Redirecting you to the new website ... Click here if your browser does not redirect you ...
Frequently Asked Questions
- Computer Engineering or Computer Science?
- Why CE and CS if they are the same?
- Can I apply for TA/RA/GA if I have the Achievement Award?
- What is the deal with credits and credit hours?
- How can I estimate my fees?
- How can I estimate my living costs?
- What about campus jobs?
- What about the Placement/Funding scene?
- Should I create an international account before coming to Gainesville?
- How much money do I carry?
- How do I transfer money from India?
- What are my travelling options?
Computer Engineering or Computer Science?
CS is offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) while CE is offered by the College of Engineering (CoE). You should apply to CoE, mainly because:
- CoE has a better name than CLAS, CoE therefore has better placements,
- If you take CE and your GRE score is >= 1200, you get a 40% tuition waiver immediately, called the Achievement Award. This award is offered by the CoE and not CLAS.
- In most schools CE and CS are separate. However, in UF the courses for CE and CS are the SAME, and they are offered by the SAME department, CISE, just that the colleges are different. For these reasons it is advisable to take (or switch to) CE
Why CE and CS if they are the same?
As a convention, CLAS offers all Science degrees while CoE offers all Engineering degrees. The department that you are concerned with is eventually the same: CISE. Also, note that :
- CoE has a better name than CLAS, CoE therefore has better placements,
- The degree is the same, Master of Science,
- The courses are the same since they are offered by the same department,
- CoE has a lot of funds, and this is one way in which it wants to attract students.
Can I apply for TA/RA/GA if I have the Achievement Award?
Yes you can. The clause in the Achievement Award just means that you can have either (TA/RA/GA) or Achievement Award at a given time. Incase you are offered a TA/RA/GA, then your Achievement Award will get revoked and your TA/RA/GA would come into effect. Also, depending on the number of hours you need to work in your TA/RA/GA you could possibly work some OPS job as well - just keep in mind that the total number of hours should not exceed 20 per week. Note: OPS and Achievement Award have no connection what-so-ever.
What is the deal with credits and credit hours?
Each course that you take is assigned some credits, for example, 3. This means that it accounts for 3 credit hours which in turn means that you have classes for that course for 3 hours in a week. The minimum requirement for the number of credit/credit hours you sign up for per semester and the total number of credits needed to graduate is decided by the department (around 9-12 per semester, and around 30 to graduate).
How can I estimate my fees?
Multiply the number of credits you have signed up for each semester by the amount per credit to get your tuition fees.
For example, if you are signing up for 9 credits and you have an award which gets your fees down to 525, then your fees for that semester would be
9 * 525 = $4725
An example: This is how it usually goes for people coming in Fall:
- Fall 200x: Take 3 courses (9* credits)
- Spring 200y: Take 3 courses (9* credits)
- Summer 200y: Take 1 course or do an internship (3* credits)
- Fall 200y: Take the remaining 3 courses (9* credits) * Assuming each course is equal to 3 credits.
- Fall 200x: 9*915 (or 9*525)
- Spring 200y: 9*915 (or 9*525)
- Summer 200y: 3*915 (or 3*525)
- Fall 200y: 9*915 (or 9*525) So, around $27,450 or $15,750
How can I estimate my living costs?
This is just a rough estimate (per-month). There could be a variation of +/- 30%. You do the math:
- Rent: $180-250
- Utilities (Electricity, etc): $25-40
- Mobile (optional): $30-45
- Food (including groceries): $40-100
- Other stuff: $50
What about campus jobs?
During the first 9 months of our stay, we are eligible for jobs only on-campus. Total number of hours that can be worked per week is 20. These are the places where people mostly get jobs:
- Gator Dining (the canteen),
- Libraries,
- At the Reitz Union (check their webpage),
- Seagle Building near Downtown (yes, its on-campus, you have to conduct telephone surveys here),
- Data entry jobs in many departments (you have to search for these),
- Programming jobs in many departments (you have to search for these),
- Also, lookup Jobs@UF for more openings.
What about the Placement/Funding scene?
- Placement: The scene for full-time is good. Many people have got into firms like Microsoft, Google (For Computer Engineering majors).
- Funding: A million dollar question. This is completely MY opinion: You get aid depending on you being present at the right place at the right time. The funding scene was pretty bad when I came here, before that almost every CE guy had full aid, but then word spread out and there were simply too many people coming in last year. I don't know what the scene would be in the near future.
Should I create an international account before coming to Gainesville?
No. There are many banks in and around UF. Creating an account is easy here.
How much money do I carry?
- Get some in cash, say $100 - $500, Get a lot of $1 notes and $5 notes - they are needed for vending machines at airports,
- Get some in Travelers Cheques, say around $500 - $1000,
- You can get some using a Foreign Travel Card, say around $500 (eg: Vishwa Yatra card from SBI) - This according to me is really safe and convenient. Its like a debit card and you load it from India in $$ and use it like a credit card here. The best part is that there are no transaction fees when you use it at stores, however, you need to pay some $4 per transaction when you withdraw money and you can withdraw around $800 in a single transaction. This is a good way for your parents to send money to you - They will load it from India, and you can simply unload it from any local ATM machine. You might end up paying transaction fees all the time, but its convenient - both for you and your parents.
How do I transfer money from India?
I have used a Foreign Travel Card for transfering money from India. Once you open a bank account here, you could explore other ways of transfer, like a wire transfer (Which I haven't tried so far, but I've heard its pretty convenient too)
What are my travelling options?
You might have several cheap options, but I would recommend: (assuming ur going from Bombay)
- Delta (Bombay-NY-Atlanta- Gainesville or the Bombay-Paris one)
- Lufthansa-USAirways (Bombay-Frankfurt and Frankfurt-Charlotte -Gainesville)
- It's a long flight, so avoid taking multiple connecting flights which make your trip even longer, even tho' its cheaper. If this is your first time, or otherwise, PAY MORE and get a direct connection. You could be more adventurous and tour the entire planet the next time you travel :-)
- Try going in groups, it will help you NOT get lost, and help lessen any curiosity you might have. Plus you won't get bored.
- Try reaching Gainesville during the daytime. You might freak out if it's dark and there's no one at the airport to receive you.
- If you are planning to take some other flights than the ones I've mentioned, make sure that you have atleast 2 hours for immigration at your port of entry.