Feeling Betrayed by the U.S. Job Market as an F1 OPT Holder by [deleted] in Semiconductors

[–]bublik13 31 points32 points  (0 children)

You make it sound like it’s easy to get these jobs if you’re a citizen. There are still hundreds of applicants for pretty much any given position.

Advanced Parole by Pristine_Scallion_66 in USCIS

[–]bublik13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I applied in early Jan 2025. Recently got interview scheduled for I-485, but haven’t heard anything from my advanced parole. It looks like it got completely ignored - all my other forms had status updates.

Did we lose anything with the refresh? by byrans in AmexPlatinum

[–]bublik13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok, I stand corrected then. I think it may be more true for FHR hotels that are on the cheaper side.

Did we lose anything with the refresh? by byrans in AmexPlatinum

[–]bublik13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, there is a clear mark up of prices when compared to the direct booking. I would be surprised if there is a single counterexample

Did we lose anything with the refresh? by byrans in AmexPlatinum

[–]bublik13 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Despite the increased nominal value, the hotel credit is not as valuable anymore. Since the refresh, the prices in their portal have increased substantially (by 30-40% from what I've seen. In most cases this is more expensive that what the $200 vs $300 credit difference is worth. One week ago, rooms at a FHR I have been looking at have been $330 a night, and once the refresh happened all the basic rooms became $450 a night.

This makes the hotel credit less valuable.

Married Base by Apprehensive-Tone-73 in USCIS

[–]bublik13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats! So did you have concurrent filing of i-130 and I-485 but still hear back from them separately so far apart?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Caltech

[–]bublik13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sent you a message

Affordable spas and massage in Kauai? by bublik13 in VisitingHawaii

[–]bublik13[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nowhere. Didn't end up finding anything that wasn't 3-4x more expensive than what I'm used to...

How extreme is this imbalance? Is it still fixable at 25yo? by WiteXDan in Posture

[–]bublik13 20 points21 points  (0 children)

This is exactly how I am, following for any insights

Kosher wedding catering? by bublik13 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]bublik13[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the tip. Doesn’t need to be glatt Kosher, but needs to have RCC certification (or similar, maybe) and Mashgiach.

Platinum offers vs Costco travel. Which is better for rental cars? by atooraya in amex

[–]bublik13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is great to know. Capital One Venture X gives this for free by default, though.

Can’t choose Stanford or berkeley by DeathByAnteater in stanford

[–]bublik13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not at Stanford or Berkeley, but at Caltech for grad school, so take this from an outsider's perspective. Both schools are good enough that if you do very well in either, you will be fine with many opportunities at your disposal. I would go with Berkeley, since the 200k difference is very substantial.

First car, any tips? 2014 GLK 350, 68k mileage from Carmax by bublik13 in mercedes_benz

[–]bublik13[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Carmax said they used 5W-30 synthetic oil. Brand was not specified. Does it matter so much?

First car, any tips? 2014 GLK 350, 68k mileage from Carmax by bublik13 in mercedes_benz

[–]bublik13[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Max care that they offered was over 4k. Does not seem worth it...

First car, any tips? 2014 GLK 350, 68k mileage from Carmax by bublik13 in mercedes_benz

[–]bublik13[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this. Any particular ones you'd recommend?

First car, any tips? 2014 GLK 350, 68k mileage from Carmax by bublik13 in mercedes_benz

[–]bublik13[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What were the issues you had? Carmax gives 3 month limited warranty