Are you permitted to work here after graduating?
International students are allowed 1 year of OPT (Optional Practical Training) after completing a degree in the US. Engineering and certain STEM fields are eligible for a second year under certain circumstances. However, a maximum of 2 years of OPT in total are allowed to a student over their entire course of their education. (IOW, if they take 2 years of OPT after undergrad, they are not eligible for additional OPT after earning a graduate degree.
OPT jobs must be directly related to their degree. This means most pre-med type jobs are not eligible for OPT.
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STEM OPT is another 24 months in addition to the initial post degree 12 months (well, 12 months for most.)
STEM OPT Extension Overview | Study in the States.
Here are the current majors which qualify for the STEM OPT extension:
Biology is on this list. What types of biology jobs are considered to be directly related?
I assume lab work? Research assistant/coordinator? Anything else?
As a general aspect to consider, biomedical engineering can be regarded as a convergent field, for which an undergraduate major in BME may be undesirably broad.
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Research assistant may or may not be depending on the type of research being done.
Lab tech may or may not depending on the type of research being done.
But medicine related jobs that pre-meds typically take --medical scribe, medical assistant, patient care tech, surgical tech, ER tech, CNA, EMT, phlebotomist, etc are not eligible for OPT.
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Please stay on-topic for the OP. Feel free to discuss tundra and other non-relevant physical geography elsewhere. Thanks for your understanding.
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Oh yeah, I see now. I have emailed the school to ask if I can switch to full track, and they responded that I have to enroll and then try to qualify for the major changing requirements to transfer to the full track which is “ Minimum 3.0 GPA in all courses required for the major and completion of at least the following courses :
BME 1, Math 2A-B- D, Physics 7C-D,Physics 7LC-LD,Chem 1A-B-C, Chem 1LC”
I just checked these, all the same with my major! So I think I can switch to full track pretty easily!
If you want to be an engineer, it sounds like this is your only choice.
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Does anyone know if Carleton or UVA offer Bioinformatics or Computational Biology? I really cant find lotta school offering that in udergrad
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@blossom is this as a major really necessary?
Carleton does not have a separate major in that area, but it has been intentionally adding relevant courses to its Bio catalog. See, for example, here:
I note CISMI is a reference to the Carleton Integrated Math & Science Initiative. That is also referenced on their Bio department page for Special Programs and Minors:
In part that actually refers to physical changes–see here:
But again as applied to your question, it is about the curriculum in Bio at Carleton.
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Biostats and Bioinformatics have way better professional prospects than biology. At Carleton you’re admitted to the whole college so if you decide to switch&study Physics with an Art History minor it’s entirely up to you. However Engineering is off the table if you go there.
Carleton is a powerhouse in preparing students for graduate school, in particular science PHDs.
The 1st few posts in that discussion would be very relevant to you.
So, you have to decide what you prefer Engineering or Bioinformatics? The curriculum is very different, the environment and the types of internships (or careers) also.
Email UCI to ask whether a student in BME premed can switch to the ABET version before freshman registration (you want to make sure).
Note that mentioning a goal of working in the US or staying there during your visa intw is an automatic visa denial since your goal with a STUDENT visa should be to STUDY.
(Oncampus work is authorized, whether research or whatever. Off campus is absolutely forbidden and illegal, with serious consequences.)
Practical training comes in 2 forms:
CPT is off campus practical training, usually during the school year or summer. It can be part time.
OPT is 12 months after graduation, STEM OPT 27 months – MINUS ANY CPT.
(It “reloads” with each degree you get. It doesn’t mean a pathway to residency and citizenship like in most developed countries; the US does see it’s to everyone’s benefit to use the skills college graduates have learned but do not make the mistake to think there will be some kind of pathway. If you can’t find anything after college, you’ll have a few weeks, then you’re off.)
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Thank you so much!!! These are the best information I need right now!!!
Thank you for your loving reply!! Carleton does offer better research and bond between the faculty( and there is one prof that I am a big fan of 
) And I just got email from the carleton’s advising saying I can consider double major in CS and Bio or take some other courses to design a unique major!
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Yes, Carleton is not a place I would worry about being able to do some cool interdisciplinary academic program–they love that! And it is a subtle thing, but the trimester schedule makes that a little easier.
Of course you have some other fantastic options, but this is one of them.
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