virtua

I am traveling outside the US, late to sign my I-20 and I have emergency flight. Can I leave my I-20 to my friend so he can take it to ISS to sign it and then mail to me back to my homecountry so I can re-enter the US

Hi guys, I have taken international student loan, which is not even too big amount. I was wondering if I can travel outside of the US for a month. When I was signing my loan documents, I don`t remember having anything mentioned about that in documents.

Hi guys, I plan to take some cash(not a small amount, but not very big as well) with me to the plane, actually to the planes, since I will be travelling with some stops. Can you give me any tips on handling cash while travelling? How to store it? I wasn`t actually too worried about this, but sometimes I think of worst case scenarios like "what if loose money? will my parents be able to send money directly to the airport?", so I try to find useful recommendations. I also wonder how I will get through screening with cash in wallet, I mean I don`t want to put my wallet onto one of those plates, what if someone grabs it accidentally? I read that I can hold wallet in my hand and go through scanner with it, is that true? Any tips are welcomed.

Hey guys, do rental companies accept international passport (for verification or whatever) upon arrival when you move in? Because, I sent my passport scan for rental application and they said it works for now but they will need me to present my US ID(which obviously I dont have) when I arrive. But I suspect this is because I hid almost everything(concealed with white rectangles) on my passport scan except my name, date of birth, date of expiry. So would they accept my passport if I dont hide anything on it?

Oh, thanks very much! Your post comforted me. Yeah, I have both acceptance and offer letters and I will bring them, I hope everything will be okay

Thanks a lot for your reply and sharing your experience! The last story was actually scary My previous visa and SEVIS are expired, so I`m obtaining a new visa. I really hope that the officer will think the same way about the flight risk. I also hope I won`t be burdened on the interview by too many questions like why I left my previous uni, why I`m going to the new one and etc. Also one of the things which I`m worried about is that this time I don`t have some kind of cover letter. For my previous visa interview, my advisor wrote some letter for me describing the research plans, which I brought to the interview, but I wonder if that letter matters.

Hey guys, As I left my previous uni(didn`t complete my studies, didn`t earn the degree) after 1 year and got admitted to a new one, I`ve applied for a new F-1 visa in my country. Now, I`m kind of worried about the interview, I wonder, can anything be different this time? And if yes, what? I mean, can my interview last shorter than my 1st time? Or on the contrary, the officer will ask me more questions? Or they will ask some additional documents?

Any other opinions? I value all opinions

Hi guys, I`m planning to take a student loan, the problem is I don`t have valid US bank card, so they wont be able to deposit it through direct deposit, but they can deposit it to my student account. So I wonder, if I have some money on my student account, will I be able to withdraw it somehow? I mean, get in cash

haha you got it absolutely right!

Hey guys, Let`s say I live with 2 roommates and someone damaged the TV in living room which is common area. Who will pay for that? Or someone caused some damage to something in kitchen, who will get charged for that?

Thanks very much for response! I`m also more inclined to the option B, I hope I will manage to get full refund of deposit.

Hey guys, I have 2 options for housing and I really need your advice. I asked few people, but still I can`t make up my mind. Option A: living with 1 student(PhD student, really nice roommate I think), apt is furnished, but my bedroom is unfurnished, private WC, shared shower, no gym in the complex, deposit: 150$, lower total rental(including all utilities), the closest bus stop is 10 mins walking(only 1 bus stops there), grocery is 5-6 mins. Option B: living with 2 or 3 students ( 2 grad+1 non-student, a bit older employed guy), fully-furnished, private bathroom, has gym in the complex, deposit: 580$, slightly bigger total rental(+30$ I guess), the closest bus stop is 4 mins walking (3 buses stop there), superstores(Walmart, Target) are 4-5 mins walking. If money was absolutely no issue, I would probably go for the option B, but I`m a bit concerned about high deposit. On the other hand, if I know for sure that they will fully refund my deposit at the end, I would definitely go for option B, even if I can save money in option A, since I think I won`t be able to save much in option A, right? I mean I will still have to buy bedframe, desk, chair, dresser, right? But I don`t know, I might be wrong, I don`t have much experience with this, especially I never lived with roommates. Note that, I can`t afford buying a car, so I will need bus stop. Also note that it`s just for 1 semester(till July). And the problem is I`m not in the US and I have to decide just based on information I get from internet before I arrive.

Thank you!

Hey guys, I put my SSN(not the copy of the card, just the number) in rental application, at that time I didn`t think about leaving it just blank(dumb me) and now I`m concerned if it can be used in a bad way. I mean can they anyhow damage me using my SSN ?

Hey guys, I`m trying to find as best housing option as possible. The problem is I almost found a place close to Walmart and to the bus stop but looks like they don`t have a free apartment but they haven`t replied yet though. Generally, what would you, guys, recommend? What should I look for when I`m choosing a place to live? My personal criteria are: close to the bus stop, close to grocery/superstore, has a private bathroom and of course, the reasonable rent. Some people recommend me to arrive to the campus and then start looking for an apartment, they say I could stay at some place booked thru Airbnb, but I`m not sure if it is a good idea, since I`m afraid of being late and missing vacant apartments and also, I don`t trust much on places found on Airbnb, maybe I`m wrong, but I feel more safe at the hotel, although I can`t stay at the hotel too long since it will be too expensive. What do you guys think? Anything from your personal experience?

Well, that person is my friend and he knows me very well, and he knows that I would never let/want him to get into any trouble because of me

Hey guys, has anyone here ever had guarantor for leasing contract? Do they charge guarantor for anything without sending a bill to you first? The thing is I want to ask some guy (who is US citizen) to be my guarantor, but I don`t want him to get charged for anything at all. I`m willing to pay whatever damage I might cause in future by myself. The only reason I need guarantor is that I wouldn't need to pay the deposit in that case.

Hey guys, I never lived with roommates, so I wonder how is it to live in a shared apt? I mean, for example: 1) How do you share the refrigerator? Do you eat each other`s food? 2) Do only you have an access to your bedroom? I mean, can you lock your br door (both from inside&outside)? 3) Generally, what should I know about living with roommates?

Hey guys, so I have been admitted to PhD program with funding, but the problem is that my salary will be quite low, actually it is lower enough than my previous salary as Research Assistant. I don`t live luxury life, but I do care about food and from my previous US college experience I know that for good food I would need a bit more money, I know there are a lot of junk food options, but eating well is very critical for me personally, besides I will have to pay various fees like visa paperwork fees, sevis fee, flight tickets (I`m coming from Asia), apt deposit and etc. And although I have some savings, I don`t think it would be smart to spend all of my money, I`m not sure I will be able to return those money with this salary. Soo..I was wondering what can I do in this situation? 1) Asking for raise? I don`t think they will do it, they have just sent me an offer, why would they raise my salary? 2) Declining an offer? Maybe, but so far I don`t have better option. 3) Any supporting scholarships/funds? Would be really great if I could find one. 4) Getting discount on housing somehow? (I mean, I don`t know, I`m just brainstorming)

Hey, guys Do you email to POIs after you submitted your application while waiting for decision? Do you think it can help if I email? Is it a good idea?

Hey guys, I have applied to few universities for S17 term way before the funding priority deadlines. Quite a long time passed, till this point, I have heard only from 1 uni (fortunately, good news). Would that be reasonable to assume that the other remaining uni-s are not going to offer me funding even if they admit me? My little research shows that generally admission offers (without funding) are sent in mid-October or a bit earlier, so I assume funded admission offers are sent 2-3 weeks before. Am I right?

Hey, guys, is it generally possible to defer admission offer with funding? If yes, for how long at maximum? How long at maximum it is possible to defer admission offer without funding? Or how many times?

Thanks for reply. I`m not in the US at the moment and it is difficult for me to communicate with unis via email since they respond very late and very short without giving any details.

Btw, is there, actually, some kind of deadline or something for transferring credits? If I`m not student anymore at my previous uni, will I still be able to transfer?