I’m almost done with my third year in Electrical Engineering in Iran. I was originally planning to get my degree in 2 years and later apply for a Phd program focusing on my field of interest, optoelectronics. But with all the political tension lately, I’m now mostly concerned about being stuck in a potential war zone rather than pursuing my research interests. I’m considering leaving the program I am currently engaged in and starting all over again in a more stable country. It would leave me a couple years behind, but I would love to not worry about the possibility of war every day.
Do you think that would be a rational decision? And what will my be chances to get into a decent university?
No one can tell you whether leaving your country is a rational decision. As to your studies, why start all over? You’re in your third year. Finish your degree. (As far as I know, bombs aren’t dropping over Iran yet…) Then apply for PhD programs. In the United States, they are “funded,” meaning you don’t pay tuition and earn a small salary to cover your expenses. This seems to me to be the most rational decision regarding your studies.
@katliamom
No bombs are dropping right now. My father always told me to get out of this country as soon as you can even if by only one day. I never took him seriously. But now, looks like he’s been right the whole time. I’m willing to leave a year sooner if it’s not completely irrational from an academic perspective.
Which countries did you have in mind? And most importantly, what’s your budget for tuition and living expenses?
There are plenty of options in the English-speaking world if you can afford to pay $50,000 a year for tuition and living expenses.
Finishing up your degree where you are, and starting a PhD abroad, has the advantage that you can apply for financial support, which is not readily available for undergraduates.
If your resources are limited and you really do want/need to transfer or start over now, there’s a number of cheap or free universities in Europe. The catch is that you’d have to study in a country whose language you may not speak (though you could find degrees entirely taught in English). Application deadlines in Europe tend to be on the late side, and you could conceivably start at a university this fall (September - October).
American universities do financially support a number of international undergraduate students. The problem is that most of that money goes to first-time college applicants. American universities would classify you as a transfer applicant, which makes it almost impossible to get significant financial support, even if you wanted to start over in a degree program that’s completely unrelated to what you are studying right now. American universities also tend to have early application deadlines. Comparatively few universities would consider your application this late.
I am not familiar with universities outside of Western Europe and North America, so I can’t speak to opportunities available elsewhere.
“My father always told me to get out of this country as soon as you can even if by only one day.”
Speaking strictly about the option of studying in the U.S:
Does your father have the money to fund your education in America? If so, you could try to transfer to an American university provided you have the $30,000-$70,000 per year it would cost without financial aid. As barium wrote above, there is very little – if any – financial aid for international transfer students.
Your other option for studies in the U.S. would be to finish your degree and then apply to PhD programs.
Do you already have family in another country who could help you get started there? That could determine which is the best place to go to. In the past, Australia and Canada have had friendlier work and immigration policies than the US. Those may have changed, so do investigate them as well.
Yes you could apply as a transfer to a university in the US, but it is very late for admission for the fall. Many places have closed transfer applications already. Leaving as soon as possible for the US would mean you have limited choices of places to apply to.
Your English writing looks good. How is your speaking? Do you have a TOEFL or IELTS score? If money isn’t a huge issue, one option would be to enroll in an intensive English program at a university that offers provisional admission for students in that English program. Provided you passed the exit exams for that program, you would be able to enroll at the participating university. Some programs have a number of participating universities, multiple locations, and enroll new students frequently throughout the year. For links to information on that kind of program in the US see https://educationusa.state.gov/your-5-steps-us-study/research-your-options/english-language/english-language-esl-programs
If you are considering study in the US, as a transfer or for graduate school, you will need to have your foreign university records formally evaluated by an organization such as https://www.wes.org/ So spend some time at that website to learn about the process.