F1 Visa Interview – How You Shouldn’t Answer Why This University
Following Student Visa (F1) appointment experience is a perfect example of how not to answer the question – Why This University?
Student Visa Interview
I had my F1 visa interview in Delhi consulate on a couple of days back for Spring semester.
Me : A very good morning sir
VO : Good morning sirVO : So you are going to university of north texas
Me : Yes sirVO : But why this university?
Me : Sir because the university has granted me admission in the course what I’ve always aimed for.VO : But why this course there are 1000 other courses in US
Me : Sir because I always had a keen interest in this health management and policy makingVO : But why this university?
Me: Sir I have a senior who graduated from the same university and also gave me the feedback that the university is good for this course.VO : (sarcastically) Ohh so your friend
Me : Moreover all the universities I applied in this university has granted me the best course and curriculumVO : What all universities did you apply in?
Me: Sir FIU, FSU, NIUVO: Sorry sir I can’t grant you a visa this time
Me: But why?VO: I don’t find you a credible student and you should be well versed with the US immigration policy
He shook my world!
After realizing that, yes I wasn’t that well prepared for visa interview am again applying for the visa and I am preparing and this is going to be my second attempt.
If anyone can help me with possible suggestions and tell me what shall I expect when I face the VO again then please help me.
It is going to be difficult to get the F1 visa when you give provide answers as you have given during the interview.
I would say, VO didn’t shake your world, your visa was rejected due to lack for preparation and maybe a bit naive as well.
Related: F1 Visa Interview Questions and Answers
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- Why Do You Want to Study in the USA
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- 6 Lessons I Learned from My Student Visa Interview for University of Houston
- The Best F1 Visa Mock Interview Questions & Answers – UCLA
Hi, I enrolled into two Universities. One is cheaper but lower rank, while the other is expensive but a high rank university. Can I get my I 20 from the cheaper school to get my visa, then attend the other school instead?
I have got provisional admission from southern New Hampshire university
And I’m Going to the interview with same university in next month.
Does visa officer knows about provisional admission and will they ask any questions regarding?
It will be listed on your I-20 about admission status. But, nothing to worry about conditional or provisional admission.
Hi everyone! My visa was rejected on the 18th of October 2018. It was rejected because of her Accent,I guessed. So what advise will you give me when I am going again for my next interview.
You would have to ensure you can listen carefully.
i have my interview on 27 april 2012 i have a doubt that we should say gre score in new pattern or old pattern
@ Rohit Sinhar…thanks 4 dat tip, I guess I will apply it in my next interview! Thanks
i have persued my msc.biotechnology from m g uvsty.,kerala .i got an admission from de anza a community college from CA, USA for ajob oriented course.my visa interview date is on nov 4.i am litte tenced abt my visa.plese help me any one.thanks in advance
Hi every body,
I have an important question about F1 visa clearance.
I have a bachelor of Mechanical Engineering ,also I have a Master of Nuclear Engineering.
Now, I have been admitted for Master of Mechanical Engineering in a U.S University.
I have sent both mechanical and nuclear engineering transcripts for the university for getting admission and the U.S university has my transcripts, and now I intend to apply for F1 visa. I think my master of Nuclear engineering will cause a long clearance (if they do not reject me!)!
So I intend to Not saying my master degree to the embassy and I would like to remove the master of nuclear engineering from my resume and I wont write it in the Ds-160 visa form. However, my main concern is that whether the embassy compares my resume and my information with the resume which I have sent to the university already or not? dose the embassy checks my resume and my records with the university?
Thank in advance for your help,
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yes they do, in fact your SEVIS record filled by the university contains all the information you have given to the university during the admission process.
sorry 2 say dis 2 u bro..bt i felt ur answers were a bit unmatured type..
1 tip i would like 2 give u..never make dem pose a question like but y..but y..dat means dey think u r nt confident..look bak at 3,4,5 question..d person didnt seem u were prepared for it..the 6th answer of urs was a lot better compared 2 others..u gotta impress dem.. if dey think u r ordinary,u just cant get away..u gotta IMPRESS..!! all d best for d 2 tym..!!
hello everyone
I got admission from Australia,Canada and USA. But the main reason to select the USA university because they are giving me funding.
Please tell me if it is ok to tell embassy that since i got full funding from THAT uni i choose it over others.
please advice.
thanks
If a visa is not granted, how long will the applicant stay before coming back
I see u didn't really get off the starting blocks b4 u got hit. In a visa interview, note that the VO is not ready to grant u a visa until u convince him to do it. When u are asked why this university?, It means, what makes this university so unique that makes u want to attend it? The question was asked twice. And your response would have been your satisfication on its rich academic curricullum with qualified staff with emphasis on ur potential area of specialization. But u mentioned u had the admissions and a senior who passed through its portals recommended it. My friend next time it should be your personal conviction and not others. Capish?
It really feels bad when u get an acceptance from 5 out of 6 universities u apply in and not even a single refusal…..Wanted to ask that what chances prevail if I give all the answers up to the expectation of the visa officer when I go for the second attempt for availing the visa 🙁
Dear All,
I have done MBA (Finance), Master of Computer Science and MS Computer Science. Now I want to do Phd Prorject Management. Can any one tell me which university has high ranking in Project Management.
Hi
I got my visa last week for spring 11
you have to answer the question by your heart
dont tell anything about friends
tell him you checked some other countries and
those countries are expensive and us got finest education
about university you have to point out some
special things about uni
otherwise they wont give you visa
and why this state , whose sponsoring you and finally
he will ask your future plans
you have to say you got big plans to
start business
dude ,usa education is most expensive compared to other countries and always never say the word 'finest' ….anyways cgrts about your visa
haha…you got trapped in your own word.
hello friend,
First of all when a vo ask you why a particular university,u have to be specific,vo wasnt convinced with your first answer thats why he asked again,what are those factors that made you choose the school?there are many reasons,some f1 students make mistakes like telling vo that the reason they chose a particular school is because they like the schools website,it is wrong.Telling a vo that you are going to a school because they admitted you is not good enough,what if all the schools gave you admit?that means you will have to attend all of them because they all gave you admit.what makes that school stand out,is it affordable tuition fees,sport activities,course work content,class size,international student population,location and list goes on.Secondly your choice of application should be your own homework,your friends may have graduated from the school and told you stuffs,never mention that to the vo please next time,just like you can never depend on surveys.what have you found out about the school personally?.Thirdly about your choice of course,never ever mention you have a keen interest,try and make your answer more practicable,how important is healthcare management and risk policy to your own home country for example?what motivated you to study that course?The visa office is your territory for takes,be confident,better luck next time.
Hai man, I got rejected in the first attempt on december 10th, Its due to this same reason, So i going to attend the interview on jan 5th, fortunately i got the date, I am going to Dallas baptist university for MBA, A consultant told me to speak about the core curriculum, Its the best way to prove that we are going to study, So for MBA most of the colleges have the same curriculum,These are the curriculum
M.B.A. Required Core Curriculum (24 hrs):
ACCT 6321 Managerial Accounting
FINA 6301 Corporate Finance
MANA 6302 Quantitative Analysis for Managers
MANA 6310 Leadership in Management
MANA 6320 Business Ethics
MANA 6341 Strategic Management Decisions (S-L) (last course in program)
MISM 6314 Management Information Systems
MRKT 6301 Creative Problem Solving for Marketing Decisions (S-L)
Marketing Concentration Courses (12 hrs):
MRKT 6321 International Marketing
MRKT 6331 Marketing Analysis
MRKT 6341 Advanced Marketing Strategies
And choose one of the following:
MRKT 6302 Business Development Strategies
MRKT 6303 New Product Development
MRKT 6312 Consumer and Buyer Behavior
Please suggest me………….how should i speak about the curriculum?
please reply me……………
See frst of all .. dnt get disturbed……
Thnk of … prv…wt u had answred…. thnk wt is the wrng one..
acrdng t me … u mst dnt hve t mentn abt ur frend……………….ok…
At ths tme I sgst u t b prp fr ur wrng qustns & other extra qstns …..
=best of luck….. & also,, december end= rejecti.so tke erler dates..
Hey,
I think that you would better make the VO feel that you are not likely to reside in US. You make some points on the choice of that particular university including tutions(Texas has lower tutions and living expenses that will allow you to pursuit your higher studies in a good institution that u can afford…etc),researchs,weather(Texas is warmer and convenient for us), etc that will allow you to have your study trouble free. And, having support/s in US is the most affecting cause of not getting F-1 visa, i think (Never mention,,,, unless you have to). You should make VO feel or pretend like that you have no wish and no reason to stay in US(Rather, if the situation demands, show your reasons to come back home). And a good way is to relate your US education for home country purposes. But, better not to pretend much if you are not a good actor.
Best Wishes,,,, and you will get it ,,,,dnt worry,,,it happens 🙂
Thank you guys, I appreciate whether the comments are blunt or consoling but yes i do realize my answers were really immature…..I realized it few hrs later after I came out of the embassy……But I really appreciate all the comments which are going to help me for the next interview………If anybody has experience then please tell me what all questions will be framed or rather may be framed once am there for the next interview and what are the best possible ways to answer them
Hai ankur, this is chandru from chennai, I got rejected in the first attempt on december 10th, Its due to the same reason, So i going to attend the interview on jan 5th, fortunately i got the date, If VO asks "Why this university?" you should answer about the course curriculum, Speaking about the course curriculum of the program is the best way to show that honestly we are going to study in usa. My Email ID:[email protected] If u have any doubts u can contact me……..
hai mate. it seems to me that u r not at all prepared to attend the visa interview. u need some preperation to answer some questions asked by the vo. The main point is they just need very ideal answers for just 3 questions
1.Y us?
2.Y this university
3.Y not any other country or msters in india. There are many people who got visa wid just 1 i2o in hand.
U should have given some ideal and diplomatic answers. U r answers seems to me very poor and not acceptable. U should always mention u r cirriculum. i mean not just doing masters in that particular subject, u should say what subjects are involved in that and y it makes u passionate towards the subject.
and u should not just give away answers like i have a friend, brother , sister. Thats makes it too bad answer.
reason is obvious u gave very strange answers why did u mention ur personal relations you should have given technical answers
FOR THIS QUES I ALWAYS ADVICE YOU TO PREFER TECHNICAL ANSWERS LIKE TALKING ABOUT THE COURSE CATALOG AND MENTION THE SUBJECTS OF YOUR SPECIALIZATION AND TALK ABOUT THE FACULTY AS A WHOLE OF YOUR DEPARTMENT AND THEIR EXPERIENCE.
I THINK AFTER YOUR FIRST LINE OF ANSWER VO WILL INTERRUPT YOU.
I am sorry that you dint get visa on first attempt. What I think is that, when they ask you why this university? then you shud on to the detail of the course and its curriculum and compare it with other universities. This might be plus point than saying this is good one because my senior says its good. Many university offers health mgmt and policy making but why you chose that university, u have to enter the curriculum and this this courses are offered and I m really interested on those courses. which i cant find in other uiversities ..i think u shud say such blah blah blah..hope it works for you..Al de best
thanx shristi…..
Nice name Shristi
first you need to prove is that none of your relatives live in US and then you was rejected due to two reasons
1) Your friend live in USA
2) Not an appropriate reason to select the university.
The reason to select the university is that you need to say that this university is having so and so experience in the field you have chosen. You can say that this university undertakes projects or research programs contracted by the company and this will be an advantage for me when i will work in my country i will be familiar with the research projects.
by this you will give your reason for the university you selected and the second is that you will also prove that you are going to come back to your country by saying " this will be an advantage for me when i will work in my country i will be familiar with the research projects. "
Hey! Mate, it isn’t so good asking the VO why did s/he reject your visa. It just creates a more negative impact on your chances of getting the visa next time. Anyways, good luck or I say, all the best.
why is it a negative impact
hi dear….
never say ur friend recommend u dis university.
Always say i searched on internet and google about the university.
Ur answer reflect that bcoz of ur friend, u r going to US.
Good luck next time….
You can not tell VO that your friend suggested and you applied, this shows very very casual attitude. Be prepared and firm. You should have answered that…
"sir this university is best in the research in my field. University is currently doing research on ___________ which is something i always dreamt to work on and more over the professors here are one of the best in the world….blah blah!!!"
with such ans he would have come to know that you have researched the university well and you know what you are doing and you are interested in doing your studies and not ENTERING US .
best of luck for next time
bye
Hi,
DOnt get upset man, just read the HSB articles and follow it, you will surely get the visa. all the best 🙂
Well I totally agree with the Visa Officer, had I been in his place, event I would not have granted you a Visa based on your answers!!!! Sorry if I am being blunt, but here are few tips or sample answers which you should give make your second attempt more successful
VO : So you are going to university of north texas
Me : Yes sir
VO : But why this university?
Me : Sir, The University of North Texas has been a pioneer in the field of Health Management. Their approach to this program has been very different and unique from its contemprories
1. Unique point 1
2. Unique point 2
3. Unique point 3
Moreover the University of North Texas has professors like Dr. ______ , Dr. ______ and Dr. ________ whose research in this field has been very productive and beneficial to the industry as well as to the scientific community world wide.
I am confident that the working with such eminent professors and in such a productive researcch environment offered by this university , the possibilities for me WHEN I RETURN TO INDIA are limitless!!
VO : But why this course there are 1000 other courses in US
Me : Sir I am going to the United States to persue my Masters. I want to be a specialist. My bachelors has been in a similar or (related) field
The Health Care management course is still in its embrionic / initial stage / developmental stage in India.
It is my firm belief that after successfully completing this course and RETURNING TO INDIA , I can have an edge over my competitors and can seek a very highly paying job and a very respectable designation
Answering in this way, you do not leave any scope for the Visa Officer to counter question you in any way.
He will get a feeling that you are
1. Focused on what you want in Life from your higher education
2. You have well researched the University.
3. Your decision to persue this course is very well thought off and not any random decision based on some feedback given to you by a senior / your friend in the United States
I wish you all the best for your second interview. Be cool, composed and focused. Please do try to present false or untrue facts since the Visa Officer has your entire history – geography in front of his screen when he/ she will interview you for the second time.
Good Luck!!
you need to to say that my seniors and my proffesors are already pursuing their phd their motivated me to choose that particular course and that particular university man…it works and then he will not repeat another question about university….he is repeating his question means he is not satisfied with your answer
hi… i have a question.. i want to apply for canadian universities… because my brother is living there with family… and he will sponsor me for bearing my expenses… so do i have to face same visa interview from canadian embassy too??
yes
As pr my infrmtn..
"my seniors and my proffesors are already pursuing their phd their motivated me to choose that particular course"
this might turn towrds rejection
@ rohit i really liked your advised. Can u pls help me what kind of question i need to expect this is my third time, ave been rejected twice. but this time am going with a diff sch but the same course. and also am a Transferred student thx. I await to get back from you ASAP.