Moving to the US for PhD – guide for Saudi students

Congratulations! You have finished your bachelor’s and possibly masters degree, and now you are ready to go for a postgraduate doctoral degree. This is huge! Only a small percentage of people even have higher education, let alone a PhD. It doesn’t only bring mastery in a field of knowledge, but it also brings with it a status and respect. Going through many steps of education is not easy, but having to go to another country can be both hard and exciting. You have to know the culture and people of the said country, and you have to do your research and study in a foreign language. Sure, you may know English well, but professional jargon can be overwhelming from time to time. But that’s a story for another time. This is a guide for Saudi students about moving to the US for a PhD. Let’s jump straight into it!

Guide for Saudi students – Know the culture and the country

Before you go to the US for your PhD, you should familiarize yourself with the American culture in general. The US is a very tolerant country, and many students from all around the world go to the US to study in some of their universities. Many of them, like you, want to reach higher educational goals and go for a PhD. However, the US has a rich history, and if you want to have an experience, you should familiarize yourself with its history.

In this guide for Saudi students in the US, we are going to explore many aspects of what it means to get a PhD in the US.

But just knowing the history of the country is not enough. You need to know the culture of the people. You can start with a culture of Virginia if you are going to study there. The US is in many aspects different from Saudi Arabia, and you may experience some kind of a culture shock if you are not familiar with its history and culture. All of this means that you have to be tolerant of other cultures as well.

But you need to transfer your belongings to the US

Traveling and moving to a country that is half the world away is not an easy task. But there is the solution to that problem. You can ship your belongings anytime you want via air. Thankfully that solution exists. 

Getting a PhD isn’t easy

Depending on where you are going to get your PhD, getting a PhD may be harder than you have anticipated. PhD is reserved only for the most talented and most hardworking people, and you need to be one to get it. So prepare to do your research every day. Also, getting a PhD can be quite costly, and the prices may be higher than a hundred thousand dollars, especially if you are going to some of the most prestigious universities like Harvard.

What is not costly is hiring a good moving company that can take your stuff across the world with easy like Four Winds SA.

This guide for Saudi students in the US never said that getting a PhD is going to be easy.

Life in the US can be costly as well, but the standard of living doesn’t differ significantly from the standard in Saudi Arabia. But, you will not be allowed to work full-time jobs. You will be allowed to work part-time jobs if your job is connected to the subject you are researching.

Guide for Saudi students – What is great about moving to the US for PhD?

Sure, getting a PhD isn’t easy, and no one said it would be easy. But having a PhD means a lot. There are many benefits of having a PhD, starting from the respect you are going to get in society, to an authority in your field. So what can you expect from your PhD in the US? Let’s jump straight into it!

You’ll have a lot of freedom in the topics you want to pursue

What makes PhD studies so exciting is the freedom of learning and pursuing the topics you care about. You can even find some friends who are interested in that kind of topic if you study abroad. This is the privilege that not so many people have in this day and age. Of course, you will have an adviser who will impose some restrictions and constraints. But, in general, you will have more freedom than you might find elsewhere. When it comes to choosing and researching a topic, you’ll be in charge! Isn’t that the most wonderful thing?

You’ll own your findings

Sure, the goal of science is to give something useful to the world, but it doesn’t hurt to put your name under the research you have done. The research you produce will be yours and no one can take that from you. This is in stark contrast to becoming a “cog in a machine”. You’ll give your contribution to the world, and your name will be under it. Also, you might start living in the US and jumpstart your career there.

But it may take years to get that PhD

Shipping your stuff across half the world is a necessity.

Sure, you are interested in the topic you are researching, but does that mean that you just have to show up and get your degree? Absolutely not. Researching a new thing is never easy, even more so if that thing doesn’t exist yet in the minds of the people. It may tea you years to get your PhD diploma, and you have to be prepared to sacrifice a lot in order to get it. The world of academia is infamously unrelenting, and you’ll be surprised just how fierce the competition is. Yes, even the smartest people in the world can suffer from the human condition.

Prepare for your relocation to the US

One of the things you need to do before you relocate to the US for PhD is to prepare for your relocation. You need to have your things packed properly, and you have to decide what you need for your stay in the US. A big relocation is done properly if you prepare for it, and if you hire the right company for the job. You may even need to relocate cars and furniture, and that is not an easy task if you are going to travel across the world.

Also, you need to find a way to store your belongings. There is almost no way for you to have a large enough home in the US in which you can store all of your possessions. This is why you need to hire a storage unit.

 Thanks for reading this guide for Saudi students in the US.