The University of Southern California is very well renowned and recognized in the field of VLSI and Computer Architecture which are my area of interest. They have numerous labs and research work going on in the field. Professors are highly qualified and involved in quality research with a really good publication history and citations. Alumni are placed in really good companies across the US.
Course Curriculum
VLSI and Computer Architecture courses are state-of-the-art and well-designed. The variety of courses in the field is broad and there is a lot to learn. In each subject, you will have some really advanced topics to teach about industry-relevant innovations. Course projects are hard and you will need to spend a lot of time to excel in them but you will learn a lot from them. In some courses, professors frequently bring industry people to give guest lectures and also opens up the chance to do industrial project.
Exams
University needs GRE and TOEFL scores. My GRE Score was 318 with 170 in Quants and 148 in Verbal. My TOEFL Score was 97. TOEFL was merely a qualification criterion, you need to have minimum marks. If you did not receive minimum marks, you can give a test after arriving at the University of Southern California or you will need to take an additional English language course.
Placement
The post-study placement is quite dependent on the major of your studies. VLSI has a lot of good opportunities in companies like Apple, Nvidia, Intel, Cisco, Qualcomm, etc which pay on average $1,00,000 a year for students.
Internship
Yes, I did a summer internship in ARM Inc and a final semester Co-op in AMD. Usually, for internships and co-op in my field, we need to give 2-3 phone/video interview rounds. We get calls based on our resume and profile.
Events
The USC campus is one of the best. There are dozens of libraries affiliated with various schools. Main Library is open 24 hours a day with spacious sitting facilities. You can book a discussion room to work in groups on a course project. There is a facility to loan laptops and MACs from libraries to working on. Very High-speed wifi. There are all kinds of sports and exercise facilities available for students.
Fees
For a master's, you will need to study 28 units at USC. And one unit price is $2075. Which is likely to change by $100 a year.
Scholarship
No, I didn't receive any scholarship.
Faculty
Faculties are highly educated and always involved in state-of-the-art research. They make sure to give tough work and assignments. They do hold regular office hours where you can go and discuss doubts with them in assignments and courses. Most of the time classes are quite interactive where you have fruitful discussions about various topics. Professors such as Prof Gandhi, Prof Pedram, etc are really great and you learn a lot.
Hostel
Los Angeles is one of the costliest cities in the world hence living here is expensive. Most Indian students live in sharing setting. Each home does have all the basic facilities like a fridge, oven, etc.
