Everything you said has been really really helpful! Actually, my family is not really fond of the idea of me going to Germany since my elder brother lives in U.S. and that is creating all the confusion for me. I cannot go to Germany and than regret that I didn't head for the states. I got accepted in the PhD program of 3 universities (Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and UT Dallas) but so far, no financial assistance at all! My mom's willing to provide me with the fund required for the first year (in U.S.) but I have to get an assistantship from the second year if I want to stay there. I just don't want to take her money and put her in a difficult place cause we have a bit of debt already and spending that much for me might not be the greatest idea. If I go to Germany I'll require less support plus If I can earn a bit I can split the living expense with mom. In addition, I'm not really sure about jumping onto the PhD train right now. Don't know if I have the patience. Sorry for rambling on like this. lol. But it's a lot easier to post here than to talk to someone face to face about all this! You've been extremely helpful! You've quite bolstered my confidence in Germany!