Why?

The biggest question on my mind is Why, we nepali come to do undergrads in USA rather than coming for Master's. I have seen so many threads and talked with many undergrads friends you are really having an awful time to completed their studies. Many of you can say its our decision who are u to say abt it, but look at the other side of coin. Many of us always have a problem paying out college fees, most of the undergrads join community college just to maintain status. I looked at one thread in which one of the nepali didn't even score 2.0 GPA, as he is just working not studying at all.

Their are many positive points when we come in Master, as just compare 2 yr and 4 yr studies as well as most of them who come for Master generally complete in time or by most 21/2 yrs, but in undergrads finishing in 4 yrs is just like winning in lottery, their might be some exceptional who completed in 4 yrs, but I am more focusing in large nepali student.

Another point is getting a job, some might have got a job even in undergrads, but their is always a high probability to get a good job with masters. Sometimes H1 paper filing also helps a lot. Many of my friends in Masters filled their H1 this year and all of them got their H1 receipt.

So my question is Why?

 

 

 

 

I would like to know abt you. When did u come? for undergrad or grad? and what was your experience? And if you did come for undergrad. rather than grad. then the question to you is WHY?

I came to US on 2006 for my Master's. It was much easier to complete the Master's as their are many friend who came for undergrads on same batch and now I already completed my Master's but they transfer to community college and you know how it goes from their.

"So my question is Why?"

                    It is obvious by your statement and observation that you have experienced, what you think is a proper direction of achieving the American dream. Perhaps, you have been through the fast lane of success by getting  your degree, H1-B visa, job as a TA/RA and a again job after graduating. What you have said is partially correct. But with all due respect you have never experienced what it takes to be an undergrad in USA.
                   Since you have not experienced getting a degree as an undergrad, you think working $7 an hour is a shame. Washing dishes or working in the gas station is lowering your standards. And you are right when you said, "but in undergrads finishing in 4 yrs is just like winning in lottery." It is true but look the struggle that you go through  at such an early age. The whole undergraduate experience will teach you a lot about American values and about life. It gives you a clear picture that you could come from no where in this land of opportunity and with hard work and strong determination struggling 5 years you could achieve your dreams. You are confronted at such an early age with so much responsibilities and heck you would be able to do it by you own, while undergrad in Nepal would call for their parents for help. Here you would learn that not everything would work with source and force, you have to struggle to get it. From getting good jobs to getting good grades to getting good girls you would work hard and find your own ways. Take a typical example, If you are comparing someone of your case and an undergrad you will see a lot of difference. Let me put down some better qualities and edge than an undergrad has since you opted to do the otherwise.

a) Undergrad candidates who finish their degree on an average can speak and understand English far more better then someone who came here to do their masters. I've seen it awful lot of time.

b) Undergrad student have better credit scores and credit history then their counter parts i.e people who came here to do their masters degree.

c) Undergrad students go through the bitter experience and learn core values of life. They always know what it takes to graduate, how every penny counts for tuition?, How to juggle between work, social life and studies.

d) Coming here as an undergrad you are an independent candidate. You do not have to depend on your parents income and for other allowances. As a matter of fact undergrads even pay off the debt their parents took to send them to this dream land.

e) Unlike masters candidate you don't need to live with your parents while doing your undergrad. You are free to do what you like. You would stumble and you would fall but you would learn from that experience. You don't have to depend on your parents to pay for everything from your tuition expenses to clothing, housing, food, vacation, vehicle, and even the money that you might need to chill on a friday night.

            To draw down the conclusion, Yes life here now and after as a master candidate  is far more prosperous and least stressful when compared to undergrad one. I am not against people coming here for their masters degree nor do I support who come here for undergrad. My intention is glow the other side of the coin that you think is dim. The examples that i have expressed is not valid in all conditions.

Hopeless Fanatic,
YekloYatri

c) Undergrad students go through the bitter experience and learn core values of life. They always know what it takes to graduate, how every penny counts for tuition?, How to juggle between work, social life and studies.

I second that.

Also, if you come here as undergrad, and say you spend 7 years to complete a 4 year course, you are actually doing your folks back home a huge favour. If they are still earning their salaries or other incomes in Nepal, at least they don't have to spend that on you for at least 5and half of those 7 years. That is the money they get to enjoy, to rebuild their dreams (and this time, it is not just you). That is the time they get to spend together without having to worry about.. aba chora lai kaha pathaune...

A lot of students come to US for masters because their Bachelors' degree in Nepal did not find a decent use or value. Instead of getting this divine enlightenment after spending your parents' money for half baked degrees like BBS or BCIS, the undergrads in US are better off than the Masterwalla were at with a similar degree from India or Nepal. Listen closely to every undergraduate visa applicant at the embassy - their response always is ' Amrika degree is recognized worldwide' and this is important for what it is worth.

Also, Masters students don't have the same parties and babes and hunks that undergrads have...

_x

 

 

Yekloyatri,

Thanks for putting some points out here, but let me tell you how even coming for a master degree we must do the same thing that the undergrads have done here. No Offense thou....

"Perhaps, you have been through the fast lane of success by getting  your degree, H1-B visa, job as a TA/RA and a again job after graduating. What you have said is partially correct. But with all due respect you have never experienced what it takes to be an undergrad in USA". Comparing 4 yrs and 2 yrs, you might say its a fast lane..but being successful is not anyones piece of cake...I never had a TA/RA as you mentioned...never worked on campus....got my SSN after 1 yr...getting H1-B you must have grab the right time and right place..You are saying that undergrads work $7/hr, let me tell you I use to work for $5.5/hr working 15 hrs a day. Its not easy even for the masters dude.

"The whole undergraduate experience will teach you a lot about American values and about life. It gives you a clear picture that you could come from no where in this land of opportunity and with hard work and strong determination struggling 5 years you could achieve your dreams".To learn about the American culture even a year is enough. Within 3 mths of coming to USA, you generally have the clear picture where to landed on..even students on masters do all the hard work that undergrads go from, working 12-15 hrs a day..balancing both work and studies...let me also highlight one more factor...Studies in Masters are more difficult than undergrads...

Let me explain each and every point that you have mentioned:

a) Undergrad candidates who finish their degree on an average can speak and understand English far more better then someone who came here to do their masters. I've seen it awful lot of time. I agree on this point, but speaking and understanding English depends on each and every individual...ya you might say that when studying in Undergrads, we make many american friends..stay in dorms...and helps to improve communication...but even in master we can improve it...but as I said it before depends on how one looks at it

b) Undergrad student have better credit scores and credit history then their counter parts i.e people who came here to do their masters degree. Creating a credit scores and credit history is just a small factor, even in masters you have various ways to increase your credit scores, it takes time..even in undergrads it takes time...how beneficial are u with credit history...having unlimited credit card..but tht is not our money...we must pay it back..so not worth it..I will be happy if I have money in my checking account rather than having a debt of $10000.

c) Undergrad students go through the bitter experience and learn core values of life. They always know what it takes to graduate, how every penny counts for tuition?, How to juggle between work, social life and studies. Even for master it is same dude...we dont depend on our parents for all the tuition fees...people have worked their ass off to balance their work and studies...to pay their bills, tutions in time...even for masters every penny counts...the only fact is not as hard as of undergrads

d) Coming here as an undergrad you are an independent candidate. You do not have to depend on your parents income and for other allowances. As a matter of fact undergrads even pay off the debt their parents took to send them to this dream land..1% nepali student might depend on every single penny on their parents when they come to USA but 99% earn by themseleves, paying off your parents debt is the best example...most of them might be undergrads or grads pays it, might depend on the time period..An independency doesnot matter when u come for undergrads or grads

e) Unlike masters candidate you don't need to live with your parents while doing your undergrad. You are free to do what you like. You would stumble and you would fall but you would learn from that experience. You don't have to depend on your parents to pay for everything from your tuition expenses to clothing, housing, food, vacation, vehicle, and even the money that you might need to chill on a friday night. Everyone learns from their mistake...thats how you understand this money making world...but even in master we dont depend on the expenses that we have here with our parents...whether it is a friday night or monday morning...

So as I explained most of your listed factors...its the same that whether you study masters or undergrads the pain to get successful is always their..but my only factor is why have a pain for 5 yrs rather than having a pain for 2 yrs. As even after completing your undergrads your pain for master's in USA is still left.....

 

 

 

 

Axara,

"Also, if you come here as undergrad, and say you spend 7 years to complete a 4 year course, you are actually doing your folks back home a huge favour"

, you are actually doing your folks back home a huge favour"

What kind of favor are you doing to your family..you have just wasted 3 yrs of your life when your undergrads should have been completed in 4 yrs...Do you know how valuable that 3 yrs could be in your life...4yrs of undergrads..2 yrs of master...and still you have one more year...is that better-off or spending 7 yrs for 4 yrs of studies....working day and night to pay for the tuitions…dude why do we spent 7 yrs for undergrads let me highlight on that:

1.      Most of us concentrate more on earning money and mess up with the studies. Getting C and D grades in the examinations. Sometimes just taking 2 or 3 courses. I know it is hard to meet financially, but we have 4 summer breaks in 4 yrs.

2.      Give studies as a first priority rather than giving work the first priority, most of them my offend on this point, but you must balance your work and studies…as later in your life your studies matter…not your cash jobs…

And just having parties, babes will not feed you for your future...I am not against parties..as that is your age to enjoy....but look at the broader aspect of your life...which most of us really lack on....No offense but truth is always bitter.....

 

 

 

Dear amit007nepal,

your very last paragraph sums up the advantage undergrads have over the grads within the scope of this discussion. Please refer to my own response above. I am a product of commcoll, 4yrcoll, gradschool and a further gradschool etc etc. And I am fortunate to have had those opportunities I had to identify and pursue for myself.

Opportunity cost? Does it ring a bell? Or should that be a new thread....

_x

Dear amit007nepal,

If you had done undergrad courses here, you would have taken some econ/finance/etc courses, which would have made you see clearly that even if you wasted your UG years by turning a 4 year event to a 7 year one, at least you did not cause financial burden to parents.

Say in year 2008 there is Amit, starting BBS in Nepal, and Amol, starting a '4 yr' UG course in US. In 2012, Amit finishes his BBS. Amol back into 4yr coll after having transferred to commcoll in between. In 2013, Amit sees no future in Nepal, which Amol realized back in 2007. So Amit start with GRE/GMAT TOEFL Putalisadak circuit. 2014, Amit is in GradColl in USA, Amol is just in his junior year. Academically, Amit is 1.5 years ahead of Amol.

Now, during 2008-2012, Amit's parents paid for everything, hoping some day Amit would have a degree, get a job and earn money and look after the parents. But, Amol's parents just paid 1 sem fees, airfare and some pocketmoney in 1st part of 2008. Also, Amol's parents are still earning (everything else being equal) same as Amit's parents, BUT DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND ON AMOL.

In 2014, Amit's parents are still forking out for their son. Amol's parents are not.

Now who is better off? Whose parents are still worrying for their son after paying him through college during 2008-2012?

Everything, my friend, is a matter of perspective. If you wear sunglasses, you cannot be blamed for seeing blaring sunlight even at night.

Unfortunately, your response appeared before my own post. Hope you read this and previous in right context of your own respones.

_x

Axara,

As I told it before, their is always an exceptional.....you are an exceptional dude...as you have done everything on time....but I dont wanna point to a single individual...look at the larger prespective...for example 100 nepali students who comes to US for undergrads out of which 10 gets successful completing their studies in time...but look the other 90 students...

Just think about it!!!!

 

 

Axara,

I can totally understand what you are trying to say, ok Amol completed his undergrades with a one semester fees from his parents, but he still has to go with GMAT/GRE to get into grad and must join Master and must work with the same thing that he was doing before. But the one who completed their master, will start earning in 5 figures when Amol is still doing his Masters and will complete his studies by 2017, but XYZ who came for Masters on 2012 completed his studies in 2014, so you have 3 years to earn and pay back in more returns to your parents you have spended on your undergrads and still have a good amount of money with you, with a good job.

 

Amit, I would suggest people to come here starting from highschool if they can.

Majority of us do not come here for the sole purpose of studies ( meaning our purpose is not to come to US, study and go back home ).  In most cases its studies, immigration and the American Dream.   Any level of US degree is seen also as a step towards lawful immigration and the American Dream.  Why not come at the earliest age possible to better understand and experience a nation and culture in which most of us will spend the better half of our lives?

I came here as a masters student. There are times when I fell like I wish I had come as a Undergrad student and times when I fell I feel good about coming to do masters here.

So, I guess it depends on each person..capability and even luck too. So, I almost agree on all of the  both sides of argument. But yet, I would say may be coming  as undergrad is not as easy compared to masters.

Sampada

Hey amit007nepal!!! let me clear you on one thing......LIFE IS NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY AND GETTING THINGS IN LITTLE TIME.... its an endless journey of sorrow, pain, memory, values, experiences and so on. What I can understand from your thread is that you are  only conserned about money and time. You might be right in your point of view but you cannot scale others choice upon what you think. Everybody is right in there own ways.

Lets come to the point now. Every body knows that America is a land of oppurtunity. Every one wants to come here. And the easiest way to come here is through student visa.  Not every body is living in ease in Nepal. People are frosted and they wanna run away from themselves as soon as possible. They want change and better life.Same happened to me and I bet same happens to every body. Look at the politics, look at the system....everything is messed up. When I was back in Nepal, there used to be bandha every single week. Man I was tired of that. Even though I have already completed 1 yr of my engineering I didnt thinked twice to come here on undergraduate. It doesnt matter why you came to America but the thing matter is how you handle matters. NO YOU CANNOT COMPARE THE SUFFERING OF UNDERGRADE WITH THE GRADE. We suffer a lot and we learn a lot. The only thing is that some can utilize what they have learned and some cant. HEY amit007nepal!! dont feel bad upon undergrads coz we arent having such a bad life as you imazined. Ya your right that we work a lot 12....13....18  hours a day but when it comes to having good times we dont compromise. We make a lot of money, we got a nice car, we got a chick on the front seat....... we got every thing that Americans dream of. Who cares about finishing study soon. Its only a matter of time . Sooner or later we gonna graduate not necessarily with good grades but who cares dude. KASTA KASTA BHANOUDA HARU TA GAS STATION MA KAM GARI RA KA CHAN. 

Choices dependes upon presonal preferance. Some likes to run some likes to walk. You might reach you goal soon but you will miss all those things we go through.

Creating a credit scores and credit history is just a small factor, even in masters you have various ways to increase your credit scores, it takes time..even in undergrads it takes time...how beneficial are u with credit history...having unlimited credit card..but tht is not our money...we must pay it back..so not worth it..I will be happy if I have money in my checking account rather than having a debt of $10000.

Let me enlight you about one american fact..... America is not all about cash...its all about credit. Credit history is the most important factor while you stay in america. To buy a car, house, boat, business etc you need to have a good credit history. Its not possible to save 100,000 for a house but you need to get loan and for that you need good credit history and that doesnt comes with using cash.

i'm planning to come to usa for my Ph.D.

How would it be guys?

~SKH

Dear amit007nepal,

What you present is an ideal situation. What we live in is a real one.

Here's a brain teaser for you: If ALL undergrads were to graduate, and go to gradColl, why are their fewer grad schools / seats than undergrads?

If it hasn't hit you by now, it is because most ppl don't really care about going to grad school, getting the 5 figure job, etc. etc. They (non Nepalis included) care about the bigger picture. THE AMERICAN DREAM, my friend. And I agree that this will not come true for most ppl, but neither will your ideal situation. But that hope survives against all odds, and some make it to the finish line.

BTW, would you still have the same views if you did not have H1or whatever that is called? I would like to hear about that....

_x

 

Axara & Rockey01,

I can totally support you guys on having a concern on it, I am not trying to convince anyone with saying that doing undergrads in US is stupidity but my only concern is time. We know that Nepali students are hard worker, they dont depend on their family money for all the financial support out here, but Time is always money,

Let me ask you are u willing to spend 7 yrs on undergrads rather than completing in 4 or 5 yrs and enjoying the rest of the year, you might be thinking even when we are studying we are enjoying, people enjoy to hide their emotion feelings, pain, sorrow. I dont wanna think twice before spending a good amount of money on something I like, thinking that will affect my college fees. Eg-- I go to a mall, do some window shopping finally I see a sunglass, which I really liked which cost around $200, coz of me studying in college my first concerns become the financial burden that I have rather than being my own satisfaction.

Axara, I never thought that I will apply for H1, but looking at the current scenario, I dont wanna keep on joining colleges with just a fear of maintaining my status, Its the first biggest concern for us, so that later we can have a good night sleep, not thinking how will my I maintain my status. Even nowadays getting H1 has become a real pain, but with some concentration and research from my side I filled H1 before their was lottery for higher degree, that was all coz my right timing in the right place. It matters dude, when u are planning to settle in US for long term it matters, completing undergrads with all the pain, most of them dont want to suffer the pain in masters and they return back to Nepal, and the one who apply for master, work their ass off just to get the first semester fees paid.

I totally agree that coming on undergrads people learn more, but on that age of life you dont want to have that much of burden in your life, as on that level most of teenagers wants to relax and joy, as tht age will never return back. I dont want to personally go through tht phase, as we all know when we enter the real market of work their is no more joy and relaxation left, we must compromise in various ways.

 

 

 

I can't understand the discussion here. To answer amit007nepal's question, I must say that people choose to do Bachelor's in the US because they can. There are advantages and disadvantages of doing an Undergrad in the US and doing an undergrad in Nepal. For some people, doing Undergrad seems to be the better option while some prefer to do Grad in the US.

You might have achieved a lot of money/saved time/gotten personal satisfaction by completing your Masters here but there are a lot of people who enjoy/enjoyed their Bachelor studies here. A significant proportion of Nepalis I know are on scholarships of some sort which makes studying in the US economically feasible. So why not?

And if you really want to save up on some time, you should have done a 3 year Bachelor's in the UK, taken up a Honors degree and then you should have gone straight to PhD in 3 years. I have quite some friends who have done that and by the time they are PhD, they are 25. I also know some friends in the US, who managed to complete a Bachelor's degree in 3 years.

Guys..why should we loose time in comparing cow and elephant?

Every thing has merits and demerits. The most important thing to gain more knowledge and get a better position in US competiting with US citizens.

Very good..

lack of information. if ppl knew coming here to do undergraduate would be so difficult they wouldnt