Attempt 1: Reject
Attempt 2: Reject
Attempt 3: Approved
Date: 6th June (8:45 am)
Consulate: New Delhi
(VO was a lady in 30s. Wore black specs)
Status: Reject
VO: Good Morning
Me: Good Morning
VO: Which course are you going for?
Me: I’m going for Masters in Computer Science
VO: Why ASU?
Me: ASU has a very good reputation for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence courses. They encourage their students to have inter-disciplinary knowledge.
VO: Can you explain ‘inter-disciplinary’?
Me: Yes mam….for example, ASU has labs like the ‘Autonomous Agents and Intelligent Robotics Lab’ which try to bring to together multiple domains like software and electronics. I particularly have an interest in the field of Autonomous driving.
VO: When did you graduate?
Me: I graduated in 2016
VO: And you undergraduate major was?
Me: Computer Science only
VO: What are you doing currently?
Me: I’m a Software Developer
VO: Where do you work?
Me: I work at xx in Bangalore
VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: My parents are sponsoring me. Apart from that, I have my own savings and I also have a loan.
VO: What do your parents do?
Me: My father is into Agriculture and my mother is a school teacher.
VO: How much is the loan amount?
Me: 35 lakhs
VO: Is there any collateral?
Me: No
VO: Have you got the disbursement?
Me: No mam.
VO: When will you get it?
Me: Only after the VISA is approved.
VO: Can I see the sanction letter?
Me: Sure mam (passes her the document).
Somewhere in between, she also asked how will I repay the loan….to which I answered I’d come back to India and I’ll get a very good job (she interrupted in between).
VO: (After checking the letter for a while) I’m sorry I can’t approve your VISA (handed me the 214b slip)
Date: 3rd July (10:00 am)
Consulate: New Delhi
(VO was a lady aged about 30 yrs. Short hair. Not the same as last time.)
Status: Reject
Me: Hi, Good Morning
VO: (Nodding) Pass me the passport and i20
Me: Passed the docs
VO: So, which course?
Me: I’m going for Masters in Computer Science at Arizona State University
VO: (Looking at the screen) I see you’ve completed 4 yrs of BTech.
Me: Yes mam, I’ve completed my BTech
VO: And you’ve been working for 2 years
Me: Yes mam
VO: How many universities did you apply to?
Me: I applied to 6 universities, UW Madison, USC, UMass Amherst, OSU, CU Boulder and ASU (Told full names)
VO: And how many admits?
Me: I have 1 admit…ASU
VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: My parents along with my grandfather are sponsoring me. We have around X lakhs of liquid savings, Y lakhs of semi-liquid savings and I also have a loan sanctioned for 35 lakhs from HDFC Credila.
VO: Wait…wait…tell me again
Me: Told the same things again…slowly
VO: What do your parents do?
Me: My father and my grandfather are into agriculture business. We have agricultural land of 6 acres. Their combined annual income is about XX lakhs. And my mother is a school teacher, she’s also been working for about 20 years. Her annual income is around Y lakhs. Total family income is around YY lakhs.
VO: (After typing) Are you the eldest in the family?
Me: I’m sorry…I didn’t get you
VO: Do you have any siblings?
Me: No mam…I’m the only child.
VO: (After a pause) I’m sorry we can’t approve your Visa this time also for the same reason. We’re not sure about your finances.
Date: 10th July (8:30 am)
Consulate: Mumbai
(VO was a guy aged around 30 something. Short hair with a french cut beard)
Status: Approved
VO: Good Morning
Me: Good Morning
VO: Why did you choose to come to Mumbai?
Me: Sir because my course is about to start soon and I wanted the earliest date. I started my application with Delhi only, then I got a date in Chennai and finally Mumbai.
VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: My parents and my grandfather are sponsoring me. We savings of XX lakhs and I also have an education loan of 35 lakhs.
VO: From where have you taken the loan?
ME: HDFC Credila
VO: What’s the interest rate?
Me: The interest rate is 11.6%
VO: How will the disbursement happen?
Me: Sir, the disbursement will happen as per the requirement. I may not use the complete amount.
VO: How did you like the weather here?
Me: It’s bad (I was trying to smile while I was half wet while giving the interview. It was raining heavily outside)
VO: It’ll be pretty hot in Arizona
Me: (smiling again) Since I’m from North India, I’m used to such temperatures.
VO: Why ASU?
Me: Explained (2-3 lines. Named one prof. also)
VO: Where else did you want to go?
Me: I have only one admit (smiling)
VO: But in case you had option, where would you want to go?
Me: University of Wisconsin Madison
VO: Oh....I’m also from Madison. We have some colleagues here from Arizona as well.
Me: (Nodding along)
VO: What are your plans after Masters?
Me: Told
VO: What did you have for breakfast?
Me: I had bread butter and some nuts.
VO: Nice. I’m glad you came to Mumbai sir. Your Visa is approved.
Me: (Almost about to jump there only) Thank you so much sir.
I forgot my umbrella kept underneath the counter. Came back after 2 minutes while some other person’s interview was going on. Sneakily took the umbrella and ran away.
The VO initially seemed like a rude a person but he was pretty chill as the interview progressed. While standing in the queue for the interview, I was getting butterflies again and I was constantly trying to make myself understand that just be normal, be confident. It'll all be fine.