I guess the phones are still ringing! I am a round 2 wait lister (slogging very hard for a GMAT re-take) and I was pleasantly surprised when I received a call from Laurie this afternoon. It was to let me know that they were considering my application to fill up the few remaining seats for the Class of 2013 and wanted to know whether I was still interested (and you bet I was!). However, since I am an international working in the US on a work visa, she wanted me to check with the ISSO to figure out whether I would be able to have my visa converted to a F1 in time for orientation. Once they are sure that this can be done, they'll consider making the final offer. I need to let them know within the next 2-3 days since they're almost ready to finalize the class.

And since I was so immersed in my GMAT preparations and had almost lost all hope for this year, I hardly know anything about the visa formalities, financial aid, and other inter-dependencies. I guess I have about 30 days to do what most people have 2-3 months to do.....So here are a few questions, any help would be greatly appreciated!

1. Can a work VISA be converted to a F1 without leaving the US? How much time does this take? Will the ISSO help me with this or do I need a lawyer to help with the processing?
2. I understand that I need to provide proof to the Johnson School for them to send me an I-20. How do I provide this proof?
3. How do I seek financial aid? Does Cornell co-sign loans for International Students?

I'm sorry for not having read up on the other forums if this information has already been posted, would be great if someone could re-direct me.....

Thanks. It's still not an outright offer though, given the complications with international visa transfers...

I googled and found out that I can do a COS (change of status, had to google this too!) from H/L to F and without leaving the US. I can get the stamping done at a US Consulate the next time I visit my home country. The only problem with this approach is that it can take any time between 1 or 2 months to get the COS done - this could be too late for start of class this fall...

Ideally I'd like to get my F1 before I quit my job and going back to my home country now would mean that I quit my job now, jeopardizing prospects with my current job with no guarantee that I'll land up with a F1....

So at the moment, I am counting on the ISSO to provide guidance....

moiuday, I hope you get the call too, then we can brainstorm this together

Hi,

What does Kroll asks in the email? Could you please give some details on it. Also, did the email be sent to your Johnson email address or personal one? Last question In which round did Johnson admit you?

Thanks a lot.

Awesome moiuday! Congratulations!!!

I guess my status is still pending with the ISSO.....

I was an undergrad at Cornell and am attending Johnson this fall and if you are living within walking distance of campus it is not worth it in my opinion. I had a car as an undergrad and rarely used it. However, the one thing that it really would be useful for is grocery shopping as the super markets in Ithaca are all beyond walking distance of campus.

Also, congrats on your acceptance!

Well, ad-com has still kept me in limbo and it looks like the entire admissions office is out of office the entire week - to me this looks like they've made their decisions already so I'm getting back to GMAT re-take preparation.

According to ISSO, as long as you file for change of status you should be good to join the course.

I haven't heard from Kroll myself. I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with the way the student services guys have managed this whole process so far. They've barely stuck to any of their own deadlines!
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3 weeks to orientation and I still havent heard from Kroll What the hell is going on?

I reached to Johnson Admissions and they said they would send out Kroll instructions in a few days (this was about 3 weeks ago), but nothing yet. I also just told my employer that I am leaving the company, so there better not be any issues with Kroll.

Any eager beavers willing to start the Cornell thread for next year's class? I will help you manage it.

Can someone please tell me when the FT program actually starts in the Fall? Not necessarily when courses begin, but when it's best to be on campus for orientation, social events, exemption exams, etc. When should I be in Ithaca?

Note: I'm applying this Fall for the class of 2014, so this is just a forward-looking question. I have found it quite difficult to locate academic calendars on the web.

Thanks!