Education Unlimited Inc.
Education Unlimited Inc.
27 B, Park Street
Flat F, 1st Floor
Kolkata (Calcutta) 700016
India
ph: +9133 22271173
alt: +9133 46027272
counsell
Visa
What's in a visa ? Not much, if you plan your documentation and interview questions well. Be honest. Be direct. Be factual. Be confident.
| US Student Visa |
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Getting a visa to study in the USA is actually very easy says Shekhar Niyogi. Unbelievable? Check it out
 Let us explode a few myths here. Getting a visa to study in the USA is actually very easy. Unbelievable ? Focus on what we say and think about it rationally. What you need to do is to be meticulous in your documentation, understand what the Visa officer desires to see and hear from you. And Bingo. You got it.Shake off apprehensions There exists, in the minds of many people, an irrational fear psychosis about the US visa. Most fears are completely unfounded. Many misconceptions pertaining to the student visa, needs to be removed. For instance, that after 9/11 the US Immigration has cracked down on the number of student visas so it is better to apply to other countries. Nonsense. Prior to 9/11 the annual growth of Indian students going to USA was about 8 – 9 per cent and in the 12 months immediately following 9/11 the growth of Indian students was 21.9 per cent! To top it all, this was the first time that Indian students outnumbered Chinese students in the US, although their population is 1.4 times that of ours ! Secondly, you need to show an enormous bank balance in order to have your visa approved. Wrong again. Most of these negative rumours circulate among the student fraternity because there are so few authentic sources of information available to them. There has been a 38 per cent growth in Indian students studying in America in 2007-2008. How did they get there ? Without visas ? Certainly not. The process
The interview Arrive at the American Consulate at least 30 minutes before your scheduled time. Do not carry any metallic objects like mobile phones, keys, coins etc. You will need to submit these documents at the counter inside. a. Original passport with validity of at least one year b. Visa appointment summary letter c. Axis Bank or Citibank N.A visa fee receipt d. SEVIS fee receipt e. DS 160 form, filled in f. Original I-20, signed by you g. Original university acceptance and scholarship letter h. SAT or GRE or GMAT and TOEFL iBT original score sheet i. Latest degree certificate and final mark sheet - original j. Copy of relevant pages of the passport Other original documents that you must carry with you to substantiate your need for a student visa are; your family’s or sponsor’s income tax documents, bank statements and passbooks showing transactions of at least six months and a balance in excess of your nett fund requirement in the first year of your study, PF, PPF, GPF, UTI, Postal MIS, Mutual funds, NSC, KVP, IVP, original ownership documents of land, building, property held by your immediate family in India with property tax receipts, if available. A valuation certificate denoting current market value of property may be beneficial. Ownership of fixed and liquid assets may be endorsed by a Chartered Accountant in the form of a Statement of Assets. If your sponsor resides in the U.S.A then carry the I-134 form duly endorsed by Public Notary in the U.S that has been sent to the university earlier. I-20s and admission offers from other universities that you may have received. Carry any other documents that you feel may augment your application and substantiate the purpose of your visit. Before your interview begins, you may have to wait a while and then be called to one of the many interview counters whereupon you will be digitally fingerprinted for the biometric visa. Understand how and why The visa officer’s concern needs to be understood. They are highly trained, well-informed professionals representing their country in a sensitive job description. They are fair in their appraisal, so learn to communicate well before you go for the interview. Answer precisely and without hesitation. Use positive body language, maintain eye contact and speak politely. Confidence speaks volumes. They need to know that your intentions are honest and that at the time of the visa application you wish to go to America to study. And only study. If your ulterior motives are apparent, then you don’t get a visa. Simple. You applied for a student visa but your documentation and your interview reveals that studying is just an excuse to somehow get to the U.S. That is not an honest applicant. Millions do not need to be shown in your bank accounts. Most Indian students are unable to do so. However, you have to clearly demonstrate your ability to bear the expenses of tuition and living costs for the first year of study. The visa officer will accept scholarships, assistantships, grants and funds of the family in bank accounts and fixed deposits as legitimate sources of your academic funding. If you have land, house, property owned by anyone in your family – show it. It gives the visa officer credible reason to believe that you have something to come back to after completion of your degree in the U.S. A clearly defined career plan will add credibility to your persona. Do not conceal facts, do not lie. Honesty rocks ! Tips Greet the visa officer. A Good Morning ! does not hurt. Dress well; no, not in a suit and a tie. Normally. Not in tattered denims either. Get to the point in your answers. No circumnavigating. No procrastination. Be forthright with your replies. They do not have the time to beat around the bush. Maintain eye contact. Smile when you can. Be truthful and direct. Be prepared to answer why you are going to study the program that you have chosen, why the university that you have decided on, and what your career goals are when you finish. India has a world of professional opportunities that you can enumerate. Do not treat the visa process as a demon that needs to be exorcised or a cakewalk. It is neither. It is a logical, methodical process that has its foundation in reason and rationale. This is your final hurdle. Practice the jump. Prepare for it in advance. You do not want to be taken by surprise. Prepare well. If you are ready, the visa is yours. No worries. (The writer is Education & Career Consultant)
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| Experts' Speak - Monday, March 02, 2009 |
| Counsellor cues - Shekhar Niyogi | ||||||||||||||
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Study abroad counselor, Shekhar Niyogi discusses with Anuradha Anupkumar as to how students can help secure financial aid for their education abroad
 In your professional capacity, have you heard of instances that indicate universities in the US will cut back on the number and amount of scholarships they offer students?No. I have not experienced any action or communication from universities in the US that indicate any cutback in scholarships and assistantships at the master’s and doctoral level. However, if federal funding is lessened, then scholarships at the bachelor’s degree level may be cut back. However, this may not happen in the universities, who have substantial endowments and a grant pool that they can dig deep into to ensure quality of freshman intake. As applications this year have increased, can students expect greater competition for assistantships? Do you think universities will eventually be forced to cut back on these? There will be greater competition for assistantships, but there is no indication that companies have cut back on spending on research. So the fund flow will be adequate to ensure that sufficient assistantships are available, even with the increased number of applicants. Moreover, even if more students apply, the number accepted for admission will remain the same as previous years. The universities of similar stature actually compete with each other to enroll the better applicants, so they will try their best to be the most attractive proposition for each applicant. Do you think grants, scholarships and other aid will be more available to students in certain programmes like engineering, pure sciences and applied sciences? Is the MBA programme also well funded by universities? Can students in other areas like the humanities and fine arts expect to have a tougher road ahead of them? It is conjecture, but yes, students in liberal arts are likely to have a tougher road ahead in terms of expectation of scholarships for Fall 2009. Scholarships and financial aid in some form or the other will continue unabated for students of engineering, pure science and applied sciences as there is no let up in the research thrust in these fields. The MBA programme is well funded by business schools and there are, contrary to popular belief, many scholarships awarded to MBA students. Would it be better for students to opt for public universities with a lower sticker price, or hold out for private, expensive universities with big aid packages? Are private universities more affected in the downturn than public universities or vice versa? This is a Catch-22 dilemma. It is true that state universities have low tuition fee, and sometimes, in an extraordinary gesture, they waive off out-of-state tuition and allow in-state tuition for international students, which reduces the fee burden immensely, and actually makes the shortfall in fund requirement, manageable. However, this is not a common occurrence, and although private universities have a higher price tag, they are known to, and capable of, awarding substantial, if not full tuition fee waivers and other aid in the form of assistantships/ fellowships to international students. I do not believe private universities are more affected by the economic downturn. They have a sufficiently large nest egg to fall back upon! So, even though the fees seem intimidating at the outset, smart applications and accurate selection of universities can help get admission with good scholarships at high-end private universities. It is the classic debate between taking a risk and playing it safe. Would you advise students to apply for all the aid they need, when they apply to universities? Would this affect their chances of admission, or should they count on universities’ commitment to help needy students? If the application form asks the student whether he/ she can study, even if they do not get full financial aid, then the applicant must answer yes. Otherwise, they will be precluded from any decision, which does not factor in 100 per cent aid. In reality, even a 75 per cent tuition waiver is tantamount to full aid, if it is accompanied by earning from a graduate assistantship, or a 20-hour per week campus job. I would ask the student to apply for as much aid as the university awards any international student. If there is more than a single avenue of aid, the student should try all of them. No holds barred. Asking for aid does not affect the chances of admission, as they are all awarded on the basis of relative merit. The need factor does not come into play. The universities do have a mission to help students and I have seen instances, where the university has actually raised the quantum of funding, when a student expressed the inability to pay more than he/ she could afford. So if you are good, they want you. And they will pay. What do you think students need to mention in their application to have the best shot at being awarded aid? Most financial aid is based on the academic credentials presented with the application, so these should be as good as possible. The GRE/ GMAT/ TOEFL iBT scores should be very competitive. A lucid ‘statement of purpose’ and ‘statement of research objective’ that elucidates the strong desire to excel, irrespective of the financial inequity between the income and savings in India and the projected expenses in US dollars is a must. The applicant must show interest in the programme that they are applying to, and communicate with the faculty, whose work has synergy with that chosen by the student.
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Education Unlimited Inc.
27 B, Park Street
Flat F, 1st Floor
Kolkata (Calcutta) 700016
India
ph: +9133 22271173
alt: +9133 46027272
counsell