Step by Step

Exploring the world beyond academics! I’m certainly not an expert, and there are many individuals out there achieving much more in diverse fields! Many are thriving in amazing places! It’s quite impressive! However, I’m content with my average achievements. :p Still, some have inquired, so I thought of penning down a post! If it helps anyone, that’s great!

Essentially, venturing beyond academics doesn’t necessarily mean pursuing a new job or a career goal! It might be a path where the destination is unclear, and perhaps, no one really knows where it leads! In my opinion, it’s a journey where assistance is needed at every stage! There’s a lot of uncertainty, so mental stability is crucial!

GRE/IELTS

I have started my journey from the ending of september 2021. I haven’t taken the GRE, so I can’t provide insights on that. Many universities in the USA have waived the GRE requirement due to the pandemic, and some have made it optional. If you can take the GRE, it’s definitely a plus. However, a strong profile without GRE is also worth considering! Information related to GRE waivers can be found by searching in higher studies fb groups. As for IELTS, watching English movies extensively is beneficial. Practice from the website IELTS online tests and follow tutorials from Liz, youtubers. Personal efforts are essential, and online resources are abundant. I started my preparation in September, took the test in October. I was a full time lecturer , so managing time was challenging, practiced IELTS things outside of office hours, got a good amount of support from the family. I’m not an avid English movie watcher, so I had to put in extra effort! What I gained from the process makes me happy!

SOP/LOR

For writing the SOP, it’s crucial to read many SOPs. Afterward, craft your own! Some prefer writting the intial draft before reading others write ups. In my case, after reading, rewriting felt better! Searching for sample SOPs in groups like “Next Top USA” yields plenty of resources. SOPs should be updated according to each university’s requirements, try to relate your research with the university faculties which helps for better chance. Regarding LOR, it’s advisable to draft one yourself, and faculty members can make changes according to their perspective. You are the one who knows the best about your profile. Try to support your statements with proof like grades, papers, projects in the LOR. Writing three/four different formats for LORs is good practice. It helps if faculty members can recognize you, so recommendation requests should be made wisely. Having at least seven recommenders is a good strategy for multiple universities. Reminders from your side are essential, as faculty members are often busy. When communicating with recommenders, maintain a formal and respectful tone to convey professionalism and gratitude. To streamline the recommendation process, consider completing all your university applications before reaching out. Seek explicit permission from recommenders before including their names, ensuring they are aware of the commitment.

CV/Resume/Website

It’s essential to create a CV/Resume in LaTeX. A personal website on GitHub is also helpful, and using Google Analytics to track visits enhances your profile. When people from outside the country visit your website, it leaves a positive impression. The website acts as your portfolio! Emphasize your strong points in the CV, and detailed information about high school and secondary school isn’t necessary. Minimal personal information, such as phone number and email address, is sufficient. Avoid unnecessary details like parents' names and birth dates. In the context of outside work or technology-related activities, having a publication is good, but if you don’t have one, preprints using EasyChair for project papers are an option. Some universities are very interested in diversity, so mentioning extracurricular activities, especially for women in technology, is important. Contests, Olympiads, and similar achievements should be highlighted. Any work or gap years should be briefly mentioned. Not having any study gaps is also a plus!

For a website demo, here is mine: shailyroy.github.io

University Selection

I have primarily relied on online websites to find universities that match my profile. I have applied to universities where people I know are studying. I love to be with people and I am an ambivert person , So tried to be in the safe side. It is always helpful to have some known people around you in abroad. But if you can’t make it, don’t worry. I also came in a complete new place where I knew none. Initially I struggled, tried to connect with new people via social media even before coming to make things comfortable for me , networking is really important to survive here and finally got a circle to hangout later. I have also applied to places where my relatives and friends are applying. I admit I have been somewhat casual about the process and haven’t conducted intense research. I have often sought help from my friends and seniors when needed.

The application fee is really high when you apply to multiple universities. Be prepared for that. Sometimes I requested a fee waiver due to financial constraints from the co-ordinators and they approved. The application process has taken time, and I had to be very patient. The deadlines for most universities were around December 15th, but some accepted applications until March.

After submitting applications, I waited, and in late January, I started receiving emails for interviews. I emphasized the importance of researching professors and being well-prepared for interviews. Weather considerations for the location of the university were also important. If the interview went well, there was hope for a positive outcome.

Before applying, it was crucial to write a well-crafted email to professors expressing interest in joining their research. Although not all universities required it, many interviews were necessary. I personally received offers from two universities after interviews. Others were central.

Additionally, getting funding directly from professors could increase the chances of acceptance. But don’t rely on the verbal promise. Celebrations followed when receiving I-20 offer letters, but the visa process was challenging.

Rejection chances were high (80%) once the universities started releasing results. Mental preparation was crucial to deal with potential disappointments. When multiple offers came in, selecting a university based on personal preference completed the process.

My Profile when I applied

  • B.Sc. in CSE (BRAC University)
    CGPA of highest distinction
  • MSc in CSE (BRAC University)
    CGPA of highest distinction (completed the coursework, thesis pending)
  • GRE: didn’t attend
  • IELTS: 7
  • Publications: 3 (Conference 2 as first author, 1 as second author) Citations: 26
  • Work Experience: 1 month in a software company, 3 month as a full time lecturer at Daffodil International university, 3 years as a Full-Time Lecturer at Brac university.
  • Research Interest: ML, AI
    I have programming contest background during my student life, not sure how much weight it carried here.

Universities I Applied

  1. Syracuse University (Fellowship with 25k surplus + Tuition Waiver + Health Insurance)
  2. University of Arizona (Professor contacted but I felt his profile doesn’t match with my interest, so skipped it and got rejection later )
  3. George Mason University,( 24k GRA+ 8K summer Internship + Tuition Waiver + Health Insurance)
  4. University of Alabama Birmingham (GRA + Tuition Waiver+ health insurance)
  5. Umass Amherst - (Rejected)
  6. University of Delaware (GTA)
  7. Purdue University (Rejected)
  8. University of Maryland College park (Rejected)
  9. Iowa state university (I applied there at first and the SOP was the worst. So got Rejection certainly)
  10. Michigan Tech University (self funded admission)
  11. University of British Columbia (Rejected)

Visa Interview Experience

  • Visa Type: F1
  • Visa Status: Approved
  • Intended Term: Fall 2022
  • Intended University: Syracuse University
  • Intended Program: Ph.D. in Computer Science
  • Offer Details: Fully Funded for 5 years with 25k surplus (2 years Fellowship + 2 years RAhip +1 year TAship/RAship+ Tuition Waiver + Health Insurance)
  • Visa Interview Date: 29 July 2022
  • CEAC Status: Issued
  • Passport Collected: 1 August 2022
  • Scheduled Time: 10:45 AM
  • Reached Embassy: 9:30 AM
  • Entered Embassy: 9:50 AM
  • Interview Started: 10:44 AM
  • Counter No: 11
  • VO Description: An American Guy (He was really nice, was approving almost everyone :3 So It created a positive vibe)
  • Duration: Around 30 seconds.
  • Documents Checked: Passport, I-20.
  • Documents Carried: Appointment Confirmation, Passport, I-20, DS-160 Confirmation, Sevis Fee Payment Receipt, Visa Fee Payment Slip, Offer Letter, NOC, Fellowship letter and some Photos.
Conversation Between Me and VO

Me: Hello Good Morning
VO: Please pass me your I-20.
Me: Here it is.
VO: Why this university?
Me: Told. (One sentence was enough) :3
VO: Where else did you apply?
Me: Told
VO: Who is your academic Advisor? What is his research field?
Me: Told in one line
VO: Your visa has been approved. You’ll get notified within two weeks of your passport collection.
ME: Thank you very much.

After obtaining Visa Date

After getting a suitable Visa interview date, next step is to start shopping beside preparing for Visa Interview and searching for apartment. For apartment searching, if you don’t know anyone who can manage an apartment for you, search in apartment.com app. The app version may not be available in Bangladesh, but the web version is accessible. Also there are some facebook groups for university students. search for that and then take decisions.

Buy refundable air tickets if your visa date is near your arriving date in usa. The earlier you buy a ticket, the less price you will get. Don’t forget to take qatar student facilities while buying tickets. We had only 2.30hour transition time in between two flights and I missed the next one for finding out luggages lately. So try to take more transition time . at least 4 hours to avoid these hassles. In airport you may need 5 to 6$ to carry bags , so make sure you bring change like 5$, 1$, 10$ with you.

Try to connect with the people as much as possible to get proper information of housing and everything. There should be facebook groups for bangladesh community of every university.

In USA, the medical cost of eyes and dentals are not covered in normal insurance. So the pricing is insanely high. Make sure you see dentists and eye specialists in BD before leaving.

Shopping List

You will find everything in USA, but initially it hurts to spend so much money to buy things. People try to bring everything but the weight limit gets existed in the blink of an eye. :'( so you can’t…..

Here is the shopping list that people must buy before coming here. The shopping list depends on state weather. Also if you are going to live alone, you must bring some basic things as you can’t lend anything from roommates.

Luggages

  1. 2 28inch luggage which can cover 23 kgs. try to buy good brand. 1 bag (hard shell) costed around 10k another one (softshell) 7k.
  2. 1 carry on bag of 20inch (it is not needed but recommended to take as it is easy to carry 7kg), It will cost around 6k.
  3. you can take another backpack for carrying laptops and other devices. they sometimes don’t weight the backpack.
  4. NEck pellow and sleeping mask. (as it will be a long journey, you can bring these for comfort but at the end of the journey it feels like too much staff to carry :| )
  5. keep travel size moisturizer in your handbag as it is colder in plane
  6. Wear comfortable dress while flying , keep a hoodie in the carry on so that you don’t feel cold

Outfits

  1. Bring a lot of outfits with soft color and simple designs. here cloths are very costly compared to our country and quality is not that different. Normally people wear very basic colors. In fall, they love floral designs.
  2. Tshirts (As many as possible). you can buy it from any branded shop. but for women oposite of Dhaka college can be a perfect place to do a lot of shopping with minimum cost)
  3. Several traditional outfits if you love to wear these.People enjoy fall color here. So bring cute yellow dresses. For snowfall , bring blue or red saree/dress.
  4. 6 to 7 trousers as it is comfortable and you can wear it anywhere.
  5. 9 to 10 undergarments as you will never find these here with 100 to 200 taka.
  6. Maximum 1 JAcket and 4 Sweaters if you are going to colder states. You will buy it here as well. but deshi clothes are really good.
  7. 10 to 12 half and full pants including jeans or any other materials and styles
  8. One shoe is enough to bring as in USA you will get better options. Try to bring 1 hill/sandle to wear with traditional dresses.
  9. bring a good Umbrella for initial days. you can bring raincoat if you are confortable.
  10. Iron is not really needed to bring, if you have space , you can bring it.

Electronics:

  1. You must buy an USA adapter if you are bringing your laptop and other deshi devices that doesn’t support US plugs. it looks like this: https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guidance/advice-for-you/when-travelling/travel-adaptor-for-usa/#:~:text=For%20USA%20there%20are%20two,120V%20supply%20voltage%20and%2060Hz. You can buy the converted in multiplan shop. the price is reasonable there. arounf 200 taka may be. in Bcity they ask an insane price.
  2. One multiplug which supports US plugs.
  3. Power banks are costly in USA.
  4. If you are woman, bring electric hot bag for period pains. you can find this in Daraz within 250 taka. here the cost is insane. Don’t forget to bring sanitary napkins which will cover at least 2 months, it takes time to get adopted with their pads.
  5. All phones donot support US sim, make sure you check your phone compatibility online . otherwise you may need to buy a new phone just after arriving. I am using one plus 8t and it is working fine.
  6. don’t bring rice cooker or anything like these , you can buy these from here.
  7. Some Plastic bags and tissue should be taken for surviving iitiallly

Food:

  1. Bring dry food like instant noodles, chocolates and cookies to survive initial days if you can’t cook.
  2. Deshi moshla can be found here, for the initial days bring some. It is reccommended if you buy 200g bottles instead of packets. As buying containers with 1$ = 100taka still looks a lot at the starting.
  3. garam mashla price is higher here. try to bring more if you love it. In walmart you will even find biriyani moshla as well.
  4. seeds are not allowed to bring but sometimes they allow it in check in luggages. bring all the food items in check in to be safe.
  5. don’t bring cooked food or fried oily food as sometimes in immigration they create problems
  6. Bring one plate, bowl and a water bottle.
  7. Crookeries can be found here in walmart so don’t bring them.
  8. Try to eat your favourite foods as much as possible before leaving, you will miss that the most.

Styling:

Check shein app or amazon app to see what people normally wear here and what is the cost.If you have space, you should bring these. Don’t buy anything new. whatever you have and want to bring, just take it. you will get these here as well.

  1. Some traditional and daily wearable jewellery
  2. watch
  3. sunglasses
  4. hat
  5. vanity bag (not more than 2)
  6. you can bring your favourite make up items if you can’t leave them. but it is not needed as you will get original make up things here
  7. Try to keep the jewellery and make up box inside the vanity bags and boxes that you will bring . it will save space in check in.
  8. skin care items can be brough in checked luggage for 1 month survival. (Face wash, sunscreen, moisturizer, serum, hair oil) Go to beauty parlour to pamper yourself before coming, parlour cost is higher in USA

Medicines:

  1. Saline
  2. Napa
  3. Antacid
  4. eye drops
  5. Nasal drops
  6. pain killer
  7. period pain killer
  8. c-vit
  9. one time band aids
  10. antibiotics
  11. savlon cream
  12. 3 to 4 eye-glasses, if you wear

Others:

  1. bring a thin blanket to survive initial days, then you can buy comforter from here
  2. for me, pillow is a must thing to bring as I hate soft pillow here.
  3. bring bedsheets and pillow covers from BD
  4. facial razor and trimmer
  5. perfume that you can’t leave
  6. books, scripts, pen, pencil, stapler, pins, markers, sticky notes and other class essentials. Stationaries are costly here
  7. Family photo
  8. deshi flag small
  9. money bag
  10. folders to keep important files. keep the folders in your bagpack
  11. hair bands, punch clips, safetypin, clips
  12. packets of shampoo, conditionar, washing powder, dish washer. don’t bring bottles as you won’t use that after you buy products from here.
  13. hair comb
  14. water mug may be

In USA, almost everything is cashless. You can’t use uber without card. You can bring liquid cash for safety . When you will create a bank account here, you can simply deposit the cash there. For 2022, I brought almost 4.5k dollars and I have used overall 2k dollars at the starting to pay housing costs and other shopping before getting the salary.

You must have a credit card or duel currency card if you are coming alone and nobody is there to help. After arriving USA, buy a sim card (recommended mint or h20 for reasonable cost) to get access of internet. After you get a sim card, almost everything gets easier.

Few words

Sometimes people will discourage you saying it won’t be possible to get admission in the first try. The thing is never loose hope. You try your level best. The rest of the things will be your luck. The journey is never smooth. I got a visa interview date after trying day and night for almost 2 months. Before that, getting admission was matter of eligibility, capability but in case of visa date, it was all about luck which was the most stressful one so far.

Another important thing you should know is “missing a flight is okay. sometimes it can happen. don’t panic. talk to the representative calmly. share your concerns . they will try their best to help you out.”

By the way, don’t forget to contact the coordinators to waive your application fee.

However, the next top USA group is a treasure for every applicant. I am thankful to this group and every single person who supported me throughout this journey.

Best of luck to all the applicants. I pray and hope that the best things happen to each and every one of you.

How is my initial days in USA?

November, 2022 Arriving here all by myself was a daunting experience, especially considering the worst flight experiences. For the initial seven days, I found myself in a continuous state of tears, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness in this unfamiliar environment. Opting for a single furnished studio, I embarked on this journey entirely alone, marking a rather disheartening beginning. However, as time progressed, I had the opportunity to connect with individuals who arrived around the same time as I did. Engaging with people I had previously interacted with on social media became a turning point. Despite knowing no one initially, I eventually forged connections with like-minded individuals, which played a crucial role in overcoming the initial phase of loneliness. Organizing gatherings, sharing delicious homemade meals, and receiving support from this newfound community significantly alleviated the early struggles. This shift from solitude to a supportive social circle proved instrumental in transforming those initial challenging days into a more positive and enriching experience.

Now, I genuinely enjoy being in the USA. The level of freedom and security I experience in this country is something I had never felt before. As a girl, the extra insecurities that I used to associate with being independent and safe were non-existent in my own country. Courage, like going alone to the bus station at 3 am, was something I never had before, but it feels effortless here! Despite the expenses, managing everything is quite easy. The worries I had about the long distance in the country were not true at all. Regarding academics, the pressure of exams and assignments is present throughout the week. Despite the academic pressure, the teachers are incredibly supportive. They patiently respond to emails about minor issues, and although many assignments are challenging, most of them are always there to help. Each course has a separate teaching assistant, and they are also available for assistance. I didn’t start solo research immediately, my professor made sure I learn from my seniors first, and seniors have been instrumental in guiding me. The help may not be available later, so it’s essential to learn as much as possible now. Regarding household chores, I am not too bothered. I used to do everything when I was in Dhaka as well. I manage things my way, and if I get bored with cooking occasionally, I can always order food from outside. Despite being expensive, there’s always something to do if you have the will to explore. The surroundings are beautiful with waterfalls, mountains, lakes, and parks nearby, especially if you have a car. Among all the positives, there is one issue that bothers me—the transportation system. You need a car to move and public transportation is the worst part of Syracuse. However, I miss the people and food of my country! There is no alternative to that. In reality, amidst all these pressures, there is no time to miss so much. 😬 But if I have to say that I miss something from the country, these come to mind first! :3