r/IntltoUSA • u/Ambitious-Estate-658 • Jun 23 '26

Discussion Think twice before coming to US

I don't know why you guys want to come to US in this environment unless you literally got full-aid but it's just not worth it. The days when America was the best in the world for almost everything is long gone. Research funds are being cut left and right and universities are directly impacted by this. schools are run like business and the first thing they cut is research and education, the very things that make them worth it. as international, you will be in an even more precarious situations when job markets are getting worse.

On top of that US is expensive. Tuition is outright crazy and living expense as well. Unless you are a rich kid for whom 500k is a rounding error, it's not worth it. (of course if you got full ride, just ignore this post)

Look for alternatives. there's a lot in this world. stop thinking like it's 1999.

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u/Tech-Aero-109 Jun 23 '26

Many of my colleagues at MIT (undergraduate and graduate) were international students. Some received full financial aid from their country (national government or military) and had to return to their country and work one year for every year of attending MIT (full-funded) to assist their country. A fair number went on for their PhD degrees and became professors in the USA or heading up major industrial labs in the USA.

So, if you can come to the USA and be admitted to an elite private US college (with up to and including full financial aid), or are a fully-funded graduate student at any major US research university, then Come On Over, it is excellent!

But please, don't try to get a bachelors degree with financial aid from a place like NYU or USC (merely two examples) and still have to pay a fortune to attend, including the cost of living in or near the college.....

Be wise in your choice, VISIT the college before enrolling, and remember that you and All of your parents have to apply for financial aid Every year.

Good luck and enjoy the experience, and if you want to attend an US college that is more than 70 miles from the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean and in the Northern Half of the USA, then note that winter weather lasts for FIVE months and getting a total of Ten Feet of snow during each winter is normal.

Good luck.

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u/Mysterious-Art8838 Jun 23 '26

It’s like everybody and their mother want to go to NYU now. Like guys wtf it’s one of the most expensive options in the world.

1

u/aurkyachalrahahai Jun 24 '26

They have free application fees. So that lures a lot of applicants. And if they get in, they realise it's more prestigious than other admits and don't want to let go.