Pros
Health Insurance is pretty good with state health benefits.
Cons
This con is, particularly for Mechanical Engineering. If you are a TA or grader in MAE department, I feel sorry for you. The underfunded department abuses the TA/graders to the fullest extent possible. While the mandated contract is for 15 hours per week, TAs are forced to work for +30 hours more often than not. While this may work for MS students, the cost-benefit analysis for PhDs is entirely unjustified. PhDs are supposed to do research. Even with a 75 hour work week, the time left to do research after considering coursework and TAs is a meager 35 hours. Good luck with finishing your degree with a 35 hour work week. What is especially sad is the sheer indifference that professors show towards this abuse. If the graders and TAs decided to come together and complain to the Dean or higher, pretty sure MAE will be in big trouble. Alas! most graduate students are internationals, with no knowledge about the redressal system and indeed scared of being suspended by the school and sent back. Which is why you probably won't hear this a lot.
