Looking for On-Campus Jobs

Looking for jobs on campus is difficult than what most people would expect. Especially for international students in the US. Because their visas doesn’t allow students working with their student-visas, many international students don’t get the working-while-studying experience like other native students.

((In order to work in the USA with a F-1 (student) status, students must obtain a Social Security Number from the Social Security Department. But, in order to apply for the Social Security Number(SSN), the student have to apply for a job and get accepted (this must be an on-campus job). ))

Even though international students apply for an on-campus job, the native work-study students have a higher-chance of getting the job. Avril Perez from goSwoop says:

Last year I had a lot of trouble finding a job on-campus since I had Non-work study status. I looked early at the start of the year, I even applied to a couple of places, but I guess I just wasn’t lucky enough. Some of my friends who applied for jobs after me were able to find one, but not me. Still I managed to find a job as a Teacher Assistant (TA) in the Foreign Languages Department.

Because of her non-work study status – which many of international students have – she couldn’t find a job. But with her knowledge, understanding, and ability to speak her own native language got her the position as a TA – one of the highest paying jobs on campus!

For international students, this may be one of the best jobs available and it’s worth trying.

I recommend that if you speak a Language that is taught at your university and specially if you are having a hard time finding an on-campus job, try applying for a position as a TA. It is a good start and it will open more doors for you in the long run.

Looking for jobs on campus is often competative between non-work study and work study students. If there is an opportunity out there, give it a try. For further reading, click here!

What You Should Look for In a University or College

When students do their college research in high school, students have lots of schools in mind which they have to narrow down before applying. This is when they look at different school features or characteristics. There are so many features or characteristics to look at that can change one’s mind upon applying and also deciding which school to attend once accepted to a school.

In the story Avril Perez wrote on goSwoop called  What Characteristics Should a University Have? she examines the three, most important, characteristics of a university; Location, School Size, and International Student Population. To international students wishing to attend a school in a foreign country other than their home/birth country, these aspects are very important.

Here is some of what she had to say…

For me some of the most important characteristics a school should have are the following, and I will tell you why too:

1.Location: In choosing a university not only must you keep in mind attending an institution with a good level of education, but you must also keep in mind that the place at where you attend college will become home for the next four years. You must be comfortable with the environment in which you live in order to be able to focus and perform well academically. If you love big cities but end up going to a university in a rural setting you may end up complaining for the next four years and will not take as much out of the experience as you should. Likewise you may want to go to a particular place so badly that you disregard the chance of better education at another location. Remember that you must find a balance between location and the quality of education you will find. Often great universities such as Yale may pride themselves in academic excellence but be located in a sketchy sometimes-dangerous neighborhood. For choosing a location make sure you assess the aspects you value more, education or setting.

Avril explains her points very well in her blog through knowledge and experience, you might want to check it out yourself.

For future students, current high school students or college students who are doing college research, Avril’s three points are important and can narrow your college search.

Think carefully and act wisely! Good luck!

Early or Regular? The Method of Applying to Schools

I am sure many students in the past have wondered, while filling up the application forms for school, what “early” or “regular” decision meant. This could affect the application process. In the blog Horia Kraus posted on goswoop about early decision and regular, he explores around the application method and shares his experience when he was applying to universities back when he was in high school.

When I applied to colleges, I applied to 11 schools. All the applications were regular applications. The main reason behind that is that I didnt really know a lot about the process and didnt know how the other options (early decision or early action) could affect the final outcome of getting into college. Looking back at it now I would have most definitely applied early decision or early action to some school. I dont know if your counselor told you about how to split up the colleges you are applying to, but this is how my counselor taught me.

Asking for help from counselors are always helpful. Everyone, at some point in high school, seek their counselor(s) for help about life after finishing high school. Some may choose to continue education while some choose to start working. For those who choose to go study more, the counselors (and even teachers who went to a college/university that followed the US system) can help you guide through the steps to college.

If you are going to a British system university, there are different application methods so early or regular decisions will not matter since all the applications are due in at the same time.

To learn more about early decision and of Horia’s experiences, read his blog entry and you will get a better understanding of the important decisions you will be making when applying for schools.  If you have any other questions about international education be sure to check out goSwoop!