<p>Hi,
I'm an Indian and will be attending US university for my graduate studies in Computer Science during Fall 08. I got admissions from USC, syracuse and also from RIT. Syracuse and RIT gives me 30% tuition waiver and bit cheaper compared to USC. USC being a top ranked among three gives lot of admits and it makes it bit harder for us to look for oncampus jobs. On the other hand, syracuse being lower ranked gives less admits and is less expensive.
Guys help me out in choosing one from this three. Moreover, is LA very expensive and if yes, what are the chances of getting aid in US? Here there are lotta concerns over security issues in LA? Is it too bad for us to survive there?</p>
<p>Here are a few points I think would be good to consider:</p>
<p>-USC is in bad area in LA, but from what I hear from friends who study there if you are on campus it is safe enough.</p>
<p>-Yes, LA will be more expensive becuase it is one of the biggest cities in teh world. Both Syracuse and Rochester are in upstate new york so the area is much quieter and cheaper. However, USC's networking system is legendary. In addition to being in California (the hub of Computer Science) USC graduates proviede a lot of help to students with jobs and such after they leave school. So even if you are paying more in teh short term, long term USC is probably a better option.</p>
<p>My dad chose Rice over Stanford for grad school just because of cost, and he now regrets the decision, so put prestige and comfort over price for now</p>
<p>-If you're grades are good getting aid is not a problem.</p>
<p>-You are from India...think about the weather. I am from Singapore and went to a school in the South over places like Cornell and the weather plays a huge part in your college life. Upstate New York is terribly cold and its no point going to school there if you are going to be miserable</p>
<p>Thanks for this very informative post. Weather is one of the factors which makes me inclined towards USC. Btw, we are hearing a lotta negative thoughts about US recession and the current job scenario. Being in USA you should be knowing the exact job trend. Though predicting the job trends after two years is not possible, the current trend may give us a hint on wats gonna happen a couple of years later. Can you tell us whats really happening in US IT sector ??</p>
<p>to be honest, i am not sure of the current job scenario. I am still an undergrad so im not really looking into that yet!</p>
<p>As with with current oil scenario and other factors, the US economy isnt in the best shape. The pre-Y2K boom was definitely the time to be an IT professional, but that doesnt mean that the IT market is in a terrible slump. There will always be a market for IT professionals as computers/technology are vital in society today.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, I don't feel that it is essential for the job scenario to be a factor in your decision. By getting a USC degree you are giving yourself a brand name that will stay with you forever. This means that regardless of where you want to work (even if you want to go back to India for example) many worldwide doors will be open to you, and getting a job will be easier</p>
<p>If you're in a graduate program, it's likely that you'll be looking for a job 2-6 years from now, by which time the economic slowdown would have let up (I hope). That said, the IT sector hasn't experienced the wave of layoffs that the financial services companies have. You should be fine.</p>
<p>I had one D just graduate with a CS degree, another in the middle of hers, and I'm in the CS field. </p>
<p>Regarding job opportunities for CS grads - it seems to be very good right now. My just graduated D received several offers right away and my other D has had multiple paid internship offers. With the numbers of CS students graduating in the USA versus the demand it seems that the good opportunities will be around for at least a while.</p>
<p>As you know, in the CS field and especially in IT there's a fair amount of outsourcing to India. This doesn't mean there are no jobs available here (there are as mentioned above) but it does mean that there should be some good opportunities for a person from India who has gone to college in the USA and especially if they end up working here at least in the short term. They can act as a technical liason with other team members in India. In some cases they end up going back to India but working for an American firm as a development or IT manager in India.</p>
<p>LA is expensive compared to upstate NY but you'll be living on or near campus. You should be able to fairly readily determine the cost of living at/near USC from their website I'd expect. As someone else mentioned, make sure when you look at the cost 'near' USC you make sure you're looking at places where students live adjacent to the campus since further out can put you in a neighborhood that can be unsafe. USC has a highly ranked engineering program.</p>
<p>Guys, thanks for all your replies.. Sorry for being late in reply, I was on leave for couple of days. Let me hope to get a good internship and post ms job.
Btw, any ideas about aid scene in USC? Heard they have stopped RA and TA for International students. If thats true, what are the other possibilities of earning money while in studies. I'm taking a loan to cover my entire tuition costs and i should manage my living expenses. Considering the huge graduate population at USC, will I be able to fetch an oncampus job? If not, what else can I do to to cover up my living expenses?</p>