The visa interview is the last hurdle international students need to pass on their way to higher education in the US. In my experience, if you are a genuine student and have taken the SAT, TOEFL, obtained an I-20 from a decent school and have financial sponsors and related documents, the visa interview should not be much of a problem for you. However, it does not hurt to know the kind of questions the visa officer will be asking you. Mostly, the visa issuing officer is interested in finding out if you are really a student and are planning to return to your home country after your graduation. She will therefore be asking you probing questions to that end.

1. What are your career plans after graduation?

This is probably the most important question of all. A variation of this question can be, “If you were offered a job in the US after your graduation, would you take it”. Here the visa officer is primarily trying to find out if you are planning to return to your home country after graduation. Invariably, your answer should be that you are just going to the US to complete your education and that you plan to start your working career in your home country.

2. Why did you choose (name of your university)?

From this question, the interviewer wants to know if you put in some thought into choosing an university that fits your needs instead of randomly apply to a bunch of universities in hopes of getting an I-20.

3. How many colleges/universities did you apply to?

Most high school students in the US apply to multiple colleges. This way they increase their chances of being admitted into at least one college of their choosing. The visa officer wants to know that you are a serious student and planned for your study in the US by applying to multiple schools.

4. Why did you choose the USA as a destination for your higher education needs?

The visa officer wants to hear that you chose the USA because of the quality of education that it provides and not for the higher quality of life or job opportunities in the USA.

5. Why did you choose this (your major)?

You should choose a major that is related to your studies in high school. If you had been taking business classes in high school and virtually no science classes and your I-20 states that your major is Chemistry, chances are that your visa application will be rejected.

Other common questions that you might face during the visa interview:

6. What do your parents do?

7. Why don’t you want to study at a college in your home country?

8. Convince me that you are going to come back home after graduation.

9. Do you have any student loans?

10. Are you going to come back home during summers?

Picture By: katken

1. Live off campus – On campus living is a great experience for international students. Living on campus allows an international student to quickly adjust to their new surroundings, make new friends, quick access to university facilities and to take full advantage of all that a US college has to offer. However, this comes with a steep price tag. For example, a double share room at a state university in Minnesota for three months is $1600 which is a lot more than renting a room at an apartment off campus. Also, when you live off campus you may have to buy meal plans at the school cafeteria which is more expensive than cooking at home. Therefore, if you are looking to save a lot of money then live in off campus housing. Click here to read my article on accommodation in the US.
2. Eat at home – Eating out in the US can be quite expensive. A sandwich costs $5, coffee $2 and a meal at a decent restaurant for two can easily run up to $25. It is best for international students to eat at home as this will save them a lot of money.
3. Use public transportation – Most cities in the United States have a very good network of buses, trains and subways. Use these. Get discounted monthly passes for students to the city transportation system and save money. Do not buy a car to get around.
4. Avoid buying a car – This brings us to our next point on the list. Do not buy a car if it is not absolutely necessary. You can buy a used car in the United States for as low as $500. This can be very tempting for students to buy a car. However, owning a car can burn a hole in your pocket and make you wish you’d never bought the car in the first place. You need to buy auto insurance if you operate a vehicle in the US. For first time drivers, this usually costs around $1000 for six months. Also, you need to pay for gas, repair costs ($500 cars break down often) and yearly registration fees. Therefore, do not buy a car unless you feel comfortable that you can afford it.
5. Use coupons -Most stores in the US offer coupons to their customers which lets them shop at discounted prices. You find coupons in newspapers, online and in your mail box. Use these coupons to buy essential items and save money.

Picture By: wohnai

Book Exchange
Most colleges arrange book exchange programs during the first week of every semester. Students take in their used textbooks from their previous semester, set a price and submit it to the book exchange for sale. These are bought by other students who require the books. Prices set by students are much lower than what the campus bookstore charges and you can usually get all your books from the book exchange. Be sure to visit multiple times if you are unable find the book you need because books are sporadically submitted for sale all throughout the program.

Online
Another good place to by your textbooks is online. There are multiple websites that sell textbooks. The original sellers are mostly students and the website acts as an intermediary. Half.com has by far been the best website that I have used to buy my textbooks. They have superior customer service and delivery has always been prompt. You should be aware though that books take at least 5 days to arrive in the mail and therefore you should order in plenty of time before classes start.

Bulletin boards
Check the bulletin boards at your department. Students often advertise there to sell their books.

Older Editions
Although not many people recommend this, I think buying older edition textbooks are a very good way to save money. American publishers come out with newer editions of textbooks almost every year without essentially changing much in the way of content. Believe it or not, I have bought older edition textbooks for pennies and saved myself a fortune. I have had not trouble following in class. The most that change is page numbers and the cover of the book. Be sure not to go more than one edition older than the current edition and you should be fine. Again, a very good place to buy older edition textbooks is online at www.half.com.

The prices at campus bookstores are exorbitant to say the least. Try and avoid the bookstore if you can. If you want a job there, that’s another story though.

A handful of these colleges (Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Amherst, etc.) offering need based financial aid to international students are also need blind in their admission decision. This means that your capacity to pay for your education will not factor in the admission decision because these universities have a need blind admission policy. Your chances for admission will remain the same whether you apply for aid or not. Basically if you can get in, the expenses will be taken care of. As you can imagine, the universities and colleges offering need based financial aid to international students is limited and the competition is extremely intense. International students who usually get these scholarships are well accomplished in academics and extracurricular activities. Obtaining a seat in any one of these U.S. colleges will get you through college without any financial worries.

Colleges that offer need based financial aid to international students are:

Amherst College

Brown University

California Institute of Technology

Claremont McKenna College

Columbia University

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

Duke University

Georgetown University

Grinnell College

Harvard University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Northwestern University

Pomona College

Princeton University

Rice University

Stanford University

University of Chicago

University of Pennsylvania

University of Richmond

Vassar College

Wellesley College

Williams College

Yale University

This may not be a comprehensive list of all the colleges offering need based financial aid to international students. If you know of other schools that offer similar financial aid, please add it to the comments section.

This does not mean that the average international student has no chance for a scholarship at an US university. There are many universities and colleges in the United States that offer international students scholarships as long as they have decent academic performance in high school.

In-state Tuition
At most state universities, out of state students and international students
are assessed a higher tuition rate than students that live in that state. Often, this tuition is almost twice that of what local students pay. Many universities will offer their international students an opportunity to pay in-state tuition as long as they fulfill certain criteria. These can include maintaining a certain GPA while on the in-state tuition scholarship and/or doing volunteer activities. One such school that has an excellent in-state tuition scholarship for all its’ international students is Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota. The in-state tuition scholarship can make affording a. U.S. university very affordable for international students, especially for those that do not have outstanding results and achievements.

Starr Scholarship Program

Through a generous grant from the Starr Foundation, Carleton is able to offer scholarship assistance to qualified students from Asia for four years of study at Carleton. The scholarship will provide up to the full comprehensive fee, which includes tuition, fees, room, board, Carleton health insurance, and one round trip ticket. To apply for a Starr Scholarship, a student should complete an application for admission to Carleton or the Common Application and request consideration for financial aid.

Kellogg Scholarship Program

The Kellogg Scholarship is of long standing at Carleton; it provides assistance to non-U.S. citizens who are not permanent residents toward their expenses at Carleton.

Nason Scholarships

A generous gift from a Carleton alumnus provides for a scholarship for young Singaporeans. This need-based scholarship will provide up to the full comprehensive fee, which includes tuition, fees, room and board, and Carleton health insurance.

George Scholarship Program

The George Scholarships are for students from developing nations who demonstrate financial need and exceptional academic potential and promise.

Additional info:
Carleton College
1 N College St, Northfield, MN, USA

So what are the steps required to get into an U.S. institution, you might ask. It’s really quite simple actually. One needs to start planning and preparing early. The most important thing to do would be to get good grades in school. U.S. colleges and universities lay great emphasis on student grades in school. So get those grades up. Another thing to do would be to participate in lots of extra curricular activities. Get involved in after school programs and take on leadership roles. These will greatly boost your application for admission and scholarships.

Take the SAT and TOEFL exams by December of the previous year that you wish to enroll. Although some schools do not require the SAT anymore, it is still a good idea to take BOTH these tests because apart from the admission process, they also establish your credibility as a bona fide student to the visa issuing officer.

There are many institutions of higher learning in the United States. Finding a school that matches your educational and financial needs is a course in itself. So start researching early. The internet is always a good place to start. Don’t rely too much on rankings. One criterion that I use to find out if a school is good for me is to see the number of enrolled international students. If you are really serious about studying in the U.S. apply to at least five schools. One of them should be a back up school that you are sure you can get into.