Hi,
I’ve just finished my Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering here in Brazil, which is a 5-year degree. We have two 18 weeks long semesters per year, with 25 contact hours/week. I got a final grade of 8.44 out of 10. Will be getting a class rank tomorrow. During all these 5 years, I worked part-time for our family’s building company as an assistant engineer.
I’ve been thinking of pursuing a Master’s in America, e.g. in Construction Management which is a field I really like. I wanna have the experience of studying abroad and the opportunity to work in the US, using the OPT.
I did the IELTS exam a few years ago, and got a 7.5/9. As it’s expired, I’ll have to retake it or do the TOEFL exam. It should be no problem though. I’ll start studying for the GRE soon and plan to take it before the end of the year. I’m able to get 3 letters of recommendations from PhD professores I had at college.
I’ve had a look at some (good) colleges that I’d able to pay without having to sell a kidney. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M are the ones who stood out so far. Both in the $20k range (tuition + fees for intl students).
How hard is getting admitted to these colleges? Are there other good options?
Thank you all! Greetings from Brazil.