having unusual goals can be an advantage, from a diversity standpoint. it will be up to you to make sure you articulate why your goals make sense in the context of the schools to which you apply. And this is very doable. Your profile appears to be interesting, so you may well be competitive for the schools you are considering. Scholarship at the schools will simply depend on the competitive nature of their admit pools, make sure to also seek out support locally, if it is available. cheers, alex

there is no doubt that it is challenging, sometimes, for international students to get employment in the US. The degree of difficulty depends to some extent on the individual schools, so if you gain admissions, you should ask very specific questions, before enrolling. I cannot come up with a number, sorry, but as I said earlier, your profile could be quite interesting for the schools you list. cheers, alex