Pursuing MS/MBA in the U.S.A on F1 or H4 visa

sudha80 · Mar 23, 2010

Hi friends,

I have been following this site,and found it informative.
I have few questions ,that i need to be answered,if you guys can help me on that,i would really appreciate.
Firstly i entered US in H4 visa ,and gone thru 'Will-i-get-H1 -drama' for 2 years in a row and finally got in 2007,but unfortunately i lost my father and
was in a situation to travel to india,before i landed in a job,so came back in h4 visa ,i was pregnant at that time( you know how the story goes fromthere!)so from then i am in h4 visa..But now as my daughter is ready to explore the world independently,iam planning on taking my career back into track..but as you have guessed i have taken a long career break,so iam thinking about taking GMAT/GRE to update my skills before entering the professional field.
I will shoot my questions...

1.My husband has filed the GC and we have cleared I-140,and waiting to it to be current.if iam goin to change to F1,will be eliminated from the process?
2.If any of you have taken MBA in U.S can you give some highlights into the field where women excel and what courses mom-like-me prefer to take,balancing the responsibilities?
3.are there any courses in M.S that are related to management(iam a software engineer)that doesnt involve coding but still have a bright career scope?
4.is MBA only for experienced professionals,or even freshers get admitted?and what are the drawbacks for them?

Thanks for all your inputs,

sudha.

Gauri03 · Mar 23, 2010

Typically H4 holders do not qualify for in-state tuition regardless of the amount of time spent in the US. But due to a court ruling a handful of states including California, New York, Washington and Texas allow H4 holders to pay only in-state tuition. Then again the decision is in the hands of the school you apply to. Not all schools will agree to this. You will need proofs of residency which are usually your tax documents proving that you filed taxes in that state for a certain period.

On F1 you need to be enrolled full-time which means 9 hours of classes a week.

Yes, you need to have a job to file for H1. Actually there is a new INS rule that says you have to get a job within 90 days of graduation for your OPT to be valid. Most students start searching for a job 6-months before graduation. But once you do get a job you can file in the US-based degree quota. There is a special quota of 20000 H1Bs only for students who get a higher degree from the US. This is separate from the regular 60000 quota. It is definitely easier to get a job if you have a degree from a US school.

I am not sure about teaching because that usually requires a PhD. But universities do have job positions which you can apply to. One good thing is that jobs in universities come under the academic category and there is no quota for visas. So they can file for an H1B anytime and it is almost always granted.

neha1 · Mar 23, 2010

Hi gauri, thanks again for your reply. I am sure many are benefitting from your replies.
I am in NY, so I do have the in-state tuition fee option. When I had spoken to some colleges, they just wanted my husbands and my tax documents for proof that we have paid income tax to this state.

gauri03 said: ↑

On F1 you need to be enrolled full-time which means 9 hours of classes a week.
Click to expand...

This was one imp factor for me as I wil need to balance house and college. And so, schedules of the college/univ is important to me.

One major factor for me is my visa status and that's the reason I want to find out the job options/visa restrictions after my course. this situation should not create a situation where I have no jobs!!! Also, most MS grads who do not have jobs, end up going to consultants which would mean it is IT job again. I do not want this to happen:crazy

Thank you Gauri,for your information. It has been really helpful for me.

neha1 · Mar 24, 2010

I have short listed Baruch college for MS. I am in the process of shortlisting other colleges as well. This is the first one that seems to work for me. Does anyone have any reviews?

Hi Gauri,
Do you have any info on Baruch(CUNY)?

Gauri03 · Mar 24, 2010

Not really. I don't know much about Baruch other than that it is quite highly regarded for its finance related programs. So I think it is a good choice for you.

I did find this email ID which might help you. It is a yahoo group of Indian students at Baruch. You could try emailing them to get specific information about the programs and funding.

isabaruch-owner@yahoogroups.com

Hope it all works out! :thumbsup

Gauri03 · Mar 24, 2010

Hi Sudha,

Changing to F1 status will have no impact on your GC processing. The main applicant is your husband and he can always claim you as a dependent even if you are on an independent visa like F1 or H1. GCs are family based so all family members get it together.

There is another thread on MBA in US in this forum that might answer most of your other questions.

neha1 · Mar 24, 2010

gauri03 said: ↑

Not really. I don't know much about Baruch other than that it is quite highly regarded for its finance related programs. So I think it is a good choice for you.

I did find this email ID which might help you. It is a yahoo group of Indian students at Baruch. You could try emailing them to get specific information about the programs and funding.

isabaruch-owner@yahoogroups.com

Hope it all works out! :thumbsup
Click to expand...

Thank you gauri for the reply and the email group. I shall join the group as well. I hope I can get some funding that will be really useful to me. I also need to find out about their placements etc . It is a state college (not private university)so hopefully it is recognized widely:bonk.
also, one news is that the fall 2010 admissions have closed . I delayed the process:hide:. I will look at spring 2011 or fall 2011. I plan to give CPA too after this. LEt's see how my plans work out. We can only plan,further it is god's wish.

GiJoe · Mar 24, 2010

Neha,

There are lots of reviews on-line on Baruch College check it out Baruch college, Review - Google Search the dilemma about weather you should switch to F1 or stay on H4 has its own pros and cons so decide carefully based on what suits you the best.

Disadvantages of being on F1 (according to me):

You have to be enrolled full time.
In future if you want to take a break (have a kid) you have to again switch your status back to H4.
If you did not stamp your F1 on your passport traveling outside the USA will become a hassle.

I understand from your posting that you don’t want to get employed through a H1B consultant because most of the jobs are programming and technical, there are other alternatives non-profit organizations are exempt from H1B quotas and they can recruit anyone at anytime, so my advice is if you are serious about getting a degree then concentrate on that and worry about getting a job once you are done with your studies and the economy will be in much better shape in couple of years.

Here is a link about H1B for non-profit organizations MurthyDotCom : USCIS Guidance on H1B Cap Exemptions

GiJoe · Mar 24, 2010

Sudha,

1.My husband has filed the GC and we have cleared I-140,and waiting to it to be current.if iam goin to change to F1,will be eliminated from the process?

No you will not be eliminated from the GC process, GC is family based but my advice is stick to H4 and you must be eligible to get work permit once you file your GC.

2.If any of you have taken MBA in U.S can you give some highlights into the field where women excel and what courses mom-like-me prefer to take,balancing the responsibilities?

Excelling in any filed depends on your interest, find a field that is interesting to you and post it here then you can get some feedback.

3.are there any courses in M.S that are related to management(iam a software engineer)that doesnt involve coding but still have a bright career scope?

There are lot of courses like MBA in Management Information Systems that is related to IT Management.

4.Is MBA only for experienced professionals,or even freshers get admitted?and what are the drawbacks for them?

Anyone can do MBA

neha1 · Mar 24, 2010

GiJoe said: ↑

you must be eligible to get work permit once you file your GC.
Click to expand...

Hi GiJoe,
How long will it take once we file ur GC to get work permit. We are also filing in 2011. I was wondering if EAD will be ready for us after 3-4 years...