also, for cities like New York and San Francisco, I understand the cost is high but there are also lots of start-ups and events which job search that much easier. So, priortize finding a university in these cities as that would automatically enable you to get the best out of your job search process.
University Ranking :
I will make a bold statement here. Only pursue your masters or undergrad especially if you are taking a loan (like I did) if you are getting into top tier 1 university like Ivy Leagues (Columbia, Duke, Harvard , Cornell) or best public universities like UIUC , UCLA , UC Berkeley. Why do I say that ? Because, these colleges have vast alumni network, the best companies always hire from here and in general, you will also meet and work with your peers who are highly talented. And their work ethic and competitiveness rubs off on you. If you are pursuing computer science, you may still pursue a course in lower ranked university and get a job because tech has so many but if you pursue a niche course or courses like Mechanical engg, MBA, etc, from a tier 2 university , you are putting yourself at risk especially because you are competing for fewer spots against already top talent from other universities. But in that case, do you have options ? Read below :
Cost of Education :
If you are sure, you want to be in the USA and pursue a career here, if you don’t get a top university, do ensure that you find a low cost one. How do you do that ? There are couple of ways to reduce cost .
A public university semester fees are usually far less than a private one.
Many universities (like UIUC) waive semester tuition fees if you get a research assistantship or teaching assistantship.
If you are in a top tier public university in college town, you can keep expenses low especially for accomodation.
Alumni Network :
Check if you are getting connected to Alumni that is working at top tier companies and you have access to them. If so, that provides you a lot of guidance as you can reach out to them and also get referrals. Also, it proves that people that are applying to these universities indeed get top jobs.
Course Information and Flexibility :
Research the course, the faculty that teaches it and do you have flexibility in terms of electives. For instance, if you want to get into AI , you should be able to pursue ML, Deep Learning, LLM courses which ensure you have the requisite knowledge and projects when you apply. This strengthens your application a lot.
Capstone Projects :
When applying to university and especially checking courses, ensure they have as much practicum and capstone projects with firms. This again provides an opportunity for you to network and get a job by demonstrating your abilities!