Reviewed on Mar 15, 2025(Enrolled 2021)
What Students Say
Likes
- Flexible Schedules
- Online access
- University Resources for students(softwares, journal access, google accounts with unlimited storage)
Dislikes
- Expensive living arrangements (preferably find off campus housing)
- You have to be on top of your own course requirements (No one is going to lookout for you)
- International Students can only work part-time during their course-work where as local students can work full time even during their course-work, which is worse because international students pay more tuition fee for the same course in comparison to local students
Course Curriculum
6
- The lever of curriculum was satisfactory; it was not very challenging but with ample of practical exposure to any field that you are in.
- In my case, the Bioinformatics program was not very well established but I learnt quite a lot of practical knowledge in my field and I was part of a research lab that gave a lot of practical and theoretical knowledge as the main test for my Master's degree.
- I took 3 courses each semester, and the rest of my time was spent working in the research lab. The course selection should be such that none of the classes overlap in their timings so you have 3 theory and 3 practical classes per week.
- Faculty members can help you connect with people in your field but you have to approach them. Networking is a skill that should be learnt during a Masters course, as it lasts for 2 years and to make sure you take any career opportunity by the end of the two years, it is easier if you start early.
Admission Experience
-
I applied to the following universities:
- Boston University, USA
- San Diego State University, USA
- North Carolina State University, USA
- University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA
- I got accepted in all, maybe because I had applied to these colleges during COVID, which may have reduced the number of applications, but all of these universities were shortlisted because I was interested in bioinformatics and the cities of all these universities are a great hub for bioinformatics. Selection of universities should not be just based on their education program but also your exposure to the field you want to pursue.
- I chose San Diego State University because San Diego has a great research hub, particularly in the field of biotechnology. It had a considerably cheaper tuition fee, the climate was more comfortable in comparison to universities on the east coast of US and I was also approached by a research lab at SDSU to help me with my thesis research. At that stage, all of these points made it feel like it was a no-brainer.
- The admission process was through the CSU portal; they asked for bachelor's transcripts, degree certificates, 3 letters of recommendation, a CV, and a letter of intent/statement of purpose (SOP). Accepted exams were GRE, TOEFL or IELTS.
- GRE was not mandatory but appreciated.
- The most challenging part of the admissions process was to have a satisfactory Statement of Purpose. I tailored it for each university separately by looking at research done in each university and showing that I have actually given it actual thought while applying.
- I applied in February 2020 and got accepted in May 2020, so it took around 2-3 months, but I deferred my application to 2021 due to COVID. SDSU was the only university that gave me an option to defer my application to Spring 2021 as I was unable to travel internationally during COVID. California, being the hub for biotech companies like Illumina, PacBio, Amgen, etc. was a major influence on my decision to choose SDSU.
Faculty
8
- My cohort was very small, as the Bioinformatics course was not well established, so there were about 15 students in my class. I was the only Indian in the Bioinformatics course. As my cohort was quite small, there was enough attention to each student that made the interaction easier and easier to clear concepts when in doubt.
- The teaching methodology is adequate for a master's course because most of the learning is dependent on the student's effort. The practical learning is where the faculty help a lot, which helps in gaining skills for a job.
Campus Life
10
- SDSU has 3 campuses:
- Main campus : 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA 92182,
- Imperial Valley campus : 720 Heber Ave, Calexico, CA 92231 and,
- San Diego State University, Georgia: PP6X+R9M, Tbilisi, Georgia
- I was on the main campus, which has a library, a student health clinic that offers a range of medical services for students, an open auditorium, an indoor basketball court, an open football field, futsal pitches, a gym, temperature-regulated swimming pools and an indoor sports centre.
- Our college participates in major sports leagues at the college level in football, basketball, volleyball and also hosts concerts of various musical artists. Aztec Nights is a major festival at the start of each year.
Part Time Jobs
- 60% of the students secure TA or Ra positions. I applied for a GRA position in a research lab while working on my MS thesis. The pay range is between $20-$25/hour and the hours vary from 10 to 20 hours per week. There are other jobs in catering, stadium Aztec shops, on-campus health advisors, student welfare posts, etc. Maximum hours allowed per week is 20. Networking is very important to be up to date with on-campus job postings. It can take one semester to get used to and get settled. That gives you ample amount of time to gauge the availabilities and network with on-campus representatives.
- Students typically earn $20 per hour and it is quite helpful while living abroad to lower the financial burden for day-to-day expenses. There are online job boards like Handshake, which post on-campus jobs. You can also approach faculty that can hire you for a TA or RA position under them. There are workshops that help build CVs. There are many opportunities for students to work on campus.
Placement
4
- The job market since last 2 years has been difficult but in general, 50% of the students are able to secure full-time employment. The average salary range for a bioinformatics job is from $80k-$120k.
- To find jobs, actively attend career fairs, be proactive in job searches on LinkedIn and cold-mail recruiters. Many of my friends secured jobs in Illumina and UCSD research jobs through LinkedIn applications.
Accommodation
Off Campus
6
- I found my accommodation through Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram groups. Initial search for incoming students in the same situation as me was difficult. Searching in college groups is the first step to getting more connections for accommodation searches and teaming up with other students in the same boat as us.
- I found a group that had finalised on renting a 3-bedroom townhouse 5 minutes walking distance from SDSU and we shared it among 6 people. Our rent was $3300, which got divided up into $550 per person + $50 utilities.
Exams
- At San Diego State University, IELTS/TOEFL are required but GRE is not mandatory, is appreciated though. Documents that are required are transcripts, degree certificates, 3 LORs, CV and Statement of Purpose. There was no interview process involved in the application.
- A good SOP gets most of the job done. Extra-curricular activities can highlight other attributes to your personality that can also influence the approval chances.
Fees
- $38500/year (tuition basic tuition $9570+ international student tuition $7128, approx living expense $15375 + books or personal expense ~ $4000, Health insuarance $1700)
- The fees were charged semester-wise. I have already stated my yearly expense of off-campus living as 15000 which comes down to $1250 per month ($600 rent and the rest for my personal expense)
Scholarship
- I did not get a scholarship. I don't not know of any of my batchmates receiving scholarships. I am not sure how many students get scholarships at SDSU.
- I did get a scholarship if I had accepted Boston University in the amount of $15000 but the tuition fee at Boston University was $85000, which was more than 2x of SDSU.
