UK Tom

Hey everyone, So after accepting an offer it took my institution 5 weeks to send me the information packet and declination of an RA position. This was after several emails and phone calls to find out what was going on. So far, so lousy. The actual information packet had absolutely no useful information for an international student. My institution and the universty's international office have been very incommunicative and not very forthcoming with practical informaiton on visas, on campus employment or the cost of tuition. The latter is a real peave as it makes planning for the next two years when the only information available is x amount an hour for y hours of tuition. American friends have agreed that the various webpages I have been directed to are unhelpful and a labrynth to navigate. Has anyone else had any issues with their international office? There seems to me to be a distinct lack of appreciation that international students face a serious challenge in navigating a foreign academic culture, often solely through emails and the occasional phonecall.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. After talking to various people people I am going to take an F-1 visa and hope my charming english accent lands me a desk job in the university. After talking to The Bank of Dad it appears my need to get a job isn't absolute but more common sense. Additionally, my course has the option to contribute practical work as final year module. So for me, finding a paid and relevant job has become less of an issue. These also contributed to my decision: F-1s are far easier to obtain.I have read various horror stories of refusal to waiver the J1 return system.With an F-1 you can apply for a 12 month extention to find work after graduation.

I was recently accepted into a political science MS in Washington DC. Unfortunately I wasn't offered an RA position as they are reserved for PhD in my department. Now I'm trying to find ways of paying for my studies, by working outside of lectures. This hit a bit of a brick wall today when I discovered that students with F1 visas cannot work off campus. Can all students apply for a J1? If so what are the limitations? Is there any kind of loop hole for F1 students wanting to find work? There appears to be a massive incongruence between the visa process (Students must not work they are here to study) and my department (all students are expected to work in order to support their studies). Any ideas?