Not to be rude, but I live in NYC right now. If you want to live in a place where you can still have the quietness and safety to concentrate on study, the rent alone will be at least $450.00 to $500.00. (Even if living in Queens or Brooklyn. Manhattan is way off the league). Then there comes food, transportation, health insurance, communication(which include telephone, internet connection), daily supply. If you plan to have a car, then you will probably in debt for at least $250.00 per month for a $1000.00 monthly income. All these costs are just minimum calculation, which does not include clothing, technology hardware, or any form of entertainment. That is not a desirable position to be in if you are a PhD student, who need absolute 100% concentration and will not be able to have any extra income. To give you just a little bit of example, in NYC, you have to pay at least $26.00 per month for local phone bill. If you want to be a PhD student, you need to have a cell phone to stay reachable, which will be about $50.00 per month for basic plan. (Without local phone line, your connections to China long distance phone calls will be in very bad reception with cell phone, and not to mention have to buy special phone cards). Minimum transportation cost (living without car) is $75 per month for monthly unlimited transportation. You will need broadband internet connection for research purposes, which will add another $45.00 per month. These little costs just add up to be unbelievable amount, so don't count that $14000 is enough. The school I will be studying does not have dormitory. I hope all friends and applicants in China have realistic expections regarding living costs in the United States. Unlike small towns, living in large US cities does cost a lot. |