My CPT Experience at CIAM

Day 1 CPT Universities
1

I’m about to start my last semester at CIAM. I want to share my experience for anyone considering the path of CPT.

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first—there’s a lot of mixed information out there about CPT programs. I did a lot of research online and contacted several agencies. I eventually chose CIAM for two reasons: 1) I live in Arcadia, so it’s the most nearest school; 2) It is a small non-profit institution, which seems a more low-key and safe option. 3) My previous degree is in humanities, and CIAM’s MBA program is a good fit for me.

The admission process was very smooth. The staff was very supportive, proving me with a lot of assistance. Their DSO is able to communicate in Mandarin, which is a big plus.

Each semester I need to two classes plus a CPT internship class ( INT501 or INT599). To qualify for CPT, I would need to submit the following documents: Employer’s name and address; job title; job description; employment start date; weekly work hours; supervisor’s name, position, and contact information.

Overall I’m satisfied with their administrative efficiency.

Now I’m trying to initiate the exist process. I’ll provide more updates in the upcoming months.

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2

Congrats!!! Was the CPT application process easy for you?

4

Yes, it got done within 1-2 weeks.

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5

how is the workload, i heard it’s a bit heavy

6

Just 4 hours a week, which is manageable for me.

7

how’s the location of CIAM? is it convenient?

8

Yea, I live in downtown LA. It takes only 20 minutes to get there.

9

So did you apply for CPT before school starts? I want to minimize the gap between OPT and CPT as I don’t think I’ll be able to ask for a leave longer than a week :frowning:

10

There is a lot of homework, and the professors are strict with grades on the assignments. However, I would recommend it since all the staff is very supportive, and you can genuinely learn something from it.