University of Houston, Houston Rankings 2026

• After completing CS you can find opportunities anywhere in the entire US. However with Houston you will get access to tons of oil companies that will prefer local candidates though they have very few openings but that can be a very good opportunity especially in this not so good market.
• There are cities like Dallas, Austin too where there are a lot of tech companies so there would be enough opportunities there too that said it’s nothing compared to companies in Silicon Valley, NYC and maybe Boston so you will have to be open to relocate.

• I found out about it through seniors via LinkedIn, who helped me with it. Monthly rent is around 350 for a 2b2b shared accommodation which most students prefer. It includes Central AC, Refrigerator, Oven and Dishwasher. Finding like minded roommates was the most difficult part.
• I think students similar to me should reach out to seniors to know about specific details, however joining what’s app groups would provide sufficient details. There are two main housing options where Indians live 1. Stratford Apartments where most North Indians live and Med Center where mostly South Indians live they are both around 45 mins away via Bus transport.

• As I mentioned earlier, Houston is a good place for electrical engineers to find a job. The oil and gas industry here provides a lot of job openings. Generally, everyone who graduated from electrical engineering here secures a job. The average salary is around $60,000. The most common way that people apply for jobs is through job portals.
• But nowadays, getting referrals has become very common. The amount of salary offered depends on our experience level. Highest to lowest might vary from $90000 to $50000.

• There are many WhatsApp groups for master's students where people post the availability of accommodation. Even I got one through such a WhatsApp group. There are many challenges faced. The most common one is the roommates that you get. You have to be very careful since you have to live with them every day; make sure you do proper research. My recommendation would be to learn cooking before you come here since food is a very big part of life here and outside food is very expensive.

• Generally within 6 months of completing the course, almost 90% of the students graduate and secure employment.
• Average salary range expected to earn upon graduation is 110k$- 120k$ on a yearly basis, for good chemical companies.
• For all the students,  you need to apply for job interview and then go through the whole process. It can be either through internships, networking or online job portals.
• Major companies include Shell, Exxon, Chevron , Dow, Sabbic

• I found out my accommodation using the online groups on Factbook and whatsapp.
• Monthly rent was around 650$ for a 2b2b including utilities and excluding electricity. It's an unfurnished apartment, you have a fridge and microwave in the kitchen.
• It was not a very big challenge, I already had friends here before who helped me in getting an apartment.
• I will say to join any online group for future accommodation, you will get someone who is looking for the same thing.
• My apartment is around 9 miles far from campus. Most of the indian students including me stay close to the texas medical center area.

• Most people try to graduate in two years, and education is done mostly in the university range, ranging between $1,000 and $2000 per month depending on the person and their skills. Finding jobs after graduation is a very difficult task.
• It takes more skills and time. There are many companies that come to the university to hire graduates, like HP Google Dell halburton and many more companies through career fairs, etc.

• I opted for off-campus accommodation in a community. I got the through alumni from LinkedIn and the monthly rent is is 340$ and some other bills like water, electricity, and wifi are also there. By God's grace, I got my accommodation. a bit easier because of alumni. Would recommend using LinkedIn and groups for accommodation; mine is approximately 5 miles from the college.

• I'm not sure of full-time jobs after the course because I didn't graduate yet. Students usually find jobs by applying through LinkedIn or through referrals.
• Sometimes, career fairs also work out. I saw some of my friends getting internship calls through career fairs.
• Also, some bagged full-time roles through that. After all, I could say skills and luck have equal weightage.

• Through WhatsApp groups, I found people posting that they're looking for some more people so that they could sign a lease on.
• And the lease agreement was signed online. The process went easily as some of my roommates are already living here.
• But otherwise, you'll definitely need someone to lead you through all of the steps.

• Almost 80-90% people secure a job within 6 months of completing their course as the pay scale can vary on many factors and location plays a very important role in it on an average the start salary range is from 80-85K dollars per annum.
• The placement experiences I would say is average. Since Houston is the energy hub there are more opportunities for oil and gas companies compared to IT companies.

• I have opted for an Off campus accommodation named Stratford apartments which is approximately 45 mins away from the college.
• BUt the best part is the rent is very cheaper here where a 2bhk flat is almost 1400 dollars and can be easily shared by 4-5 people, all the indian student community is very strong here so it never feels away from home and the bus commute is also very good and has a frequency in every 10 mins

• 80% of my graduating batch secures employment within 6 months of completing their course.
• 70K to 100K, depending on their experience, is the average salary range that most students in my program can expect to earn upon graduation.
• LinkedIn, Glassdoor, referrals, etc. help students usually find jobs after graduation.
• Tesla, Biogen, Lucid, Dell, Shell, Apple, Samsung, AMD, Amazon, Walmart, etc. These companies come for recruitment.
• DHL, Shell, and Aramco hire SCM students; Dell hires data science students; and there are a lot more oil and gas companies visiting UH.

• Online platforms like Furnished Finder, WhatsApp groups, etc. helped me find accommodation.
• 680$, including utilities, was the monthly rent for my accommodation.
• I wish I had a vehicle to shift things, as it would have been easier.
• Upcoming students can use the Furnished Finder app or search the GISO UH page on Facebook.
• 6-7 miles away from the college. Most of the Indian students stay near NRG Stadium.

The average salary is 80k USD annual. It is tough to get a job in the creative domain but it isn't impossible. You just have to be the best at what you do and have a backup option to go back to India work there as well. Be prepared for that as most of it depends on geopolitical issues at the moment. Elections decide a lot for us. But also network a lot, get published. Try other routes to sponsor yourself because visa sponsorship is a major hurdle in getting a job. You just have to try and it is a big gamble. Having said that, India doesn't have a great design scene but you can try Europe and other countries for employment.
 

• University of Washington (Rejected)
• RISD (Rejected)
• MASSART (Accepted)
• Virginia Tech (Accepted)
• The reason why I got rejected from the colleges listed above is probably because I was trying to change streams when I applied for design and these colleges were offering more competitive courses that suited well for people who were already in the field or had some relevant experience. UW has a very focused HCI program, RISD is a hard-core design school. Both of these schools probably weren't suited for a novice designer like me.
• University of Houston offered me room to grow and discover myself as a designer as opposed to accept me as one. It was also a very good research-oriented approach to design which is more empathetic towards those who want to enter the design world.
• The admission process was very simple, first step of which is to apply online with all the required material (portfolio, GRE score, TOEFL score, recommendation letters, application fees and forms). Next was the most difficult interview that I ever had. They went through my portfolio in front of me through the call. They accepted me thereafter and then the regular process of applying to any other US college followed that involved the VISA process and paying the fees. There were no challenges as such except for the whole COVID backlash. Highlight was the interview because as nerve wracking it was, it was also something that gave me enough confidence that I can do it. GRE was just a formality, portfolio was the deciding factor. No minimum scores required.
• I applied for the FALL 2021 intake. I wanted to change disciplines and with COVID receding it was the right time to make the move. The admission (right from filling out the required forms and fees in the month of December) to getting an acceptance (March), it was a three month long process. I took the GRE and TOEFL in September, prepared my supplementary material by the end of December and applied then. Gave interviews in the month of February and then got acceptances in March. After which i began the VISA process.

You have career fairs happening every semester, and they are very helpful to reach out to as many companies as possible within a short period.

The Master of Science architecture degree here had the sustainable architecture line, and that was something I was really looking forward to learning and leaning towards as an architect. It was fun and a great experience. Got to meet a lot of new people and was able to find help easily whenever I needed it. And loved the hangout spots.

There will be two carrer fairs each semester. There will be a huge support from Alumni as well. Most people will be placed.

It is a great experience. In my first semester, I been in a leadership program other than my own courses and next two semester, I have been in few clubs which helped me to socialize, build networks and finnaly made my experience unique compared to lot of other students.