<p>Hello to everybody reading this. I have two options to study comp engg (almost sure because I love math and science)-</p>
<ol>
<li>BU as a Trustee scholar - this means full tuition but living expenses are still quite a lot for my family (around US$20k?)</li>
<li>NUS as a SIA scholar - this means zero cost of attendance for now but a 6 year long bond working in Singapore after graduation.</li>
</ol>
<p>Personally, if it hadn't been for the money factor, I'd choose BU but well, gotta live in the reality so NUS seems safer (financially). </p>
<p>Are you talking about for 2011/2012? Have you already accepted the BU Trustee Scholarship? Why are you questioning this now, 6 weeks before school starts?</p>
<p>How easy will it be for your family to come up with that?</p>
<p>Grad school isn’t always free. Would your parents be able to pay for that too?</p>
<p>NUS for free, plus six years of work experience (which gives you time to save money for grad school if you want it) might not look like such a bad deal ten years from now. Talk with your family about the money. If NUS is your best option, go there and don’t look back.</p>
<p>It won’t be easy but its not like we’ll be under a lot of strain either.
I was hoping that as a Trustee scholar at BU (they say its less than top 1% of the class), I might stand a good chance at getting a nice deal for grad school (meaning at a good uni with comfortable financial help)
6 years for NUS, yes, but the same could be true for BU as well, no? (if need be) Plus it seems that the average salaries in the US are higher than in Singapore (US$5000 vs US$2500) although I am not sure about taxation in Boston. Any help with all this?</p>
<p>oh and yes, I’m hoping to be able to do my BS in comp engg in 3 yrs at BU. There’s no such freedom/possibility at NUS
also, are there many people who commence grad school (i’m planning a PhD) at 30? I mean, the ones who’re seriously interested in research and stuff and not doing it just for fun/satisfaction etc.</p>
<p>“it seems that the average salaries in the US are higher than in Singapore”</p>
<p>Do not count on getting a job here in the US. You need to be prepared to return to your home country if you do not already have a green card before you graduate.</p>
<p>People start Ph.D. programs at all ages. If you really want to do that, you can do it in your thirties. Don’t use this as a reason why you “have” to come to the US.</p>
<p>I think that you want to go to BU, but your family can’t really afford it, and so you are trying to come up with some reason why BU would be worth the extra expense. If you can’t afford BU, stop worrying about this, go to NUS and don’t look back.</p>
<p>The thing is that without the Trustee Schol, I wouldn’t even dream of choosing BU over NUS since expenses would be overwhelming. But with the scholarship, it might work.</p>
<p>With the Trustee, not only do the expenses come down but there is recognition too as one of the best graduates from BU. Thus, I assume that although things like jobs would not be easy they might be easier. Yes?</p>
<p>I am not sure how easy it is to do a PhD after having worked for 3-6 years in a bank/corporate setting. Any views?</p>
<p>NUS is very good too, and I am going to call them up and clear some doubts about the service commitment (bond).</p>
<p>For a take on just how difficult it is for international students to get a job in the US straight out of college, spend some time in the International forum here. Yes, with a student visa you do qualify for OPT, but depending on how much you work while in college, you might not have any OPT time left after graduation. Even if you do find an employer happy to hire you for your OPT, there is nothing that guarantees you will have a job offer at the end of that time, and no guarantee that your would-be employer can will be able to get you a work visa. You absolutely must be prepared to return to your own country after graduation. </p>
<p>For ideas on entering a Ph.D. program after a number of years in the working world, pay a visit to the Grad School Forum. If the Ph.D. is in a business-related area, it is fairly common for people to start out in an MBA and then decide that they want a more research-based career instead. What do you think you want a Ph.D. for anyway? Grad school is not just “college plus”. It requires a level of dedication that is above and beyond what you need to survive an undergrad degree, and for Ph.D. programs there is no certainty of employment at the end. In most fields of study there are more Ph.D.s awarded each year than there are jobs for them.</p>
