Hey, y'all! International student moving to Austin next month. I'm a bit confused about what cell phone provider to opt for. My specific requirements are: voice calling, messaging and enough cellular internet data, as usual.
What provider would you suggest as reliable? Which ones have the best deals and are reliable?
Hey, y'all! International student moving to Austin next month. I'm a bit confused about what cell phone provider to opt for. My specific requirements are: voice calling, messaging and enough cellular internet data, as usual.
What provider would you suggest as reliable? Which ones have the best deals and are reliable?
Folks from India, have you all been to speech therapy recently in the last 5 years? How has your experience been? Any changes for the better?
I used to go to therapy back in school, which is like over 12 years ago and the therapists treated me like crap, told me it's all in my head and that I'm just seeking attention. Have things changed? Is it a good option to consider therapy again?
Edit: I'm also interested in knowing in general how speech therapy has evolved in india. So, if you have any experiences of receiving therapy recently, please comment.
Don't know if this is a serious enough question but I'm an international student who's prepping to travel to Austin for my graduate studies starting this fall and I'm a bit confused what laptop I should get. I don't have the budget for a MacBook right now, so I was thinking about HP, Dell and Acer.
I'm also wondering which non-Macbook laptops do UT students use and is easier to get fixed at service centres if something goes wrong? Any suggestions?
Added context: I'm from a non-STEM department, so no programming.
I'm an international student moving to Austin in one and a half months. I'm calculating my budget and everything when it comes to the basic necessities I need to get once I'm there. Been checking the HEB website on Google for items and their prices.
For a single person, I'd just need a frying pan and a pot to boil stuff in. I saw some cookware with different price ranges. What brands or items would the HEB community recommend that's affordable but also a good buy in general?
My budget for cookware is less than $100.
Hey, y'all! I'm an incoming (intl.) PhD student at UT Austin this Fall and I'm looking for a good fitness center. Last night, I found out about Gregory Gym, which I think is the UT Campus gymnasium? Is there anyone here who goes to Gregory for fitness training? How does the membership and everything work?
​
The website was kind of confusing. There seems to be a separate $30 membership card and some other $150 training session?
​
Would love for anyone who's been there to enlighten me. Thanks!
​
Alternatively, any other gym recommendations around UT Campus?
Hi, y'all! One of my friends is interested in pursuing an MBA specifically in Wine Management. He has a BS in Hospitality Administration with a Swiss Diploma, a few certifications in specific wine areas and a WSET Wine Level 2 certification. He also has work experience of almost 4 years as a bartender and sommelier at high end hotels and celebrity cruises.
​
Going forward, he wants to get an MBA but specifically in Wine Management. He's looking into some universities like Sonoma State University, Oregon State University, UC Davis and others, but he wants to explore more options. Is there anyone here who can recommend good universities and programs that he can look into in the US, which also possibly provides scholarships and financial aid to students?
​
He also had a few specific questions:
​
1. Is the MBA in Wine Management at Sonoma State University worth it? What are the placements like? Which recruiters usually come?
​
2. Are there possibilities of scholarship and financial aid available at Sonoma, OSU and UC Davis?
​
3. Are there any external scholarships or financial aid opportunities that he can avail to pursue an MBA in the US?
​
Lastly:
​
Would you say that getting a non-wine specific MBA could also be worth it? If he can find elective or supplementary courses in wine-specific areas? Would broadening his options also have a better chance at him getting more scholarship opportunities?
​
Thanks in advance!
Hi! A friend of mine wants to apply for MBA in Wine Management at Sonoma State. I'm enquiring on their behalf how the program has been for those who have taken it or know someone who has taken it. How do placements look? Who are the usual recruiters?
I have booked a flight via British Airways from CCU to Austin, and my first layover stop is in DEL. Since British Airways doesn't directly operate in Kolkata, it'll be IndiGo escorting me to DEL. So, in that case, I confirmed with the airlines that I have to collect my baggage in Delhi and self-transfer it. Now, I also have to get a shuttle from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, check my bags in again and go through immigration.
​
Is 3 hours 55 minutes enough time for me to get everything done without me missing my next flight? The layover in DEL is from 9:40 PM to 1:35 AM.
​
Additional questions:
​
​
​
I'm really worried about running out of time 😵💫 How long does it take to collect baggage from Delhi airport? Is it gonna be a long, long wait?
I've booked a flight from India to Austin, TX, on British Airways. I start from Kolkata and have layovers in New Delhi and London Heathrow. The whole itinerary is under British Airways with the same flight code BA but only the first connecting flight from Kolkata to New Delhi is "operated by Indigo". I didn't separately book anything here. Everything was under one flight option.
I heard that immigration and Terminal change in Delhi takes quite a bit of time, and my layover is 3 hours 55 minutes. That might leave room for the possibility of me missing my next flight. If that happens, since the whole itinerary is under British Airways, will the airlines help me get on another of their flights, so that I can continue my journey?
I've booked a flight from India to Austin, TX, on BA. I start from Kolkata and have layovers in New Delhi and London Heathrow. The whole itinerary is under British Airways with the same flight code BA but only the first connecting flight from Kolkata to New Delhi is "operated by Indigo". I didn't separately book anything here. Everything was under one flight option.
I heard that immigration and Terminal change in Delhi takes quite a bit of time, and my layover is 3 hours 55 minutes. That might leave room for the possibility of me missing my next flight. If that happens, since the whole itinerary is under British Airways, will the airlines help me get on another of their flights, so that I can continue my journey?
Hi, everyone! I'm an incoming international PhD student at UT Austin. Although I'm done with most of the stuff that I know is required, I'm a bit confused why I still haven't received any email for EID Upgrading and Duo Authentication. I know a friend who got into another department this year and they have received an email asking to do all that.
Is this normal? Do different departments have different timelines around which they send in these technical bits? I start my program in Fall (end August). Should I follow up with my program coordinator? Is it okay to tell him that I heard from a friend that I'm supposed to receive an email for EID Upgrade and Duo Authentication?
Also, when do we get to create our UT email addresses? I have received an email saying that a Microsoft 365 account will be created for me and once that's created, they'll share the details with me. But what about a Google account? Will that also be created?
I don't want to leave any important administrative work left unattended, so I'm a bit anxious about what I might be missing. Any insights from students would help a lot!
Thanks!
Hi, y'all! I'm an early career academic from India with a Master's degree and intending to start my PhD this Fall abroad. I'd been working for the last 2 years at a non-profit but my long-term goal is to teach at a college or a university. A few months ago when I was awaiting the university decision on my enrollment for the PhD, I was looking into applying for Assistant Professor, Lecturer and Guest Faculty jobs. I had found a lot of job openings in newspapers and FacultyPlus, but after applying to almost 15 of those, I hardly heard back from 2.
The job postings said that they urgently needed teachers but then, absolute radio silence when I sent in my application. I want to know: How do people get jobs in colleges and universities as Lecturers and Professors? Will it be easier after I have my PhD? Did they ghost me because I just have a Master's?
I would love some insights from people here. Also, I know that it's bad in the academia right now :( So, yeah, would appreciate it if people didn't completely demotivate me about it. I can't magically change my career path. But would love some productive and real life advice as to how to look for viable job openings and apply for them.
Hi! I recently went through the F1 visa process. Just like everyone, I wanted to share my experience here and hope it adds value.
📍Location: Kolkata
💳 Type: F1
🎓 Degree: PhD
📊 Status: Approved ☑️
VAC was scheduled on 11th May, 2026. The process was very smooth. My appointment time was from 12 PM but my father and I reached the office at 11:15 AM. Had to wait outside the office till 11:45 AM when they let the 12 PM batch in. The officers were very less interactive and just quickly did my documents. I was a bit nervous for some reason and fumbled a bit during the biometric process with proper placement of fingers. Got my DS stamped and passport stickered.
Interview was on the 19th of May, 2026. I had been stressing the last day, but in the morning, I just let loose because the more stressed I was, the more were the chances that I would mess up. The key was to appear confident in what you say. My appointment was scheduled at 10 AM but I reached at 9:10 AM and the people there let me in. I had to stand in the line for like 30 minutes and I was done by 9:45 AM. Questions asked:
VO: So, you are going for your Master's? *corrects herself* PhD, my apologies.
Me: Yes, officer!
VO: When did you finish your Master's?
Me: I finished it in 2024.
VO: What were you doing for the last two years?
Me: I was working at X Organization as a teacher to children from low income communities in Kolkata.
VO: Oh, that's amazing. I see that your PhD is funded. Is there any additional funds that you'll have?
Me: Well, I will be self-funding my flight tickets.
VO: *looks closely at me* And how do you plan to pay it?
Me: My father will be paying it.
VO: What does your family do?
Me: My father works with the bank and my mother is a homemaker.
VO: Got it. Can you answer the two questions on harm that is printed on the placard in front of you? (They were questions on whether I've faced any harm in India.)
Me: No for both.
VO: Is your funding coming from the department or scholarship?
Me: The department is funding my PhD.
VO: Okay. Do you know about the new provision of social media vetting?
Me: Yes.
VO: All the socials that you have listed here, are they all on public?
Me: Yes, all of them are publicly accessible.
VO: Great. *Takes my passport and hands me a 221g* We will be running some administrative checks and if everything is alright, your visa will be issued. Thank you.
Me: Thank you, officer! :)
Then, my visa got issued by 21st May. Collected it today. Overall a very smooth process. The VO was professional and polite :)
I'm a F1 visa candidate from India. My VAC and Consular appointments are scheduled next week. I have updated my DS160 because there was a mistake in my social media information. The updated DS160 confirmation number is different from the old one.
I just wanted to confirm whether the officers will help me update the DS160 confirmation number if I take both the old and the updated confirmation pages to the VAC appointment?
Do I need to make any changes in the visa appointment and scheduling?