Megabus, Adirondack Trailways NYC to Albany

There are a couple of buses going from New York city to Albany or vice versa: Megabus, Adirondack Trailways, Grayhound or Chinese bus. I usually take Megabus just because it is most likely cheaper, having wifi service inside the bus. However, sometimes Adirondack Trailways or Grayhound is cheaper and convenient. I've never taken Chinese bus yet but I heard it is also cheap but not preferable.


1. Megabus

You can go various places from NYC by taking Megabus: Boston, Philadelphia, Buffalo etc. The bus has second floor, most seats are located in second floor. Seats are pretty comfortable and you can use WIFI in the bus during your journey, although it is very slow.
You can buy a ticket only in their website(www.megabus.com), and take your bus at 34St., 11Ave. in Manhattan(about 10 minutes from Penn station).

Fare is different from when you buy a ticket. If you buy a ticket earlier than other people, you would only pay $1. However, it would cost more than $22~25 if you buy it later than most of buyers. Here is an example for fares going from NYC to Albany.

Megabus going from NYC to Albany has two destinations. One is SUNY Albany and another is Rensselaer Station. It takes 2hours 45minutes to Rensselaer Station and 3hours 5minutes to SUNY Albany(without traffic). Normally, it takes longer than it is supposed to be because of traffic in NYC.

The schedules going from Albany to NYC are similar and you would land off at 34St., 11Ave.(same place where you took it). You can check your schedules and fare on Megabus website(www.megabus.com).



2. Adirondack Trailways 

The fare of Adirondack Trailways  is fixed. It is always either $35~39(online) or $44~45(offline). Unlike Megabus, Adirondack Trailways stops by Albany downtown bus terminal. If you want to go downtown Albany, I would recommend this bus rather than Megabus. It also goes to SUNY Albany but you should check its schedule before you buy ticket because there are only few lines gong to SUNY Albany during the day.
You can take it at 42St., Port Authority Bus Terminal in Mahattan(about 5minutes from Penn Station). You can buy a ticket either on website (http://www.trailwaysny.com/) or at ticket box.

OPT processing time and way to make it process faster

You can check your case status on USCIS homepage:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

Q1) When can I see my case status?

: You may be able to check your case status within 30 days after you have received your receipt number. In my case, it took almost 30 days to see my case status.


Q2) When can I receive the receipt number?

: You may receive it as soon as your case is filed through email if you submitted the Form G-1145. In my case, I had not received any e-notification although I submitted the Form G-1145. Instead, I received it through official mail. It took about 10 days.


Q3) How long does it take to go to the next step?

I cannot tell...My case was in Initial Review for a week, then certainly the status changed to the Post Decision Activity.

Following is the processing time for my case:

Oct. 10, 2012 : Requested new I-20 for OPT
Oct. 25, 2012 : Issued new I-20
Nov. 6, 2012 : Sent the application to Vermont office(Overnight Express mail)
Nov. 7, 2012 : Arrived at Vermont office
Nov. 21,2012 : Receive receipt number through official mail.
Dec. 1,2012 : Case status check was firstly available. "Initial Review"
Dec. 5,2012 : Case status changed. "Post Decision Activity"
Dec. 6,2012 : Case Status changed. "Card/Document Production"
Dec. 14,2012 : Received EAD card.


Q4) Will an expedited or an offer letter from a company make OPT process faster?

: Positive. In my case, I sent the offer letter from my current company with my application. I believe it helped me to get EAD card faster then other students(almost 40 days).

I did not send an expedited mail although I wrote it because my international adviser did not recommend me. She said the offer letter will be fine. But the expedited mail is not good idea since it might give USCIS people an idea that I have not enough money to study USA, which could be a reason to reject my case.


Following is an example of the expedited letter:
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From. NHK

Piedmont Drive, APT. 191B

Port Jefferson, NY, 11734

To. Immigration Officer

USCIS

Attn: AOS

2501 S. State Hwy. 121, Business Suite 400

Lewisville, TX 75067

Subject : Request to Expedite I-765 application based on financial loss

Dear Immigration Office,

Regarding the above-mentioned matter, I would request your attention. Due to the financial situation, I request USCIS to expedite my application.

I recently got a job offer from the company named XXXXXXX. I am hired as a full-time employee in the position of TD Test Development engineer. The company wants me to start my work on January 7, 2013 and I am expected to join the company’s training program on the beginning day. If my starting day is delayed, the company should execute this training program once again only for me. This is financial loss and waste of time for the company.

This is life-time opportunity for me. The company might not want to hire me anymore if my I-765 application is delayed. I will lose this great opportunity and be in serious financial problems. I cannot afford moving expense without being supported by the company. I am now really worried of daily expenses, medical insurance, food, paying off rent for 1 bedroom apartment.

Therefore, I would sincerely request you to expedite my I-765 application. In order to support this expedite request, I am sending the offer letter from Globalfoundries along with my I-765 application documents. Thanks again for your understanding in this matter.

If there are any questions or concerns, I can be reached at

E-mail: namxxxxxx@hotmail.com

Phone: 631-428-xxxx

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Namhee Kang

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Internships in USA (With CPT)

Let say you are an international student studying in United States. It is not that easy for F-1 VISA holders working in United States, no matter it is a paid or unpaid internship. Following are simple steps you may follow to get internship opportunities in USA.

During my first semester in USA, I fortunately got an summer paid internship offer from one of research companies. Unfortunately, I had to stop working for the company on my second day because of CPT problem. I did not know about any of following steps at the time...Poor things... About a week later, I went back to Korea...

NOTICE: THIS IS A GUIDE ONLY FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT OFF-CAMPUS INTERNSHIPS.

1. Finish at least more than two semesters of your study in USA. If you have studied in USA less than two semesters, you are not qualified for applying any internships(both paid and unpaid) in USA. It is illegal.

2. Make sure whether there is an undergraduate/graduate internship class in your major. This is important because you will not be able to get CPT without enrolling internship class in your school.

*CPT?

:Curricular Practical Training. Alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required internship or practicum which is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school. CPT must be directly related to the major and an integral part of an established curriculum.

3. Write your resume and cover letter.

* Sample cover letter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NHK

Piedmont Dr. Apt.

Port Jefferson, NY 11745

(631)428-xxxx

namheekang@hotmail.com

Mr. Kevin

Director of Manufacturing

400 Road Extension
Malta, NY 12170

(518)305-xxxx

Dear Mr. Kevin:

I learned about the TD Test Development Engineer position from my friend Young keun Im, who currently works for your company. I am highly interested in applying for the position because working at XXXXX, which is one of the famous global companies, is a great opportunity and perfect start for my career. I am currently going to Stony brook University, and expected to graduate with Bachelor in Engineering, specialized in electrical engineering on December of this year. I am a responsible, passionate, skillful and hardworking student who would be agood fit for the position of the TD Test Development Engineer position at XXXX.

My undergraduate course works and internship experiences have helped me to be ready as an engineer. I studied at University of Seoul before, and now am studying at Stony brook University as a part of dual degree program between two schools. I have taken many valuable and practical engineering courses at these two schools. Based on what I have learned, I have worked at Stryker Corporation and College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as an intern. In the former company, I worked in Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance department, writing the latest endoscopy technical documents. Also, in the latter company, I worked with Dr. Huang analyzing the spectrum of a semiconductor sample by using photoluminescence and electroluminescence. From these internship experiences, I was able to learn professional ethics, current semiconductor technology trends, and how to handle the equipment.

Furthermore, I have been active in many programs and organizations. These experiences have given me a chance to improve my communication, leadership, and management skills. I was a leader at a Dale Carnegie leadership training course for a year. As a leader, I always collaborated with our team members to get through given missions. For two years during my army service, I cooperated with other soldiers to complete our missions and when I became a senior soldier, I took care of subordinates in my unit as a counselor. I also paid careful attention to my academic work at the University of Seoul and received scholarships for three semesters. I believe that these above experiences will help me to get along with other employees and accomplish challenging projects.

I feel confident that my education and experiences would make me an excellent candidate for this position. Please review my resume at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Namhee Kang

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4. Research internship openings related with your major(you cannot do just random internships because of CPT requirements).


5. Apply as many as possible, as early as possible. If you are looking for internships during summer vacation, you must remember that many applications start from early February at earliest.


6. Once you got an offer from a company, register a summer/winner internship class and pay the tuition fee.


7. You may need a recommendation letter from your professor you enrolled for internship.


8. Bring the official offer letter from the company and your recommendation letter with you to your international adviser in your school. The offer letter has to clearly say about the employer's name, address and phone number, start date, end date, and other detail information.


9. If all of your documents are ok, the international adviser will issue new I-20 for CPT. You must bring this new I-20 on the first day of your work to process employment.


10. Learn a lot, enjoy your rest of vacation.




Good luck everybody~!!

미국에서 인턴 구하기

미국에서 인턴 구하기 (CPT받는 방법)

미국에 와서 첫학기, 운이좋게 Summer paid internship을 구했습니다. 그냥 무급인턴도 구하면 감사했는데 뜻하지않게 적지않은 돈을 받으며 일을하게 된다는 생각을 하니 하루하루가 즐거웠습니다. 일을 하게 될 회사는 미국에서 적지않은 인지도가 있는 곳이었는데, 일을 시작하고 이틀 뒤, 저는 일을 그만 두게 되었습니다. 이유인즉, CPT라는 비자문제가 발목을 잡았기 때문입니다. 미국에 처음와서 아무 개념이 없었던 저는 그냥 일하게된 회사로 가게 되었고, 그곳에서 둘째날 소셜넘버를 받기위해 서류를 작성하던 중 CPT라는게 필요하다는 것을 알게 되었습니다. 눈물을 머금고 그 좋은 기회를 내려놓고 일주일 뒤 한국으로 돌아갔습니다.

아래 내용은 이런 경험을 바탕으로한, 미국에서 인턴구하기 요령입니다.

주의: 아래 가이드는 오직 OFF-CAMPUS INTERNSHIPS인 경우만 해당됩니다.

1. 미국에서 최소 2학기(1년)이상을 마칩니다. F1 비자 소지자의 경우, 최소 2학기(1년)이상을 미국에서 마쳐야 CPT를 지원할 수 있는 자격이 됩니다. 2학기 이하를 다녔을 경우(저와 같은 경우) 유급이던 무급이던 인턴을 할 수 없으며 인턴을 할 경우 불법입니다.

2. 본인이 수학하는 해당 학과에 undergraduate/graduate internship class 가 있는지 반드시 확인합니다. 만약 인턴쉽 관련 과목이 없다면 CPT지원을 할 수 없습니다.

*CPT?

:Curricular Practical Training. Alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required internship or practicum which is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school. CPT must be directly related to the major and an integral part of an established curriculum.

3. 이력서와 커버레터를 미리 써 놓고 충분히 교정을 받습니다. 보통 Resume는 한장이 정석이고 커버레터도 한장이 무난합니다.

* Sample resume

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NHK

5 Piedmont Dr Apt

Port Jefferson NY 11773

nXXXXXXX@hotmail.com – (631)-428-XXXX

Education

Stony Brook University – Stony Brook, NY

B.E. in Electrical Engineering - Expected December 2012

Overall GPA: 3.70 Major GPA: 3.72

Dean’s List: Spring 2011 - Present

Golden Key International Honor Society: Fall 2011 - Present

Skills

Programming: C, Matlab, OrCAD, AVR Studio

Software: MS- Word, MS- Excel, MS-PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop

Operating Systems: Windows 7/XP/Vista

Languages: English and Korean: Fluent speaking, reading, and writing knowledge

Relevant Courses (*currently enrolled)

Digital System Design

Electrical Circuit Analysis I

Electronics

Deterministic Signals & System

Digital Signal Process

Control System

Solid-State Physical Electronics

Electromag and T Lines

Integrated Electronics

Apps of Operational Amplifiers

Computer Tech for Elect Dsgn I

Electronics Laboratory *A,B,C

Engineering Design I, II

*Embedded Microproc Syst Des I

Projects

· Designed an energy harvesting application using piezoelectric materials (senior project)

Senior project presentation at Princeton University and URECA conference

Work Experience

· CNSE- College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering – Summer intern, Jun. 2012 - Aug. 2012

Data analysis for ultra-fast optical measurements

Designed a non-linear fitting program for time-correlated single photon counting analysis

· Stryker Korea – Summer intern, June2011 – July 2011

RA&QA(Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance)

Wrote technical documents of the endoscopes for KFDA’s import permits

· Military service, Army, April 2007 – March 2009

Maintained communications network of corps

Suicide prevention counselor in the unit

Activities

· Nanume Presbyterian Church – Student president, November 2011 – Present

Organized the Bible study and led the campus worship service

· World Vision, Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI), July 2007 – Present

Sponsor

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


* Sample cover letter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NHK

Piedmont Dr. Apt.

Port Jefferson, NY 11745

(631)428-xxxx

namheekang@hotmail.com

Mr. Kevin

Director of Manufacturing

400 Road Extension
Malta, NY 12170

(518)305-xxxx

Dear Mr. Kevin:

I learned about the TD Test Development Engineer position from my friend Young keun Im, who currently works for your company. I am highly interested in applying for the position because working at XXXXX, which is one of the famous global companies, is a great opportunity and perfect start for my career. I am currently going to Stony brook University, and expected to graduate with Bachelor in Engineering, specialized in electrical engineering on December of this year. I am a responsible, passionate, skillful and hardworking student who would be a good fit for the position of the TD Test Development Engineer position at XXXX.

My undergraduate course works and internship experiences have helped me to be ready as an engineer. I studied at University of Seoul before, and now am studying at Stony brook University as a part of dual degree program between two schools. I have taken many valuable and practical engineering courses at these two schools. Based on what I have learned, I have worked at Stryker Corporation and College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as an intern. In the former company,I worked in Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance department, writing the latest endoscopy technical documents. Also, in the latter company, I worked with Dr. Huang analyzing the spectrum of a semiconductor sample by usingphotoluminescence and electroluminescence. From these internship experiences, I was able to learn professional ethics,current semiconductor technology trends, and how to handle the equipment.

Furthermore, I have been active in many programs and organizations. These experiences have given me a chance to improve my communication, leadership, and management skills. I was a leader at a Dale Carnegie leadership training course for a year. As a leader, I always collaborated with our team members to get through given missions. For two years during my army service, I cooperated with other soldiers to complete our missions and when I became a senior soldier, I took care of subordinates in my unit as a counselor. I also paid careful attention to my academic work at the University of Seoul and received scholarships for three semesters. I believe that these above experiences will help me to get along with other employees and accomplish challenging projects.

I feel confident that my education and experiences would make me an excellent candidate for this position. Please review my resume at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Namhee Kang

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. 인턴쉽 opening을 충분히 찾아보고, 반드시 본인의 전공에 관련된 인턴쉽에 지원합니다. CPT 지원요건에 따르면, 본인의 전공과 관련된 인턴쉽이 아니면 할 수 없습니다.


5. 가능한한 많이, 최대한 빨리 지원합니다. 여름방학동안 인터뷰를 준비한다면, 빠른곳은 2월 초부터 접수를 시작한다는 것을 알아야 합니다. 평소 관심이 있었던 회사나 학교홈페이지에 들어가 internship 및 research assistant 관련 opening이 있는지 항상 체크하고 지원합니다.

6. 이렇게 해서 회사로부터 offer letter를 받게 되면, 여름/겨울 방학 인턴쉽 수업을 등록하고 수강료를 완납합니다.


7. 인턴쉽 수업에 본인의 어드바이저를 찾아가 인턴쉽이 전공과 관련이 있다고 확인하는 추천서를 받습니다.


8. 회사로부터 받은 official offer letter 와 인턴쉽 수업 어드바이저에게 받은 추천서를 들고 본인의 international VISA adviser를 찾아가 CPT를 요청합니다. Offer letter에는 반드시 employer's name,전화번호, 시작일, 종료일, 급여정보등이 분명하게 적혀있어야 합니다.


9. 만약 준비한 모든 서류가 충분하고 이상이 없다면, international VISA adviser 가 CPT용 I-20를 발급해 줄 것입니다. 이 새로운 I-20를 처음 인턴을 시작하는 날 반드시 회사가 들고가 서류증명을 해야합니다.


10. Learn a lot, enjoy your rest of vacation.




Good luck everybody~!!

Prepaid phone plans in USA

When I first came to the United States for studying, I found different people have different cell phone plans. I asked many people that what kind of company they are using, how much money they pay for, and how many talk, text and data are available a month. Majority of people used one of cell phone providers, such as T-mobile, AT&T and Sprint and they paid average $60~70 for their smart phone. It seemed like the contract named 'Family plan' was the best deal to save money with reasonable service. Later on, however, I happened to know a couple of prepaid companies and I have believed that they provide the best deal for cell phone since then. With around $35~50 a month, you could use your regular cell phone or smartphone with no contract but unlimited talk, text and data. Only one thing is that you should already have your phone or buy a phone with its retail price

Currently, I use this prepaid company. They share AT&T network so wherever AT&T network works, so do they. I pay $45 a month for unlimited talk, text and data plan. Following lists are a couple of prepaid companies which have similar plans.

1. Straighttalk

- Check Service Area : Click here(Straight Homepage)

- Service plans:

2. Net10

- Check Service Area :

- Service plans:

3. Walmart prepaid phone(Provided by T-mobile)

- Check Service Area : http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx/

- Service plans :

4. Vergin Mobile

- Check Service Area : http://www.virginmobileusa.com/check-cell-phone-coverage

- Service plans :

미국 핸드폰 요금 절약하기 (Prepaid 폰 요금제)

2년전 미국에 처음와서 핸드폰을 없이 한학기를 보냈었습니다. 당시 저는 조금이라도 돈을 세이브 해보자 해서 월 10불정도 했던 스카이프 무제한요금(미주)를 신청하고 아이팟으로 와이파이를 잡아 전화를 쓰곤 했습니다. 놀랍게 스카이프에는 전화번호를 주는 서비스도 있어서 제가 걸 뿐만 아니라 와이파이존 안에서는 아이팟에 걸려오는 전화를 받기도 했었습니다(다만 와이파이존 밖에나가면 무용지물이었고, 수신감이 좋지 않아 통화할때마다 고래고래 소리지르곤 했죠;;;) 장난으로 나 죽으면 와이파이존에 묻어달라 친구들에게 말하곤 했습니다. 그렇게 한학기 보냈는데, 주위 친구들이 연락하기 힘들다고 제발 좀 핸드폰좀 사라해서 미국 핸드폰 요금을 찾아보기 시작했습니다. 어떤 친구들은 그때 막 나왔던 아이폰4 2년약정을 해서 한달에 무려 80불가까이 내며 제한된 통화와 데이터(대략 1-2G)를 이용하고 있었습니다! 그중에 조금 세이브 해 보려던 녀석들은 서너명씩 모여서 Family플랜을 이용하더군요. Family플랜은 일정량의 통화와 데이터를 서너명이 같이 나눠쓰는식인데, 개인 약정보다는 훨씬 저렴했습니다. 예를들어 4명이 같이 Family플랜에 가입하고 아이폰4를 2년약정으로 산 경우 한달에 적게는 50~60불정도 지불하더군요. 하지만 저에게는 한달에 50불 60불은 상당히 큰 돈이였기에, 저는 스마트폰은 꿈도 안꾸고 가장 저렴한 통신사를 찾기 시작했습니다.

그러다가 발견한 통신사들이 바로 Prepaid통신사 였습니다! Prepaid는 일정금액을 미리 내고 플랜을 산 뒤 일정 기간동안 플랜을 사용하는 방식입니다. 물론 약정이 없고 가격도 일반 통신사의 3분의1정도밖에 되지 않았습니다. 처음에는 Net10이라는 Prepaid통신사를 썼습니다. Net10의 가장 좋은점은 통화시간에 비해 가격이 매우 저렴하다는 것, 또 AT&T, T-mobile, Verizon등의 대형 통신사의 수신기를 공유해서 그때그때 강한 신호의 통신사로 자동로밍 되기 때문에 한마디로 어디서든 잘 터진다는 것입니다. 처음에는 6개월에 90불정도 내고 1800분을 사용하는 플랜을 썼는데, 여자친구를 사귄뒤 통화량이 급격히 증가하게 되어, 나중에는 월 25불에 750분을 주는 플랜으로 갈아탔습니다. 비록 2G인 단점은 있지만, 가격대비 충분한 통화량이 주어지고, 어디서든 잘 터져 아주 좋은 Prepaid라고 생각합니다.

학교를 졸업하고 직장근처로 이사를 한 뒤, Prepaid회사를 바꿨습니다. Straighttalk라는 통신사인데요, 지금 현재 이곳의 스마트폰을 쓰고 있습니다. Straighttalk는 Net10과 같은 계열의 회사인데요, 그래서 그런지 스마트폰 제품마다 사용하는 수신기가 다릅니다. 저는 AT&T의 공유기를 사용하는 스마트폰을 사용하고 있습니다. 월마트에서 90불정도에 HUAWEI라는 폰을 구입했습니다. 사실 90불이긴 한데 45불 Unlimited 플랜이 포함되어 있기 때문에 폰가격만 따지면 거의 45불이라고 보시면 됩니다. 아무튼 제가 쓰고 있는 플랜은 월 45불에 Unlimited Data, Talk, Text 플랜입니다. 폰 성능이 딸려 약간 느리긴 해도 그럭저럭 만족하며 잘 쓰고 있습니다. 주의 친구들 보면 한달에 최소 5~60불 내면서 Data초과 될까마 신경쓰며 쓰던데, 저는 그냥 전화도 맘데로 데이터도 무제한이기에 신경쓸 일도 없고, 정말 좋은 플랜이라 생각합니다.

아래는 이제까지 이야기한 Net10, Straighttalk를 포함한 괜찮은 Prepaid 공급업체 네 곳의 플랜을 비교해봤습니다. 참고하세요.

1. Straighttalk

- Check Service Area : Click here(Straight Homepage)

- Service plans:

2. Net10

- Check Service Area :

- Service plans:

3. Walmart prepaid phone(Provided by T-mobile)

- Check Service Area : http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx/

- Service plans :

4. Vergin Mobile

- Check Service Area : http://www.virginmobileusa.com/check-cell-phone-coverage

- Service plans :