%20-%20Akunuru%20Rishika.jpeg)
%20-%20Akunuru%20Rishika.jpeg)
%20-%20Akunuru%20Rishika.jpeg)
Reviewed on Jan 24, 2025(Enrolled 2024)
What Students Say
Likes
- My university has great nerds around to have a competitive environment
- University organizes events which are helpful for students in career wise
- The network benefits at the college is unimaginable such as getting referrals. Most of them try to help each other.
Dislikes
- Most of them get on campus jobs without any experience.
- The undergraduate courses are much efficient than graduate courses
- The dominance of Technology is quite good in STEM Fields but limited career opportunities.
Course Curriculum
8
- The difficulty level is high for my course curriculum. It was more practical as every assignemnt need to be executed. The positive aspects are such as mastering the subject and if you do it on your own you can answer any question in the interview. The negative aspects are there is much chance of copying the assignments. Mostly classes are based on the season and hours of the class. Many of classes are in the evening. Avergae number of students in each class is 30-50. In my university in a class of 50 10-15 students are Indians.
Admission Experience
- I've been admitted to most of the universities I applied to. I got 5 offers from around the USA.
I got 1 rejection from UMBC. I believe there was much competition for the rejected college. I think I've applied based on my profile and the colleges that suit me career-wise. The confirmed decisions I got were from 3 universities. Then I chose the one that suited me and applied I-20 for that. - The university I selected was one of the first established engineering colleges in the USA. The admission process was really smooth, such as applying and providing some documentation, such as financial and educational certificates and getting admitted into it. The eligibility criteria are the GRE and an English professional test for masters. The minimum score varies based on the year of admission and the department you choose. The highlight of the admission was they were on a followup with me at each and every process.
- I've applied to the Spring 2025 intake. I thought of having a higher credibility compared to others, as obtaining an engineering degree is not enough in India. The admission process took around 4 months, such as writing exams, applying to universities, providing required documents, getting an admission, applying for I-20, the visa process, and the visa interview. This all took me around 4 months but it might take longer for fall students.
Faculty
8
- The faculty and student ratio is quite good as it is 30:1. The teachers are credibile with good qualifications. The faculty to student ratio influence on the discussions, projects and the study process. The teaching methodology is project based at my university. Faculty members assist in both full time and part time jobs through their network and references.
- I admire strict and efficient teaching faculty members which see the course as a journey and what is the goal of the subject
Campus Life
10
- My university has only one campus. There are many facilities, such as libraries, sports, gyms, creative centres, medical services, and many more. We also have a university group for celebrating Indian festivals.
Part Time Jobs
- Mostly all of them secure an on-campus job such as teaching assistant (TA) or research assistant (RA). I got an opportunity with the dean for an RA position in the 3 months I landed in the USA. The pay range for TA and RA varies around $16-$22. The other on-campus job has a base pay of $15 per hour, such as in the food department or library. The maximum hours allowed for working on campus are 20 hours per week. Its difficult to get whole 20-hour jobs but on average, you can secure 10 hours per week.
- Students can make $500-$1000 per week minimum based on their job and hours. Its quite difficult to secure a part-time job. Students can apply for part-time jobs on the university portals. You can create a resume and apply for the jobs based on your interests and availability. The main factor is the confidence, where you need to convince your employer that they can trust and hand over the responsibilities to you.
Placement
6
- Less than 25% of students secure jobs after graduation in 6 months, as the job market in the USA is at its lowest point. The average salary range for freshly graduated students after master is $17-$25 per hour with tax. The students can find jobs in career fairs, through their network, or job portals. It can be a good advantage if students have any kind of experience before getting into the market. It may be an internship or full-time experience. There are no specific companies that hire students from a specific university.
Accommodation
Off Campus
6
- I searched off campus accomodation in the whatsapp groups. My monthly rent is $400 in a shared room of 3 in each room in a 2bhk apartment. The main challenge is commuting as there is no proper commuting options. I suggest people take accomodations near to the univeristy. This makes a huge difference as I struggle going to campus from a one mile distance.
Exams
- Gre is optional but can get you good scholarship. English proficiency test such as IELTS, TOEFL and Duolingo are accepted. The cutoff marks for them are based on the course you choose, The documents required are LORs, SOP, CV, Study Certificates, Financial security documents. Based on these documents and your GPA, the university provides you the decision.My university has no interview for admission process.
Events
6
- Many events, such as Thanksgiving, Diwali, Tech Fest, and many more, will be going on campus every year. The department also encourages students in many ways.
Fees
- The course is based on the credits. We should obtain 33 credits, with each subject credible to 3 credits. So we have 11 subjects to complete in MSIT. My total tuition fee is around INR 35,00,000. The college offers semester-wise payments. For students who are financially weak, they also offer monthly payments.
- My living costs come around $800, which includes rent and groceries.
Scholarship
- I've obtained a merit scholarship of $2500 per year. It was automatically given my the university. Others received scholarships too but not more than $2500. The least I heard was $700. I believe 80% of students receive scholarships each year. I heard few colleges which gave more scholarship at my time. I think most of the scholarships are based on merit rather than admissions.
