F1 Visa for Masters in Public Health after MBBS in India

Here’s my (Anand Nagarajan)
experience at the Chennai Consulate on the 16th. My interview was
very pleasant and lasted probably 2 minutes. I’m a doctor and I’ve
just finished MBBS and applied to a masters program in Public
Health in several universities across USA. My interview was slated
to be at 8:30. Despite the hour or more spent at the OFC site for
photography and fingerprinting, we were still made to stand in a
queue and wait for nearly 2 hours before the actual interview with
the VO. It was quite a miserable experience having to wait. Having
the interview in December definitely helped, we couldn’t have asked
for better weather! I waited a good two hours from the time of
entry till I actually stood in the line when my token number was
displayed on the screen. TheVO for my line looked young, a man in
his 30?s and probably of Arab/Lebanese origin. He was very quiet
and I could barely hear what was going on at the counter. Not so
the flanking lines. Another bald man probably in his late 30?s was
rejecting every student visa in sight! And he was loud. It was very
unnerving. His first question was inevitably – Show me your
GRE/TOEFL scores, followed by why so low? And that was followed by
– How many backlogs? and without going into the financial detail at
all he kept saying I’m sorry I cannot grant you the visa at this
time. On being questioned why he always directed at the sheet of
paper saying – it’s all in the paper.

• href="http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/f1-visa-interview-experiences/">USA
  F1 Student Visa Interviews

After
this happening around twice I was completely dizzy and overwhelmed.
An elderly aunty was up front of me and she was interviewing and I
thought I was about to faint from listening to the disparaging
remarks of the VO of the next counter when my number was called.

F1 Visa Interview – MBBS

This was how it went.
Me: Good morning sir VO: (smile) Good morning. Are you going for a
masters program sir? Me: Yes, a masters in Public Health. VO: Hand
me your I20 please. (Did that) VO: Do you have your GRE/TOEFL
scores? Me: I’m actually a doctor and I was not required to take
the GRE for this course. I do have my TOEFL scores though ( gave it
to him) VO: That’s fine. Don’t you have a USMLE score then? Me: Of
course. (Handed him the USMLE score report) (USMLE is the board
exam for licensure in the US, there are three steps and
universities have varied requirements for a GRE waiver or how many
of the USMLEs need to be taken) (Long pause while he goes through
the report and keys in something on the PC) VO: What does your
father do, sir? Me: He is the Head of the department of Electrical
Engineering at x-y-z company. My mother will also be supporting me.
VO: What does she do? Me: She is a teacher of Mathematics at my
school. VO: Great! What is her annual income? And your father’s?
Me: Told him. Long silence of around 30 seconds. ME: (interrupting)
I have a copy of some financial documentation with me if you would
like to see it. VO: No, that won’t be necessary. VO: Have you
decided what specialty you would like to pursue? Me: I’d like to
come back and eventually do a residency in Internal Medicine. VO:
Sir, your visa has been approved, you will get a text message on
your phone when it is ready for pickup. Me: (blank stare of
disbelief) and then it sinks in! I got it! Woot! Me: My courses are
scheduled to begin on the 22nd, will I get it before that? VO: Yes,
it should take around 3-4 working days. Good luck. Me: Thank you,
thank you so much! VO: You have a nice day! And that was my story.
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