Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Student Has Advice For International Students

The first time that I met Safar Rasulov, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student, I was so impressed with his ability to manage his schedule that I walked away thinking he might want to start a lifestyle management company advising others on how to succeed and/or utilize one’s time the best way possible.

Recently, he reached out to essentially do the latter.

Safar Rasulov played on ERAU's Men's tennis team. He's a 2024 ITA Scholar-Athlete and was selected to the 2024 Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Injuries forced him to the sideline for his senior year; eligibility is set to expire.

The 23-year-old Mr. Rasulov was born in Moscow and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan. He had contacted me wanting to pass on the lessons he learned as an international student to those who are thinking of coming to America for their higher education.

He said his motivation to talk about this now is that “every single day there's somebody trying to come here from outside, and they have to at least have an idea about what actually is going on.”

“What I wanted to say,” Mr. Rasulov commented during a weekend phone conversation, “especially for the internationals, they should expect the following: having trouble with work stuff because...you got to go through a whole process. It's all about paperwork.”

He stressed the need for international students to seek out optional training practice. Per the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service website, OTP is “temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study.

US-bound students should know that it is much easier to move from one European country to another to begin working than it is from Europe to the US, especially now that it is “more controlled.”

Mr. Rasulov has heard a lot of negative comments about President Trump regarding immigration, but for him, “Nothing bad has happened. Not even one thing. No ICE, no police. Everybody has been extremely nice. Embassies, they've been more than supportive.”

Last year, he was required to interview for a visa renewal. The interview lasted all of five minutes, the visa came in two weeks.

Mr. Rasulov also believes that your background won’t get you a job in the US. In fact, coming from another country might be a hindrance once the OTP is completed, as the hiring firm will have to invest more in the foreign-born student than the U.S.-born student. “Why would they want to sponsor you if they can just get an American for free,” he commented.

According to the Immigration Law Group, the cost for a company to hire a worker on an H-1 B visa ranges from $3,410 to $13,235. Mr. Rasulov has heard the cost can be as high as $20,000.

He provided an example of what a US company considers, “Why would I end up paying $15-$20k to do documents for this one person that might be better candidate, he might be a better candidate, I'm not saying he wouldn't, but if an American citizen is free (no additional cost to hire) and knows about the job, maybe a bit less, or quite a bit less. I hire the American because I know within a year he would learn.”

If one decides to come to the US as an international student, Mr. Rasulov said that there are two issues the person must know: learn how to speak correctly and find a way to stand out from the crowd.

Finding a way to stand out from the crowd is especially important for international students as a means to help convince the employer to pay the cost of hiring internationally.

While speaking correctly is something Mr. Rasulov feels people don't know how to do because the educational system requires students to "write some words in exams, fill out the exams…The problem is, when we go into the real world, and some people, even though they have law degrees, they can't formulate a sentence…And this is a very big problem. This is a problem not only because of how the educational system works, but because they (students) don't want to. They think, if they get this paper, this diploma that says, boom, I'm the king, I got it right. That's far, far from the truth… nobody's going to hand you a job, because, hey, I finished (my) master’s at the university. That's just not going to happen.”

Mr. Rasulov believes that if an international student receives acceptance letters strictly from mid-tier U.S.-based universities, it is better to stay home to complete a bachelor's degree. Then aim for a top-tier college for the master’s degree.

He did not completely discount coming to the U.S. for a bachelor’s degree if the college accepting the international student is known for its return on educational investment and is good for networking.  

During the phone interview, he said his time at Embry-Riddle was enjoyable. Elaborating in a text, Mr. Rasulov wrote, “If you are interested in aerospace/aviation then Riddle is a great place.”

In U.S. News & World Report 2026 listing, ERAU ranks at No. 4 in Regional Universities South, No. 1 for Most Innovative Schools Regional Universities South, and No. 3 for veterans Regional Universities South.

He “definitely” believes the U.S. is a good country to come to; however, “It's not like you just get to this country and that's it, boom. That's it. You made it now. Quite the opposite. (It) Gets tougher and tougher.”

Mr. Rasulov was conferred a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and will soon have an MBA in aviation management. As for what he might do once he has a master’s degree in hand this December, he said, “I’m not completely sure” as “a couple business owners are offering me a job” but “my whole family is on the on the other part of the world. So that's a decision I have to make.”