Living in Ireland vs the United States?
Orla - she didnt call herself Irish, she merely said her ancestors came from Ireland!? The differences - well the cities will be a lot smaller, no skyscrapers as in the US, no city blocks - the towns here were built before city planning so you'll find it much easier to get lost. The roads will not be as busy although traffic in Dublin can be a nightmare, esp as some of the roads in the city only have 1 lane each way, unlike the states which often has 3 lanes each way. Its quite expensive esp when you compare the euro value to dollars. Much of the social life in Ireland centres around the pub, there def isnt as much to do as in America but that doesnt mean its boring or anything. The countryside is beautiful and the best thing is that you dont have to go very far to get there. There is also some wonderful beaches and coastlines. You're best bet would be to invest in a guide book eg lonely planet and then come for a visit. Nice cities to live in would be Galway, Cork, Waterford...and Dublin (personally not a fan of Dublin but coming from the states you might appreciate its larger size which in turn means more jobs, more things to do etc) word of warning though - the job market is not great here at the moment. The economy has taken quite a hit so it may be best to consider that before moving. You dont want to move and then struggle to find work. Good luck. Also there are the visa requirements to look into - www.citizensinformation.ie should have info on that
Which university should I choose: UC San Diego, or Rice University?
Rice. Tough school nearly as good as schools like Cal-tech. Hard - yes, but it pays off where it really counts in getting into grad school and preparing you for that. I don't think Rice offers those nifty combined Bachelors\Masters you can do in 5 years but if they do (or will arrange something for you) go for that. UCSD is OK but Rice has the rep with employers. I am a computer science math type guy and not an engineering grad, but from what I hear around the traps Rice has the edge on all but the very best such as MIT, Harvey Mudd, Stanford and Cal-tech and even then its so close the difference is probably not wort worrying about. Thanks Bill
I have a comfortable job in India, should I move to Canada?
If you have a comfortable life in India then there is no need of migrating to CANADA.Problems you will face:7 - 8 months of winter with 3 months it is freezing and only 2 - 4 months mild summer with maximum temperature 30 degrees. Temperature varies between -40 degrees to 30 degrees. It is a cold country. People say you have to dress up in layers but I would say cold is cold, till the time you are inside you are OK but when you are outside people want to get in.You have to leave your parents and extended family members. Your parents will never be able to adjust there. You will be missing majority of family gatherings that you enjoy in India. Travelling is very costly, time consuming and leaves are also limited for working professionals.Rents are higher, most of your savings will go into your setup and incase you buy a house which everyone does after couple of years you are blocked for 20 years. This is a trap of most developed countries.Look for the job market and payment in your field because minimum wage rate in Canada is very less. I have couple of friends doing 2–3 jobs to paying for their mortgage. They are working 15–16 hours for 6 days a week just to pay the loan.Chances of Divorce are very high in Canada. As per reports 40% of immigrants get divorced in spending 10 years in CANADA. This lead to financial crash for most people. Society of most developed countries are individualistic and people bear their own expenses, in case one partner had a long term finance problem or disease they just quit the relationship. It’s not like India where even one person is earning and the whole family can enjoy on that.Due to extreme cold and lack of sunlight people start developing new diseases such as depression (SAD), deficiency of various vitamins which lead to other problems.Medical system in Canada is good till the time you have a basic problem like cold, cough, fever, basic infection which a normal MBBS can handle. However, when you need a specialist they will charge you 300 - 400$ per visit and waiting time could be 2 months to 8 months depending on doctor’s experience and demand. That’s why people go back to India for medical treatments. My friends mother developed Cancer as she was unable to adjust in the climate and then they came back for getting the treatment in INDIA.Unfortunately, life is not as flashy as it seems in pictures or university booklets. If you have a peaceful life in India do not even think of moving to CANADA.