Shortlisted 3 choices.help me decide

Westmont, Augustana College and Gustavus. I am an international student who has got into these and I have received a substantial fin aid (all of approximately the same amount).I want to study mechanical engineering.However, none of these schools offer a major in that field. I like Westmont as it is in Santa Barbara but I’m not christian and it has strict codes of conduct (as no alcohol, no sex and no smoking) but I love the school. I would also like to know if I can transfer from a physics major to an engineering major at another liberal arts school.

Did you apply to colleges with mech engineering programs? If so were you rejected?

Yes you can try to transfer your sophomore year.

Of the 3, Augustana and it’s engineering physics sounds best.

I wouldn’t do Westmont unless you want to be very controlled and limited in your activities.

How much financial aid will you need to continue on in engineering eventually? Financial aid for international students is hard to find, and good financial aid for transfer students is hard to find. This means that good financial aid for international transfer students is almost impossible to find. You might be better off taking a gap year and applying to places that do have engineering programs

What do you like about Westmont? If you aren’t christian, that place is probably not a good match for you.

Ive got into florida tech and St louis. However, Id have to pay alot more at these schools and they are not willing to grant me more aid. Id like to study physics in the meanwhile and id want to know if it is possible to transfer from Engineering physics at a Liberal arts school to an engineering program at a tech school?

I found out that Westmont has an engineering program that started from a few years back. I do not want to take a gap year because apparently only liberal arts school provide me with the aid that i can afford. Id also be open to studying physics&computer at an undergrad level and do a graduate degree with mechanical engineering. I also think Santa Barbara is one awesome place.(westmont reason)

Yes, you probably could transfer. But engineering programs have a lot of specific requirements that have to be taken in the correct sequence. You might need to take an extra year to fit everything in. That could mean that you don’t save any money by starting out at the first place.

A few comments:

If you try and transfer you will likely run up against financial constraints. It is extremely hard to get merit aid as a transfer student and as an international student it would be even more difficult.

I think Westmont could be a challenging environment if you are non-Christian.

Have you looked at options in your home country where you can study engineering?

Thank you everyone for your replies.
Id like to know what kind of job i would get with a physics major and if I could study engineering in the graduate level while studying physics for a bachelors of science.

It will be difficult to remain in the US after graduation and work. You can apply for OPT, which gives you 12 months after graduation. You then must find a company willing to sponsor you for a non-student visa. Getting your green card is another avenue, but can be difficult. All in all, you should plan on going back to your country to work. If that’s not possible, you should consider going to college in a country where it’s easier to stay after graduation.

Not sure I understand your question, but as a physics major you would be qualified for some engineering jobs. I am sure an internet search would identify jobs that physics majors get…also look at your schools’ career center on their websites. You would get a bachelors degree first, before you can do graduate studies. Once you have a bachelors degree, you would not get another one. You would go to grad school and/or work.

When are the deposit deadlines for your schools? I agree with others that of your choices, Augustana is likely the best option.

My deadline is june 1st for all of the colleges. I have been waitlisted at Kenyon and F&M so im waiting for their decisions. Thank you for helping me tho!

I also don’t understand how if money is an issue now, it somehow won’t be when you look to transfer. In my opinion, accepting a place at a college that doesn’t have the major you want in the hope of transferring somewhere that does AND getting enough aid to do it (when more aid is almost always forthcoming to freshmen than transfers) is a highly risky move. If you want to do a masters in engineering, it again raises the question of money (and whether your undergrad will be suitable for entry).

The transfer options involve needing to complete at least five years, instead of four, to earn an engineering degree. Have you been guaranteed enough financial aide at the additional colleges to make paying for five years affordable?

Since there is no guarantee that you will be able to work in the U.S. after graduation, it’s really important to be sure that whatever degree you earn will be applicable to gaining desirable employment in your own county.

There are still openings at many colleges. Though many report having financial aid available, aid for international students is college specific, so you’d need to contact them and ask. The NACAC lists the colleges that are still accepting applications due to lower than expected enrollments. There is an option to sort the list by state. You could cross reference with a list of colleges that offer engineering majors, listed by state:

https://www.nacacnet.org/news–publications/Research/CollegeOpenings/

http://www.findengineeringschools.org/Search/by_state.htm

If you can’t find a guaranteed, affordable option this cycle, you can still be eligible for the same “first-year” scholarships next year (provided you don’t start classes at another college.) As previously mentioned, transfer students don’t tend to get as much financial aid as first-year students do.

Did you already look at the University of Alabama in Huntsville? UAH offers guaranteed merit based scholarships to non-Alabama applicants, including international students:

https://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/freshmen/fr eshmen-non-al-merit-tuition-scholarships

@Dvnshm Here’s an unbroken link to UAH automatic scholarships:

https://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/freshmen/freshmen-non-al-merit-tuition-scholarships

They have competitive scholarships too:

https://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/find-a-scholarship