how do I choose between OSU and PSU

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

I got two admissions from Ohio state university(industrial engineering) and Penn state university(petroleum engineering).
Which one is easier to find a job in the US after graduating? BTW I’m an international student and don’t have green card.

2

You SHOULD be asking whether you’d rather study petroleum or industrial engineering.

3
  1. don’t plan on working in the US. The H1B program, which was meant for companies, especially small ones, to hire interns they were happy with, has been taken over by offshore companies that 'buy ’ visas in bulk and bring people who’ve never studied in the US. Therefore, legit international students who know us culture, are well integrated into the local social fabric, and have had an internship at a company that’s like to keep them, can’t work here. The system has gotten mad in the past few years. In short, don’t expect to work in the US .
  2. it means your question becomes a) what college experience am I looking for + b) which degree will be most useful in my own country?
4

First, this isn’t true. Or at least it isn’t true in the sense that it takes up all available H1Bs. It’s a completely exaggerated statement. There are plenty of internationals who stay here. Also, I don’t know if you saw this recently, but there’s actually an active bispartisan effort to reform the H1B program to close those loophole, so by the time OP graduates, who knows what the situation will be.

5

H1B program is essential to the well being of US high tech industry. OP, you are welcome to try to use it. I would think industrial engineering is more broadly applicable and less dependent on the valuation of petroleum. I would say that petroleum engineering pays more when prices are up - higher risk, higher reward.

Nonetheless, agree with the boneh3ad that you should really be asking what you’d rather be doing.

Best of luck to my future fellow American.

6

Well, I hope the program’s reformed, because it’s grown worse and worse in the past 10-12 years to the point it’s ridiculous now. I’ll believe it when I see it.
@katliamom , @b@r!um, @“aunt bea” have direct experience with this .

Op: no matter what you do or believe, DO NOT bring up this goal of yours to work in the US during anything public/official, including facebook and embassy interview, as it is grounds for immediate refusal.

I actually believe (it’s my job…) that young internationals are enormously important to the US, its colleges, its individual students, its workforce, its soft power, its economy - and that studying in the US/abroad is enormously important for young people. American colleges offer a unique combination of community, experience, and academic and personal growth that’s not found anywhere else. I am also very disillusioned in the way the resources they represent for our economy have been wasted * and the way the spirit of the H1B has been betrayed/poached.

  • because their talent, which we nurtured and grew, is going to go somewhere, and if not the American businesses that want to hire them because they're a good fit or meet a need, it'll be another country 's. Canada does that outright (look at article from the pnw press) and has done so for about 3-4 years. Their basic pitch is 'with the H1B program a mess and the American green card system backlogged, why bother with the US? ' The appeal if Silicon Valley is strong but the sirens of quick permanent residence and a no-hassle work permit are, too.
7

so did you mean the international student who’ve studied in the US won’t have more opportunities to work in the US versus those who’ve never studied in the US?

8

Thank you for your advice. it is so helpful to me. But I have some questions.

Are the petroleum engineers more likely to work in the US?

Because I think there are much fewer students who graduating from petroleum engineering than those who graduating from industrial engineering. ( not many universities offer petroleum engineering degree)

In other words, didn’t it mean I’ll have more opportunities to get H1B from companies?

I think lots of students graduating from industrial engineering( most universities offer this degree), so it’s really competitive in this field.

For the reasons above, should I choose to attend PSU petroleum engineering?

9

Yes they do have more opportunities because they have 2+years of OPT. After the two years you’ll need to get back into a Master 's. THEN you have a shot at a H1B.
Petroleum engineering is very market dependent, but does offer better opportunities when the market is good.