Best Resources for Applying for Scholarships

Paying for College
1

Hello everyone!

In short, a couple months ago I decided I wanted to continue my pursuit for higher education and get a Structural Engineering degree from Tsinghua University in China. I am currently working full-time now as a Structural Engineer and am paying off my undergraduate student loans. Because of this, I won’t really have a lot of money to put aside for tuition. The money I can put aside will go to paying off my car, since I can’t postpone those payments while I’m in school, but I can postpone student loans. ANYWAY! As I don’t even plan on starting my application until September 2017 to be a student starting Fall 2018, I’m thinking in the mean time that I can apply for scholarship after scholarship until I have enough for tuition/cost of living (This is more than two years of just working and applying for scholarships) and then I’ll take out more loans if I don’t have enough.

Is this a feasible/reasonable goal? Is it possible to win $25000 worth of scholarships in two years? I just don’t know this system works. When I graduated high school and went to college, it all seemed to be in the offer letter in a little financial aid packet. I didn’t actively apply for scholarships, they just applied scholarships that I was eligible for into my financial aid packet (along with federal grants and loans). Can I apply for federal grants for international graduate school?

Sorry, this message is so messy, I guess I’m just wondering what route should I take as an aspiring Structural Engineering international graduate student with no money from America to raise $25000 in two years whether it be from scholarships, grants or loans (preferably the former two).

Thanks!

2

No.

Possible? Yes. Likely, especially for graduate school? No.

In your situation, most likely no.

3

Thanks for your input! I guess my options will be more student loans after all?

4

They will have to be private student loans. Tsinghua University in China does not participate in federal (U.S.) student loan programs.

5

Almost all the outside scholarships I know of require that you study in the U.S., unless it’s a program like Fulbright etc. You can’t take U.S. federal student loans to go study in China.

I’d pick another university if this one presents a financial burden.

6

I’m confused…you say you are “working full time as a structural engineer” but you want to get a degree in structural engineering.

How can you be working in this field without a degree…and if it’s possible…why do you need the degree?

7

It’s possible he/she is working full time in his/her desired field but still wants the degree for longer-term security.

There are lots of cs dropouts working full time who should really go back at some point for the degree. Adds a lot of extra job security, even in fields where the demand far exceeds supply.

8

@CourtneyThurston my husband works in an office that employs structural engineers. All must have degrees. There are structural draft persons, and some on site folks without degrees, but NONE are actually called “structural engineers”.

I hope the OP comes back to clarify his actual job.

9

I think OP already has an undergraduate degree, and his questions concern obtaining a graduate degree in structural engineering.