What are the biggest misconceptions Indians have about USA?

Replied by Ratnakar Srivastava thru Quora

Indians think that USA is some kind of fairyland perfect place. Few things which I noticed are below

1. Visa problem is much bigger than what people think before deciding to go to the US. It will take away 15–20 years of your prime life where you could have lived life to fullest. Visa plays a major role in all your life decisions. There won't be a minute you can stop thinking of it. I will give a few examples a) one guy who was having a very stable life in India and he and his wife were working at a very good place in India. His wife couldn't work till now after 3 years as company needs to sponsor his green card for his wife to be eligible to work. He hasn't gone out 3 years from US as his petition needs to renew. b) I asked one of my friends what he thinks of buying a house and settling etc he said his green card will take another 10 years post which he will think about the same. Also, it's very tough to change jobs as transferring H1B is not easy. People have mentioned that you should just enjoy life but it's practically not possible.
2. Poor public transport: I had this misconception that transportation in US will be perfect but I was shell shocked when in Houston I found out there is no public transport.There were no trains, metro, bus nothing. In the name of transport there was one bus which used to run once every hour..I mean really you expect everyone to have and drive a car.I had to pay 20k INR to uber in one day to roam around which was quite a shock.
3. Traffic: I used to think there will be no traffic problem in the US but it was there. Not much to scale of Bangalore but it was there. On bad days you can be stuck for hours on freeways.

4. Misconception about the luxurious life

You need to do each and everything by yourself. In India, you have help for everything. Also, most of the Indians live below-average lifestyles to save money so that they can justify their decision to come to the US.

5. Food

Its very difficult to manage food as cooks are very expensive..people cook once a week or use processed food.

6. Everything is big and far

One thing you will notice is everything is big and far. In India, you can find everything 10 minutes away from car service to hospital to school to office. But in the US you have designated zones for everything so you need to travel a lot to find a specific thing.

7. Very Very Costly

Most of the Indians get twice the salary what they get in India but it's five times more expensive. For example, 2 BHK on rent is approx 1800$ in a far off locality. In India, you can get at 25k INR. Food which you can get in 500Rs will cost about 4k in the US.

8. Robbery

This one was new to me. Multiple flats were robbed where Indians were staying as thieves knew that they keep gold. It's difficult to keep security guards in apartments as it's a costly affair.

9. No people on the road, cars only

No one walks on the road. Everyone drives. Even to go to the opposite side shop, People will drive. This was also strange as to why no one walks.

10. Parents will not like to stay

Parents get confined to home due to multiple problems so they don't like to stay in the US.

11. Gun violence

It's quite usual that someone was shot around the corner so people need to take the required precautions.

12. Hospitality

In India, you are treated very respectfully while travelling. Someone will pick your luggage etc if you go to a hotel. It's not usual in US. It's just another job.

13. Tips

In India, you will tip if you like the service. In US, it's a norm to tip 15% otherwise people will be rude to you.

The only points people should consider are good are education, clean air, and water which makes difference between US and India.

Replied by Swapnil Pharate thru Quora

1. Only talented and rich people can go to USA- This is completely wrong. You don’t have to be rich or talented to come to USA. I have seen many below average people with very average academics who can’t even get jobs in India and those from middle class families coming to USA. Many also come through family sponsored visas and non IT related visas
2. People in USA are rich - Not really. More than 90% wealth of USA belongs to top 1% population. Many families have to live on paycheck to paycheck. Many have debt and credit cards. House, Cars Everything is on debt and credit. Things are getting expensive compared to income. Many people can’t even afford education beyond schools.
3. USA is best country in world. Not really. USA is among top countries in terms of quality of life and places to live but not definitely at no.1 . There are many smaller countries which are better in terms of quality of life. USA has high crime rate irrespective of fact that USA has very strict rules for public safety.
4. Things are cheap in USA - People think everything is cheap in USA. There are few things which are cheaper in USA compared to India like electronics and cars but not everything. Things like Healthcare , education , house rent etc are very very expensive. In USA cost of living , education and healthcare is very high. You need to pay high income taxes on income and almost everything you buy plus pay 10–20% tip on most services like restaurants, car ride or saloons. Commutative total you end up paying 50% of income on taxes. Remaining 25% goes on house rent and leftovers on your living.
5. USA has tall buildings everywhere like in Hollywood movies- No really. Tall building are there only in Big cities and specifically Newyork , Chicago and few other and only in downtown areas. Rest is flat and most people live independent houses and small apartments up to 3–4 floors.
6. There is no corruption in USA - There is no country in the world without corruption. It happens at high level. They have fancy name for it called lobbying .:p
7. Girls are easy to hookup - That’s not true. More and more girls looking for serious partners than hookups. Dating is first step towards marriage. For most Tinder is dating app not hookup app. From my experience American Girls are way choosy than Indian girls. They might marry stupid guy but they won’t fuck stupid guy.
8. Everything looks like as shown in Hollywood movies - No there are creepy things too. Not everything is fancy as shown in Hollywood movies. You will see lot of ugly, dirty , bad things too. You will see mix of people. Most of the infrastructure is very old. In Newyork, if you outside Manhattan you see very bad neighborhoods, old buildings, bridges
9. USA is safe to live - No it’s not safe during nights. Compared to India it’s nowhere. In India you can walk during night without fear. In USA it’s not safe to walk on roads during nights. There are safe neighborhoods though but walking during the night is considered dangerous in most areas.
10. No rapes or domestic violence and fewer crimes - USA ranks much higher in terms of rapes, robberies, shootouts and other crimes. Someone might get shot next to your street. You never know. Its legal to carry guns in USA and in some states you can even get guns in malls.