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graspinghandsandfeet

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Everything posted by graspinghandsandfeet

  1. I don't own a car in the US, even though I live in a city that a lot of people claim requires a car. However, here are a few things I noticed from friends who have cars and from sometimes borrowing a car. To some extent the cost depends on where you live. Denser cities especially will have fewer free parking spots and might require you to rent a spot in your apartment building or whatever for often well over $100 a month. The same goes for the University. At my undergrad university a parking spot for one semester costs around $400, maybe more for better parking lots. Gas is currently at around $4 where I live (Austin, TX) but I think it is more expensive in other areas. Coming from Europe this might not seem that high (I'm from Germany), but because a lot of cars are not very efficient here and distances are much longer, it is still expensive. Many of my friends spend around $100 in gas every month and that is just for driving relatively short distances in the city. If you have a longer commute, it will be a lot more. I don't know much about insurance. I know that rates are higher if you're under 25 (?) and you have been in some kind of accident. Geico and other insurance companies have quote calculators on their website that might give you an idea.
  2. I actually just did this today. I received a packet from Rutgers (where I will be going in the fall) that included an "F-1 student adviser report" (or something like that). The international office at your current school has to fill it out and send it to the new school's international office. By doing this your current school releases you and your records to your new school. As soon as your new school gets that form they can send you your new I-20. It's a pretty simple process. One thing to keep in mind is that you may not want to be in between I-20s if you plan on traveling outside of the country. Your current international office should be able to help you find a good release date, though.
  3. Depending on what kind of condition you want the car to be in, you can probably find something cheaper. However, you should also keep in mind that the expenses don't stop after buying the car. You'll have to get insurance, oil changes, check-ups, and of course gas (or petrol for you brits!). I know I won't be able to afford it with my stipend. I'm going to Rutgers in the fall, by the way, and I plan on just getting around by bike/bus/train.
  4. There is also a good public transport connection between New Brunswick (where Rutgers is, assuming you're going to the main campus) and Princeton. The train is pretty fast, so that could be an alternative to buying a car or at least give you a way to commute while you're looking for a car. That way you won't be forced to buy the first car you see.
  5. Thanks Milo! I'm glad to hear that you don't suggest having a car. I don't have one right now and would prefer not to get one. Having a roommate or two would definitely make things a lot cheaper, however, I'm starting to think that I might be ready to live alone. Having two cats doesn't exactly make the roommate search easy and I would prefer to move in with someone I already know. Is there another way to find an apartment, aside from craigslist and the Rutgers Off-Campus housing website? Craigslist doesn't seem to have a lot of postings, most of them are just the same apartment posted over and over again. I plan on flying up there sometime soon (April, early May) to look for an apartment, but I will only be there for 3-4 days. Are there any realtors that are trustworthy and not too sleazy? I don't want to feel pressured to make a decision and end up with a dump that looked good at first glance. If anyone can recommend a good way to find a decent place - with a realtor or without - I'd very much appreciate it!
  6. Hi everyone, I received an offer from the Evolutionary Anthropology program at Rutgers recently. The offer is fantastic - full funding, health insurance, etc, more than I could have ever hoped for. I have until April 15th to make my decision, but an email from the admissions office said that they would prefer to hear from me by April 1st, so they can give my funding to someone else. This makes sense, if I was on a waitlist for funding I would prefer to hear sooner rather than later. However, I am still waiting for one school (Duke) and I am on "a short waitlist" in Chicago. I am expecting a rejection from Duke, so if it wasn't for the waitlist, I would have accepted Rutgers' offer already. To be honest, I will most likely accept the offer, but I feel uncomfortable doing it before I know all of my options. Today I got an email from the professor I would be working with at Rutgers. He asked if I wanted to talk on the phone, so we could discuss the program, my interests, and any questions I have that might help me make my decision. I actually do have a lot of questions, but I was wondering if you guys had any advice. What are some key questions that I should ask that I might not be thinking of right now? For those of you who are already attending, what things do you wish you had asked before accepting an offer? Should I tell him about the waitlist/which school it is? Thanks!
  7. I'd recommend buying a return ticket. It's cheaper and you might be able to use to go home for Christmas or the summer. Another important thing to keep in mind is that the immigration officer at the airport might ask you if you have a return flight. I've been on an F-1 visa for almost four years (did my undergrad in the US) and I remember being asked about my return flight a couple of times. I guess not planning on going home might look like you don't have close ties to your home country and might want to stay in the US. Remember that the F-1 is a non-immigrant visa!
  8. I know nothing about Physics but it sounds like you like the program at Northeastern better. I just graduated from UT-Austin last semester and I can tell you that it is definitely a research university, at least from what I have seen in other departments. If being able to find a job in an industry setting is important to you, the connections you can make at Northeastern might make that the better choice. Boston and Austin are both great, liberal, lively cities. Boston is bigger and feels more European (probably because it is much older), while Austin can look and feel almost suburban when you leave the central area. That said, I love Austin and I'm sad that I will have to leave (UT rejected me for grad ). The weather is beautiful almost all year, even though it gets VERY hot in the summers. You might be concerned because it is in Texas, but I can assure you that Austin is as liberal as any city in the Northeast. There is tons of outdoorsy things to do (hiking, biking, swimming, etc) and the live music scene is great. The weather in Boston will definitely be a little harsher in the winters, but you get to experience real seasons (Spring and Fall last about a week in Austin) and snow. Since Boston is a big city with a lot of universities, I doubt that you will ever have a problem with finding things to do. Plus, New York is only a bus ride away, should you ever get bored. Basically, both cities are great places to live, so what your decision should come down to is which program do you like better? From what you have written it sounds like you are more into Northeastern. Good luck with your decision!
  9. Thanks so much! That was a lot of very helpful information. That farmers market sounds wonderful and I'm glad to hear that biking from Highland Park to New Brunswick is possible. Having a roommate would definitely be cheaper, but it will probably be easier to find one once I have lived there for a few months and met some people. I also have two cats, which makes the roommate search a little more complicated. Thanks again!
  10. I'm originally from Germany, so I'm used to cold and snow and I used to ride my bike to school in the winter there. But the bus or train will definitely be a welcome alternative for some of the worst days.
  11. I was accepted to Rutgers a few days ago and I've been reading this forum trying to get a feel for the area. I know that the best way to get to know a place is to visit, but I don't think I will be able to do that until late April or May (after the April 15th deadline). This city guide has already provided a lot of valuable information, but I do have a few questions. I get the feeling that it is not very common to ride bikes around New Brunswick, Highland Park, etc. This surprises me, since everything seems to be very close together. According to google maps Edison is only 5 miles from the Douglas campus and Highland Park only 2 miles, yet people in this thread have suggested to only live in Edison if you have a car. Am I getting the wrong impression or is it really unusual to bike from Edison to New Brunswick? I live in Austin, TX right now, don't own a car, and bike everywhere I need to go. I would like to continue to do that if I move to New Jersey. People have been mentioning that New Brunswick doesn't have any "real" grocery stores and from what I have seen on google maps, this seems to be the case. Is it possible to get good food and a variety of groceries for a decent price, or would one have to go to Princeton or Middlesex (I saw that they have Trader Joe's there). I'm going to be on a budget, so I don't really want to have to pay for overpriced groceries and someone pointed out that the Stop&Shop in Highland Park was on the expensive side. One last question: How important is it for an apartment to include heat or gas? As I mentioned I live in Austin right now, and cold is not an issue for us (we only turned the heater on for maybe a week this year). Rents in NB, Highland Park, etc are a lot higher than what I am used to, I am expecting to have to pay $900-1100 a month for an apartment. Should I make sure that rent includes heat, so I don't have to pay a lot extra in the winter months? How high do gas bills get in the winter? If anyone who knows the area or lives there right now could enlighten me, I'd very much appreciate it! Thanks!
  12. Yes, I did mean March, sorry! And it looks like they consider April 1st to be the last Friday of March, wtf? Email them and let them know about your conflict. They are aware that you probably applied to more than one program. Maybe stress that you are very interested in their program when you email them to them about your problem. Maybe they can even schedule you for a different day?
  13. I doubt that they would consider April 1st as the last Friday in February. If you are really worried about it, why don't you just email the admissions office to clarify?
  14. I have only heard that I am waitlisted at Columbia, still waiting on the others.
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