What Students Say
Likes
- Beautiful campus
- Detailed coursework
- Lot of options in cafeterias
Dislikes
- Texas Heat can be annoying
- Long distance classrooms in different buildings and that too in a big campus is a whole workout session of the day
- You might get slow responses from management
Course Curriculum
- Courses were quite difficult and equal balance of theory and practical.(assignments, quizzes, projects)
- Positive aspect of CS- high in demand courses, core CS knowledge, students potentially can get high paying jobs.
- Negative aspect of my course- Due to high in demand getting desired course can be difficult, A lot of Indian students in CS course making diversity ranking of college lower than others, very high competition.
Admission Experience
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SUNY Buffalo- Accepted
UT Dallas- Accepted
Texas State University- Accepted- Confirmed
Arizona State University- Rejected- Not enough datapoints in CS Profile
Northeastern university- Rejected- Not enough datapoints in relation to contribution to CS major
IUB Bloomington- Rejected- Not good GRE score
Texas A&M university- Rejected- Not good GRE score -
I chose this college because of following reasons-
It had cheaper college fees than others.
Location was cheaper to live, easy student apartments availability.
Got the desired course i.e CS major. -
Application process and eligibility criteria -
GRE score required but can be waived off if already done Master's or PhD from accredited university,
TOEFL- cutoff 78,
Recommendation letters from 3 persons(2 professional 1 academic or vice versa), Statement of purpose,
Official Transcripts with GPA 2.75 or above
Marksheets, undergraduate degrees, resume, application fee.I found process of application very seamless, I applied through the TSU portal and submitted for Spring 2023, got accepted in 20 days.
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Challenge was -
For CS major, to get desired courses in first semester students need to pass Programming exam which is of 10 marks and cutoff is 7.5, students who can pass the exam can take not more than 4 courses in the first semester, students who didn't pass have to take prerequisite programming course along with only 1 desired course of their choice. Every semester this programming exam is held for new students and old students who didn't pass in first attempt. -
I applied for Spring 2023 because I knew chances to get admission is higher in Spring because most students apply for Fall semester in TSU, also I wanted to graduate in Spring 2024 and completing my Master's in just 4 semesters. Winters in Texas are more like India weather and its easy for students to get adjusted, Fall summer is too hot in Texas and one can get sick if not used to commute by foot in Sun (especially large campus area).
Admission process to acceptance took 20 days. I had all documents ready to upload. I filled the application form, sent requests to professors for letter of recommendations, once they filled it, it took 15 days to get decision.
Class Schedule
- Classes are maximum 3 classes in a day and timings can vary course to course. class timing is from 9 am to 9:15 pm.
- Number of students in a course depends upon how many student got registered in that course, that is the set course size by the department. My classes usually had minimum 10 students and maximum 40 students.
- Approximately 90-95% students used to be Indian
Faculty
- Ratio is around 20:1
- This does affect the quality of education and interaction. Some courses were taught by only one faculty throughout the semester and it's possible that students do not get one on one time to interact with them. Faculties may not respond to your emails for long. Some faculties handle two or more courses which means there may be delays in assignment marking, they might not have enough time to guide on projects.
- The teaching methodology and course content is not enough to secure a job specially in this market when US is going under recession. We do need a lot of preparation to crack a job. A lot of syllabus can get cut off if not completed on time. Although teaching methodology and course structure are good to ensure thorough knowledge of the subject by adopting detailed assignments throughout the semester, quizzes, projects at the end of semester.
- yes they do assist students in finding part-time jobs or full time jobs if the student is meritorious and have good rapport with faculty.
- I admire Professor Dr. C. Jinshong Hwang. He used to teach Algorithms and had detailed analysing way of teaching.
- I also admire Dr Byron Gao, he used to teach Theory of computation, and made concepts very simplified.
Campus Life
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TXST college have two campuses.
Main campus is in San Marcos Texas and the satellite campus is in Round Rock Texas. -
Main facilities are- Library, student center, Computer center, Big sports grounds(baseball and others), Medical services, cafeterias, Strahan Arena for large gatherings.
- There are honor societies, student government, Homecoming festival , The big event, Gaillardia fest.
- Big event is an annual community service initiative where thousands of students participate in many service projects throughout the San Marcos community.
- Homecoming is festival for all students and alumni to celebrate together in rallies and parades in school spirit.
- Gaillardia fest is for art and culture organized by the Student Association for Campus Activities which have student and local artisans showcasing handmade arts, food and fun.
- They also have annual sport events, inter - college sport competition in baseball and basketball.
- There's a golden key international honour society and Alpha Chi national college honor society for recognizing academic excellence.
Part Time Jobs
- I don't know the exact count but graduate and doctoral students are employed as TA, RA.
- Pay range is between 1500 to 2000 depending upon the department.
- There are a lot of on-campus jobs, including roles in cafeteria services, library, recreational facilities like sport management roles , and administrative offices. Average is between 10 to 14 dollars depending upon type of role and department.
- A maximum of 25 hour/week is allowed.
- It is competitive to get part time jobs on campus but having recommendations and connections helps a lot.
- It depends upon the role of the work. pay range is 10 to 14 dollars. Minimum pay rate in Texas is approx 8 dollars. A lot of students work in pizzerias out of campus to cover expenses. making connections with previous year students and seniors helps a lot as they guide and can give their own position when they leave.
- Applying directly in-person also helps. having recommendations from professor, senior students in a position becomes more than necessary to get a part time job given limited jobs and a lot of students. Jobs can be found in the department portal, department notice board with links to apply and required documents needed. First application selection is based on a lot of factors including experience, then selected students go through interviews after which they either get selected or rejected..
Placement
- This year the percentage of students getting job was very less. only 20-30% of students got jobs in 6 months after graduation.
- The average salary range is 90,000 USD.
- There are career fairs organized in college every semester but the percentage of Indian students getting calls from career fair is less. So, mostly students rely on getting referrals from senior students and alums, linkedin application, Indeed application, Direct company career website application, and networking on Linkedin to company employees and recruiter by directly reaching out to them.
Accommodation
- I opted off campus .
- I found it through facebook groups. I subleased an existing apartment from a student who was graduating.
- Monthly rent was 550 dollars in a 4bed 4bath apartment. amenities were gym, pool, parking spot. Apartment had a fridge, oven, microwave, in-unit washer dryer.
- Challenges were identifying real person from facebook groups because they are many people scamming. apart from that it was easy, you just have to apply to portal of the apartment to lease a room and pay application fee.
- For future students - they can look for The Oasis at river ridge pkwy. It's a good community with diversity of students. Also on TXST BUS route.
- My apartment was 10-15 min far by bus. and with a self car it takes 8-9 mins. Most Indian students stay at The Junction and Oasis.
Exams
- GRE is required and there's no cutoff as such, they see the detailed profile of students to decide admissions. A good score more than 300-302 is recommended. GRE can be waived for students who already have a Masters or PhD.
- Documents necessary- 3 LOR, statement of purpose, Resume, Unofficial transcript/marksheet in soft copy. Official transcript in hard copy after application decision.
- There's a diagnostic interview taken by Graduate Advisor which is minimal formality. they ask basic details to verify student authenticity and to tell what courses are student eligible to take in first semester based on what courses the student took in undergrad.
Fees
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1 course- total tuition and fees- 1,210.86
Fees Breakdown-
Institutional Services Fee 72.50
Bus Fee 95.00
Medical Service Fee 50.00
Recreational Sports Fee 94.00
Student Center Fee 100.00
Student Service Fee 10.00
Athletic Fee 22.00
Designated for dept- 257.36
E&G - 460 - Fee is charged credit wise each semester.
- For rent in student area near San Marcos- ranges from 350-850 depending upon occupancy in room. On average single occupancy room can be found in 450-550
- Transportation= bus service, (no public transport available apart from BUS)
- Regular expenses(incl groceries and misc)= 200
Scholarship
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Internal funding by TSU-
Graduate College Scholarship
Thesis Research Support Fellowship
Dissertation Research Support Fellowship - Students apply through - Bobcat Online Scholarship System (BOSS). and there are plenty of scholarships and fellowships available but its very competitive.
- In the Texas State Graduate and Doctoral Merit Fellowships, all students are automatically considered and may get 10% -50% reduction in fees in the first year. Its for the FALL semester only.
- Graduate College Scholarship- 1000$ per semester only till 3 semesters. (required minimum GPA 3.5) and the application process needs a resume, essay, personal student details(name, address, semester, courses taken, grades), 3 letter of recommendations.
- Most students get graduate college scholarships. I got it. 1000$ in last three semesters.
