Pros and Cons of Spot Admission for USA
I’ve received a mail stating
“Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey, USA
Spot Registrations for Fall 2012 by Ms. Attiken
Asst. Director of Intl Admissions, FDU, NJ, USAVenue: Hotel Taj Banjara, Hyderabad
Time: 10 am sharp
Date: 6th November 2011Pls. bring Transcripts and Application Fee of $40 equi of Rs. 2000 to the venue for I-20.”
Is it valued to have an I-20 from a spot assessment Education fair..?? ( From the visa interview’s perspective as well… )
Spot Admission to USA
Make use of College Fair and other opportunities to meet admission directors. Don’t consider the event as Spot Admission.
Utilize the opportunity to learn about the university, admission process and get admission tips. Make use of the information while applying to other schools.
If you get SPOT admission, then its all good, but question ask this question “Does this school fit your profile?.”
Value of I-20 is the same, it doesn’t matter how you were admitted. I doubt I-20 will be issued right away.
Things to Consider
Before deciding to attend Spot admission events and interviews with admission directors, consider the following things.
If a consultant is arranging spot admission, then most likely they have tie-up with FDU.
You don’t have to worry about that. They are taking efforts to organize the event, so its fair for them to get their share of money for the efforts.
FDU might not be the right fit for your profile. If you don’t plan on applying to schools similar to FDU, then use the event as information gathering session.
If you plan on applying to similar universities, then you MUST attend spot admission events. You will have at least one I-20, if you get admission.
As Director of International Admissions at FDU, I was enraged to see this posting. FDU never has, nor ever will, offer spot admissions. ALL admission decisions are made on campus by a faculty and staff committee. In checking our schedule back on that day in 2011, our admission representative was indeed in Hyderabad but was attending a university fair and not offering any meetings at that time. This email clearly did NOT come from the university, but unfortunately probably by some unscrupulous agent.
I would urge any students who get emails like this (about any university) to check the contact information of the sender and if you have any doubts, to contact the university directly to clarify whether or not this is a legitimate event.
what about VISA? It would be tough to convince VO
I20 wud be sent later, but absolutely the con part of it is seeming like a con
Usually, a confirmatory offer letter is provided if the admission officer is willing to provide you the admission. This would act as a proof.
I too doubt, whether I-20 will be issued on the spot