I have a very serious question about being an old international student at cal poly slo.
Major : mechanical engineer
I am already admitted to the university at the moment, but I am an international student who was born in 1991, and transfering for fall 2016.
Is it true that it takes 3 years for transfer students to graduate or is 2 and half doable?
Would I be too old to get a job in california, considering I would be 28 years old by the time I graduate? I have served 2 years in Korean army, and I spent 4 years in community college, not knowing what to do with my life. I have experience working in a shipyard in korea just for about 2 months during vacation. I plan to do more internship.
Is it possible to receive a scholarship as an international student?
I know I could do a research to find all the answers but it seems like it is the best if they are asked here. Please help! I am in a life crysis to make decisions.
I would think the amount of time it takes a transfer student to graduate would depend on how many units you already have. Talk to an adviser at Cal Poly about how long it will take for you. It will also depend on whether you take summer courses and how many units you feel comfortable taking each quarter.
28 years old should not make much difference. One of my son's roommates (Korean) at Berkeley had just returned from his mandatory military service 2 years ago, and has had no problems getting good internship and co-op offers (he just did a one year co-op at Apple). You will be a little older than many engineering graduates, but there are some students who take 5 or even 6 years to graduate.
I think what will help you is if you get a good co-op assignment - the company will judge you on how well you do the work and not your age. Engineers from Cal Poly are in high demand, so that will help also.
You need to call the financial aid office to discuss this. Can you afford Cal Poly if you do not get any scholarships?
Cal Poly is a public university. The best scholarships come from the school and the state. They will not fund OOS nor international students given that the state is out of money. So you might find an in-house scholarship but it will probably not be enough to cover your full fees.
One problem, for wanting to work in California, would be if you are not a US citizen. Many companies will not and cannot hire non-US citizens. Immigration rules are strict for employment. You may be able to coop and intern, but being hired is an issue. Age is not an issue.
Sorry, I hadn’t considered your ability to get a work visa sponsored by a US company.
My son is in computer science and many companies in Silicon Valley will help a foreign degree holder in a specialty occupation get an H1-B visa. There is an annual quota however and it takes about a year to process.
I would research private scholarships, based on your background, interests, etc. …but if you find any, they will probably only be supplemental. Still, it is worth trying.
@ikeeki, I found this scholarship online, for example. You can look into it (http://www.kasf.org/application#) It appears you must complete the application by July 8. Good luck in your search.
One problem my son had a few years back in mechanical engineering. You need to do a senior project and those (at least in his time) could only be started in the fall term. The project ran the entire school year (all 3 quarters). He was one class short of all the prerequisites to start his senior project and therefore ended up needing 5 years to graduate. It wasn’t all a lost cause as he always took a full load of classes and with those extra classes made himself more attractive to employers. So plan your classes to get those that you need for your project.
The work visa can be an issue as many companies (but not all) just don’t want the hassle of all the paperwork required to sponsor a foreign person.