mmzee

Thanks for the credit union suggestion, I'll see with if there is one affiliated with my university. It is expired, but according to the DMV website of the state I will live, I don't need to retake the test because it expired less than 2 years ago. But that depends on the state where you will get your new license.

Thank you very much, I'll follow your advice and go to the bank first!

Hello, I have to open a bank account, get a cell phone plan, and get a driver's license once I arrive in the US. Should I go to the bank first? Will I need a phone number to open an account, in which case should I buy a cell phone first? Can I show my passport as ID or do I need to get a license (I have a US license, so I only need to renew it according to the DMV website) before doing anything else? Also, my university says that I have to report to the international service office once I arrive in the US. Do I have to do it in the same day I arrive or can I get a bank account, cell phone... first and then report to the university the next day? Thank you!

Hello, I have a question about purchasing a phone from some place other than a phone carrier. For instance, I've seen that Target has cheaper options than the carriers themselves. They are plan cell phones, and I would have to sign a two year contract, which I don't mind since I'm staying in the US for a while. But my question is how do I buy those phones from Target? Do I need to go to Verizon and sign a contract and later get the phone from the store or do I go directly to Target, buy the phone and sign the contract there? Could someone, please, explain it to me? Thank you!

I also would like to know if it's ok to put unemployed. I've been tutoring from home and some of it I do it for free, so can I write unemployed and specify that I'm preparing for grad school and also volunteering? Would I have any problems with it? Thanks!

I've also accepted Syracuse's offer. Biology PhD program!

I'm trying to see how much I will pay for taxes and how much I will actually get paid each month. Do I need to add the federal tax to the state and city tax and take that from my stipend each month? It says that the federal tax for $9,076 to $36,900 is 15%. The state tax for $3,001 and $100,000 is 4.75% and the city tax is 3.2%. So I take out 22.95% of my stipend each month if it's withheld at the source? Thanks for helping me!

I'm very confused about taxes and I really need to know how much I will actually get from stipend every month. Let's say I get $26600 for 12 months, them it's aprox. $2216 every month minus 15% of taxes, which gives aprox. $1884. So, I will take home $1884? Is that it? Also, this amount of taxes is fixed for the whole US or it differs depending on the state? Thank you!

I also couldn't login into spire yesterday, but today everything was normal.

To all my offers, I've sent a brief email saying thank you for the offer and that I would be in touch as soon as possible with a decision.

Thank you!

I was absolutely sure that I wouldn't get in anywhere, now I have 3 offers and 2 other possible offers. Although I am extremely grateful to being sucessful this application cycle, I'm also freaking out about making the wrong decision

Oh God, can you believe it that I got an acceptance after all?? I'm so shocked!! Sorry, I just had to share this, I'm smiling like an idiot here.

As an uptade, I emailed her and she thanked me for my prompt response and honesty. Thank you all for the advice!

I'm an international student with only a bachelor's degree in Biology (however, I did study for 2 years in the US in a community college prior to getting my bachelor's). All my classes for the duration of my program was science related (in my school everyone takes the same classes, you cannot choose), for example, I had 4 different microbiology classes. My GRE sucks: V159, Q153, W4.0. TOEFL: 118/120 I have 3 strong LOR from my program director (I was the first in my class of about 100+ students), my senior thesis advisor and my internship mentor at a Global research company. 4 months at a lab of cancer genetics and 2 years at the global company (working in 2 different labs). 2a, 1w, 2r, still waiting on 4 programs (2 of which I interviewed) That's about it, I'm definitely not the strongest applicant, but I also don't think I'm the worst. Good luck!