My First Month in USA – Part 2
Always first week, month and semester in USA is the toughest. If you have mental toughness to face the challenges, rest of your stay will be enjoyable. This is second part of Srinivas’s experience.You can read the first part My First Month in USA – Part 1
Party Time. Maybe Not
Later, me and my roomies got to talk with a group named “First Assembly at Rolla” consisting of Africans, Chinese and Indians. Me and my roomies were so happy that we were hanging out well with international students.
They invited us for a party and we inturn invited them home for a dinner. But only at the party arranged by them, we came to know that “First Assembly at Rolla” was a church and those were church people.
We knew what they are planning to do. So immediately we called those guys and told we have to be at some place else and cannot make it up to home, so lets have the dinner some time later. Phew! Believe me.
You dont want to get along with them. Dont be attracted to what they say. “Call us anytime. I’ll give you a ride wherever you guys wanted to go. We can even go someplace like a tour or something. So whatever you want, just give me a call” They’ll give you free food on an evening every week. I wanted to stay away from them.
Names Problems
They find very difficult to work with our names. You know what, I had to get myself a third I-20 in order to get my name correct in it. I had 4 words in my last and first name combined. It was very difficult even while opening a bank account, ordering something online or through phone. Anywhere you go, they ask your name. And you could guess what would I have faced. Which name would I give them?
Apartment Double Rent
Lastly, one of my friends got himself in a difficult situation. He and another guy signed a lease agreement to rent a house for 1 yr under an agency. Two more guys had agreed to stay with these two guys but their names are not under the lease.
All of a sudden the last two guys had ditched the first two guys. And now the first two guys cant do anything because the last guys names are not on the lease and had decided to end the lease and stay with someone else.
Agency then had asked them to pay a penalty of $200 for breaking the lease and to pay the rent for the house till the (agency)they find tenants for that house. But at the same time they shouldn’t stay in the house. Now those two are paying the rent for the place where they are staying now as well the rent of their previous house whose lease they decided to break + one time payment of $200.
The other guy who has signed the lease had refused to pay the previous house rent, which in turn has burdened my friend. The worst thing can happen now is that my friend has to pay the entire rent of the previous house all by himself because he’s worried about that it would affect his credit history. And the other guy who signed the lease doesn’t seem to care about the consequences or the affect of it on his credit history.
Right Roommates
Finding the right roommates, right seniors to guide you well and settling down well in an apartment in US with good company is a vital issue. If you have the right company, then its for sure that you’ll go places! The sooner you come here, the better. But no prob if you come late.
Get in touch with people who are also coming to your univ before starting from your home. Be frank. Tell your reservations earlier, if you have any. (For Eg: I was active in “MS&T Fall 2010” group in google started by one of our guys coming here. You wouldn’t believe how useful it was. But HSB has already posted an item related to this some time earlier)
And thats it. Be aware. Be good. Be safe. Hope you found it interesting 🙂
Share Your experience
Hello All : I would appreciate if you can share your experiences. It will be very useful to so many other students to know about students life in USA. Write a comment to this post or send your experience in email. Don’t worry about grammar mistakes and typos. I will fix those. Willingness to share your experience matters most, then mistakes in your writing.
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yep..dude,i dont laugh much when i sit on my pc for surfing any material for TOEFL.i mean,i get that much serious mood..but the begining of this post made me to hold my stomach….i couldn.t hold my layghter..thnx…go ahead..hv more gud times..
Hey saumya ..r u coming to US
You have got bad English !
hello sir,
my name is amandeep i got all over 5.5 band in ielts can i apply for study in USA bt i got just 4.5 band in speaking if i can apply for study then send me important information
Thanks. Im a beginner. this is good guideline for me. im from Bangladesh.
hello,
can anyone tell me what should be my answer when VO asks why u did not go for fall 2010 when u have completed your graduation by june2010 and what did u do in this gap of 6 six months
Hey that's not a big deal. Just say you needed time to prepare for GRE and TOEFL as you did not want your GPA or GRE or TOEFL to be affected by each other. Just explain the whole admission process requires dedication and you didn't want anything to be adversely affected by other.
Hi guys,
If you just read the article along with this comment everything will fall in place and you will feel the dots connected by the end of this.
I didn't actually mean to write the post that way. I was trying to write something else in the article but it turned out to be in some other way. So, I'm terribly sorry for that mistake.
Kindly, hear me out first. Actually I did my schooling right from my elementary to high school in a Christian Missionary School. I have even been to Chruch, a no of times. I have even enjoyed singing prayers during school times 🙂 Even though if I'm not a Christian, I have prayed, worshipped Jesus for abt 12 years in my life. I do not hate or loathe any other religions or people of any other religions. So no offence guys!
I'll brief you what I was trying to tell in that post. Actually one of guys whom I met there at the party, held my hand tight and asked me to promise that I'd come to Church that following Sunday.
So, you see, I was trying to tell that I do not like when I'm being persuaded in this way. Brothers & Fathers at my school hadn't tried anything like it to persuade us. So, I didnt like the way they were trying to do to me. I felt annoyed a couple of times. Moreover I got busy with my homework assignments. In order to get myself out of the situation, I wanted to avoid them. Ok.
Get me guys? I have actually missed all those points while writing the article. Even I felt it a little offensive but I didnt mean it to be that way. So my point is not abt religions or church people or anything in particular. I have just shared my experiences with you. I felt that I dont want to get myself in this situation and so I avoided them.
Moreover they arranged a party for about 100 International students. Do you think everyone is spending their time in returning a favor to them? I dont think so. Also isn't it in my wish to invite or not to invite someone? That is what I trying to tell in the article. I was not trying to offend anyone or any belief.
Hope you guys understood, what I was trying to tell 🙂
With Regards,
Srinivas.
thanks srinivas…looking fwd for ur other exp in US……..
@DSTORM – well said bro, people from Church or for that matter any faith won't hurt you. They are the ones to whom you would turn when ur in deep trouble.
But beware of ones that u think are good – they may come back and haunt you.
@Kenneth : Amen
well i think srinivas is good at handling situations. Any way ur information is very usefull for me. I am going for spring 2011 and you guys really give good advice and experiences.
hi madhuri…….
i m also going for spring 2011…..
may i know which univs u have applied for….??? if u dont mind…… 🙂
hi maduri nd pruthvi…. evn i'm looking out for spring 2011 ,, i'm looking out for MS in electrical engg…. wat u guys lookin out for ,,, done with ur i20 nd stuffs????
hey varun good to know ur comn for spring 2011 well not yet recieved my I20 what about you??
hi pruthvi well ive not yet got my I2O so i cant confirm you my univs anyhow wats urs list and ur branch?
@KENNETH: U r correct. First watever religion we belong to,we must respect other religions.Im a Muslim and i respect all. What Srinivas did was his individual act , but he should have at least returned the favor once. At least he could have learned something even if he didnt had Christian Faith or wanted to join Christianity. Overall fine ,but Srinivas should keep this in mind that they that u dont make friends only to party and u r now in America not India where Hindus are dominant.
nice comment my "Anonymous" .
Hey
Can someone write his experience about the current job situation for MS student. How much international student have got job and H1B sponsership whoever graduated this year .No one is giving clear cut idea about this. 2/3 year back situation was different but now as per the strict visa rule I want to know details about the job prospects before applying for US universities. Please reply.
In response to your question. The job prospect is really bleak for international student now in the USA because of a lot of bottle necks. Most US employers would not want to sponsor international students because of the present government regulations that all jobs must be given to US citizens first before even given to permanent resident talk less of international students.
Honestly speaking the OPT work permit is nonsensical in the present economic situation since it a temporal work permit and now most US employers can only employ people with permanent work authorization.
I will suggest you apply to Canadian schools . Canada needs international student after graduation but US don't !
This is out of personal experience
US is a hype !
Church people are not exactly Satan worshipers so do not be scared of them. You didn't have to LIE to them. Just tell them you are not interested in help or whatever idea, scam or religion, help, offer they are trying to push. You are in America now. You have to adapt to all religions and lifestyles. 70% Americans are Christians, 90% Indians are Hindus…. do you think FEAR and/or hatred is the answer …..You do not have to agree with people but you certainly have to be professional and courteous. Regards.
I disagree with Srinivas on the issue of Church people. To be candid Church people are the best people to be with in the whole world. Church people are committed to helping people make heaven at last. They preach about the Lord Jesus Christ. Please wherever you see church people join them and do not shun them as advised by Srinivas. Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. God bless you all. Amen.
GOOD ON YA MATE !!
PEACE BRO
U R ABSOLUTELY RIGHT