Hello Guys,
So I’ve been accepted into McGill’s Mechanical Engineering program and Purdue’s FYE. I’m planning on Majoring in ME and perhaps minoring in Aerospace engineering. I know that McGill is an ‘Overall’ better university than Purdue, however, Purdue’s Engineering program is one of the best in the world. I’m an international student and the cost for both programs are nearly the same. On completing my Bachelor’s degree, I plan on doing a Master’s and -probably- a PhD. I would like to find a job right soon after I finish all my studies. I just wanted to know which university would help me better in finding a job in the US? PS- I prefer living in the US over Canada due to greater job opportunities and better access to research opportunities.
Thank You.
I would suggest contacting the office for international students at both universities and asking for the detailed numbers of how many international students not only obtain employment in the US, but also internships during college. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for international students to obtain work visas.
If you are for sure going to gradate school, where you go for undergrad matters less.
Getting immigrant status in Canada is a lot easier than getting immigrant status in the US with an American degree.
@TomSrOfBoston I think that you meant to say “getting immigrant status in Canada with a degree from a Canadian university is a lot easier than getting immigrant status in the US with a degree from an American university”. I agree.
Getting a degree will help you get immigrant status in Canada, but a degree from a university in Canada will help a lot more than a degree from a university outside of Canada.
On the other hand, I also agree that there are more jobs in the US (which is why I spent my career down here).
If you ignore the immigration issue, I would tend to go with the strongest engineering program, given that you want to study engineering. Purdue is indeed well known for engineering.
However, ignoring the immigration issue might be ignoring the biggest issue. It seems to me that everyone agrees with the value of legal immigration in the US, but it is still a political issue anyway and it is hard to predict what the immigration laws will be in 4 years. I do not think that it was ever easy to immigrate to the US. I know a very small number of people who had been on temporary work visas in the US but maybe a year ago had to leave the country because of immigration issues. Some ended up in Bangalore (their native country) and some ended up in Canada (as immigrants). They all ended up doing the same job in the same company that they had been working for in the US.
I also think that you might want to consider working for a year or two after your bachelor’s before you go back to graduate school. I am a bit biased in this area however (that is what I did).
I also agree with @momofsenior1 that you should check with each school regarding the ability to do internships as an international student. I do not know whether this would vary between the US and Canada. I would be interested in whatever you find out.
@DadTwoGirls Oops! You are correct.
BIL, who was an international at the time, did his CHEM-E doctorate at UIUC, and still had a very hard time getting a US job. It finally all worked out. Many years later, it has only gotten harder for internationals getting a work permit in the USA.
Canada would be easier to get a work permit for.
Both schools are very good. I know about Purdue’s MechE only by reputation, which is excellent. S1 is rooming with a 2nd year MechE student(from NJ)at McGill. It is a grind, though he seems to find time to enjoy himself. He, of course, has no problem with the whole work problem in the US, as he is American, but i believe that a degree from McGill would also open doors for him with employers should he decide to work in Canada after graduation.
The immigration process is never simple, or short, and predicting what it will be 7-10 years from now is folly.