visa questions 4

From: rakesh panda

VO: (Waves a hand for me to come near the counter)
Me: Good Morning Sir. How is your day today?
VO: Good morning. I am doing good. Could you pass ur file pls.
Me: Here it is.
VO: How abt taking ur fingerprints.
Me: Sure
VO: Thank you. So..whr r u headed?
Me: University of Maryland, College Park
VO: Why?
Me: To do my Masters in Electrical Enginering.
VO: Wht field are u gonna specialize in?
Me: ...
VO: Whts the application of this?
Me: ...
VO: So why US and why not India?
Me: (Gave a long and nice answer and VO seemed to be satisfied because after this he was smiling a lot)
VO: When did u finish ur undergrads?
Me: In 2002.
VO: Wht have you been doing since then
Me: Working in ... as a ...
VO: Wht do u do there?
Me: ...
VO: Can u show me a cert. from ur company?
Me: (showed)
VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: My brother. Besides, I have savings of my own and my father.
VO: Elder or younger brother !!!!
Me: (surprised) Elder.
VO: What does he do?
Me: He is working as a .. in ....
VO: Look Sir.(pointing to my I20) U can't enter US 30 days prior to the date mentioned here. @#$#@$#$#$ (and waved a hand to the next candidate)
Me: (I figured he asked me to leave)Thank you. Have a nice day. (was in a hurry to get out and didn't bother asking him if I got the VISA.).


Rakesh
----------------------------------
From: kashyap

VO: how ru doing today
ME : great sir , n how ru sir
VO: fine

VO: so which school ur going to
ME: NJIT sir

VO:which subject
ME: transportation sir

VO: wht ur father does
ME: he owns a construction firm

VO: y r n't u working with ur dad
ME : i want to have my own individuality

VO:ok u gonna get ur visa in two days
ME : thankyou sir


note : inbetween i gave my index fingerprints.
-------------------------------------------------------

From: "chaitanya_adusumalli"

me : hello mam
she did nt listen to me n was typing sthg in in pc
after a while....
vo: hi how ru ..?
me: fine mam...
vo: ok lets start with finger prints...
me: ok mam..
vo: first put ur left index finger...
me: is it ok mam...
vo: ok now ur rihgt...fine
vo: give in ur file...
i hande over my file...
vo: so wat ur going to do in us?
me: mam i want to do masters in electrical engg at tamuk
vo: y ee only...?
me: cause it has gud oppr in india n i can say its an ever
greenfield..
vo:y this univ only..?
me:mam this university is offering me spl in control sys n in my univ
ther r two proff dr...... and dr...... who r doing research work in
my area of interest that is control sys...(here i have given
unnecessary info so luk at her nxt ques)
vo:y control sys only?
me: mam in almost evry industrly ther is a use of control
sys ...ofcourse shcheme may be diff ..thats it...(i should nt have
said this but it just camce off from my mouth)
vo:so u r going to do ur reaserch in cs only
me:yes mam..
vo: when did u develope interest in cs?
me: mam i have came up with cs subjects in my under graduation ...so
from then...n i stopped..
vo:like wat?
me: like process control intrumetnstion mam...
vo: wat is it..?
me:mam its all abt ...blah blah blah
vo:ok give in ur credits...
me:pardon...
she said the same n i dint get her then also..n i just removed my
score cards n transcripts....n hande over to her...she said this is
wat i want taking my transcripts...
then after she care fully checked my marks memos...n even counted..
then
vo:(pt to my back log in 4-1) when did u whrite it?
me:may this yr mam n results r yet to come..
vo: u wait here for few min iwill come back with in few min
then she went inside nthere i saw she verifying my docu with some one
i think thats my i20
then she came back aftr 3 min then said
vo:did u goto any consultancy/
(i was stunned by this ques cos y she want all that..)
me:no mam (with a doubt ful face)
vo:ru sure...?
me:(with a bit nervousness)sure mam but i have taken the help of my
undergradute prof..mr....in selecting univ

i should nthave said this also ... saying sure will be ok...so i have
done mistake here also
vo:which univ s did u apply to?
me:uta utsa n tamuk mam(all in full)
vo:y did u choose ur univ in this region only..?
me:mam my prof has refered to me these univ. apaprt from ohio state
universitu but my gre scores abstained me frrom appl to that...mam
vo:do u dhave any rela in tx?
me:no mam
vo:ru sure?
me:yeah...intially i dont know abt that...but i have done that
unknowingly....it was a mistake(how stupid im to say like that...ur
going to do masters n still u have done all these unknowingly..?)
vo: u n k n o w i n g l y luking in to my docu...
vo:so u have nt done anything in this...?
me: no mam my proff suggested me these univs n when i go through net
i found there are gud reasearch activities going in my field...

then she luked in to my eyes for 5 sec...ofcourse throughout the
interview she has beem luking in to my eyes...
then vo: ok im issuing visa said sthng that i didnt listen to,,,
me: thaq mam


--------------------------------------------
From: sainath ravi ram

Vo: good morning
me: good morning , how are u
vo: left and right index finger
vo: tell me about your program
me: told him ......... blah
vo: undergrad certificate
me: gave
vo: I see u have assistance, can I see the letter
me: showed him
Vo: What are you going to do for the remaining
me: my father is the senior manager of .....
and my mom is the principal of a reputed school for
the past .........
vo: show me your previous passprts( since I had
travelled to other countries and I had 3 previous pp
me: showed him
vo: checked it page by page
vo:how long are you in chennai
me; all the while
vo : ok your passport will be couriered to you in 3
days time
gave me the token
some of them din't have the token, so don't worry
make sure he takes your passport
sainath
------------------------------------------
From: Deepti Chheda
VO: u've been to the US before?
ME:yes..10 years back as tourist
VO: so whom were u visiting back then?
ME: no one...as tourist..went to Washington, New YOrk, Disney world,Niagara..etc
VO:ok..wow..so which univ?
ME:Carnegie Mellon Univeristy
VO: y?
ME: its one of the best for this partiualr course...Infomation
Netwroking..got excellent faculty..research facilites...etc
VO:r there any profs u excited abt working with?
ME: Mike Reiter and Dawn Song..good research...but not contacted them
VO:n u got scholarship?
ME:yes..25K
VO: only first year ?or all years?
ME:course is only 16 months...so over all
VO:ok..wot abt remaining?how will u pay?
ME: Family
VO:wot does your dad do?
ME:Chemical maunfacturing company
VO:wots his income?
ME:XXX lacs
VO:ok..who are the clients for the company?
ME:automobile industry
VO:how many emplyed ppl?
ME:around 40 here..n got branch in Hyderabad...n distriubutors all over india
( i think here he got convinced)
VO:wot was ur undergrad in?
ME:Computer Engineering
VO: wot do u plan to do afterwards?
ME:plan to join dad's business..n open a computer divsion
VO:got any siblings?
ME:yes..younger sister
VO: wot is she doing?
ME: 1st year of Computer Engg.
VO: even she plans to study in US?
ME:..donno...not decided yet
VO:not decided..ok...enjoy your stay in Pensylvannia
Just answer everyhting confidently....dont fumble....thts the key !!!
------------------------------------------------
From: "Nagesh Reddy"

ME: goodafternoon sir(smiled)
VO: hello (with a smile)
VO:(after taking fingerprints) so which university
ME: university of louisiana at monroe
VO: what?( he could not understand what i said)
ME:university of louisiana at monroe
VO: what are u going to do there?
ME: my ph.d. in pharmacy administration and pharmacy policy
VO: are u working?
ME: no sir, i have completed my undergraduation in dec. 2004.
VO: what were u doing since then
ME: it took time for me to apply for universities and in the remaining
time i learnt some computer courses
VO: how many schools did u apply?
ME:(could not understand what he asked but the vo repeated his
question again)
VO: what are the other schools u applied?
ME: gre 1350 toefl...(i thought he was asking about my scores)
VO: not scores, how many universities did u apply to?
ME: i applied for 4 universities sir
VO: what are ur other admits
ME: clarkson university
VO: why do u want to study pharmacy
ME: i had studied pharmacy in my undergraduation, hence i want to do
my phd also in pharmacy.
VO: why are u interested in pharmacy
ME: i am interested in drugs
VO: drugs???
ME: i am intersted in drug designing and blah..blah..
VO:(interrupted and said) i think u want to become a registered
pharmacist in US
ME: no sir. { actaully bpharm undergraduates in India from year
2001(or 2002) are not eligible to become registered as pharmacists in
US, but i did not say this thing because i thought it might cause more
confusion}
VO: No. U want to work in US
ME: no sir(didn't tell this with a arguing tone). i have many
opportunities in India.
VO: what do u want to do after u get ur degree
ME: i want to work as a pharmacoeconomics research scientist...
VO: what?
(i repeated twice as he asked this 2 more times)
vo: where???
me: in pharmaceutical industries in India like Ranbaxy, Cipla, Sun
pharma or Dr.Reddy's labs.
vo: Dr.Reddy's labs!(said surprisingly as if he knows this company
very well)
me: yes sir..Dr.Reddy's labs
vo: (said smth in a low voice which i think he said it to himself)
me: sir?(as if i was unable to hear what he was saying)
vo: go to ur
home....u.........................................................................................3
days.
me:thank you sir
Nagesh.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: deepak naidu


Me: (Bfor the VO cud greet me) Good Mornin M'am !!! How r U?
(I kept my folder in front of me, But did not open it)
VO: Good mornin . I am fine. How r U? (She smiled)
Me: I am fine M'am. Thank You.

VO: So Illinois institute of Technology? (I cudnt hear her properly just heard Illinois)
Me: Yes Sir! i mean yes M'am. IIT in Chicago. (I fumbled and mentioned Sir instead of M'am and thought now i am screwed)

VO: Wat was ur Under graduation in?
Me: Bachelor's in Computer engineering

VO: Can I see ur Degree certificate?
Me: Sure M'am

I Immediately opened my folder and removed my BE Degree Certificate and showed her within 3-4 secs.She went through it and entered something in her computer and returned the certificate back to me.and I immediately kept it in.

VO: Who is sponsoring u?
Me: My Father (as mentioned in the DS forms. Do not change ur statement from wat u hav written in the forms. The DS form is the final verdict for VOs they just confirm watever u say matches with it, during the interview)

VO: Wat is he doing?
Me: M'am he is a GENERAL MANAGER in so and so company!!!

Right then another staff came in and interrupted my VO and they talked for a min. VO then turned back to me....
VO: I am sorry for the disturbance Sir! (She called me Sir mein mann hi mann hasne laga)
Me: Its ok m'am

VO: So wat is ur father doing? (She again asked me the same question)
Me: M'am he is GENERAL MANAGER in so and so company!!! (I stressed on his designation and I think that was enuf for her not to ask my financial docs or any financial query)


VO: Any relatives in US?
Me: No M'am

She then wrote something and was going to pass something to me under the counter "I prayed it shud not be my Passport". Then i looked down there was just a paper no BLACK BOOK ( passport ).

VO: Ur visa is granted Sir u will get ur passport by courier in 2 days

The papers she passed to me were my I-20 . I took it and kept it in my folder.

Me: (Smiled at her ) Thank You M'am. Have a good Day!!!
VO: (She gave me a broader smile ) Have a Good Day Sir!!!
Deepak Naidu
---------------------------------------------------
From: Abhilash Kokala

me: good morning visa officer

VO good morning sir

Me: so how was ur day sir

VO: (he showed me stack of DS forms) u see this, my day is not that good sir, and I presume you might change it (this is clear indication that many before me got rejected)

Me: (with a smile on face) I too hope the same sir

VO: lets get started, put ur left index finger on scanner

Me: yes sir done

VO: ur right index finger

Me: yes sir done

VO: (he saw my i20) so Indiana state university

Me: yes sir

VO: y this university

Me: because this is the only college in US offering masters degree for electronics and computer technology

VO: I think this is normal course, offered by any other university

Me: No sir, this course is not offered by any other university, Indiana state university is the only one offering this course and this course is really different from other courses

It basically deals in interfacing electronics and computer fields. In technical words it deals in interfacing Control system and computers to control a system

VO: Can u tell some application of this course

Me: yes sir. In robots…….(I gave example of robotics)

VO: ur application is not convincing, how can u use computers to control a computers?

Me: I will give another example. In electromechanical process……..(he got convinced with this example)

VO: ok. Give me your marks sheet

Me: yes sir(I gave my marks sheets, as soon as I gave my marks sheets I was stressing on my plus points). Sir I have very good marks in electronics subjects. In fact I got 92 marks in SDC and 89 marks in CS etc,… (he got convinced, he was looking at my 4-1marks memo. I did not attend 3 exams in my 4-1 as I was hospitalized)Sir I did not attend 3 exams in my 4-1 as I have met with an accident

VO: how did it happen?

Me: I was driving with my frnd and one auto wala came all of a sudden on to middle of the road.

VO: autowala?

Me: autowala are very rude in A.P. They do not have good driving sense

VO: are they more rude than people here?

Me: I think no sir. Yesterday I was cheated by a auto driver….….(I said what happened the day before) .

VO: ok.(I think he liked my frankness and this is one which helped me). So tell me about family….

Me: I live with my parents and my father is xxxxxx and he earns xxxzzz and mother is xxxxx and she earns xxxxxx.(he interrupted me)

VO: I did not ask that, as people how they are?

Me:(I was bit confused what to say) they are just like normal people. I am the eldest sir and I am pampered very much by them.(I was confused and committed mistake as I am youngest and not eldest)

VO: So tell me about ur small brother and sister

Me: sorry sir, I am youngest. I have a brother and sister. Sister is married and she lives with her husband and about brother, he completed his post graduation MCA and got recruited in TCS few months back

VO: are in contact with ur sister

Me: yes sir, we spoke yesterday only

VO: Is your father ready to spend all his savings on u?

Me Yes sir(as soon as I said that he raised his eye brow, I got confused and I had to cover it up). Sir my father beliefs in long term plan. He has good deal of savings. He has been saving from long time and we have good deal of funds. More over my sister and my brother are financially independent from my father. So finance is not a problem for me.

VO: Are ur parents ready to send u abroad?(He mite have asked me this because I said I am pampered a lot)

Me : yes sir. They are ready to send me abroad as it is for my good, anyway its just matter of 2years and afterwards I will be coming back again

VO: ok u can go now(with smile on his face and gave me back i20 and marks sheets)

ME: Thank u sir (with a big smile)(I said thank god)
--------------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 11:52:41 +0100 (BST)
From: priyanka pakala
Subject: my visa xperience!!!!!!!!!!!!





VO :

Was a young guy in mid 20s…kinda easy to handle..counter allotted was 4th..



Interview:

As usual y this univ?

Wht al other admits?

Specialization?(my answer was VLSI)

Y vlsi ?

Wanna see ur transcripts..



Divya Priyanka Pakala.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Manan Jhaveri
M : Good Morning Mam
VO : Good Morning
VO : What is ur undergraduation?
M : Mam I have done M.B.B.S. from Sardar Patel university
VO : Can u show me ur degree certificate?
M : Mam , I have completed my undergraduation in March 2005, so I will get my fnal degree certificate in the month of december this year. Would u like to see my provinsional degree certificate?
I show my provinsional degree and all year marksheets.
She look it carefully for about 15-20 sec.
VO : Who is going to finance ur studies?
M : My parents.
VO : What`s ur father?
M: He is a successful jwelery businessman.
VO : Oh... u have received scholarships can u show me ur scholarship letter?
( I dont have scholarship letter , my scholarship is mention only on I -20 )
M : Mam, I dont have my scholarship letter.
VO : Why?
M: The university has not issued me a separate letter?
VO : Why? All other university is giving a official scholarship letter to every student who has received a scholarship and only u have not received it?
M : Mam, I have inquired about that to the university through mail. They told me that we are not issuing a separate a scholarship letter to student , we are mentioning it only on I-20. (Actually I dont have inquired about that)
VO: So Can u show me that email correspondence?
M : (Little bit confused) Sorry mam i dont have just know it u want i will definitely take a print out of it .
VO : Ok.. Ok... can u show me ur acceptance letter?
M : i show her.
VO : Ok...Ok... I am giving u the visa, but Please take ur scholarship letter , it will be helpful to u later on.
M : Thank you Mam
than I am out of consulate with in 10 seconds.

Remarks : My humble request to every one who has received scholarship to take a separate letter of it . I f u dont have than take email correspondence of the university.
----------------------------------------
From: Malhar Jhaveri
Subject: Any body for University of KEntucky from Ahmedabad
Me: good morning Mam
VO: good morning
Vo: Anant Jhaveri
Me: Its my father
VO: Malhar
Me : Ya myself
VO: Whats your undregraduate
Me: MBBS, from SP University,
VO: Can I have a look of Degree certificate.
Me: Mam I have a provisional degree, markshets as I have been graduated on 31st March 2005, Would you like to see Mam?
VO: Yes
Me Pass all the documents
Vo Look each and every marksheetts and provisional degree and registration certificate(10 to 20 sec)
Vo you are working as a Medical Officer
Me yes man I am gaining my practical experience at Gulabbai General Hospitsl, Ahmedabad
Vo Who is going to sponsor u
Me My parents
VO whats your father doing
Me He is jewelry business man
VO can i have a passbooks
Me Sure mam, pass the passbooks
Vo look hardly for 3 to 4 sec.
VO your bros is in usa
Me yes mam he is on H1 working as a Research associate in Virginia Bioinformatics.
VO Ok I am issuing a Visa
Me Thank u mam
Then I am out ot consulate with in a 15 sec.
In between I request VO : Pardon Mam I cant hear u properly 3 times for 3 different questions( As there is lots of noise from outside and my window no 2 has no phone and cabin)
-------------------------------------------------
From: "rahul karthik"

Me: Good Morning Mam
VO: Good morning how are u doing ?
Me: Fine Mam,

Vo: So u r going there to study ?
ME: Yes mam to univ of missouri of rolla

VO: Why MS in chemica engg?
ME: Mam i have done my B.Tech in this feild and i was to continue with the research in the same field...

VO: Can i see u ur graduation certificate?
ME: Mam i have appeared for the exmas this may ... i will be graduating this year...but i have a certificate from the HOD stating that i have appeared for all the exams for the completion of B.Tech ...
saying this i handed her all the certificates and mark sheets i had with me...the complete bunch....she just iverveiwed them alll..
(Trick: guys the trick is to hand out the docs in bunch so that they wont look at it in details...)
By this time she started tryping some thing ...and i knew i had made it...

VO: what is ur father doing?
ME: told so...

VO: do u have any siblings?
ME: One elder sister and she is already married...

VO: Ok u have made it...i am issuing u the visa..
ME: thank you mam...thank u very much...


love.
Rahul
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: vinod bonagiri


me : good mornin sir.

vo : hi

me : hi.

vo : let me hav ur folder...

me : sure.... i passed him that folder ..

vo : ( lookin at the i-20 in the folder ) which univ are u goin for ?

me : u of nevada las vegas ...

vo : what r ya goina study ther ?

me : masters in mechanical engineering

vo : what did u do in ur undergraduate program ?

me : bachelors in mechanical engineerin .

vo : do u hav any other admits ?

me : yeah i do hav one .. from central connecticut state univ.

vo : show me the i-20.

me : sure sir.. n them i forwarded that i20 to him

vo : he just saw the i20 for a max of 1 second.. n then put it down.

vo : can i hav ur GRE n TOEFL score cards.

me : sure.. i gav him those..

vo : when did u graduate ?

me : 2003

vo : oh... thats a long time bak.. what hav u beeing doin all this time ???

me : i did a diploma course in cad/cam/cae for period of 6 months n then i went for an industrial trainin at bharat heavy electricals limited...

vo : so.. u havent been workin all this time.. that concerns me

me : sir, i have mentioned that i did the industrial trainin at BHEL for a period if one year...

vo : he started typin sumthin without even askin me anythin else. n then he finally after 10 -15 seconds " sir, u do not qualify for the F1 visa, please read this letter ".

vinod
--------------------------------------------------------------
From: "reddy_0078"
Subject: imp to everybody who is going to visa


vco;hi
me;hi
vco;folder plz
me; passed the fld
vco;marks sheet
me;passed
vco;gre ad toefl scoe cards
me; passerd
vco;how many uni?
me;3uni
vco;how many admits ?
me;2 i20s
vco;wa is u r father doing?
me ;my father is working as a comtracter
vco;ur mother?
me;my mother is workimg as a accountant
vco;wat is ur sister doing?
me;she got married and settle down in india.
co;why this univesity(suny)?

me ;sir i want to do spcialisation in vhdl and this college has well
renowed faculty such as prof yaser ad prof baback who r doing
excellent research on the vhdl which made me to opt for this
university.
vco;sorry sir we cant issue visa to u bcoz of following reason ie 214b
this how my innerview went friends.can u plz help me out wat went
wrong wth me
---------------------------------------------------------
From: "Alpa Nawre"

The VO is a blonde lady with lotsa freckles
VO : Hi !
ME : Hey ! I am Alpa

Looks at me for less than half a minute ... I place my folder on one
side of the small platform and the forms /documents on another and
wait ... )

( VO gestures with her hand for the documents I was carrying : I
slide in the passport, I 20 and DS forms
Looks closely at the I 20, looks puzzled.... has a few doubts about
the date of entering US written on it and consults another VO...
Looks closely at the I 20 for several seconds.. things are very quiet)

Vo : I would like your fingerprints.
( I Complied and she said thanks and I said thanks and she started
typing on the computer... I wait)

Looks at the I 20...Flips through the DS Form, doesnt even seem to be
reading anything... didnt even see the DS 158, looks at DS 157)

VO : Undergrad in Architecture ?
Me : Yes, Thats right.

VO : What all does it entail ?
Me : Explained

( Starts typing on her computer... and there is silence for a
minute... and then she starts again...... )

VO : Do you know about Frank Lyod Wright ?
Me : Yes, I do.

Vo : What is he famous for ?
Me : His most famous building is ' Falling Waters '... explained why
its famous.. explained wot he achieved...

Vo : Scores
Me : GRE 2230, TOEFL 290, TWE 5.5

( Stops typing on her comp. finally and looks at the I 20 again )
Vo : So your education is costing you $*** per year.
Me : Yes.

( I have an assistantship and therefore fee-waiver and stipend )
( She starts typing again )

Vo : What does your father do ?
Me : He was working in **** for 30 years and my Mum was
a Sanskrit Teacher for past 25 years. They are retired now and have
sufficient funds saved for my education.
Besides, my co-sponsor is my sister who is currently earning $****
per year.

Vo : Fine
( Cuts out a sticker... pastes on passport , hands me the other... )

Vo : Give this to TTS counter.
Me : Ok.
( Stood there for a second realising the significance of the
sticker.. )
Me : Ma'am, Thank you. This means a lot to me.
Vo : Acknowledges with a nod.

Alpa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hey folks,
i got my visa today from chennai consulate,
it went very simple
heres what happnd

VO: how are u sir.
me: sir i hav a sore throat.
VO: smiles..are u from chennai
me: no sir im from bangalore , did my BE in chennai
VO: but ur born in chennai
me:yes sir
VO: u know tamil
me:yes sir
VO:kannada
me:yes sir
VO:hindi
me:yes sir
VO:tulu
me:no sir
VO:urdu
me:no sir
VO:konkani
me:no sir
VO:english
me:yes sir
VO:so u know 4 languages
me:ys sir
VO:whts ur father
i told him
VO :mother?
i told him
annual income?
i told him
why university of houston
i began to give him a reason he cut me off
ur visa will reach u in 3 days.
---------------------------------------------------------
tusharpradhan82@yahoo.co.in
VO - (while I was picking up the phone) Good morning, how are u ?
Me - (with a good smile) Good morning sir, how are u doing?
VO - I am fine…
Me - I am fine sir (I guess I was late in saying this thing.. but doesn’t matter)
VO - So Mr. Pradhan u r going to University of Houston ?
Me - Yes sir.

VO - ( looking at the i-20 ) University of Houston - Systems, what does that Systems mean…?

Me - ( had no idea what does that mean , but without wasting any time I said) sir its related to Computer Science



VO - Which campus are u going ?

Me - Main campus



VO - Its in Houston ?

Me - Yes sir



VO - What r u going to do there ?

Me - Masters in Computer Science.



VO - But in the i-20 its written Computer and Information Sciences, Gene, this Gene does it has to do anything with Genetics?

Me - No Sir, its just a name give, all students who have admits for CS have the same info..



VO - Have u heard of Mr. Abc Xyz. ? (looking at the lower bottom of my i-20)

Me - ( I was recollecting whether his name was mentioned anywhere on the i-20 , but couldn’t remember, I said) Sir I didn’t get u ?



VO - Mr. Abc Xyz..

Me - No sir I don’t.. (had my heart in my mouth… )



VO - He’s a very famous basket ball player from Houston

Me - No sir I don’t know much about basket ball (gave him a big smile)



VO - Long time back 1984.

Me - Ohh



VO - (passed the i-20 thru the slit) So how are u going to pay ?

Me - My parents will be paying



VO - what do they do ?

Me - my mother is working in …….. and my father is working in …………



VO - (collecting rest of the documents) Congrats and best of luck.

Me - Thank u, thank u very much sir…



Tushar
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
praveen_sng@yahoo.com


Me : Good afternoon
VO: Good Afternoon:

VO: So ur going to University of houston to study what
Me: Im going to do my MS in CS specialising in
Software Engineering.

VO: What r u doing now?
Me: Im a software engineer in Infosys since over 2.5
years.

VO: But you already have a nice job..
Me:Since im from a telecom background i need a masters
in CS to enhance my growth.


VO:What have you worked on?
Me:IBM Mainframe, J2EE

VO:You seem like an experienced man.. how did u choose
UH?
Me: I have and ex colleague in Infosys who is doing
HER Masters at the UH and she told me about the univ.

VO: (cutting me off) SHE??? (implying if she was my
girlfriend or something)
Me: No no, shes just a friend.
VO: laughs

VO: So who will fund u?
ME: i have my own savings and my dad has been working
as blah blah for 33 years and has saved 21 laks for my
education.

VO: I can see that you have been to the US (showing my
B1/B2 visa from the passport)
ME: I went there on vacation

VO: what did u see there
ME: Hollywood studios LA and Space needle in Seattle

VO: ok your visa will reach u in 3 days
ME: Thanks and have a great day

Regards,
Praveen
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Dipin"
VO: Hi !
Me: Hi Ma'am .. Good Afternoon !
VO: So where are you going ?
Me: Texas A & M University at College Station.
VO: Why Texas A & M ?
Me: Was a difficult choice to make coz I have 7 admits and funding frm 3
universities .. (interrupts me with the next question .. atleast I got a
chance to say what I wanted ;))
VO: What did you do your undergraduation in ..
Me: I did my bachelors in Engineering and specialised in ... (She cut me
here with her next Q)
VO: When did you pass out ?
Me: 2002 ..
VO: So what have you been doing since then?
Me: Have been woring for the last three years
VO: Where are you working curerntly ?
Me: Mahindra British Telecom (cuts me short again .. seems to be in a big
hurry to grant me a visa ;) )
VO: Whats your position there ?
Me: Ma'am, I am a Software Engineer ..
VO: I see that you been out of India before .. where had you been ?
Me: United Kingdom ..
VO: Yeah .. and you went recently .. why were you there ?
Me: Had gone there for a series of meetings with the client to discuss
certain upcoming designs for their CRM solution.
VO: good ..
VO: You have neone frm your family abroad ?(asks me after reading my form
where I'd mentioned that my brother is in the US . a brief reflection of the
American Hypocrisy .. ;))
Me: Yes Ma'am .. my brother .. hes currently in the United States...
VO: Where in the US ..?
Me: Minneapolis ..
VO: What does he do there ?
Me: He works for a company that sells diamonds as a ..
VO: Whats the company called ?
Me: Azure Diamonds .
VO: How long has he been there ?
Me: almost 3 years ma'am ..
VO: Whos sponsoring you ?
Me: My father..
VO: How does he plan to pay for your education ?
Me: My yearly expenses would amount to __ Lakhs and to cover the duration of
two years .. hes got __ amount in liquid savings, ___ amount as reserved
funds and immovable assets exceeding __ which we could use for my expenses
in case of emergency ..
VO: Shes looking at my i-20 .
Me: Would you like to see the financial summary ma'am ..
VO: Yes .. (Shes looks at it for about 15 seconds ... )
VO: Congratulations .. youve got your visa ... you passport will be
couriered to you ... etc etc ..
Me: Thank you ma'am ..
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 4
vo:wats ur name
me:disha
vo:wat is ugs
me:grant scholarship
vo:will u see mr. and mrs smith?
me:smiling sure thing..
vo:who suggested this univ
me:my professor....interrupts
vo:u get the passport in 3 days
have fun
me:thanks sir
disha
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: rochan bhuptani

Me- Good Afternoon mam...
VO- No reply
Vo- So why Rutgers...
Me- I had got basially two criterias for the selection of the University...
First was the Quality of education, which is brilliant in Rutgers & the second criteria was that of Credit Transfers. As I have done my diploma here in Electronics & Telecom Engg., I expect my Credits to be Transferred.... And Rutgers did offer me a 1 year waiver. So I was attracted to it.
VO- Who is gonna bear your expenses....
Me- My dad
VO- Whats he doin...
Me- blah.... blah....
VO- Why is your name so different.....
Me- Its one of the thousand names of Lord Krishna...
Vo- Hmmm.... (She was typing something on her PC)
Me- Mam there is one famous Writer in the US whose name is also Rochan... He is the only famous personality having this name..... And probably I am the next famous personality...
VO- (She started laughing) I am giving you your VISA... You will get it in 1 day...
Me- Thank You mam...
Rochan.
------------------------------------------------------------------
From: sudhan kanitkar
VO was a 25 - 28 something black lady. Seemed very cheerful from the
interviews of earlier 4-5 people. Among them was a young lady with a
2-3 year old gal. VO was very friendly with this baby gal.

VO : what will you do at lehigh univ ?
me : pursue master of science in computer science

VO : what is your GRE score ?
me : 1390

VO :(cutting me) the maths score ?
me : 800

VO : what is your english score ?
me : 590

VO : who is funding your expenses ?
me : father(fumbled a bit) family

VO : what does your father do ?
me : told her

VO : what is your father's annual income ?
me : told her

VO : did you take anyone's help in filling the DS forms ?
me : no i filled them myself

VO : you filled them on a computer ?
me : yes except one or two fields where the space was less .. i filled
them manually

VO : so where is that computer located ?
me : (surprised taking a sec to answer) my home

VO : which brand of computer is it ?
me : (even more surprised and fumbled a bit) its a pentium computer

by this time i realised that these questions are just fun

VO : i mean the brand of the computer ?
me : ohh .. its HP

VO : you will get your passport in 2 days time.
me : thank you madam.

Sudhan.
--------------------------------------------------------------
From: urmila kamat
Me: Good afternoon (into the phone)

VO: Good afternoon.How do u do? ( he has this
operators kinda thng..handsfree)

Me: I'm fine.How bout u?

VO: I'm doing very well.Thank You ( he said it like a
robot...must be saying it millions of times!)

VO: So did u attend the meet for those at Michigan?
( this ques was a complete surprise...i was kinda
confused wht he was referrin to...coz some colls had
representives comin to india...no such thing for
us...so answered wht i felt his ques meant)

Me: Yes..I did attend the meet organized by the
University of Michigan Business school alumni assc for
people from diffr fields going to University of
Michigan.
( while i was answering...this guy is busy typing into
his comp...dunno if he even listened to wht i said)

VO: Who is funding ur education?

Me: My parents

VO:What do they do?

Me: My father works as General Manager in so and so
company. My mother takes tuitions at home.

VO: What is your father’s annual income?

Me: Rs X lacs per annum gross

VO: What did you say your father does?
Me: Told him again. ( While I was answering he threw
my I20 and sevis fee rcpt copy in front of me…but I
didn’t quite get it)

VO: So Ms Kamat, I’m granting you a visa.It will
reach you in 1-2 days.

Me: Thank you
(smiling..u see I wasn’t sure I had heard him
rite….from prev ppl’s description I guess all of us
turn temp deaf at this moment…so stood there smiling
even after saying thank you)

VO: (Looked at me then down at the I20 since I hadn’t
taken it…)Have a nice day!
( I think he was wondering what I was waiting for)

PS: Sorry to those ppl who have subscribed to two or
more groups im mailing...u r bound to receive multiple copies!!
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: "sravan182002"
vo:hi sir, how ru?
me:fine n how r u sir?
vo:fine, give me the folder
me:ok sir(n i have handed the folder to him)
vo:lets start the interview with ur finger prints
me:surely
vo:do u have the degree certificate?
me:no sir
vo:course completion certificate?
me:yes sir i have it(vo:n also give me ur memos) n i have given to him
vo:which specialisation?
me:computer networks
vo:y computer N/Ws?
me:abcdefg
vo:ok, whats ur percentage?
me:74%
vo:ok, we send u the passport n visa in couple of days
me:thanq sir n have a pleasant day.
bye,
sravan.
----------------------------------------------------
From: "vickykosuri"
I:good morning sir
vo: very good morning
I: i gave my folder.
vo: which university?
I: Eastern michigan university.
vo: y western michigan university?
I: not western sir, Eastern ....
vo: ok, does Eastern Michigan bigger than Eastern michigan.
I: i dont know about western.....
vo: ok then y EMU?
I: Sir, I want to do my specialization in software Engineering. emu
is providing me more number of courses regarding my specialization.
So,
he stopped me.
vo: how many u applied?
I: four.
vo: how many admits?
I: I got admit from EMU and deciscion from indiana is awaiting.
vo: what about others?
I: rejected.
vo: whats ur dad?
I: ............
vo: do u have any brothers?
I: yes.
vo: whats ur brother?
I: ............
vo: whats ur mom?
I: ............
vo:whats their annual income?
I:.................
vo: In your I20, there is $60,000 per annum and u r saying that 7.5
lakhs as ur annual income?
I: sir, it is not annual income. i.e, the amount I have in my bank
at that time.
vo: your i20 says your education is 3 years. how can ur father
supports ur education?
I: my father had xx lakhs in sb and xx lakhs in fds and I also had
a bank loan of 15 lakhs.
vo: ok, u go to ur home. u will get ur visa in 2-3 days.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: srinath srinivasan


my Visa Lady : Hi ..
I : hello , good day mam ..
my Visa Lady : Can i have that ?? she pointed to the maroon file.
I : Sure mam ..
my Visa Lady : Paused .. was typing something on the comp ..
ok .. fingerprints ..
I: yes mam , Left index if i am right ?
my Visa Lady : yes .. now right index finger please .
I : yes man .. ( the image was murky)
my Visa Lady : Could u wipe your finger ?
I : i wiped my finger and asked mam, the scanner is not clean , shal i wipe that too ..
my Visa Lady : sure
I : smiled at her ..
my Visa Lady : why us?
I: To pursue my Masters in Information Science
my Visa Lady : Is is it ?
I: yes mam . smilled again
my Visa Lady : so syracuse ... why syracuse ?
I : mam , its a highly reputed university , its ranked second only to carnige mellon university for Information
Science , it has 6 research centers and one dedicated for Convergence , in which i would like to be a part of.
my Visa Lady :ah.. whats convergence ?
I: its intergrating Technology mam ..Making all in one..
my Visa Lady : gave a wired look
I : mam , you would have gone to supermarkets to shop , but gone are those days , you can do that right away
using your mobile , that M commerce , simillarly t-commerce , e commerce .
my Visa Lady : t- commerce ?
I: Television Commerce mam?
my Visa Lady : oh ok .. why Covergence ?
I: i have a personal inclination to it mam ..
my Visa Lady : why ???
I: ... gave a smile and said .. just like that , i like simplifying things for the society and helping the people..
my Visa Lady : she smiled..
Ok.. Can i see your Records.
I: i handed over the a file with all marksheets and course completion certificate ..
my Visa Lady : does this have the GRE and TOEFL score sheets
I: no mam .. here you go ... ( i gave it to her)
my Visa Lady: can i see the leter for the university .
I : mam ..(stuttering ) which one , the from syracuse or here ?
my Visa Lady: From syracuse
I : i took out the letters , there were 4 of them .. mam i am not sure which one u need.. shal i handover all..
my Visa Lady: yea sure ..
I : here you go .. i gave it to her ..
my Visa Lady : so how do you plan to pay for your course ?
I : family funds mam
my Visa Lady : whats your dad ?
I : he was working as the head of the research and devellopment department in Brakes india .
my Visa Lady : ok .. (she was waiting for me to talk ..)
I : we have a family savings of about 50 lacs and my brother is also having a savings of 35K pounds..
my Visa Lady : so you have any bother ?
I : mam ( she interupted )
my Visa Lady : yea sorry .. so what does your brother do ?
I : he works as the business analyst for a knowledge management company in the UK
my Visa Lady : how long has he been there ?
I : about 5 years mam and he is a permanent Resident of UK .
my Visa Lady : himmm.. so you been to uk huh ?
I: yes mam , May 2002
my Visa Lady : what was your purpose of your visit ?
I : Vacation mam ..
my Visa Lady : What ????
I : Vacation ..
my Visa Lady: so where did you stay ?
I: London mam ..
my Visa Lady: did u visit london eye and the wax thing..
I : yes mam .. they were fantastic
my Visa Lady : ok ..everything seems to be ok .. will get your visa in 2 days ..
I: thank you mam
my Visa Lady : its my pleasure
I : Its my pleasure too , being interviewed by you .. bye mam ..
my Visa Lady : bye.. have a nice day ..


She was so cool ... so sweet ... she did not see any financial documents .. only the score sheets ... so it all depends on ur mouth .. talk well to get a visa

Documents you need :

Passport
Web Appointment
DS forms
Sevis Recipt
DD for 4400 in favour of "American Consulate General"
CASH 441/- Rs
GRE , TOEFL score sheets
University Marksheets
Course Completion
I - 20 signed by you
Other I 20
Bank Statments - certificate of balance
Bank Transactions - for the past 6 months atleast
Fixed Deposits orginal Recipts
Letter that come along with the I 20
Proof of income ( like your dads employment letter , rental agreement )
Extra DS forms
Your Certificates( essential if u have backlogs and want to cover it up saying that you were
concentrating on sports or some other for which u have the certificates )

Extra Documents which u can carry if u have :

Resume
Sop
Project Abstract
Project completion Certificate

Documents u dont need :

CA statement : VO knows it cost u only 1000 Rs .
CE statement : Vo feels indians never sell their property at any cause .
Jewellery Evaluation : nope .. not even cares to see it.
Affidavit of Support : no need

Srinath
---------------------------------------------------------
From: Senthil Parthasarathy

Profile:
GRE:1250
Toefl:260
Acads:74% till 7th sem in a collg affiliated to Anna
univ
Time taken: 6 mins

Me: Sir, How r u?
VO: Fine and u?
(I wasn't able to hear him properly since he wasnt
facing the mike)
Me: Fine
VO: Put yor left index fingr first and then yor right
index finger
Me:(I did wat he said)
VO:UNiversity?
Me: Iwasnt able to hear him properly and I thought he
was asking "Why this univ?").HEnce I started spelling
out the reasons
VO: (stopped me )please reply to my quesn
Me: sorry sir, I wasnt able to hear u ;properly
VO: K.Which univ?
Me: University of Kentucky at Lexington
Vo: Specialzation and course?
Me: My course is Computers and Information Science and
I want to specialize in Networking
VO:K fine.y did u get interst in Networkin?
Me: I did my UG project in IBM corporation,
Pondicherry,India Ltd and
Vo: stopped me.(His face changd and also he kept my DS
forms on his side and keeping only the I20. Hence , he
didnt check out my brothers details). IBM?
Me: Yes sir
Vo: Good. How u got ther?
Me: Thru my father and said his profession
Vo: How many members wer part of yor prj?
Me: 2. including myself
VO: Wat is yor proj and name?
Me: Explaind it
Vo: Use of yor proj?
Me: said it
Vo: Wat did the other guy do?
Me: i said he did 40% of the proj and i did the rest
VO: Explain wat did he do?
Me: (my body began to shiver and slightly began to
stammer a bit sinc i wasnt prepard to answer thes
quens) Blabberd sometin lik he did the Testing and
Integration part...(But he didnt understand a single
thing i said)
VO:k
Me: U want to see the proof
Vo: No need. U tell wat did u do?
Me: I did nearly 25 forms of the 40 forms requird for
the project and coding too
Vo:k. (Took the I20). Funding?
Me: Yes sir. I have got a Graduate Scholarship.
Vo: acad record?
Me: I dont hav final yr marksheet since I am frm 2005
batch
VO: Its Ok
Me: Gave it and said 74% till 7th semester
Vo:Aftr a few secs, said that yor visa will reach in 2
days.
Me: Thank u and have a good week end
VO: Thank u. Next



For any help, contact me at pskumaran84@yahoo.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "heyrambh"

VO: Why are you going to the US?
Me: To pursue OR/IE at UT Austin.

VO: I can understand that, but why the US?
Me: Blah Blah.

VO: What are your parents?
Me: Blah Blah.

VO told me to wait for some time. Did the same to two others also.

Then the VO called me again. Told me I would get my visa in two days.

I walked out of the consulate feeling relieved.

So that's it.

Srinivasan
---------------------------------------------------------

From: Kannan
-> why ufl?
-> abt my research interests.
-> whos is sponsoring my eductaion?
-> what will parents do if you spend all their
personal savings for your grad education.

while i started answering the last Q, the VO cut me
short and said somethig which i guess meant "Get lost
to US ;) ";

a few things i noticed were ...
->the male VO's are absolutely cool. unless u screw up
big time the visa is all yours.
->they are more interested in knowing ur academic
intertests. so go prepared with what u want to do,
why, and most importantly their applications.
->i should day that they are not bothering about the
financial docs. infact i was not asked for a single
doc. whtever u say, say it aloud confidently.
->girl candidates are easily given visas; i dint see
any rejects.

my profile:
Program : Masters in Computer Science.
Aid : Zero aid.

regards,
kannan rajah
-------------------------------------------
From: kranthi kumar chigullapally

what is ur specialization
what is ur school
what is ur acadamics
show me ur documents

then she said unfortuantely i could not issue the visa

please help me out for this answers

is it advisible to take the visa slot with 3-5 days
and more over
tell some thing about the following answers some what elaborately

why u were rejected last time
what is ur specialization
why this specialization
why this school

kranthi
---------------------------------------------
From: Atik

Me: Hello sir, how r u today?
Vo: am fine, how r u?
me: am good, thank u.
vo: so lets start the process by taking ur finger
prints, took left n right finger prints.
then i passed in the TTS folder, he took a look at
the papers.
vo: do u have the degree certificate.
me: no sir, ill b finishing my bachelors this year.
vo: ok. give me what u have
me:showed him the individual memos.
vo:how much is ur percentage?
me: 63 sir,
vo: ok, what specialization would u like to do in ur
masters?
me: i wud like to specialize in computer networks
vo y computer networks?
me: i've had this subject in my bachelors and was
facinated with its topics n mreover it will fetch me a
job in an MNC in INDIA as companies here r opting for
ppl wid that specialization.

typed something franticly

vo: no man u dindt convince me, u might do ur masters
thr in US but it looks like u will not comeback,
handed me over the paper wid the reason

i was shocked n cudnt say anything.


Atik.
-----------------------------------------
From: Sameer


VO:(Waves his hand)
ME:Good evening to you.(Smile)
VO:Why USA?
ME:To pursue a Masters degr..(VO interupts..)
VO:How long have you been working here?
ME:for over 9 months now.
VO:How much do you earn?
ME:Approx $xxxx
VO: What? Do you earn in dollars?
ME: No. In rupees.
VO: Then why are you quoting it in dollars?
ME: Thought it is easy to process..(this is a
mistake.. it is an insult to his intelligence to have
said this)... I prepared for the interview this way.
VO: Who told you that? Go to the nut who told you this
and hit him on the head.
ME: (smiled.. diffused tension)..I'll make sure I do
that.
VO: Ok.. so what is ur salary again.
ME: yep. xxxxx rupees.
VO: what do you parents do?
ME: Dad is ... and Mom ...
VO:how much does your dad earn?
ME: (by mistake).. $xxxx but.. my (Again VO
Interrupts..)
VO: Why are you quitting this job now to do a Masters?
ME: I applied for my Masters immediately after my UG
studies.. It was always on the cards that I go and get
a Post graduate degree.. I also needed some experience
in Professionalism.. responsibilty..(VO Interupts..)
VO: Ok. You've got it.
Me: ...ethics.. blah blah.. what?
VO: (looks up and says) You've got it!
Me: (I am relieved) ..OK!!!Thanks a lot!
Sameer
---------------------------------------------
From: "Dr Jaimin M Patel"
Interview Date: 14th June 2005. Time 8:15 am.
GRE: 1930 /2400 TOEFL: 253 /300.
University: MSOE: Milwaukee School of Engineering - Master of
Science in Medical informatics.

Kantibhai or Manibhai') (I am proud
of
being Patel and though there is misconception that Patel's and
Sing's in north are not being given visa, I was very much
confident
that he could not reject my visa, just because I am Patel.).
He continued…….
Mil…wa..uu..keeee…???
Myself: Yes, Sir, I want to go to Milwaukee School of Engineering
for Master of Science in Medical informatics,
VO: Which course?????? (As if he had heard for the first time).
Myself: Master of Science in Medical Informatics.
VO: Okay…..pause (he was looking probably at the bottom of first
page where I had put the remark about all my research work and
highlights.)..he continued…….So, what do you do?
I was just about to speak and he turned the page and looked at the
last page where I mentioned current job as a research assistant
(Pediatrics)..he told "Are you doing research? (I could see a
glitter on his face, he was now interested.)
Myself: Yes, sir I am research assistant to a Neuro-Pediatrician.
VO: What kind of research?
Myself: Sir, I am doing research on child neurological diseases. (I
was thinking that he should stop here and better not ask any further
questions, because I was talking to non medico person and I knew
that the diseases that I am doing research were beyond his scope and
understanding)
VO: (But he continued…………………….) which diseases?
Myself: (It came out spontaneously) Infantile spasm, Moya Moya
disease and Acute disseminated Encephalomyelitis. (Now he was
confused a lot, every word was like magic for him, he didn't get
any
of it.)(I was really worried now; he should stop here and better ask
me any other question.)
VO: He still continued……..Sir, Can you please repeat them?
Myself: IN..FAN..TILE……..SPASM……, (bit l
ouder)….MOYA…………..(he
interrupted)
VO: What is that?
Myself: My patience went away now. I started shooting the answer.
Sir, it is a neurological disease of infant associated with flexor
or extensor spasms, hypsarrythmia on EEG and being treated with
Vigabatrin or ACTH. (He didn't get any single word)
VO: Okay……. okay, what about the other………
Myself: (The hell-in my mind.)…..I started again……Moya Moya
disease-
It is a disease of blood vessels of brain, in which internal
carotid and its branches gets blocked and collaterals develop giving
a smoke of puff appearance in the Radioimaging. The Acute
disseminated encephalomyelitis is inflammation of
brain…………………NOW he
interrupted…….very confused……..
VO: So, sir as I understand, you deal with the Neurological diseases
of childhood…
Myself: Yes sir, (HAVE PACHI KAI PUCHTO NAHI-I uttered this words in
my mind).
Now he started typing…….he must have typed two
lines…….probably that
I am the person dealing with child neurological diseases)
VO: he turned back to me… searched for a form and handed to
me…he
told....Sir, by mistake I was given your application, I am not the
right person to evaluate you, you are highly technically skilled
person and your case will be evaluated by another visa officer.
Please fill this form and be ready with the documents regarding your
research.
Myself: Now it was my turn to get confused………….I had a glance
on the
form…took my file and started leaving…. Came back… and
asked for
pink token….
He told you will be called by your name and you won't require
pink
token now. (I forgot to ask when I will be called)……..now the
tough
time started……

Now, it was my turn,
She waved her hand and I went inside……It was 2:00 pm
Myself: Good Afternoon Mam,
VO: Good Afternoon.
Myself: How are you, Mam?
NO reply,,,,,,pause for 5 sec, She asked my name and went through my
details on her screen and read the remark by previous visa
officer….. I was quiet.
VO: What Kind of research do you do?
Myself: I deal with child neurological diseases.
VO: What particular in the diseases?
Myself: Madam, I am research assistant to neuro-pediatrician, and I
am currently doing research on the clinical aspects of the diseases.
(She was probably aware of such research and nodded positively)
VO: Okay, With whom are you working?
Myself: Dr ***********, She is the leading neuro-pediatrician in my
city.
VO: (She was aware of Neuro pediatrics and left that topic..) She
picked up my form and asked from it…Mil…wa..uu…kee??? She
was
probably not aware of this school.
Myself: yes, mam I want to go to Milwaukee school of Engineering for
Master of Science in Medical informatics.
VO: Why Milwaukee?
Myself: Mam it's a more than 100 years old university which was
established in 1903, and has more than 2300 students enrolled at
present in 16 undergraduate and 6 graduate programs……………..She
interrupted……..
VO: How it will help you?
Myself: ?????????? on my face.
VO: The course…..
Myself: I will be able to make and implement software for the use of
pediatrician.
VO: What?
Myself: I will be able to implement clinical decision support
systems in the software so that it will help the pediatrician to
reach to the diagnosis.
VO: who will utilize it?
Myself: It will be utilized by whole community of pediatricians.
VO: (little pause and then suddenly) What is your birth date?
Myself: (Little surprised) ********** I replied. (I later on
realized that by this time she must have decided to give me visa
since the details on visa stamp have birth-date on it and she
didn't
want to search through my papers to find my birth-date to be filled
in her records.) She typed as I replied…
VO: How you are going to fund your studies?
Myself: Family Funds.
VO: What are your parents?
Myself: My Father is ****** in **********……….pause…..(She
was
expecting details about my mother but I didn't wanted to explain
since she was housewife and her income was in thousands only.)
VO: What is his income?
Myself: **lacks and my family income is ** lacks.
VO: How much liquid fund do you have?
Myself: **lacks.
VO: She was going through my passport….Have you visited any
country?
Myself: NO
VO: Any relatives in US?
Myself: NO
VO: How old are you?
Myself: 27
VO: Are you married? (She was looking at my family details on the
form DS-158)
Myself: NO……(I was expecting another question on this issue..
She
thought for a moment but didn't ask anything).
VO: She spoke quickly…I am granting you visa and you will get
your
passport within two days. She threw my passport on the backside……
Myself: Thank you Mam…
I took my files and went away from there. Once I was out of the
consulate I realized that she didn't ask for any papers or for
that
form that first visa officer gave me, but who cares!!!, I was
granted visa and I was happy.
Out side the consulate literally every body knew me by my name, my
mother had asked every one for me. She was waiting for me since 6
hrs outside. One student told me that "Are you Jaimin?" I
replied
positively and he told-your mother is waiting at the first turn near
the consulate; I thanked him and went there.


---------------------------------------------------------

From: Sravan kumar

GRE : 1260
TOEFL : 237
BTech : 74% (No backlogs)

Applied to :
1) Arizona State University (ASU)
2) University of New Mexico (UNM)
3) Northern Illinois University (NIU)
4) Univ of North Carolina, Charlotte (UNCC)

Admitted:
1)NIU
2)UNCC

remaining 2 are rejects!!!


VO: Hey , How r u?
ME: I'm fine sir

VO: Finger print process
ME: Done

VO: Can i have ur degree certificate?
ME: No sir, I have my marks memos and course
completion certificate. I even have Consolidated
marks memo.
VO: O..that's fine

VO: What's ur %?
ME: 74% with distinction.

VO: what's ur specialization?
ME: Sir, I would like to specialize in systems
programming and assembly language programming.

VO:What made u to chose this speciliazation?
Me:What triggered me to take this speciliazation was a
program which I did in my 3rd year, 1st sem...it
directly interacts with the hardware (suddenly he
interrupted me)
VO : that's it (twice)

VO: There is no additional fee.........Have a nice
trip!
(I gave him a wide smile when he was still continuing
his conversation.)
ME: ThanQ, have a nice weekend sir

Sravan Kumar Chegori
---------------------------------------------
From: Uday Krishna
Uday: Good Afternoon sir.
VO: Good Afternoon. Put your left index finger.
Uday: Is it ok sir?
VO: !@$#%%$^%^&
Uday: Sorry?
VO: Your right index finger now please.
Uday: Sure Sir.
VO: So, Which university are you going?
Uday: North Carolina State University at Raleigh.
VO: Oh!! North Carolina?!?!?!?!?!(I had my heart in my
mouth when he said this. I couldn’t make out whether
he was happy with univ or what?) For which course?
Uday:Sir, for Masters in Civil Engineering with
Transportation Engg. as my specialization.
VO: Was your final year project related to same
specialization? (I was a bit surprised by this
question!!!)
Uday: Yes sir, I have done my final year project in
the same field. It was a project undertaken by
National Highway Authority of India.
VO: Tell me abt your project.
Uday: blah blah blah blah blah!!!!
VO: So, what was the result of your project?
Uday: blah blah blah blah blah!!!!
VO: You will get your visa in 2 days.
Uday: (with a biiiiiiiiiig smile) Thank you sir.

Uday Krishna Maripalli
---------------------------------------------------
From: mohan kumar

visa officer waved me
me: gud afternoon officer
vo:dint reply

vo:which univ
me:umass d (his expressions sugested me as if he was impressed wth the univ)

vo: y that univ
me: said

vo:shoe me ur scores
me:showed

vo : waht u have been doin in all these days
me:completed my b tech

vo:wahts ur percentage
me: said

vo:any backlogs
me:no

vo:show me ur other admits i 20s
me:showed

vo:show me ur memos
me:showed(he dint evn counted it he jus WEIGHED it)

vo:any brotheres and sisters
me:told

vo:what r ur parents
me:before tellig the answere he kept all my documents before me and the passport and the ds forms behind him
god blesss....
----------------------------------------------------
From: Priyadharsini Duraisamy
VO: Which Univs did u apply?
ME: 8 n listed the univ names (To my surprise, the VO just threw the passport backside when i was only telling the 5th univ's name)
VO: How many admits?
ME: 4
VO:What's ur father?
ME: XXXX
VO: What's your brother?
ME: he is studying in UK
VO: so why didn't you opt for UK?
ME: sir my interest is to specialize in blah blah blah
VO: you will get your visa in 3 days by courier
ME: Thank you sir, have a nice weekend


Regards,
Priya
----------------------------------------
From: Vamsee Krishna




VO: Visa-officer

Me: Vamsee



Me: very good afternoon officer … how r u doin?

VO: (he jus nodded his head, I didn’t get wht he meant by that!)



VO: he askd me to giv all my Certificates, GRE, TOEFL to him immediately.

(he was glancing thru those papers suddenly he stopped & turnd to me)



VO: are you having second or first in ur undergraduate.

ME: pardon me sir…

(he then repeated the same words again..)



I thought he was askin my class rank…

ME: I am fourth in my class.

(he was completely puzzled…)



VO: what do u hav in ur undergrad.. whether first or second class????

ME: ohhh sorry sir, mine is Distinction with first class & I never had any backlogs!

(guess he was bit pleased.. then he startd goin thru my GRE & TOEFL cards)

I immediately interrupted him:



ME: sir, do know the specialty of my token number: 286 (my token number)

(opps!, I started biting my tounge… as I really don’t know wht made me ask him this question…)



VO: sorry I donno…

(now I was shivering a bit)



ME: “Sir this 286 is the second biggest number less than 300 which is divisible by 11”

(even a seventh class kid in India knows this… If u know the divisibility criteria for 11 and I found this whn I was waiting for my interview in the lobby)



VO: (he started givin all sorts of facial expressions and started blushing)



VO: itz really great man! I didn’t know



(guess our idiot didn’t really follow wht I told him.. but by the way I told him he felt I have discovered a grt thing that even a grt mathematician like Ramanujam didn’t know!)



(By this time I know, he was in my basket…)



VO: why UNCC?

ME: The course being offered best suits my profile and mainly matches with the groundwork that I did in my under graduation.



VO: which major are you taking?

ME: Wireless Communication & WLANs.



VO: whtz WLANs?

ME: Wireless Local Area Network….



VO: so whtz this?

ME: blah … blah



Q: Why wireless communication?

Me: In my under-graduation I have presented 5 technical papers in this field. I have even undertaken a study project for 2months in BSNL on CDMA & GSM technologies. I have even taken two elective subjects in this regard during my under graduation… namely CMC & Data Networks.





VO: wht was your Academic project about?

(actually I did my project in a Defence Organization on security coding in RADARs, many have advised me not reveal this fact as it could lead me to 221g clause & result in the denial of my VISA.)



So… I cooked up another story which I prepared earlier…



ME: sir I workd on pseudo numbers generation which would reduce the burden on the receiver of the cell-phone & increase the load on the BTS. Blah blah…



(I know he was hardly following anything... but poor fellow was nodding for all the nonsense I was telling him)



By this time he was ready to give me VISA but for formality sake he lastly asked

VO: how are you goin to fund ur education as I see tht u don’t hav funding from the university & the univ fee is too high isn’t it?



ME: sir, as both my parents work (actually my mom is house-wife) & my father is General Manager in BSNL (this fact is true) & hav more than sufficient funds for my education…



VO: ohh! Ur dad shud be earning lotz of money???

ME: we hav more than wht is needed for my edu... (modestly)



VO: “Young man, I really don’t hav any problem in granting you VISA, have a great time in US.”

ME: tanq u sir! … hav a great weekend!



Thtz it, I came out running & I bursted out before my dad with this news who was waiting outside eagerly… then I calld my mom & thn frndzzz….





Some suggestions from my side:

Keep smiling & with some presence of mind you can do wonders I guess!

& don’t loose the confidence level in you…. Keep saying you are the best.



I’m really thankful to god, parents &

lastly but not the least to yahoo groups… without which I might hav never be in a position to face my VISA successfully!



I really thank one & all … who gave their invaluable inputs to me…



I would be glad to help any of you regarding these visa process ... i will try my best to solve them out.



take care.. ciao

Vamsee Krishna
----------------------------------------------------------
From: arun sivadhas

me:good evening,how r u doin
vo:good evenin
vo:wats ur father doin
me:additional director of tamilnadu agricultural dept
vo:which univ
me:univ of new orleans
vo:y dis
me:sum thin like research,prof,technology park.........................usual stuf
vo:who is sponsorin
me:father
vo:wats his income
me:around xx lacks
vo:ok congats,u may leave
arun sivadhas
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: sridhar valluri


. Vo:Next
Me: Crossed yellow line and wished .Good morning mam. How are u?
Vo:No Reply, asked my folder
Me: given

VO: Entered all details
Vo Shall we proceed to Finger prints.first ur left and then right. she scanned my fingers.
VO: Which course are u going for? IN my I-20 they mentioned it as other Engineering.
Me: Masters in Pharmaceutical Technology(I told master of sciences in pharemaceutical technology but actually it is Pharmaceutical engineering..
Vo: What is it.
Me: Explained her about the course for 3 Mins and opportunities after completion and about the proff . She got impressed with my ans.
Vo: U are working in XYz then what is ur role?
Me: Explained abt my role.
Vo: On What drugs have u worked?
Me: Anti Ulcers and anti hart attack(Actually anti Histamine) (Here I have taken some pause.she listened carefully).
Vo: What are ur other admits.
Me: Told, I started with this is the rare course only three univ in US are offering this and told my admits.
Vo:On what drugs do u want to work after completion of ur M.S..
Me: Anti cancer, Anti Aids
Vo: Marks lists.
Me: given.
Vo: Who is sponsoring ur education.
Me: My family.

Vo: What is ur father ?

Me: Agriculturist

Vo: How many acres do u have?

Me told:

Vo: What crops u cultivate?

Me: Commercial crops like turmeric, Red chilli.

Vo: she returned all my marks and I-20 and told u no need to pay fee and u will receive ur visa in two days.(I didn't listen properly).
Me: Thank u ,Have a nice day.
Vo: she is busy with her work.
Me:I collected my docs and asked about fee. They told that there is no fee for F1 Students.

sridhar
------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Malini Chakrabarti

1 do u have any brothers and sisters
2 do u have any backlogs
3 can i see ur undergraduation memos and gre and toefl
4 why do u require this masters
5 what do ur parents do
6 how r they financing u
7 which vehicle do u own
8 when did u buy it
9 VO: how many members r there in ur family
me:4
10 And ur car also has four doors
Malini
---------------------------------------------
From: Pradeep Ramanathan

MY INTERVIEW

VO: Good Mornin sir how re u?
ME: fine thank you how re u doin today...

VO: fine thank you pl keep ur left index finger... & right
ME: (did tht)...

VO: University of missouri kansas city... so why did u choose this univ... what re u goin to do thr... what do u intend to do after after ur ms (he asked all these q's w/o a break!!!)
ME: (what else could i do, I thought for a while nd started...) This univ has a good VLSI course nd the faculty. This is also the best admit among the 4 admits tht I have. (paused cause i forgot what question was next tht he had asked me before) i intend to do my ms in elec engg with spea in vlsi... (vo interrupted me here)

VO: what made u choose vlsi?
ME: some of the subjects related to vlsi interested me in my undergrad like elec circuits, vhdl etc nd it was my proj in my final sem in isro tht i decided to do my masters in vlsi...

VO: show me ur marks cards & gre nd toefl
ME: (gave thm)

VO: who funded ur proj sir?
ME: sir proj was a part of curriculum nd i didnt fund it...(dumb answer)

VO: i understand tht but did the school fund the proj or isro
ME: isro sir

VO:ok pl exp bout ur proj?
ME:told him (it was long nd he had to cut me short)

VO: I see tht u hav received scholarship. do u hav any letter cause i want to see what kind of sch it is nd see wht cond they hav?
ME: sure sir... i hav rec a sch of $7500 (nd gave him the letter)

VO: how re goin to fund the rest the exp which is 13000
ME: sir my hav a personal savings of around 10lacs, 9.72 to be precise. My father IT return is 3.5 nd mother's is 1.5. My father's (cuts me short fr the 2nd time)

VO:ok sir u can go home nd relax. the passport will reach u in 2 days
ME: thank you have a nice day...

Pradeep Ramanathan
-------------------------------------------------------
From: RAKESH VATHSAL

VO: Hi, How are you?
Me: Fine thank u , good morning
VO: Sir, can i have your passport, i20, DS forms
Me: Sure Mam
VO: Sir,So what is the purpose of your trip to United States?
Me: To Pursue my masters in chemical engineering ( She frowned as she heard Chemical)
VO: Which university?
Me: University of Missouri-Rolla
VO: Why you came to New Delhi?
Me: As i was unable to get an appointment in Chennai
VO: Sir,Do u know Chennai is giving Visas easily to students these days?
Me: Mam i am unaware of that
VO: I think it is expensive to come to New Delhi
Me: No Mam, it is affordable
VO: Did U apply to any Indian Universities?
Me: No mam
VO: Sir,Did u appear for any entrance exams in India?
Me: No mam
(Actually i had appeared in GATE and qualified it and have got an admission in BITS-Ranchi, but i hesitated to tell that as i thought at that moment the number of question will increase if i say so and also the fear that she will ask me to study in that univ)
VO: Why didn't u appear Sir?
Me: actually no answer but i tried to pull of some answer and told that the field of specialization which i have taken a lot of advance research is going on in US as compared to india.
VO: Gave a smile
Me: me too
VO: What is the expenditure u are going to inccur during ur stay
Me: I said 13000$ mam ( It was only tution fee)
Vo: Looked into my i20 and said it is 40,000$ on right side which is for 2 years and 21,000$ for a year
Me: yes mam
VO: Sir, who is going to sponser u for ur education?
Me: My Parents mam
Vo: what do they do?
Me: Told her abt my father and mother
Vo: Sir, Can u explain me your financial Documents?
Me: I took out the CA statement and was abt to submit
VO : Said no no i don want to look at them just explain me verbally.
Me: I explained her my fixed deposits, Parents annual income and immovable assets.
Vo: Ok Ok and was typing something in her computer
Me: took a breath
Vo: Did u take any standardized tests?
Me: yes mam
VO: can i have a look at them along with ur undergraduate marks sheets
Me: Gave her GRE, TOEFL and my engineering marks sheets
VO: She took my GRE score card and watched it as we do for a 500 Rupee not in Inida to check whether it is fake or true, then she took my course completion certificate and showed it to the fellow officer, she than saw my consolidated memo and looked at it in utter disbelief.

( Friends i managed to get 97.2% in my final sem and she was not ready to accept it, Which i cud clearly make out)

VO: Sir, can u give me a moment
Me: Sure mam
VO: She took my marks memos some where inside i don't no where but came out after around 10-12 min.
Me: waiting there don't know what is happening. Only thing which was infront of me was a rejection stamp. I wanted to steal it of, so that she doesn't get an opportunity to put it on my passport (hahaha)
VO: She came out finally and asked me, Sir, Did u approach any Visa Vendor?
Me: Did not understand what she meant but got what she wanted to ask said No Mam
Vo: Are You Confident sir?
Me: Yes mam
VO: Took out some yellow form and said sir, we need some more time for processing once it is done the office will u contact you. Untill then u have to wait. And gave me back my passport and i20.
Me: I was in a shock. did not understand what was happening. why she gave me my passport back. whether i am rejected? I came out of the consulate in a utter disbelief of what happened inside.


Rakesh
---------------------------------------------
From: Rayomand


Vo-good morning
Me-good morning sir
Vo- have u ever been to usa (checking my passport)
Me-no
Vo- ever been to foreign country
Me-no
Vo-y this uni
Me-research good, good course, ranked so and so
according to USNEWS.
Vo- research of which prof do u like the most (this
was the common ques asked to guys who said that hey
liked the research at the uni they were going)
Me-gave name of 2 prof
Vo-who will fund u
Me-my parents
Vo-what do they do
Me-………….
Vo-annual income
Me-……………
Vo-can I c this IT papers
Me-sure (showed)
Vo-what exactly does ur father do
Me-………………..
Vo-how many people work under him
Me-……………….
Vo-any sibling
Me-yes one younger bro
Vo- UR VISA IS GRANTED IT WILL BE COURIERED TO U…….
ENJOY UR TRIP
Me-thank you (with a smile)


Tc and wish you all the best
-------------------------------------------------------
From: rahul verma
Subject: FINALLY GOT MY VISA

My profile:

GRE: 1530
TOEFL: 280
ACADS: 66.5%( till 6th sem)
Under Grad: Mumbai University, K.J.Somaiya College
Of Engineering

Admitted to: University Of Arizona
Dept: Electrical & Computer Engineering
Specialization: VLSI



VO: hello, how do you do?

Me: I am fine. Thank you, sir.

VO: have you ever been to US?

Me: no sir.

VO: have you ever traveled outside INDIA?

Me: no sir.

VO: which university have you selected?

Me: University of Arizona.

VO: why?

Me: BLAH BLAH ………

VO: any professor over there whose work excites you?

Me: Prof. AHMED LOUHRI who is teaching subjects in
VLSI and COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE.

VO: any research facilities or labs that you are
particularly interested in?

Me: sir, there is this XYZ lab undertaking research in
HIGH SPEED COMPUTING………( blah blah).

VO: (looking at my I-20 and smiling) your university
has offered you a scholarship of $100?

Me: (smiling back) yes sir.

VO: how will you sustain yourself?

Me: my parents have saved enough in their savings and
FDs to fund me for my education in USA.

VO: what does your father do?

Me: he is the Assistant commissioner of Income Tax

VO: what is his annual income?

Me: my PARENTS annual income is Rs.XY lacs and my
uncle, who is also sponsoring me, has an annual income
of Rs. ZX lacs. So the total annual income comes to
about Rs.XYZ lacs.

VO: what does your uncle do?

Me: he has retired.

VO: do you have any relatives in USA?

Me: no.

VO: do you have any brothers or sisters?

Me: yes sir, a sister.

VO: what is she doing?

Me: she is doing her MBBS at XYZ college in INDIA?

VO: so when does she plan to go to USA?

Me: (surprised) she hasn’t made any such plans as of
now?

VO: Rahul, what are you doing right now?

Me: I have just appeared for my final year
examination.

VO: who is favorite Prof. here?

Me: (surprised again) Mrs. XYZ.

VO: what degree will you get here in INDIA?

Me: sir, Bachelor of Engineering in ELECTRONICS.

VO: sir, your passport will be COURIERED to you
tomorrow along woth your VISA. Have a nice day.

Me: (relieved like hell) THANKS A LOT SIR.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: santosh balaji
Subject: GOT MY VISA.......





PLACE UR LEFT AND RIGHT INDEX FINGER
WHAT IS UR NAME
.....
WHEN R U GRADUATING

SHOW ME UR SEM MARKSHEET , GRE , TOEFL
WHATS UR FATHER
WHATS UR BROTHER

U WILL GET UR VISA IN 3 DAYS

---------------------------------------------------------
From: adel malek



My profile:

GRE 1410

TOEFL 293

PhD in Moleular and Cellular Biology

Dartmouth College

Scholarship 31,771$, Assistantship 23,000$

Birth Place: Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Family: Father working in Saudi since 1979

Prior research: Microbial Pathogenesis
WHOA!!!!!! Research in microbiology, a Saudi born guy going there every year since 1993 and now wants to do PhD. …….A perfect example of a type of case that starts ringing alarm bells.

So here's how my interview went about.

Venue: Bombay Consulate
Time: 2:15 (BadTime)…..Opt for a 8:15 time if possible, I guess that’s a much better time
Token no.322, 323 , 245, 298 ...Come to Counter 8
Counter 8.....

The VO- A stocky lady with specs, Brown hair, Maybe Indian .....Maybe spanish... Wierd expression. licking her fingers, eating food and grilling ppl.

3 f1 ppl b4 me in the queue, 2 visitors.
First- Girl...very badly dressed up....Blah blah blah, my parents workin 4 20 years.....Rejected
Second- Guy.....Badly dressed, oiled hair...Blah Blah Blah....reject
Third- Guy...... Reject
Man, this lady was rejecting ppl in a jiffy......Wat the hell is goin on.......This is not wat i had expected....PPl were getting royally screwed here..
.Man things were differnt here, the vos were not givin visa in 2 mins.....everybody ws grilled for 15 minutes..visitors included.
A guy behind me is like- What the *#@! Is that stupid &*^%) doing?.
I tell him to shut the hell up and keep smiling.
Now visitors
Old lady- my son is there ...here is her daughters photograph,,……abe chalo ay khatam karo....Accepted
One more couple....accepted
Well now me, kept a straight face, dint budge and looked straight into her eyes………..Abe sallaa apan kaa bad luckij kharab he...ye kahaan se aaye he...sab kee bajaa rahee he (Paoon ke niche zameen hil rahee he ) Calls me.... I give her my biggest smile....
Me: Hello Mam, How are you doin 2day
VO1: Fine (Smile)...Phew…..15 minute me pehlee bar haseee
VO1: ur pink token....
me: here u go
VO1:i dont have ur app...Go to Counter 6, (with a big smile)......Thank God yeh rakshas se bacche
Counter No:6
VO2 grilling a guy on H1 for 15 minutes

Suddenly.....Mr Adel...Token No 298...Come to counter no. 4
There she was, a cute lady, dirty blonde haired and sweet...ACTUAL INTERVIEW STARTS
Me: Hello mam, how r u doing 2 day with my biggest smile ever
VO3: Great Adel..... So u r goin to dartmouth for a PhD in Biochemistry
(sees my fellowship and assistantship.......Looks slightly impressed)
Me: ( Bad Question) No mam, actually cell and Mol Bio
VO3: but ur I-20 says so….
Me: Yeah, coz its from a dropdown list. I already inquired regarding the same with the international admissions office
VO: (Looks at my passport)….Hmmm, born in Saudi Arabia (turns several pages) Saudia, saudia , saudia. How long have u been there?
Me: Oh mam, very long ( super confidently.....Phat rahee thee phir bhee)
VO: tell me abt it.

Me: blah blah blah
VO: wats with the special relationship with saudia…..
Me: my dad stays there
Vo: Wat does he do
Me: he is a financial analyst in a leading trading company ( sounds better than an accountant
VO: so wat have u been doing this past year, any research?
Me: nope teaching at an international education center…….GRE AND sat verbal
VO: have u had any research experience

Me: ( trying to avoid this question, coz then ur case is put under pending- 221 G especially if ur subject of research falls under The technology alert list)
……Yes , was a part of project on Mycobacterium tuberculosis at CDFD, Hyderabd during my masters’. (project was actually on the org. pathogenesis)

VO: wat?
Me: TB TB… The biggest problem in India….Do you wanaa know abt it.
VO: yeah
Me: Therapy….bullshit………drug resistance….novel drug targets……
VO: Ok Ok , u will get ur passport in 2 days.
Me ( totally expecting the 221 G form- either coz of saudia Arabia or due to research)
Whoa….have I got it
VO: yes
Me: ( ab to hero banne kaa naa) Its been a pleasure talking to u mam…bye…and start rushing b4 she cud change her mind
Vo: hold on Buddy, Ur I-20 Uneed this..
Me: ok Thanx again….( and hope to nvr evr c u again)




HELLO, HOW WAS YOUR DAY
WHAT VISA ARE YOU SEEKING
WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO
WHAT IS YOUR PASSPORT NUMBER
WHAT PROGRAM
WHY THIS UNIVERSITY
LENGTH OF YOUR PROGRAM
DO YOU INTEND TO GET YOUR VISA EXTENDED
DETAILS OF YOUR PROGRAM
WHY DON’T YOU DO THE SAME IN INDIA
WHO IS GOING TO FUND YOUR STUDY
HAVE YOU CONTACTED ANY PROFESSORS, WHY
HOW MANY COLLEGES DID YOU APPLY TO
WHY THESE PLACES
ACCEPTANCES AND REJECTS
TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT THE PLACE YOU ARE GOING TO
WHO GAVE U INFO ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
HOW DO YOU GET TO THIS UNIVERSITY
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
WHERE IS DARTMOUTH LOCATED
WILL YOU BE ABLE TO BEAR THE COLD
WHAT IS YOUR REPORTING DATE
WHAT SUBJECTS WILL YOU BE LEARNING
WHO WILL BE YOU RESEARCH ADVISOR AND HAVE YOU DECIDE ON YOUR RESEARCH THESIS AS YET
YOU PASSED OUT A YEAR AGO, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE AND WHY DINT YOU APPLY EARLIER
WHY US
DO YOU KNOW ANYONE STUDYING AT THE UNIVERSITY
WHAT ARE YOUR GRE AND TOEFL SCORES
WHEN DID YOU TAKE YOUR TOEFL AND GRE
WHY DO YOU HAVE A LOWER SCORE IN ANLYTICAL SECTION AS COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE SECTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
WHAT IS YOUR TUTION FEE AND LIVING EXPENSES
WHO IS GOING TO FUND YOU
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DOLLARS YOU CAN TAKE TO US/ YEAR
WHAT’S THE MASCOT OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
WHAT IS THE WEBSITE OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
WHOSE WORK ARE YOU INTERESTED AT DARTMOUTH
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO MEET AT DARTMOUTH
WHAT COURSES DO YOU INTEND TO TAKE
EXPLAIN A BIT ABOUT YOUR GRADUATE FIELD OF STUDY
YOUR FAVOURITE NOVELIST
WHERE WERE YOU BORN
HAVE YOU BEEN ABROAD, IF SO WHY?
YOUR DAD HAS BEEN ABROAD FOR A VERY LONG TIME, I BELIEVE EVEN YOU WILL EVENTUALLY SETTLE ABROAD
WHAT IS VISA
WHAT DOES YOUR FATHER DO
WHAT IS YOUR FATHERS ANNUAL INCOME
WHAT DOES YOUR MOTHER DO
WHAT ARE THE BIRTHDATES/AGES OF YOU FATHER / MOTHER / SISTER?
WHERE DID YOUR PARENTS STUDY
SINCE HOW LONG IS YOU FATHER WORKING
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LIQUID ASSETS
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR IMMOVABLE ASSETS
WHAT ARE YOUR LONG TERM INTERESTS / OR / WHAT WILL YOU DO AFTER THE COMPLETION OF YOUR STUDY
YOU HAVE DONE YOUR BACHELORS AND MASTERS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, WHY SHIFT TO MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY NOW?
ISN’T THE SAME DEGREE OFFERED IN INDIA
WHY WILL YOU RETURN TO INDIA AND ON RETURNING WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS
I HAVE BEEN HEARING THAT FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS. WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU
GIVE ATLEAST THREE REASONS TO BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL COME BACK TO INDIA AFTER COMPLETION OF YOUR STUDIES
WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE?
DO YOU PLAN TO WORK?
ANY SIBLINGS? WHAT DOES SHE DO?
WHAT IF THEY WANT TO STUDY ABROAD
WHAT IF U SETTLE THERE
U R SINGLE, WHAT IF YOU FIND A COMPANION THERE AND WISH TO SETTLE DOWN?
WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR DEGREE
WHERE HAVE U BEEN EDUCATED?
ANY PRIOR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
WHY SHOULD I GIVE YOU VISA
DO YOU HAVE ANY FRIENDS OR RELATIVES IN THE US
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT AMERICAS ECONOMY
WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERSTS APART FROM ACADEMICS
HOW HAVE THE JOB PROSPECTS OF DARTMOUTH STUDENTS BEEN
I THINK YOU ARE A POTENTIAL IMMIGRANT AND WONT BE COMING BACK TO INDIA
HOW MANY YEARS WORK EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO THE US
HAVE YOUR PARENTS BEEN TO THE US





PPL DOING RESEARCH:

Well if u r doing research and ur work falls under TAL_ technology alert list, u can get into trouble…as ur visas mit be delayed…..Be careful…u maybe asked to fill up one form . I m sending it as an attachment and heres the technology alert list also:



TECHNOLOGY ALERT LIST:

This is the list of application considered as sensitive and if u r going for that u can be a 221 g case and your visa can be put on hold for furthur inqury.......

TAB A - CRITICAL FIELDS LIST
-----------------------------
A. CONVENTIONAL MUNITIONS: Technologies associated with:
-- Warheads and other large caliber projectiles
-- Reactive armor and warhead defeat systems
-- Fusing and arming systems.
-- Electronic countermeasures and systems
-- New or novel explosives and formulations
-- Automated explosive detection methods and equipment
B. NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY: Technologies associated with production and use
of nuclear material for both peaceful and military applications.
Included are technologies for:
-- Enrichment of fissile material
-- Reprocessing irradiated nuclear fuel to recover produced plutonium
-- Production of heavy water for moderator material
-- Plutonium and tritium handling
Also, certain associated technologies related to nuclear physics
and/or nuclear engineering. Includes materials, equipment or
technology associated with:
-- Power reactors, breeder and production reactors
-- Fissile or special nuclear materials
-- Uranium enrichment, including gaseous diffusion, centrifuge,
aerodynamic, chemical, Electromagnetic Isotopic Separation (EMIS),
Laser Isotope Separation (LIS)
-- Spent fuel reprocessing, plutonium, mixed oxide nuclear research
Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF)
-- Magnetic confinement fusion
-- Laser fusion, high power lasers, plasma,
-- Nuclear fuel fabrication including Mixed Oxide (uranium-plutonium)
fuels (MOX)
-- Heavy water production
-- Tritium production and use
-- Hardening technology
C. ROCKET SYSTEMS (including ballistic missile systems, space launch
vehicles and sounding rockets) and Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV)
(including cruise missiles, target drones, and reconnaissance drones):
Technologies associated with rocket systems and UAV systems. The
technology needed to develop a satellite launch vehicle is virtually
identical to that needed to build a ballistic missile.
D. ROCKET SYSTEM AND UNMANNED AIR VEHICLE (UAV) SUBSYSTEMS:
Propulsion technologies include solid rocket motor stages, and liquid
propellant engines. Other critical subsystems include re-entry
vehicles, guidance sets, thrust vector controls and warhead safing,
arming and fusing. Many of these technologies are dual-use.
Technologies include:
-- Liquid and solid rocket propulsion systems
-- Missile propulsion and systems integration
-- Individual rocket stages or staging/separation mechanism
-- Aerospace thermal (such as superalloys) and high-performance
structures
-- Propulsion systems test facilities
E. NAVIGATION, AVIONICS AND FLIGHT CONTROL USEABLE IN ROCKET SYSTEMS
AND UNMANNED AIR VEHICLES (UAV): These capabilities directly determine
the delivery accuracy and lethality of both unguided and guided
weapons. The long-term costs to design, build and apply these
technologies have been a limiting proliferation factor. Technologies
include those associated with:
-- Internal navigation systems
-- Tracking and terminal homing devices
-- Accelerometers and gyroscopes
-- Rocket and UAV and flight control systems.
-- Global Positioning System (GPS)
F. CHEMICAL, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING: The technology
used to produce chemical and biological weapons is inherently
dual-use. The same technologies that could be applied to develop and
produce chemical and biological weapons are used widely by civilian
research laboratories and industry; these technologies are relatively
common in many countries. Advanced biotechnology has the potential to
support biological weapons research. In the biological area, look for
interest in technologies associated with:
-- Aerobiology (study of microorganisms found in the air or in aerosol
form)
-- Biochemistry
-- Pharmacology
-- Immunology
-- Virology
-- Bacteriology
-- Mycology
-- Microbiology
-- Growth and culturing of microorganisms
-- Pathology (study of diseases)
-- Toxicology
-- Study of toxins
-- Virulence factors
-- Genetic engineering, recombinant DNA technology
-- Identification of nucleic acid sequences associated with
pathogenecity
-- Freeze-drying (lyophilization)
-- Fermentation technology
-- Cross-filtration equipment
-- High "DOP-rated filters" (e.g., HEPA filters, ULPA filters)
-- Microencapsulation
-- Aerosol sprayers and technology, aerosol and aerosolization
technology
-- Spray or drum drying technology
-- Milling equipment or technology intended for the production of
micron-sized particles
-- Technology for eliminating electrostatic charges of small particles
-- Flight training
-- Crop-dusting, aerosol dissemination
-- Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology
-- Fuses, detonators, and other munitions technology
-- Submunitions technology
-- Computer modeling of dissemination or contagion
-- Chemical absorption (nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) protection)
In the chemical area, look for:
-- Organo-phosphate chemistry
-- Neurochemistry
-- Chemical engineering
-- Chemical separation technology
-- Pesticide production technology
-- Pharmaceutical production technology
-- Chemical separation technology
-- Toxicology
-- Pharmacology
-- Neurology
-- Immunology
-- Detection of toxic chemical aerosols
-- Chemical absorption (Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) protection)
-- Production of glass-lined steel reactors/vessels, pipes, flanges,
and other equipment
-- Aerosol sprayers and technology
-- Flight training
-- Crop-dusting, aerosol dissemination
-- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology
-- Fuses, detonators, and other munitions technology
-- Submunitions technology
-- Computer modeling of dissemination
G. REMOTE SENSING, IMAGING AND RECONNAISSANCE: Satellite and aircraft
remote sensing technologies are inherently dual-use; increasingly
sophisticated technologies can be used for civilian imagery projects
or for military and intelligence reconnaissance activities. Drones and
remotely piloted vehicles also augment satellite capabilities.
Key-word associated technologies are:
-- Remote sensing satellites
-- High resolution multi-spectral, electro-optical and radar
data/imagery
-- Imagery instruments, cameras, optics, and synthetic aperture radar
systems
-- Ground receiving stations and data/image processing systems
-- Photogrammetry
-- Imagery data and information products
-- Piloted aircraft
-- Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV)
-- Remotely-piloted vehicles; and drones
H. ADVANCED COMPUTER/MICROELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY: Advanced computers
and software play a useful (but not necessarily critical) role in the
development and deployment of missiles and missile systems, and in the
development and production of nuclear weapons. Advanced computer
capabilities are also used in over-the-horizon targeting, airborne
early warning targeting, Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) processors.
These technologies are associated with:
-- Supercomputing, hybrid computing
-- Speech processing/recognition systems
-- Neural networks
-- Data fusion
-- Quantum wells, resonant tunneling
-- Superconductivity
-- Advance optoelectronics
-- Acoustic wave devices,
-- Superconducting electron devices
-- Flash discharge type x-ray systems
-- Frequency synthesizers
-- Microcomputer compensated crystal oscillators
I. MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY: The metallic, ceramic and composite materials
are primarily related to structural functions in aircraft, spacecraft,
missiles, undersea vehicles, and propulsion devices. Polymers provide
seals and sealants for containment of identified fluids and lubricants
for various vehicles and devices. High density graphite is used in
missile nosetips, jet vanes and nozzle throats. Selected specialty
materials (i.e., stealth and the performance of these materials)
provide critical capabilities that exploit electromagnetic absorption,
magnetic, or superconductivity characteristics. These technologies are
associated with:
-- Advanced metals and alloys
-- Non-composite ceramic materials
-- Ceramic, cermet, organic and carbon materials
-- Polymeric materials
-- Synthetics fluids
-- Hot isostatic
-- Densifications
-- Intermetallic
-- Organometals
-- Liquid and solid lubricant
-- Magnetic metals and superconductive conductors
J. INFORMATION SECURITY: Technologies associated with cryptography and
cryptographic systems to ensure secrecy for communications, video,
data and related software.
K. LASER AND DIRECTED ENERGY SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY: Lasers have critical
military applications, including incorporation in guided ordinance
such as laser guided bombs and ranging devices. Directed energy
technologies are used to generate electromagnetic radiation or
particle beams and to project that energy on a specific target.
Kinetic energy technologies are those used to impart a high velocity
to a mass and direct it to a target. Directed energy and kinetic
energy technologies have potential utility in countering missiles and
other applications. Look for technologies associated with:
-- Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS)
-- Molecular Laser Isotope Separation (MLIS)
-- High Energy Lasers (HEL) (i.e., laser welders)
-- Low Energy Lasers (LEL)
-- Semiconductor lasers
-- Free electron lasers
-- Directed Energy (DE) systems
-- Kinetic Energy (KE) systems
-- Particle beam, beam rider, electromagnetic guns,
Optoelectronics/electro-optics (Europe)
-- Optical tracking (i.e., target designators)
-- High energy density
-- High-speed pulse generation, pulsed power
-- Hypersonic and/or hypervelocity
-- Magnetohydrodynamics
L. SENSORS AND SENSOR TECHNOLOGY: Sensors provide real-time
information and data, and could provide a significant military
advantage in a conflict. Marine acoustics is critical in
anti-submarine warfare; gravity meters are essential for missile
launch calibration. Look for technologies associated with:
-- Marine acoustics
-- Optical sensors
-- Night vision devices, image intensification devices
-- Gravity meters
-- High speed photographic equipment
-- Magnetometers
M. MARINE TECHNOLOGY: Marine technologies are often associated with
submarines and other deep submersible vessels; propulsion systems
designed for undersea use and navigation and quieting systems are
associated with reducing detectability and enhancing operations
survivability. Look for technologies connected with:
-- Submarines and submersibles
-- Undersea robots
-- Marine propulsion systems
-- Signature recognition
-- Acoustic and non-acoustic detection
-- Acoustic, wake, radar and magnetic signature reduction
-- Magnetohydrodynamics
_ Stirling engines and other air independent propulsion systems
N. ROBOTICS: Technologies associated with:
-- Artificial intelligence
-- Automation
-- Computer-controlled machine tools
-- Pattern recognition technologies.
O. URBAN PLANNING: Expertise in construction or design of systems or
technologies necessary to sustain modern urban societies. (PLEASE
NOTE: Urban Planning may not fall under the purview of INA section 212
(a)(3)(a), U.S. technology transfer laws, or any other U.S. law or
regulation. However, Urban Planning is a special interest item and
posts are requested to refer such visa application requests to
CA/VO/L/C for further review.) Look for technologies/skills associated
with:
-- Architecture
-- Civil engineering
-- Community development
-- Environmental planning
-- Geography
-- Housing
-- Landscape architecture
-- Land use and comprehensive planning
-- Urban design





WISH EVERYBODY A GOOD LUCK



REGARDS,

MALEK ADEL
----------------------------------------------------------
From: sahil shah


V: hopw r u?

M: i m fien what @ u>?

V: good

V: which course in usc?

M: m.s. in mechanical engineering

V: whor r going to sponcering u?

M: my family

V: who in family

M: i said

V: wahts ur family income?

M: i said

V u will get ur pass port through courier


sa_mech@yahoo.com
---------------------------------------
From: sharat chandra
VO:blonde,about 27yrs old,chubby chubby,good
smile,good eyes

the interview went this way

good morning officer(at the same time)
vo:ok,good morning,how are you(she is always smilig)
me:i am fine thank you.
vo:so,wat specialization?
me:micro electronics(stuttering,abba jabba dabba)
vo:wat made u take this course?
me(i prepared a lot to answer this Q,but evrythin
blank as soon u see in her beautiful eyes and speak)
again answered in the worst english i could spk
VO:ok.who is sponsering?
me:my parents
vo:how?
me:told them
vo:show me ur memos.
me:while givin memos,i told her my percentage and
first class and distinction.
vo:thts wonderful.
me:thnk u.
vo:u r free to fly to US.
me:thnk u officer.

--------------------------------------------------------
From: Praha

VO : Summoned me
VO : Hi ! How r u?
Me : Yeah Fine, thanks. How about u?
VO : Fine. thanks
VO : Please give me the passport containing
folder. (TTS Folder)
Me : Passed it on
VO : Now place your left index finger.....now
place right index finger
Me : did so
VO : So why univ of *****?
Me : I'm in correspondence with a prof there
for 6 months and she advised me to apply there
VO : hmm....good
Me : Where is ur brother?
VO : ******* sir....Univ of *******,*****.
ME : oh. great
VO : So ur parents r gonna sponsor for both of
u?
ME : No sir....my bro has his own scholarship
and i've my own.
VO : Show me the letter.
ME : Forwarded the offer letter.
VO : hmm ok.
VO : So what u r gonna do there in US?
ME : I'll be doing cancer research sir.....my
area of interest is structural biology.
VO : (not convinced)
ME : I'll be solving the structures of
proteins, nucleic acids and will be predicting the
possible drug targets to design drugs based on that
info for curing cancer. (MY BIGGEST MISTAKE)
VO : (got-up from his chair and went inside)
ME : (Wondering what is happening)
VO : (He came back and stamped something at
the last page of my passport)
ME : (Lost all hopes)
VO : gave me a form stating that my visa have
been refused under section 221(g)
ME : (Shocked, Thinking itz a rejection as
potential immigrant)
ME : Sir, May i know the reason for this?
VO : hmmmmmmmmmmmmm Sorry, I can't say that.
ME : sir......i can prove my ties.
VO : Pardon
ME : I can prove my ties.
VO : sir, hope u didn't get me....
VO : I'm granting u a visa, thatzy i'm having
ur passport.
ME : Oh ! Thanks sir. (smiling)
ME : Sir...but what this form is for?
VO : That u've to prepare the details and
email to the address mentioned.
ME : oh! Itz ok sir.
ME : i read somewhere that people doing
sensitive research are given some extra form to
fill-in.... is this form for that reason? ....sir
VO : u've a pretty good organ here (his finger
pointing his head).....brain
ME : (Wondering whether that is YES or NO)
VO : So when u r planning to reach
US.....seeing the DS forms.
ME : August First week, sir.
VO : Oh....u won't have any problem
then.....(meaning, u'll get ur visa within that)
ME : ok sir.
VO : gud luck.
ME : Thank you sir.
VO : (Smiling)
ME : Have a great weekend sir.
VO : (still smiling)


Biology is the only science in which multiplication means the same thing as division.
-------------------------------------------------
From: "shivz_inn"

why montana state univ
wht do u wanna splize in
how did u kno abt msu
how ru gonna finace ur studies
wht do ur parents do
how much do they earn
wht r their savings
can i hav ur academic record
can i hav ur gre toelf score cards
wht was ur final yr project
wht was ur part
why did u select this project
how many students in ur class
how many applied to US
why didn the otherz apply (here i was very worked up; but still calm)
how long has ur sister been working (my sis works in calif)
where is she workin
did she go2 a US school as well (she did her ms frm oklahoma state
univ)
why didn u select osu
did she select the school for u
how did u kno abt msu(again; mera dimak fira)
is she gonna sponsor u
y not
wht will u do after masterz

adioz shiv.
--------------------------------------------------------
From: arun viswes

me : hello, gud afternoon, how r u? ( note: no sirs madams or officers)

vo: gud how r u

me :fine

vo: (looking at my application) so u hav bachelors in engg.

me : yes .

vo: mm so wat do u wanna do?

me: do my masters in EE and specialize in wireless communication.

vo: why wireless communication?

me: communication essentially brings ppl virtually closer, and wireless communication is relatively hassle free. in times of disasters u need fast communication for relief n rehablitation.

vo : so u wanna help ppl.. mm..

me : yes sure , if i get a chance.

vo why do u want to go to ASU

me : two reasons, they hav a forum named connection-one which does exclusive research in wireless communication, n two , the climate there is very similar that in chennai, so no problems in adapting.

vo: wats ur father doin?

me : govt of tamilnadu. adt supdt.

vo : who is goin to fund u?

me : my dad.

vo : wats ur bro doin ?

me : doin his twelfth in chennai.

vo : so wat r his plans?

me: hes playing cricket n wants to pursue a career in cricket.

vo : ok i'm giving u visa,u'll get ur PP in two days, enjoy ur stay in the US.

me : bbye hav a gud day mam.

cheers arun
--------------------------------------------------
From: prashanti frisky

me: goodmorning mam.
VO: good morning how r u?
me: im good, hope u r fine
gave my passport , ds forms n i20
VO: why did u come to delhi instead of going to chennai
me: gave the answer...
VO: why do u want to go for MHA
me: answered...........
VO: i suspect u to go for steps and clinical medicine in usa
me: answered
VO: do u have any evidence why u want to go for MHA?
me: answered she asked me this question thrice for which i dint carry any evidence. i thought it was risky. this moment i thought i would be rejected. but stood with confidence.
VO: do u have any clinical exposure in health care administration?
me answered n gave my memos
she went through them for quite a long time
VO: any additional tests
me: gave my gre n toefl cards.
VO; what all univ have u applied to?
me: answered.
VO: what r ur plans after 2 years
me : would come back to india and work in a hospital
VO: she was typing something on the computer.
u got to complete ur course
me:yes mam , i will surely do that
VO: dint answer was typing, finally said enjoy ur trip to USA all the best
thanks for all the info that i could get from the groups. thanks for the moderator
--------------------------------------------------------
From: Krithivasan Suriyanarayanan

VO : Hello...good evening and how do u do?
ME : Hello Sir..good Eve..ya am very fine and how do u
do?
VO : Am doin very fine and finger prints please...
ME : (Kept my fingers over the red light)
VO : So why this specialisation Signal Processing..?
ME : I did my final year UG project in Signal
processing..so i 've a strong exposure to the
fundamentals and basics of SP...
VO : Good...so wats Signal Processing..?
ME : (jus told him two short and crisp technical lines
about SP)
VO : hmmm...so where do u find urself in two years..?
ME : Will find a very good job in India as the demand
for Bio Med engineers and graduates are so high
here...(and told him two very convincing reasons for
justifying my point...)
VO : (He interrupted me when i was about to finish my
previous answer)Score cards plz...?
ME : sure sir..(gave him my sem sheets and gre and
toefl score cards)
VO : wats ur average in UG..?
ME : 72% wit no backlogs..
VO : oh 72%...and no backlogs..!! great!!
(i was jus wondering why he was appreciating me for my
72% aggreagate)
(and he dint even see my gre and toefl score
cards..jus passed me those along wit the sems sheets)
VO : ok sir..ur visa is granted...enjoy at US and go
home happily now..u'll get ur visa in two days thro
courier.. and all the best for ur career...
ME : (i was jus keepin my sheets bac in the file..)
thnak u sir..thanks a lot...

Krithivasan.S
----------------------------------------------------
From: aparna venkataswamy
me: good afternoon mam
vo: pass the folder.. (no reaction.. gave the
finger prints)
vo:why this univ?
me: m started with my seniors..(not yet completed)
vo: everybody giving the same answer. ur chance of
refusal..
me: mam i didnt complete yet.. i met the dean of the
univ.... in his trip....got 85%
vo:which school? shoe the score report..
me: showed...
vo: graduated in 2004.. what u did one yr?
me: told abt my final yr project.. an enhanced
implementation of that another project and training
too
vo: what after MS?
me: got wide scope forapplications of my
specilaization in india.. eg........blah...
vo: who sponsors?
me: uncle and mom
vo: uncle in US?
me: no in india
vo: any siblings in US
me : no..
Vo: ok u will get ur visa within 2 days..
me : thank u mam..
------------------------------------------------------------
From: Nikhil Pradhan

VO was middle aged lady, and smiled looking at me.

Me: Good morning officer!(Gave the pink token)
VO: (Smiling while searching for my yellow packet, I was out of
turn)Good Morning, How r u today?
Me: I am fine thank you mam, how abt u ?
VO: yeah I was fine, but a bit tired now, u know I have already
interviewed almost 15 people already.
(We both exchange smiles)
VO: so u r Mr. Pradhan?
Me: Yes mam(looks at & smiles again)
VO: u are going to Monmouth Univ? since when did it become a univ, it
was a college?
Me: mam, it started off as a college during the great depression, but
was upgraded to a univ soon after. In fact it is a very old
university.
VO: (Looks at me and smiles again) yeah, old just like me.
(again both of us have a laugh)

VO: Have u completed ur undergraduation?
Me: Yes mam, I have completed my Bachelor of Engg in Electronics &
Telecomm last year from Pune univ.
VO: Can u show me some proof, that u have completed it?
Me: Mam, I can show u my Degree certificate and Passing Certificate,
Can I show it to u?
(VO nods at me, then she starts staring at her monitor, I remove the
two docs swiftly and pass it to her. She keeps staring at her monitor,
does not even look at the docs, and asks me to keep them inside )

VO: U have ur elder brother in the US?(Just then one of the visa
officers calls out the token numbers so could not hear her properly)
ME: pardon me Mam, can u please repeat?
VO: VO: U have ur elder brother in the US?
ME: Mam, I have my elder sister in the US.
VO: (Starts looking at my DS forms) oh yes, what does she do there?
Me: Mam she went on H4 , and now she has H1.
VO: Where does she stay? (continuously staring at me.)
ME: Mam, Edison in New Jersey
VO: New Jersey isn't it? (Starts laughing, my univ is also in NJ, I
start blushing)
VO: who is sponsoring u?
Me: My father
VO: What does he do?
Me: he is …………………………………
VO: (With a very serious face) Alright Nikhil, I am granting u the
visa.(Returns my I20, and keeps everything else with her)
ME: (confused) Thank you Very much mam, is there any thing else that I
need to do?
VO: (Smiles again)Yeah, u have to go out, throw a party for ur friends
and have a blast.
ME: Thank you mam.
(She signals to the next guy.)

That was my interview, and I took a taxi back to the lounge with my
friends, and was in the lounge at 9:40 am
Nikhil
--------------------------------------------
From: kinnu reddy
Me:How r u,Sir?
VO:Im fine,thank u,how r u?
VO:Which univ?
Me:Univ of North Texas
VO:where at oaklahama??
Me:no Sir,at Denton
VO:where is Denton?
Me:near DALLAS sir,to the north west of dallas on the
map
VO:why Denton?
Me:there r 3 professors specializing in DBMS which is
my area of interest.
VO:There r may prof. specializing in DBMS all over US
Me:But,i did not get a favorable response from da
professors of other univ,nd the prof.s in UNT promised
to help meout.
VO:How many admits?
Me:ive applied to six univ,got 6 admits
Vo:show me ur score cards,u have a better score than
other people here
Me:(I was da fifth in da line nd he rejected 3 of
em).Thank you sir(BTW my GRE is 1210 nd TOEFL is 273)
VO:Show me ur marksheets of undergraduate,ne backlogs?
Me:(Showed him)no sir i dont have ne.(i have 71%).
VO:u r da first person today without backlogs.
VO:tell me abt ur family
Me:told him(My mother is an assoc prof in chemistry)
VO:why dint u take up chemistry
Me:i wasnt interested in chemistry.nd im good at
mathematics nd was interested in computers because of
its numerous applications.
VO:ne siblings?
Me:told him
Vo:wat do u think?
Me:abt wat sir(lol)
Vo:abt ur visa,is there nething which u want to tell
me
Me:Sir,do u like see da salary stmts of my parents?
VO:no,is there nething dat u can say,which will let me
give u da VISA
Me:ive said everything sir,nothing else
VO:i put u thru,bcos u r da best student so far.ALL
THE BEST
Me:thank u sir,have a nice day


Shashi Kiran Reddy
------------------------------------------------------------
From: "dearkalyan36"

My profile:

ACADS: First Class
GRE: V 570, Q 670, and A 460
TOEFL: 263
Experience: 17 months as cad/cam engineer
Backlogs: 16. (I was absent for all 16 exams)

I was rejected a couple of time in June and Oct 2003.

I got counter no 7. (VO was very calm, no smile on his face, taking
at least 8 - 10 min for each candidate and rejecting 6 out of 10. I
thought, "It would be difficult to get my visa".)

My interview:

Me: Good morning sir.
Vo: good morning.

Vo: So you want to go University of Louisville
Me: Yes sir.

(Asked me to adjust mike and he also changed settings of volume etc)

Vo: what is your program?
Me: Master of Science in Mechanical engineering with specialization
in Finite Element Analysis.

Vo: what is that?
Me: (I repeated Finite Element Analysis)

Vo: Can u explain about this?
Me: Finite Element Analysis is a computer based numerical technique
for calculating strength and behavior of an engineering structure.
Suppose, if we want to design a new car model, using finite element
analysis we can analyze how the new model is working and different
loading conditions i.e. at different speeds. (He was listening
carefully and looking in to my eyes). With finite element analysis
we can improve the efficiency of the model with out making its
prototype.

(He suddenly turned and started typing in the computer.)

Vo: So what were you doing?
Me: I am working as a CAD/CAM engineer at Ramakrishna Turbo
engineers (p) Ltd.

Vo: what will they manufacture?
Me: Blades for Steam and gas turbines.

Vo: Do you have experience certificate?
Me: yes sir

Vo: Give it to me
Me: sure sir (He typed something in the computer by seeing my
experience certificate)

(After about 30- 40 sec he asked me)

Vo: are u rejected before?
Me: Yes sir, in June 2003 and Oct 2003 (With smile on my face).

(He checked my passport last page)

Vo: why you didn't bring your provisional at that time? (Some
comments were written by the previous VO who rejected my application
in Oct 2003)
Me: Sir, I don't have provisional at that time.

Vo: OK

Vo: Do you have your degree memo?
Me: yes sir

(He noted some number on my degree memo and entered in to the
computer. And he asked me to write my area of specialization on the
token backside. I wrote " Finite Element Analysis" on the backside
of blue token given at the TTS counter and gave it to him. Again he
started typing something in the computer.)

Vo: Do you have any backlogs?
Me: Yes, sir (with smile on my face)

VO: why? (Now he is also smiling)
Me: I was absent for those exams…

Vo: Ok Ok

(He is typing some information on my I 20. I thought, "I got my
visa" because he rejected 4 - 5 students before me. He didn't type
anything when he was rejecting. After some time he returned all my
documents)

Vo: (Showing date on my I 20 - don't go before 30 days. You no need
to pay any fee and your passport will reach you in 2 days.
Me: Thank you sir. Have a nice day

That's it. He didn't ask a single question regarding my financials,
my parents.

What I observed from my experience is " They are observing our
confidence levels".

Kalyan
--------------------------------------
From: "Neil Kulkarni"

V.O: Which course are u taking up?
Me: M.S. telecommunications

V.O: Which all univs u applied to?
Me: Had prerp this summary sheet... plz go thru it... (she was
impressed.. said nice work) and asked
V.O: U got aid frm rochester... why u still goin to Maryland
Me: gave my reasons
V.O: who is sponsoring ur edu?
Me: Parents
V,O: Whats do they do
Me: Mom deputy manager Bank of Maharashtra.. dad marketing consultant
V.O: whts their annual income
Me: XXX lakhs
V.O: What were you doin in US before
Me: Gone there as a tourist
V.O: Where all did u go
Me: Told her all the places
V.O: Any relatives in US?
Me: NO
V.O: You do not have any siblings?
Me: No am the only son
V.O: Ok we will grant you ur visa... reach u in one or 2 days
Me: Sigh of relief.... THANK YOU!! Thank you!!!
----------------------------------------------------
alwaysbharath@yahoo.com
Me: Good morning sir how are you ?
VO: fine thanks and u
Me: good
VO: why do u want to go to US?
Me:To do my MS in Cell and Molecular Biology
VO:which university?
Me: Uni of texas at Dallas
VO: why did u pick this university?
Me: the research being done inthis university matches to those of my research interests.I"m specifically interested to study and do research in the areas of apoptosis and mitochondrial biogenesis.
VO: Oh! what do u mean by apoptosis
Me: told him
VO:good.....

he was flipping the pages of my passport and saw my australian visa

VO: Do u have any research experience
Me: I did a project on separation of mitochondrial contact sites in the university of sydney.
VO: OH! what did u do in university of sydney
Me: Master of Applied in Molecular Biotechnology
VO: U have already done a masters and why do u wanna go for a masters program again
Me: The one i did in uni of sydney was a coursework program and it didn't have any research component there so i'm planning to do this program so that i can focus more on research this time around
VO:Ok! who's sponsoring u?
Me:My parents
VO: whats ur father?
Me: Told him that my dad's retired & mom works for ....
VO:where did ur father work ?
Me: Told him
VO:how do u wish to pay for ur studies in the US?
Me: I've got ample finances to cover myself during my studies in the US.Mom has a balance in her savings a/c. We get rental income and also some agricultural income.
VO: Cool.....u will get ur visa in 2 business days
Me; Thank you sir and have a lovely weekend
VO: u too take care

It was just a casual chat.He didn't even bother to look at my financial documents. He just saw my uni of sydney convocation certificate................thats it.

So don't be nervous at all cos they are giving good amount of visas and u will get it for sure. Just make sure u listen carefully and answer relevantly and precisely and don't speak things from which he might ask u more questions.

For instance a girl was asked by the VO : do u have anyone in the US?( she meant relatives) This lovely lady answered I don't have anyone but i have some friends.This answer made her ask so many other questions.....so just say no and don't add things.


Hope this helps.I'm just one of those lucky pigs who got the visa................so cool....

Take care and good luck.Do remember me if u get ur visa....................

cheers
Bharath
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
karthikb123@yahoo.com

ME:hello sir, how are you?
VO:fine wat abt you
ME:fine sir.
VO:ok, we will start with the finger prints.
ME:gave the finger prints.
VO:give me your folder
ME:i gave him my folder he was luking at my docs.
VO:you are gng to UH at TEXAS?
ME:yes sir.
VO:do you have your degree certificate?
ME:no sir, i am yet to get my 4-2 results.i ahve my course
completion certificate and gave him my certificate.
VO:he luked at it carefully adn then asked me my memos
ME:gave it to him
VO:he counted them and asked my percentage in engg?
ME:81.3, sir
VO:u will gt your visa in 2 days , bye.
ME:thank you sir, have a gud day, bye

karthik
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: vandy dd
Me:Good after noon sir..how r u?
VO:I am Fine .. how r u doin..
Me:Fine sir...(gave my file)
(n started off with finger prints n after that .
Me:Is that fine Sir?
VO:YES mam
VO: Can U show me ur undergraduate degree..(heehee.. i dint understand his Q..cos ..i thought it wud be something like..Which univ?? so i dint conc..on wat he was asking!!)
Me:Pardon Sir..
VO:repeated.
saw my Degree..
VO: WOw.. first class.. wats ur %?
Me: ----
VO:specialization ?
Me:CG
VO:?
Me:kdhfsdjfsmfd
He stoped me in between.. n kept my pp in a cover..
dats it,, i understd rest of the scn..
VO:U ll get ur pp ..in 3 days..
Me: THANQ U SIRRRR!!!!!!!
n ran away frm there!

vandy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: divya hariharan

VO: Hi Good morning How are you?

I : Hi good morning , How do you do (in the same time)

VO: Hi

I : Smiled and said Hi again.

(before finger prints he asked me)

VO: Are you from Bangalore?

I : No sir-pardon?

VO: Which place do you come from?

I : Madurai

VO: Then why does this show bangalore, I don’t know!(showing the computer)

I : Sir, I was working in Bangalore for two years, at that time I stayed there (smiled)

VO: oh! Lets start with your finger prints… left ok thanks.. now right…no no

(I had to repeat it thrice and I did not remove it at all the third time) keep it donot remove it…..K thanks.

VO: are you nervous?

I heard it as novice

I : First time in the VISA session, novice

VO: So, you are nervous(grinned)

I Oh nervous, no no not at all.

VO So, you are going to univ of texas

I yes, at Dallas

VO what specialization?

I Computer Engineering

VO when did you graduate?

I 2002

VO Great interval oof, what were you doing?

I for the first 2 years worked in XYZ in Bangalore and these 4-5 months I am a YYY in ZZZ

VO where did you stay in B’lore?

I told the address…I was a paying guest

Vo why no boarding, housing, in a big exclusive colony? Why?

I It was a home atmosphere I liked it, and very safe!

VO Do you know someone called R-m-a-saamii---- or k-iiish-namoorty?

I was really surprised…. Ramasamy, krishnamoorthy--noo

VO Good, tell what were you doing in XYZ, how many projects, your clients.

I Gave a detailed description

Vo Do you have the letters?(getting really impressed)

I gave both the letters

VO (now putting all my documents into the folder, along with the passport)

Who is sponsoring you?

I my father, and my mother…

VO what is your father?

I Professor

VO which subject?

I Economics

VO oh, oyu are into economics (grinning agin)

I No sir, I am an engineer and want to research in -

VO Ok, now why do you want to be a a student again?

I I think this is the right time bec.. I can establish myself----

VO suddenly-Goodluck, you will get your pp in two days

I dunno how to react, after a pause… sir

VO looks at me(writing on a blue form)

I have a good weekend

VO gotcha! Thankyou.. all the best -babye

I babye-



Divya.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: manikant pachineelam
I got my visa on 17th at Chennai Consulate..

I m going to SUNY@Stony Brook for Computer Science.

my interview was as follows...
I m jus posting the qsns guys.. jus have a look at
them...

Good morning.
so which Univ??
why this Univ???
why not india??
what will b the fee if u study in India??
which univs did u apply?? n how many I20's did u
get??
In which company do u work?? (I have 1 yr
experience)
What is the kind of work that u do??
what is ur pay scale?
who is sponsoring u?
what is ur dad??
what is his annual income??
in the I-20 it is mentioned that family abroad is
sponsoring u...
do u have anybody there???
any cousins , uncles anyone??
why r u thinking to go for studies after 1 yr of
job??

Manikant.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Anand Gawarikar

- have u travelled outside india ( i had been 2 the uk once)
- why this university
- who is funding you
- who is ur favorite professor till now.
- what is ur field of interest

anand gawarikar
------------------------------------------------------------
outtostudy@yahoo.co.in



VO: Hello how are u?

Me: Am fine how abt u? (was fully trained for this one , but dnt
remember how actually I did it.)

VO: Me fine too. So !! wch univ in the US have u chosen?

Me: University of Houston

VO: Why only this?

ME: (Had done some Homework on it) Sir… SO & SO LAB … SO & SO PROF…

VO: Have u been to the US before?

ME: Nope

VO: Have you been out of India before?

ME: No.

VO: Any relative in the US? (dunno y he asked … had not mentioned it
in the DS forms too)

ME: Nope.

VO: Who will sponsor your edu?
ME: My parents

VO: What do they do?
ME: Both work in so & so firm

VO: What is the annual income
ME: So & So

VO: What did u do after graduation?
ME: Wkg at so & so place

VO: What is your income?
ME: So & So.

VO: How will u fund ur education?
ME: From the bank deposits and other liquid assests (had messed up
with this answer… was skeptical

abt the process till then.)

VO: Show me the summary of assets

ME: (showed)

VO: THE GOLDEN WORDS FOR WCH I HAD WAITED FOR ABT 2 YRS. UR VISA Viki.
--------------------------------------------------