F-1 Interview Jitters

[AdilB990]

Hi guys, I'll be appearing for my interview soon. I've seen a post in the other thread where a person's visa was rejected on account of failure to convince (or show enough evidence to) the interviewer on how his 2nd year of study will be funded. I'm starting to feel extremely anxious and uneasy since I haven't been offered any TA/RA-ship! Having said that, I'm fairly confident of getting some form of financial assistance from the 2nd semester onward. But looking at the situation described above, it seems that this answer will not be good enough for the consular officer.

 

I should mention that my financial documents will cover a little over 2 semesters of study. However, I do not intend to (nor can I afford to) burden my family beyond the 1st semester. One aspect which makes me feel optimistic is that the school I'm heading to, Virginia Tech, does receive ample research grants, especially for the field I'll be pursuing.

 

Anyhow, what should I do for the interview? I've already left my job and thus cannot fathom a visa rejection! Graduate school is a must at this point in my life and my career. Your tips and feedback will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Adil

[Lex Shrapnel]

Would you mind sharing your experience of your visa interview? Did everything go well?

Edited November 15, 2014 by Lex Shrapnel

[AdilB990]

Hey Lex, it turned out to be a very smooth ride. The interview was pretty straightforward. Took no more than 5 minutes.

 

As far as I recall, the interviewer asked me about the university I would be attending, why I chose it, the field I would be pursuing, and how I plan to cover the cost. She did ask for my bank statement (which I duly handed to her), but she barely took a glance at it and gave it back to me. I have been to the US once before (in 2011), so she asked me about that as well. But nothing in detail. And that was it.

 

She was smiling throughout, while I didn't show any signs of nervousness or hesitation, so that probably helped too. All in all, I received my passport with the visa stamp just 5 days after the interview!

[Lex Shrapnel]

Thank you, everything went well for me too. Just a couple of very basic questions were asked, the answers to ALL of which were either yes or no. It only took about 30 seconds max!