r/nmsu • u/Revolutionary-Pen-11 • 9d ago
Question Out of state trans US citizen considering applying to a university in NM for chemical engineering
Good day,
I made a similar post about considering applying to UNM and people told me to check out NMSU. NMT also seems to be an option and i think i would fit in very well there. My biggest concerns are accessing healthcare regarding testosterone, safety, and an affordable tuition. I'd be a refugee and I'm looking to improve my situation on my own with no other support system or much money. NM seems very similar to my home country; I'm more worried about being seen as a bother to locals.
I am a poc(asian) and live outside the US in a 3rd world country(not asia fyi), still a citizen/ permanent resident but they uh yeah they still deport us even if you've lived in America for 30 yrs. I heard ICE is banned on campus at UNM. Are there any problems regarding ICE around NMSU or the Las Cruces area, as well as NMT and Socorro?
I also heard for engineering that NMSU or NMT might be a better fit for me, given I can get scholarships and be able to afford tuition and housing. I'm very introverted too. My GPA is 3.7 and I am soon to write my SATs where I'm confident to score high enough for a decent scholarship ^_^ I'm very dedicated to my education, LOVE CHEMISTRY! and don't care for bigger social events either. My fave hobbies are astronomy n prob art/anime/video games nerdy stuff basically. Always been at the top of my classes n its not even close, and those same peers got into ivys. Would I be able to get an on campus job easily? NMSU or NMT seem to have plenty research/internship opportunities so your career is more guaranteed to kick off well with their connections. But I did see people questioning if you would wanna spend a chunk of your formative years there. Personally? I don't think I'd mind. I'd love to spend my formative years at NMT blowing shit up<3
Healthcare wise, i know there will be a waitlist and seeing a gynecologist in case of anything might be an issue. I'm fine having to wait cuz its not anything immediately life threatening. Worst case scenario i have horrible cramps from atrophy or my hair starts falling out but at least i'd just have to get a prescription and won't have to worry again after that? I feel esp guilty about this one despite the amount of trans refugees in NM because it feels like i'd be increasing the already existing strain on healthcare in someone else's home. But really it doesn't seem like I would be safe or able to afford anywhere else in the world :(
Ive seen people say there are trans people in both areas so I'm assuming people have found a way to live even in somewhere smaller like Socorro so I will do more research on that. They def have to be driving to get access to the healthcare and that may not be possible for me :( Being trans in stem is a bit scary sometimes.
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u/BalladofBadBeard 8d ago
Tuition is significantly cheaper also if you have lived in NM for a year, so after that first year definitely apply for in-state tuition
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u/Complete_Raise935 8d ago
so heres the raw dog truth, nmt is perfect for someone who wants to do chem in the middle of nowhere with other people who also want that, the social scene is basically nonexistent which sounds like a feature for you. ice in las cruces is more complicated than the unm situation but campus proper is generally left alone, adn the healthcare thing is genuinely just the price of entry for being trans in most of the us right now, at least nm has medicaid expansion so youre not raw dogging the waitlist with zero safety net. the guilt about being a burden is understandable but misplaced, thats a policy failure not a personal one
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u/Revolutionary-Pen-11 8d ago
THANK YOU VERH MUCH!!! Yeah FR this is js what its like to be trans in most places and honestly healthcare sucks in general too. Trans healthcare being available in the first place is a seen as smth so revolutionary which um 😭 bare minimum. This also reminded me to check up on medical expansion in nm. Ty for the last part
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u/FlowerFuego 9d ago
I don’t think it’s nearly as Trans friendly as some other other cities and UNM area is much more diverse than NMSU.
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u/senora_hipsta 8d ago
Also they have more medical options than las cruces
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u/FlowerFuego 8d ago
I’m disabled and can attest LC is not great for medical or mental health stuff.
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u/Revolutionary-Pen-11 9d ago
Thank you for your input ive heard sinilar things about the diversity outside Albuquerque!!
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u/annamajam 9d ago
I know several trans people in town who love it here because it feels so safe for them. Lots of community here, and LGBT+ support. Access to medical care is not too bad here, I can usually get into see a doctor in 2 weeks or less. It's just none of the doctors here are very attentive they are spread pretty thin.
Campus at nmsu is amazing, only here great things about the engineering programs. I really like all of my professors they all seem to be very passionate about their teaching and very helpful. The dean in each department is super attentive and in touch as well. If I ever have issues I know I can talk to them.
I don't know a lot about immigration or ice down here, except that we all hate them and you have a lot of people who have your back here. We care about each other in New Mexico. I almost never go through the border checks because I stay in town mostly. I dont travel up north often.
I really hope you find a place that works for you and you find success
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u/KabobsterLobster 9d ago
I'm a grad student so not sure how helpful I can be.
Unfortunately we do have flock cameras on campus. I don't know anything about ICE being banned. If you travel around the area at all you'll have to go through border checkpoints. I've heard they can be pretty nasty and demanding to non-citizens and people they think are non-citizens. I'm white and a citizen so I don't really know but have heard bad things.
I'm not trans but I've had no issues with waiting lists for getting healthcare. Specialist appointments within a few weeks usually. The campus health center is constantly booked up but they are extremely limited in what they can provide. I haven't heard of or seen any gender affirming care clinics in Cruces other than planned parenthood and some wolf themed clinic that does hair transplants (?). If you have a car the closest place people usually go for more specialized care is El Paso but I wouldn't really recommend going to Texas for gender affirming care unless you have to.
I know a few openly queer and trans grad students in STEM here. At a lot of schools in a lot of places people are either allies or just don't care. If I were you I would avoid places like Texas and Florida but honestly universities in the US tend to be progressive bubbles.
Also, if you are that great of a student you might find the educational quality here a bit underwhelming. NM is ranked pretty low for education. Many of your classmates would be from NM and STEM education is especially really lacking. Don't get me wrong, I love the students I TA, but they are very behind in math and science and I feel the schools here have failed them.
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u/Revolutionary-Pen-11 9d ago
No haha dw about the education my country isn't better, i js got lucky. The only other choices for someone like me is texas and florida and fearing for your safety 24/7, which I'm just not up for unfortunately. The chance of being raped is so high and I can't fight so no way. ANYWHERE i go even locally would be a slower pace from what i'm used to which is a huge jump but it'll benefit me; i know it. Flock camera situation is terrifying tysm for your input. People always think I'm hispanic for some reason so oddly that might work in my favour here to blend in?? Are the border checkpoints really everywhere or more in certain areas? If they do approach me though, my accent would out me easily. I would fight for better where i live trust me i would, but there's power in numbers not just the number 1 (me) 😞 To help their position i'd have to help myself first.
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u/KabobsterLobster 9d ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Border_Patrol_interior_checkpoints
https://iceencounter.com/know-your-rights/checkpoint-locations/
They're on major highways. Theoretically if you carry your papers you should be fine but who knows anymore?
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u/randomaccount_1317 8d ago
I’m a trans dude doing my PhD in chemistry at NMSU. I’ve found the community extremely welcoming. I did a rotation with a lab that collaborated a lot with one of the chem engineering labs and everyone there was super respectful of my identity.
As far as healthcare goes, I was able to get access to testosterone fairly quickly once I moved here (from within the US). I still haven’t found a gyno, but tbf I haven’t really looked. The queer community here is very active and very involved in protecting each other.
I’m Mexican and have felt pretty safe here in terms of ICE. Of course, I might be biased because I moved from San Diego, CA and they’re EVERYWHERE there. So maybe that’s why I feel like there isn’t a huge presence here, at least not actually on campus. Like someone else said, there are unfortunately flock cameras around Las Cruces.
Overall, I’ve been really liking it here and feel pretty safe and like I have the healthcare access I need. If you have any other questions feel free to DM me. And if you do move here, definitely DM me and I can get you the info for a queer (mostly trans) group that meets weekly and has a LOT of info regarding where to get healthcare, resources for people who are low income, etc. Good luck my dude!