eklavya

no matter where you lived, provide the reference. in the form, write your on-campus housing's name, address and other info. however, do tell your to-be landlord/s that because you lived on campus, the housing people might not disclose to him/her any personal information related to you. i was in the exact situation a couple of years ago, and i did what i described above. idk if my then-to-be landlord acquired any info about me from the on-campus housing people, but i got the place! imo, as long as your credit score is okay and you don't have a criminal history, getting a new place isn't difficult at all.

kinda sucks, but as you said, not bad. there are people out there who are denied the visa. so, congratulations!

Zee, there are several ways you can find and buy a (used) car. First, turn to your best friend - google. Search for websites that list used cars in your area. Search for auction websites where cars go on auction. Search for banks' and credit unions' sites where they advertise the cars they confiscated from loan takers who couldn't pay back their loans in time. Then of course, there is craigslist. You can also look on sites like cars.com, autotrader, enterprise car, and so forth, but these cars will be slightly expensive. Still, doesn't hurt to look around. Whenever you go to groceries, check their magazine/flyer containers (usually near main the entrance/exit) for vehicle classifieds. You can also go talk to few dealers in the area to see what kind of cars they have and how much do the ones you would like to buy usually go for. However, because of dealership fees involved, cars at dealerships are usually marked higher than what a owner would sell for. Also see if your university has a newspaper or some other sort of advertisement means where students advertise to sell and buy stuff. You might find a car this way if graduating students (esp international) are trying to sell their vehicle. Another place to look for is the local newspapers - town gazettes, magazines, etc. Most local media these days can be found online, so you might not have to wait till you get to your college town to start shopping! I am going to a city where the public transportation has been consistently rated within the top 3 in the US in the past few years. My area I am going to live in has few bus routs going to my campus. And I am taking my bicycle with me. Still, I am also taking my car for the very reasons you mentioned - grocery, friends, perhaps camping out little far in the foothills and such. Owning a vehicle certainly adds up in your bills (insurance, gas, maintenance costs, etc) but it's definitely worth it. Good luck with your search!

good choice!

From what I have heard, they generally give out F1 visas for a period of 5 years. But I don't know a whole lot about immigration laws between US & other countries (except mine, of course), so please dig around. When I got my first F1 visa 5 years ago, the expiration date was some day on the first week of June 2011 (I received that visa in June 2006). I hadn't seen my family in a while, so I went home in May this year and got a new one that won't expire till May 2016.. so again, they gave me a new visa that will last for 5 years. My previous visa as well as the current one allows me to travel multiple times without having to get a new visa, as long as the visa duration has not expired and I have a valid I20. On the travel.gov link, the duration of visa is listed '60 months' when I open my country's page. So if it says 12 months in your case, it could be possible that you will have to get a new visa after a year. You will have to wait it out till you receive your visa and see what it says on the visa stamp regarding the expiration date. But I really hope you get it for 5 years too!!

exactly. 5 years ago, when i paid for the SEVIS, they charged me 100$ for the SEVIS. then the 140 + 200 for F1. this time, it was 140 + 200. but looks like the SEVIS fee has gone up, as you guys are paying 200.

the amount of money also depends on your country. there is a visa reciprocity clause that the US government has with other countries, and this determines how much you will be charged. for example, most of the EU countries and Canada aren't charged anything at all.. except the SEVIS fee. perhaps what you paid is enough already and they won't charge you more.

The US embassy makes you pay 140$ just for scheduling a visa interview date. Whether you get a visa or not, that 140$ is going bye bye. If you get a visa, they charge you 200$ more, which is the actual visa processing fee. So, if you get a visa, you pay 340$ in total. If not, you pay 140 each time you appear for a visa interview (i.e. till you get a visa). And I think they charge the same amount worldwide.

First of all, there's no such thing as 'renewal' for F1 visa. You need to reapply if you want a visa that doesn't immediately expire. The cost is about the same as getting a new visa, because in essence, you are getting a new visa. I paid 140$ (pre-) + 200$ (post-visa) last month to get mine. They stamped a new visa which won't expire till 2016. You don't have to pay for SEVIS while getting a new visa.. even when you move schools, the SEVIS gets transferred, so no need to get a new one. But why do you need a new visa? If you are in the OPT, I believe you can stay in the States till your OPT termination date. However, if you are traveling abroad, and your visa has expired, you will have to get a new one before you can return to the States.

i sent to germany, and it took 5 days. but i used DHL. it would surprise me if USPS took more than 10 days.

don't you have a timer lying around in the lab? almost every bio/chem lab i know of has few timers just sitting around.

the straight answer is no. no as in you can't ask the department to pay for the ticket now as your contract hasn't started yet (i assume?). but as eco_env said above, once you have the money in hand, you can use it for anything you want.

i did it once, during my first year of college. i enjoyed the classes, but was totally burnt up by the time fall semester started. i don't recommend you take summer classes and work at the same time. but you gotta do what you gotta do. right? between classes and work, don't forget to enjoy the awesomeness of the summer!!

i think you and i are distant twins - i was thinking of this EXACT thing this afternoon! i was browsing the net for some watches, and stumbled into a few nice looking ones. your and my taste might be different, but the following watches are worth taking a look: the one that fits your budget: http://www.amazon.com/Freestyle-FS81280-Karlton-Bracelet-Watch/dp/B0026RIRXC/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I32BMOA0FW5CDO&colid=3FG9Z4MVQEKJ4 close to your budget: http://www.amazon.com/Fossil-JR9990-Brown-Leather-Watch/dp/B0024M88II/ref=sr_1_37?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1307249114&sr=1-37 slightly expensive, but my first choice: http://www.amazon.com/PU102421004-Traffic-Silver-Black-Watch/dp/B004XD0IQQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2NF5XF50PI58K&colid=3FG9Z4MVQEKJ4 there are several features in a watch that you might want to have, but i highly recommend getting one that is luminous in the dark - either the arms or the whole dial that glows (with or without the use of a button). leather straps are better than plastic/synthetic straps. because i have been watch-free for about 10 years, i think i'd like to start off with a good one - mainly for the feel good reason. i don't plan to spend over $100, but if i can't find a better looking watch, the puma is what i am going after in a few weeks.

books before college = useless, except the books you cherish dearly

on this one, if possible, stay at friends' or relatives' if you have some in your route, and if they don't mind having you over for a night. i am stopping at 3 places, all friends, whom i haven't seen in a few years. you will save money, and be able to have some fun in the dreadful x-country trip. in addition, - take a gps, and keep it until you are very familiar with your new town. - get a roadside assistance insurance. cancel it after you reach your town. - books: get rid of everything that's not going to be useful to you. i have found out that i am a hoarder when it comes to books and this habit of mine has given me pain in the neck when it comes to moving places.

i did the same thing (used a couple of years old books) but i did buy a new prep book as well (for about 8$ on ebay). wouldn't say the new book helped me much, but it gave me some mental relief on 'at least i have seen some newer questions, and therefore i should be okay'. if you really don't want to buy new stuff, look on the internet - there are plenty of tips, questions, and practice tests.

tomorrow morning, walk up to her, call quits, hand over your resignation letter and leave. hire a mover (or ask your bro or someone) to collect your stuff from the office. done!

don't be - there's no need. i've seen plenty of people who switch tracks. in my faculty, people have jumped from plant to animal to microbes to cancer and vice versa. it's your passion in research that matters, not the exact sub-field you are working on. if your supervisor knows that you are extremely devout on your work and enjoy it, he shouldn't (and will not, i can guarantee) not recommend you for the field you actually want to work on. it might be a good idea to get some clinical experience before you apply though - something to put on resume, and also to see if you really like the clinical field.

i say do a temporary stay thing till you lock on a place. go a couple weeks ahead if possible and couch-surf till you find a place. finding a nice place with nice people is a serious business, so take caution and don't sign a long term lease till you are 101% sure about the place and your house/apt-mates.

i take it this way: they are paying us to attend these top ranked grad schools. in a way, it's now our job to study, research and do other stuff. i myself am going from a top 75 to a top 3 school. break or bust, we are all the way in now. so no time to worry. we all will do fine.

my verbal score was god-awful (430) and aw was mediocre (4.5). however, quant score is given priority in my field. i got 780 (~92nd percentile i think). although, i doubt my gre scores had anything to do with my admissions.

you basically give them your wifi password

really? i have a masters and haven't been taken strangely anywhere. if anything, they are transferring several of my credits and i can be done in as early as 3 years.

mission accomplished!