VioletAyame

Hi everyone, I will be joining OSU this fall too, so nice to meet you all! I just received their offer for an available unit, and I love that all utilities are included plus it's furnished I'm international too and it seems like the best possible option at the beginning considering the silly no-arrival-before-30 days rule! But regarding breaking the lease earlier, where did you find this info? I would love to read up on it, since I previously asked about lease duration (9 months) and they said I can only get out if I graduate or drop out basically. I would want to move out soon too since it's quite pricey.

I think what he/she was saying is if you want to know, contact (email/call) the school since the deadline is approaching. There can be a lot of reasons why they haven't let you know by now, and if you had not contacted them to find out, you shouldn't make assumptions. Duna, if I misunderstood you, sorry in advance

Yes. I'm not saying that no one who is not qualified has ever got a student visa to come to the US. It happens. I know people like that too, and I also heard that the interview has gotten quite lax since the US economy went down and they need more money from international students to subsidize the budget cut a from which a lot of colleges suffer, but it's just anecdotal. The OP asked if grades matter, and according to the US Department of State website, they do: travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/study-exchange/student.html Additional Documentation May Be Required Review the instructions for how to apply for a visa on the website of the embassy or consulate where you will apply. Additional documents may be requested to establish that you are qualified. For example, additional requested documents may include evidence of: Your academic preparation, such as: Transcripts, diplomas, degrees, or certificates from schools you attended; and Scores from tests that your U.S. school required, such as the TOEFL, SAT, GRE, or GMAT; Your intent to depart the United States upon completion of the course of study; and How you will pay all educational, living and travel costs. So yes, I'm not saying you absolutely won't get a visa if you have bad grades or go to a medicocre place, but it does increase the risk. In case of OP I do think he/she will be fine though. Syracuse is a perfectly respectable university! Like I said above, I don't think you have cause to worry. They may ask question and you should have an answer, but with the acceptance letter and financial documents, you should be good. Good luck!

For F1 it's the I-20 I'm afraid I have to disagree - I think they do consider your GPA (and past academic performance in general) as an indicator of how serious and capable you are. Think about it this way, ideally they want to issue student visas to those who are really here to study, capable of finishing the degree, and then leave. So in that regard, grades do matter a bit, but they're absolutely not the whole picture. An acceptance letter from a respectable university and decent test scores certainly help, and be prepared to answer if they have any questions about your GPA.

God that's exactly my thinking process. I'm leaving California for Ohio this fall, and I often wonder if it's some kind of self-hatred. But Ohio is the better choice academically, and hopefully it will open doors for me to come back to California some day. And if not, like you said, better learn to deal with the snow now

Well I think that's a question you should discuss more with the admission coordinator whom you've been in touch with. When she recommended getting the letters from professors who can attest to your ability to do grad school work (which it sounds like this prof can do for you), would that be enough or do they actually new a more superb letter? How formal and competitive is the application process for this particular program? Are the letters just a formality since you're already in their certificate program or will you be competing with other applicants? If it is competitive, do you have other professorts/professional supervisors who can write you a better letter? If you need more discipline-specific advice, maybe you can post in a more relevant subforum - I'm thinking Social Work or Counseling maybe?

Well even if it's not a written confirmation and you don't need a release, do you plan on accepting and going to the second school without a word to the first one, after you've sent that email to the DGS? If there is formal paperwork to follow, they would probably contact you and ask why you haven't completed it, and then you'll be in the position of telling them that you've accepted another school unbeknownst to them. If there is no formal paperwork to follow, when the time of enrollment comes at the latest, the DGS would contact you and ask where the hell you are, and then you'll be in the position of telling him/her that you've accepted another school unbeknownst to him/her, a few months ago. Those are not positions I want to be in.

John Oliver left the Daily Show for HBO a few months back, so I don't think he still has a contract with CC. Maybe if the other thing doesn't work out... not that I wish it on him of course, just saying I would approve if he gets that 11:30 slot.

Hey I accepted Ohio too. Did we meet on the visit? Also if anyone is still following this thread, I think it'd be nice to come back and drop in a line about where you're going, to make it a full circle

Can a non-philosophy major chime in? I'm very happy for him, but I'm gonna miss Stephen Colbert!the character and the Nation. Who else can follow The Daily Show so perfectly? Also wondering what Comedy Central is planning for that timeslot.

Thank you fuzzy, I really needed to hear that. Granted that I already made my decision based on academic fit (and quite happy about it), I still have a cloud of fear over my head that what if the academic thing doesn't work out and I regret the life I could've had at other locations. But you're right, it's not reasonable or productive to come into a program thinking like that. I'll keep in mind that this school will give me the best education that I want and will lead to more opportunities for a long-term life at places I want

I agree with TakeruK. I had 3 visa interviews - the initial one when I was 18 applying for go for college and 2 other ones after that to renew my F1. They all went super smoothly; they didn't even ask for anything else beside my academic record. Per my understanding, when going in to an F1 visa interview, you have to prove that: 1. You are able to and serious about pursuing education in the US. This can be proven by your transcripts, test scores, acceptance letter from your school, recommendation letter, etc. 2. You have the financial resources to pay your fee & tuition as well as to support yourself for at least one year. Bank statements are usually used to prove this, or if you're funded, I imagine the school can issue you a letter with details about your funding package. 3. You have ties with your home country and intend to go back after the duration of your study. So it may be anything from certificates of house/land ownership, businesses, family members, bascially anything that you won't just leave in order to stay in the US. So I don't think whether or not you still have a job will factor into the interview's result at all. I mean, most traditional students would not be working yet when applying for schools (college or grad schools) I imagine. Good luck at the interview and just relax, it'll be alright!

Uhm by now I am sure that if you haven't gone through it you can't really understand. It sounds arrogant, but it also means that I don't get upset or offended anymore when my friends seem uninterested or unenthusiastic to everything grad-school related. On the other hand, I've met quite a few fantastic people during visits and on this very forum, who "get" it more and can be more of a support group since they can relate. I also heard multiple times from the current students that you need a group of friends separate from school, so that might work in our favor anyhow. For the record, I'm actually excited after making my decision, and I don't think it's because of this particular decision either. It just feels like my mind has been released from this uncertainty limbo; now I can move forward and start making other plans. I would've felt the same had I chosen other program. I haven't realized how much I suffer from indecision until now

Guys I'm considering OSU and food is quite important to me, so is there ethnic food/market (specifically Vietnamese) available in Columbus? I think I'll keep my car so distance does not matter much, unless it's 30 mins on the highway/freeway.

Oh hi, I'm from HCMC and I've been in the US for the past 6 years getting my undergrad and working. Thank you and no I have not made my decision - I'm killing myself over it! Where are you applying for school? Good luck with the waiting!

Oh hi there compatriot! Where are you from in Vietnam and what are you studying?

Haha is it? I had no idea it's that popular even among Asians! For me it's like the very basic, not even scratching the suface, introduction to Vietnamese cuisine - basically the only thing (maybe beside spring rolls) that people would know about Vietnamese food. Durian, I'm crazy about it Oh and can you eat baluts too? I think that would give you even madder street cred!

xyz25, Sorry I didn't click to follow this thread so I missed your reply for such a long time! You're very welcome. I hope you're feeling better about your work and your program now. If you're still struggling, please do check in with us here. And thank you for your wishes - I've been a nervous wreck myself these past few weeks deciding between programs and preparing to move. But it'll work out in one way or another, and I'm sure the same will happen to you

Oh god can we trade places? I'd miss not being on the west coast for the majority of the next 5 years. Though I might move to Penn, not NY

I LOVE durian! My favorite fruit hands down. I think it's certainly tied to Nubbin's explanation about our responses to smells. It's one of the most hated things around here, but in tropical countries quite a lot of people love it and those who don't are less repelled by it. Kind of like the smell of blue cheese really.

Why not? California is awesome! I might leave and I'm not happy about it.

As a Vietnamese I am offended. Only we are allowed not to like pho. Wait that's not true. People look at me like I'm an alien when I tell them I don't like pho. So basically nobody's allowed to not like pho at all.

You DO know how to pick them. I wish you better luck in the future though!

The smell of gasoline. Humidity (not too much, but my comfortable level of humidity is higher than regular people). Owen Wilson. Strangely enough I can think of more popular things that I hate than unpopular things that I love. Is it the case for anyone else?

Ah I don't think anyone is being a "hater" or necessarily "close-minded" here. We all have things we hate, even after we gave them a fair try, and sometimes those things are popular and it can really create an interesting dissonance, at least in my case. I mean who can really hate chocolate? Chocolate! But then I do know a few in my life and I'm still friend with them, so it's all in jest really. I think we're all sharing those here for fun and feign indignation when someone lists something we really like, but not to rain on anyone's parade. Check out the thread "Books not to read" in the Lit forum and see how people can have such different opinions about something they're all very passionate about and still be very open-minded about it.