Studying in the US: Best and Worst Parts, Career Opportunities, and Networking Advice in 2026

Studying in the US: Pros, Cons, Careers & Networking Tips

What’s Your Name?

Krishna.

Where Are You From?

Originally from Mumbai, India.

Hyderabad.

How Long Have You Been in the US?

About 3 years now.

So, 4 years now.

Did you study in the US?

Yes, I did my master’s at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

I did my master’s at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Which major are you studying in the US?

Data science.

Information systems.

What Was the Best Part of Studying in the US?

I think the flexibility of courses. I think the ability to choose streams as per your interest. I think the flexibility of the entire system was a lot different and a lot newer as compared to the system in India, where we had a defined track for the rest of the four years that I spent my undergrad in.

So, I think the flexibility would be one thing, and the other thing would be opportunities like co-ops, where you can have tie-ups with different projects with corporate connections. I think networking and flexibility are the two major points.

100% agree. And I think also the whole use of Canvas for logging assignments and things like that felt a lot more structured and organized. Career fairs are a lot more accessible here. I think every university takes a lot of effort into making sure university students get that opportunity through career fairs and things.

Yeah.

In India, things are more on a cutoff basis. Companies come, and they have a defined cutoff, like, “We won’t take people from 7.5 GPA or below.” Then you have those interviews. Everything is campus-oriented.

Here, students are on their own. You have to start networking with your alumni and anyone who comes to the campus for any form of recruitment and take your steps forward from there.

I’m sure finding a job gets difficult when you’re used to the system where companies come to the college and conduct interviews.

Yeah.

What Is the Worst Part of Studying in the US Apart From Missing India?

I think the worst part would be trying to balance your entire lifestyle with your education.

One of the things is I’ve seen students get overwhelmed with the assignments that they get and, at the same time, manage their entire lifestyle. In India, you have your family. You’re living and coexisting with a lot of people, and I think that makes it a lot easier.

But here, you’ll have problems around, let’s just say, doing everything by yourself, and students get overwhelmed with that.

100%. You’re just on your own. You have to figure everything out. You realize that you don’t want to ask your parents for money anymore because you’re already living abroad.

Then you have to think about part-time jobs, either through the university or through a 7-Eleven or a CVS somewhere close by to where you’re staying.

You figure out your living expenses. Everything is on your own. So, I think that’s the one part that would suck about studying abroad.

One Thing That You Love About Studying in the US

Agreed. One thing that you love about the US.

I think it’s still true that America is the land of opportunities.

I would still say that you get to experience a lot more. You have global exposure. You get to interact with people from across the country, across the globe.

And get all those perspectives. You get to eat multicultural foods. And I think that’s the part I love about America.

Yeah, I think the same. When I first came here, I wanted to experience US culture a little bit. So, I signed up to be a hostess at this Italian restaurant close to my place.

And I think that gave me a lot of insights as to how they have a lot of respect for labor here.

Who are doing, unlike in people.

That was fun, and also, I think you get a lot of independence here because you already feel like you’re away from home, so you have to be more responsible about everything you do. And so, I think that part’s pretty nice.

Yeah.

One Advice for a Person Who’s Planning to Move Abroad, Especially to Studying in the US

I think be ready to network a lot and talk to a lot of people.

I think anyone who’s planning to come should start talking and develop the ability to network. Start networking with the students who are already studying in the course that you want or working in the jobs that you want.

Try to develop that networking skill within you. A lot of students really struggle with that, so just put yourself out there.

I think that is something that many students in India have a hard time coping with in the States.

That’s a solid one.

I think being very intentional in formalizing conversations. In India, if you need any help, you just straightforwardly ask straight up. But here, you have to be like, “Hey, how’s your day going?”

Basically, build that conversation and start with small talk. I think that really helps and makes people want to engage. Everyone’s overly nice here, and so doing the same thing will definitely help you get that conversation rolling.

A lot of connections, a lot of referrals. I think at least eight out of my 10 friends got opportunities through networking rather than applying very conventionally, as people may think.

Yeah.

Also, do a good bit of research on the sports that folks in the US follow. I think that’s a very great icebreaker and conversation starter.

So, pick a sport, choose which one you like that the US mainly follows, and then get a few players you like. Just keep some basic notes so that even if you have nothing to talk about, you can always ask them what sport they follow and then get that into the conversation and proceed from there.

Yeah. Basically, do your homework for integrating into the culture. I think that’ll help you with the culture shock part of it so that you can stay focused on the grind and trying to find opportunities here.

Yeah. Yeah.