Honesty Is the Best Policy!!!!!!!Hello readers you must have heard this statement many times but most of the times we do not practice this statement. However I believed that this statement would give me my F1 VISA. And believe me Friends it really did work, as far as my VISA interview was concerned.
Ok now about My Experience on 30th October 2007 at the Mumbai Consulate. My Visa slot was at 7.45 am however the actual VISA interview happened at 9.00 am. So here goes the conversation with finer details.
The guy ahead of me came out. I made it a point not to look at this guy; rather I focused my eyes on the VISA Officer from the moment the previous guy left.
I made it a point to take my time and make the officer wait before I entered the cabin so as to grab the VISA Officer’s attention. The moment I entered the door I made eye contact with the VISA Officer for the first time:eyes: and just nodded my head (as a gesture of saying hi and may I come in). The VISA Officer nodded his head in approval. That meant that I was successful in grabbing his attention. From here onwards our conversations starts and it goes as follows.
Me:- Good morning Sir!
VISA Officer:- Good morning Himanshu. How are you doing today?
Me:- I am doing pretty good…Thank You.
(placing my folder on the table in front without opening it)
VISA Officer:- Can I have your token number please?
Me:- Definitely
(gave him the pink token)VISA Officer:- Ok Himanshu Why r u going to US?
Me:- To do an MBA in Finance from Lehigh University.
VISA Officer:- You have given GMAT right?
Me:- Yes!
VISA Officer:- And
(he was anticipating my GMAT score. But I thought he was asking me about the other exams I took) Me:- And TOEFL.
VISA Officer:-
(visa officer clarified his question) what was your score in GMAT.
Me:- I scored a 670 on 800:rolleyes:
VISA Officer:-
(No response for some time..he was typing and checking something on his PC....thats when I hinted that I might have got it and my confidence went sky high. But suddenly he fired my nightmare question) How many universities did you apply to?
I had only applied to one university and many had recommended including my consultant that never to say that u have applied to only one university, stating that the VISA officer might look at u with suspicion as to why this guy is going only for this particular university, or he may think that u r very lazy. Me:-
(As I had planned to be completely honest and had prepared for this question thoroughly, here comes my response) Sir before appearing for my GMAT I knew that my score would be in the range of 600-620 and based on that I had short listed 6 Universities. However Lehigh was my top choice. And the moment I scored a 670 on GMAT, I contacted some of the seniors to get their opinion on my chances of securing an admission at Lehigh. And they replied positively. Hence rather than troubling any of the admission staff at other universities
(I made it a point not to mention the cost factor of applying to 6 universities, even though it was the major reason). I chose to apply only to Lehigh University.
VISA Officer:- Why Lehigh
( I knew this was coming for sure after my previous response, hence I was prepared for this one as well) Me:- Sir, Being an MBA aspirant for the past one year I knew one thing for sure that if u want ur MBA to be worth anything in the corporate world. U have to do it from a reputed and recognized University. And Lehigh carries that reputation (the moment he heard this word the VISA officer rocked back on his chair and stretched his arms, which made me nervous, because I knew that the officer might have heard this a thousand times before, so I knew that I had to cut my answer short immediately or I may loose it:doh:
) for its MBA program and it is recognized as well. And my friend at Lehigh recommended this University to me.
VISA Officer:- Ok. Who is sponsoring you studies?
Me:- Both my parents. My mother and my Father.
VISA Officer:- And what are they?
Me:- My mother is working as a Sectional Supervisor in a Government Company
(I stressed on this word because I knew that it would have a good impact:sherlock: ) MTNL i.e. Mahanagar Telephone Nigam LTD. And My Father is working as a professional Real Estate consultant.
(As soon as I was about to finish my answer he handed over my I-20 and said the golden words, I wanted to hear. )VISA Officer:- Ok Himanshu your VISA has been issued!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me:- (
I was simply lost for words for the first time… I started shivering as well. However I managed to say:no: ) Thanks a lot sir. This was really an Awesome Experience!!!!!
The VISA Officer could see my happiness and kept looking and smiling at me:lol: . I smiled back and just before leaving the cabin I again nodded and said thank you very much.
As I came out everyone could make out that I got the VISA. I forgot to even verify whether the I-20 he gave me was mine:awww: . So I went in the corner and verified it, and it was mine:p . And I just saw other people staring at me and even their face lightning up as I smiled at them:angel: .
So guys this were the most anxious 2mins of my life. I had toiled for it for the past 14 months and all the hard work came down to those 2 mins. And I came out smiling. No documents asked. Just my confidence and honesty got me the VISA.
I know I am at the risk of sounding really boring:zzz: . But hope that you have enjoyed this.
If you want to know anything more about my experience at the consulate, please feel free. Your questions are always welcome.
Some candid Tips:-
1) Make yourself presentable.
2) Wear a smile on ur face. And don’t forget to greet the Officer as soon as u enter.
3) Visa Officer’s are good human beings. They try to make the applicants as comfortable as possible.
4) Try wearing pink or white colored clothes. As per psychological studies Pink and White colors represent a clean and an honest soul. And pink color is considered lucky as well.
5) Don’t lean on the table in front of the Visa Officer, it doesn’t look good. Remember that the mic is very sensitive and u don’t have to lean onto it to make urself audible to the Visa Officer.
6) Do not worry if ur English isn’t fluent. Just be honest and it will do the trick.
7) Believe that you can make it through successfully. Don’t go with a negative attitude.
8) And finally do not read the messages posted on the VISA Denied Forum before ur interview. They are discouraging.
Regards,
Himanshu Dhimar
January 2012March 2012
My Opera
