FAQ for planning a US Masters: by NUSTIAN

1. What universities should I apply to?

The United States has over 4800 colleges. Some are public universities while others are private institutions. Graduate Programs at private institutions tend to be pricier, despite the fact that they sometimes offer a partial scholarship to attract students. Deciding what college to apply to should depend on the following factors:

• The reputation/ranking of the graduate program/institution
• Your profile vs the known competitiveness of the program (profile of its current students)
• Fee structure of the program
• Location of the university (in the context of the cost of living)
• Alumni of the institution (since they are great connections to help find jobs)

2. What is the suggested timeline to plan and apply for a postgraduate program?

When you search for programs and make a list of the ones you will apply to, make sure you note down the application deadline of each program. There may be multiple deadlines for the same program, titled as early application deadline and late application deadline, etc. Make sure you aim for submitting your application before the earliest deadline. The earlier the better.

You should keep in mind at least 6 months for the following:

1. GRE, GMAT and/or TOEFL exam preparation
2. Booking an exam center appointment (you might have to register 3–4 months prior to the week you are planning to appear for the exam)
3. Working on the personal statement(s) or essays
4. Getting your application reviewed by people you trust in a professional capacity
5. Asking for recommendation letters and allowing ample time to referees. Make sure the recommendation letters include details on how long the person has known you, your relationship with them and some relevant keywords about your personality.

There are 3 broad types of postgraduate programs:

1. Non-research Masters programs. Such programs are usually 1 or 2 years long and do not have a thesis with them. They might have a final project etc.
2. Research-focused Masters programs. Such programs are sometimes Masters leading to Ph.D. They require candidates to have a research focus. In some cases, there might be tuition scholarships available based on research grants. These programs are most common in life sciences.
3. Ph.D. programs. These programs are always research-focused and have a high possibility of tuition assistance. In many cases, Ph.D. programs offer a stipend as well, which is equivalent to a salary enough for you to make both ends meet for yourself. It might be a bit tight if you have to support a small family as well.

Every post-graduate program has a Program Director. This person is responsible for making sure quality candidates apply for the program. Program Directors are, in a way, business development people. Their Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is to make sure the program gets the best students as early as possible. No director would want to wait until the application deadline. They naturally tend to accept students who apply early and might even fill up all seats way prior to the application deadline. This means: if the deadline is just 30–60 days away, the chances of your acceptance might be relatively lower if a certain number of seats have already been filled in. If the deadline is at least 90 to 120 days away, your chances are higher. It may seem a unique and interesting insight, but in many cases, your acceptance depends on the timeline of the application as much as it depends on your competitiveness. You should have your test scores ready before you apply, so plan to take the tests fairly early.

3. How much will it cost, beyond the tuition fee stated by the program?

Look up the cost of on-campus and off-campus housing even before applying to an institution. It depends on the city and varies a lot. You should keep in mind that your living expenses will be $600-$1500 per month for an individual or $1000-$2500+ per month for a small family, which includes housing, groceries, moving around, food, books, clothes, household items, etc. This means you should also explore if a one-year program suits you better over a two-year program, from a financial perspective.

4. Where can I work while pursuing my degree?

As an international student on an F-1 visa, you can only work on campus during full-time semesters, that too after you go through the paperwork of getting a Social Security Number (SSN). The process usually takes around 60 days or less. You will most probably earn somewhere around $10–15 an hour. The maximum number of hours allowed to international students is 20 hours/week during academic terms. In the summertime or during semester breaks this allowance is 40 hours/week, which is mostly utilized by students to join internships. During classes, most students cannot work more than 10 hours a week, on average, due to classes, exams, assignments, projects, etc. This money is sufficient for covering a fraction of the daily expenses or let’s say it is an additional pocket-money you can decide to save or spend. For internships, it is advised to look for summer internships during the preceding fall or start of the spring semester. The closer we get to summer, the harder it might become to find an internship, as the available internship positions start to fill up by early Spring.

There is another term you need to know: CPT. It stands for Curricular Practical Training. It is an off-campus employment option for F-1 students when practical training is an integral part of the established curriculum or academic program. Internships that are done with an employer out of the college campus are permitted through CPT and thus it is only allowed after completing one academic year. You should always keep in contact with the International Student Advisor allotted to you on your college campus. You can learn more about CPT and OPT by setting up an appointment with them.

5. How will I find a job in the US after I graduate?

Before you graduate, you apply for an OPT-card. OPT stands for Optional Practical Training. It is a work permit that allows you to work after you graduate, for either 1-year or 3-years, depending on whether your degree major is non-STEM or STEM respectively. Stay connected to your institution’s international student advisor for helping you out with specific questions.

Finding a job is difficult, but you can make it a bit easier by following some best practices. It is difficult because you have a temporary work authorization i.e. OPT. To work for the long-term, you would need an employer-sponsored work visa, i.e. H-1B. Read up on how the quota system works and look up on forums to see if a company offers work sponsorship or not, and for which roles. Many companies only offer sponsorships for niche roles in tech, where it is difficult to find a US citizen to fill the position. But if a recruiter or hiring manager likes you as a candidate, they might decide to sponsor you even if they generally do not. Do your research!

6. What is a STEM or a non-STEM program? Why does it matter?

There is a list of programs that qualify as STEM. This list is provided by the US government and it keeps changing a little, so look up the latest list and be prepared. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. According to current rules, STEM degrees get up to 3 years of OPT while non-STEM gets 12 months. This matters because the H-1B lottery happens only once a year, in early April. STEM degree holders have a possibility to get more chances to enter the H1-B lottery spanning multiple years in case they don’t get the H1-B in the initial attempts.

7. What program is more likely to help me land a job?

Getting a job is not impossible, but it isn’t easy either for international students. It is recommended to look up job descriptions of available vacancies, even before applying for a masters program. The US job market values skills over anything else. If you find skills in job descriptions that you would love having, find a Masters program that offers those skills.

Build relationships with key people over LinkedIn, networking events, etc. If your program has an internship slot between its two years of academics, finding an internship that can lead you to a job later is the best way possible. It is difficult to find entry-level jobs that also offer work sponsorship unless they are in a skill set which is hard to find or fairly new.

Written by Rafi Imran Amjad, an alumnus of the University of Florida and is passionate about tech trends and scalable practices.