fernandes

Hey Ayman, I think the best way to do it is to either check with faculty from your home university if they know any professors in the US (especially at universities you're interested in) or to email professors that you're interested in working with. You can go to the department's page within any University you like, check the research areas and email professors for possible research internships during the summer. I don't have much experience in this topic, but I think I could be right.

Has anyone heard back from Duke, A&M, UIUC or UMD?

Don't fret, @kittybang. Some universities are not as strict with the results date as you may think. Also, early March could be any date before the 15th. You could always send them an email, but I would wait one more week at least.

I've applied to Rice University and Texas A&M. Haven't heard back from A&M yet.

Yes, fortunately my possible adviser said it's okay with her to either work as an RA or get an internship, so that's a great thing. I thought it was thoughtful of her, since she could not guarantee a summer stipend but she does not disapprove an internship during the summer, giving me more career and funding options. Thanks for pointing it out though!

@TakeruK Yeah, I think you did comment on that at another thread. And it makes sense, I just thought you meant that I could not "officially" work but that it could be okay to have a side-job in which you work for once a week or so. Violating my F-1 visa status is not in plans at all, so thanks for saying it explicitly. I think I will not really need to get a side-job though. I'll just do a great work in the beginning and try to get an internship as soon as possible. And in the Spring I'll know for sure if the summer stipend will be available. By the way, do you know how difficult it is to get an internship as a grad student when compared to an undergrad?

Again, thank you so much! And good luck with your studies!

@eternallyephemeral: yeah, I've been trying to get as much information as possible so I can make a better decision. In regards to getting a PhD and going into industry, multiple schools have something called Versatile PhD, which is an online resource to help humanities, social science, and STEM graduate students and PhDs in all fields identify, prepare for, and succeed in non-academic careers. I think that participating in this program and its events could help me prepare for possibly working in industry. I will make sure I get everything sorted out about the taxes. Maybe they'll only tax half of my stipend, or something like that. So thanks for the advice! Saving money before I know of my summer situation seems to be the smartest thing to do. I was also thinking that it could be possible to work a few hours per week on no-contract jobs (I don't know the best word for it, sorry) such as babysitting or in a catering company on Friday or Saturday nights. Of course I should not count on those, but maybe I could find something like those. I really like science, learning and research, but I'm still not sure if that's what I want for my career. And yes, I also don't think is the worst thing in the world. I have a bunch of friends that are not certain of what they want to do with their career at their 20's as well. So thanks for the empathetic words. Thanks for helping!

Hey @juilletmercredi and @eternallyephemeral, thank you for replying to my post! I agree that 30 is not that old, considering that I will have just finished a PhD degree. I believe that American companies would understand it and that's a regular age to either enter a post-doc program or find a job in academia. I think that my age concern was based on the point of view that I could possibly return to my home country after finishing the program and companies do not really value PhD degrees here. I'm sure it would not be a problem with Brazilian universities as well. That age concern intertwines with my absence of career goals in such a terrible way... because I'm not sure if I want to work in academia or in a company I agree that getting a MS degree would be a better path for someone who is not sure about his future career plans, and I actually considered applying to many MS programs. Later, I noticed that most of them are not funded, and my family is not willing to pay for my studies (the conversion rate is now 4 to 1, so expenses would be multiplied by four). I only found one MS program which was funded (at UIUC) and am still waiting on a response from them. Still on this topic, I could always try and see if I like the PhD program, right? They're giving me a chance to figure out what I want to work with in the future. I could love it and then I would stay and finish my studies, or I could not really like it and I would come back to my home country. I'm sure it wouldn't be so nice with my future adivser, but I guess it's not really a problem, is it? I don't know, I feel like I should at least try and see if it works out. Thank you for the taxes explanation. I will definitely take that into account. Still on the money topic, you guys think it's better not to count on a possible RAship or finding an internship myself? Would it be really tough to find a summer internship as a first-year graduate student? Thank you for all the advice and for being realistic.

I have a The North Face Router backpack and really like it! It's pretty sturdy and spacious.

@jdm11 well, good job exploring elsewhere then, you got it! I was in an exchange program in 2014, so I was a visiting undergrad student within the MechE deparment at Rice. I loved being at Rice for both academic and personal reasons, so it's a dream to be able to come back. I lived in Martel and they were so so welcoming... I really felt at home there. By the way... MBYM!! Hahahaha Rice is not so big, so maybe we even met each other. You never know!

Awesome, @jdm11! Thank you so much for the help. I thought about the RGA because of how close it is to Rice and because all appliances would be included already. I guess that makes a good difference money-wise. By the way, great job getting accepted to UC Davis and U Mich! Have you also considered Rice for grad school? Or did you think it would be a better idea to change schools a litle bit?

Hi all! First of all, I'd like to thank all the users that have been helping me either by asking questions and getting feedback from other users or by responding to my own questions. I'm lucky to have this forum to support me. As the most of you guys, I've been preparing to apply to grad school for the last year of my undergraduate studies. I have done well in my classes, I've got good GRE and TOEFL scores and I've sent my complete application package to nine schools across the United States. There are some important information you should know before I tell you what my current struggle is in making a decision. About myself: I'm a 24-year old mechanical engineering student from Brazil who in 2014 lived and studied in the U.S. at Rice University as a MechE visiting student. During my time there, I had the chance to work at a laboratory during the summer at University of Georgia. That first research experience really motivated me to pursue an academic career in the U.S., especially after I met many international students at UGA. At that time, my main motivation was that I wanted to live in a better country than the one I was born. Also, I felt that working at a lab was much different than working in a company (I had worked at a large multinational company for 19 months prior to coming to the US), since I had more freedom to do my own work whenever I wanted. I was not strictly regulated by that 8 am to 3 pm scheduled that I was used to. I used to get to the lab at 9 am, do my work and leave whenever I was finished with my work. Furthermore, I met my current girlfriend in 2014 and we've been making our relationship work even though I'm in Brazil and she's in America. She's visited me twice in Brazil and she's currently enrolled in a PhD program at Rice University. Also, she's American. Before I came back to Brazil to complete my undergrad studies, we were dating for about 7 months in the U.S. One last important thing, I am not sure what I want to work with in the future. I don't know if I want to be a professor or if I want to work at a company, so I have applied to both MS and PhD programs. Recent news: I got into Rice's PhD Program!!!! I was super excited about it and, I confess, a little surprised. I'm sure that's what they call the "impostor syndrome" though. They will be providing me a tuition waiver, they'll be paying me 9 months per year (total of 18k/year) with possibility of also working in the summer at the university or getting an internship as stated by my adviser, and they'll be paying 70% of health insurance fees. The professor seems to be a great fit in regards to what I want to research and develop as a grad student. I already know Rice and I have a bunch of acquaintances at Houston, as well as a couple of friends. About my family: I'm going to talk more about my father here, and you'll understand why later in this topic. He's a mechanical engineer who has always worked for companies and started working when he was still in college. He is not a very flexible/open-minded person, and would love to see me following his steps, i.e. getting a good job at a large company and making money. Also, he and my mother have given me financial assistance throughout the entire process of taking standardized tests and applications. I have been accepted into two PhD Programs (one funded, one not funded) and I'm still waiting to hear back from 4 PhD applications and 1 MS application. The "struggle": After I got the news, my father said he was really worried with my future. His point of view is that I will be 30 by the time I get my PhD and that it will be too late to find a good position in the job market. He's not even considering the possibility of my becoming a professor, since in my country professors do not make much money. I agree with him partly, considering that I will come back to Brazil, but that is not my goal. I intend to live and work in the U.S. Things could go wrong, of course, and I would come back to Brazil if that was the case, i.e. I decide a PhD is not for me or I don't find a job after graduating. My father is also worried that I will be living a miserable life while enrolled in the PhD program, since I won't be making enough money to eat and live well (though I'm sure I could live well with two grand per month). Do you think that his point of view is reasonable? I really don't feel like refusing an once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity like this one, but I also don't know what I want to work with in the future, so it makes things a little harder. Would you have any advice? I'm sorry for the really long post, but I wanted to get some feedback on this. Thank you!

Hey @Hariharan, I was also admitted to the program without funding. I've been trying to contact possible advisers but they won't respond to my emails. I'm not really hopeful.

I don't think there is a reason. You have the best financial offer, you get an MS degree after two years (in case you realize PhD is not for you), and you felt great about the grad students and the department. Go for it!

Maybe I'll just stick with the Rice Village Apartments or GSA apartments then. They sound safe, close and everything is included expect the electricity bills Thanks!

Thanks for the reply @sjoh197. I was hoping to find another student (or students) to share a house or apartment near the rail or near Rice. I was hoping to pay something between 500 and 700 per month (per person).

Hi @SochaNahi, What neighborhood did you end up moving to? And what kind of public transportation have you been using? I will probably be moving to Houston in the Fall and I was thinking that maybe it could be a good idea to find a place near one of the light rail stations.

Thank you!

I got an email from Rice saying I got accepted two days ago. I was so excited about it! It's my top choice!

awesome what

First of all, thank you @rising_star and @TakeruK for the replies. Thank you for explaining things in such detailed way. It's really important to me to receive advice on this topic from current PhD students. I will definitely contact the department and ask about the summer period. It does not make sense not to get paid (at all) during the summer. Anyways, thank you so much for all the responses!

drink up

I was at a red light. I nearly crashed. Recommended. (10/10)

Hey @Pan_tafsm, I will be working in the Fluids - Thermal Sciences laboratory. I would prefer not to say the professors' name here, but let me know if you have any other questions!