Date: 22nd October 2019
Consulate: Chennai
University: Cornell (Spring 2020)
Course: MEng in Civil Engineering
Status: Approved
VO was a stern looking man in his 40s, and he’d rejected the visa of a guy in front of me, so I was pretty scared.
VO: Good morning. Please pass me your passport
Me: * passed *
VO: Oh you’re going to Cornell!
Me: Yes sir.
VO: And you were in Oman too, you studied in Indian School al Ghubra? When was that?
Me: I graduated in 2015.
VO: Oh, you and I were there about the same time. smiles (My hopes went up.)
VO: Can I see your acceptance letter?
Me: Uh, my I20? (I was reluctant to show my acceptance letter because I’d originally applied for Fall ’19 and then deferred to the next sem, and did not want follow up questions)
VO: That too, but your acceptance first. Me: * passed both *
VO: * checked them and looked at the screen* I have to ask, how are you paying for this?
Me: I’ve taken a loan of xx lakhs from yy bank, and any remaining funds will be provided by my father.
VO: What did your father do in Oman?
Me: He was a project manager in an oil and gas company.
VO: What does he do now?
Me: He was transferred to Qatar, so he works in the same company as senior project manager, but in the Qatar branch.
VO: Do you know how much his annual salary is?
Me: * told him dad’s salary *
VO: So you said you’ve taken a loan? May I see that please?
Me: * passed loan letter, after which he inspects it and hands it back *
VO: So why do you want this degree?
Me: Well I feel that for the specialization that I’m going to work in, structural design, a bachelor’s degree is in no way sufficient. In order to be a good design engineer, a masters degree is necessary in order to improve my experience and augment the knowledge I’ve gained during my undergraduate course.
VO: * after a few seconds * I’m approving your visa, it’ll be available in 3-4 business days. Do good work.
Me: Thank you very much sir �