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DorkusMaximus
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U.S. B-School Visits For The Indian Applicant 02 Oct 2014, 05:06
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I wanted to start a thread to gather information for Indian Applicants who wish to visit B-schools either for the purpose of interviewing or just for getting a feel of the school they'd want to apply.

The biggest challenge that they face is that of a valid visa. I would like to ask all those who have gone through the process to share their experiences, tips etc while applying for the visa. Please try to put in as much information and detail around the process, specially in terms of:-
1.) The type of visa applied for, number of days it took for issuance etc.
2.) how to fill the questionnaire
3.) documents that you used (this information is there on the vfs website but it would be good to have it here as well; also if you had to use any special documents etc.)
4.) the interview process, questions asked by the visa officer
5.) any other detail that can help a prospective visa applicant

If there is already a thread on this, please merge this thread with the original.

Thanks!
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Andrewmo
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U.S. B-School Visits For The Indian Applicant 08 Oct 2014, 14:11
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Hi,
I'm a domestic student at TCU's Neeley School of Business. We are a smaller program with 40-50 students per class. About 3-7 students come from India every year. I would be happy to connect you with one of them, or our admissions counselor who specializes in international student recruitment. Send me an email at [email protected] with your contact information and I'd be happy to get someone in touch with you!

Best of luck in your search,
Andrew
Neeley School of Business 2015
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anupamgupta2112
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U.S. B-School Visits For The Indian Applicant 27 Oct 2014, 02:06
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Hey,
Sorry for the extremely late reply. Here are my thoughts on the VISA process.

1. I applied for the Tourist B1/B2 visa. You can not apply for the Study Visa as obviously you do not have an I20 form from a university yet.
2. The questionnaire ( I am assuming you mean the DS-160 form) is pretty straight forward. Just make sure your purpose is mentioned as for pleasure.
3 and 4. I needed a letter from my employer saying I currently work here and have been granted leave for my scheduled visit. I got my friend who stays in NY to send me an invitation letter, but it was not really needed. The VO at the consulate did not even look at a single document I had. He just asked me why I was going where I was staying and approved the visa.
5. The process is fairly OK. As long as you work in India and can show that you have the finances to take care of the visit, it should be ok. I got a 10 year B1/B2 which is pretty standard.

Let me know if you need any other information on the visit.
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pratap92
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U.S. B-School Visits For The Indian Applicant 30 Oct 2014, 04:22
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anupamgupta2112
Hey,
Sorry for the extremely late reply. Here are my thoughts on the VISA process.

1. I applied for the Tourist B1/B2 visa. You can not apply for the Study Visa as obviously you do not have an I20 form from a university yet.
2. The questionnaire ( I am assuming you mean the DS-160 form) is pretty straight forward. Just make sure your purpose is mentioned as for pleasure.
3 and 4. I needed a letter from my employer saying I currently work here and have been granted leave for my scheduled visit. I got my friend who stays in NY to send me an invitation letter, but it was not really needed. The VO at the consulate did not even look at a single document I had. He just asked me why I was going where I was staying and approved the visa.
5. The process is fairly OK. As long as you work in India and can show that you have the finances to take care of the visit, it should be ok. I got a 10 year B1/B2 which is pretty standard.

Let me know if you need any other information on the visit.
Show more


First, congratulations that you were able to make a visit to your dream B-Schools in US. Certainly, it is no small feat! I am a Fall-2015 Indian applicant to US MBA programs, namely Kellogg and Booth. I have been toying with the idea of a making a visit to these schools in Chicago in the first week of December and therefore I am writing to you to get some first hand knowledge of visiting schools in US. I will highly appreciate if you could please answer some of my queries:

1) Which schools did you visit apart from Tuck and looking back, do you think it was worthwhile to make a trip from India?

2) How much time does it take for the visa to get approved? any tip that you will want to add here.
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U.S. B-School Visits For The Indian Applicant 30 Oct 2014, 05:01
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pratap92
anupamgupta2112
Hey,
Sorry for the extremely late reply. Here are my thoughts on the VISA process.

1. I applied for the Tourist B1/B2 visa. You can not apply for the Study Visa as obviously you do not have an I20 form from a university yet.
2. The questionnaire ( I am assuming you mean the DS-160 form) is pretty straight forward. Just make sure your purpose is mentioned as for pleasure.
3 and 4. I needed a letter from my employer saying I currently work here and have been granted leave for my scheduled visit. I got my friend who stays in NY to send me an invitation letter, but it was not really needed. The VO at the consulate did not even look at a single document I had. He just asked me why I was going where I was staying and approved the visa.
5. The process is fairly OK. As long as you work in India and can show that you have the finances to take care of the visit, it should be ok. I got a 10 year B1/B2 which is pretty standard.

Let me know if you need any other information on the visit.


First, congratulations that you were able to make a visit to your dream B-Schools in US. Certainly, it is no small feat! I am a Fall-2015 Indian applicant to US MBA programs, namely Kellogg and Booth. I have been toying with the idea of a making a visit to these schools in Chicago in the first week of December and therefore I am writing to you to get some first hand knowledge of visiting schools in US. I will highly appreciate if you could please answer some of my queries:

1) Which schools did you visit apart from Tuck and looking back, do you think it was worthwhile to make a trip from India?

2) How much time does it take for the visa to get approved? any tip that you will want to add here.
Show more

Hey,
So I visited Tuck and Fuqua, the two schools I was applying to. Both schools have an open Interview policy and hence it made sense to visit.
Kellogg also has the policy and hence it will be good for you. Booth, as far as I know, does not have an open interview policy. So you will be able to still visit, take a tour and probably talk to Ad Com and students.

As far as whether it was worthwhile, I would say absolutely. The experience at both schools was amazing. I had concrete stuff to write about in my essays and could actually relate to the things mentioned on blogs/forums. Think of it as a part of the process, and I really hope a lot more Indians start doing this. I understand there is huge cost involved, but when you compare it to the actual cost of an MBA and the benefits it might have, this i negligible.

For the Visa, it took about 3-4 days. Not more than that. The document gathering process takes longer, but depending on where you are based in India it is fairly easy to get the visa on time. Keep an eye out on appointment dates at the nearest consulate.
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pratap92
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Joined: 28 Aug 2013
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Location: India
Concentration: Technology, Strategy
Schools: Kellogg MMM '17 (D) Ross '17 (A) Anderson '17 (S) Sloan '17 (S) Booth '17 (S) Insead Sept '16 (M)
GMAT 1: 770 Q51 V43
GPA: 3.45
Schools: Kellogg MMM '17 (D) Ross '17 (A) Anderson '17 (S) Sloan '17 (S) Booth '17 (S) Insead Sept '16 (M)
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U.S. B-School Visits For The Indian Applicant 31 Oct 2014, 01:48
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anupamgupta2112
pratap92
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Hey,
Sorry for the extremely late reply. Here are my thoughts on the VISA process.

1. I applied for the Tourist B1/B2 visa. You can not apply for the Study Visa as obviously you do not have an I20 form from a university yet.
2. The questionnaire ( I am assuming you mean the DS-160 form) is pretty straight forward. Just make sure your purpose is mentioned as for pleasure.
3 and 4. I needed a letter from my employer saying I currently work here and have been granted leave for my scheduled visit. I got my friend who stays in NY to send me an invitation letter, but it was not really needed. The VO at the consulate did not even look at a single document I had. He just asked me why I was going where I was staying and approved the visa.
5. The process is fairly OK. As long as you work in India and can show that you have the finances to take care of the visit, it should be ok. I got a 10 year B1/B2 which is pretty standard.

Let me know if you need any other information on the visit.


First, congratulations that you were able to make a visit to your dream B-Schools in US. Certainly, it is no small feat! I am a Fall-2015 Indian applicant to US MBA programs, namely Kellogg and Booth. I have been toying with the idea of a making a visit to these schools in Chicago in the first week of December and therefore I am writing to you to get some first hand knowledge of visiting schools in US. I will highly appreciate if you could please answer some of my queries:

1) Which schools did you visit apart from Tuck and looking back, do you think it was worthwhile to make a trip from India?

2) How much time does it take for the visa to get approved? any tip that you will want to add here.

Hey,
So I visited Tuck and Fuqua, the two schools I was applying to. Both schools have an open Interview policy and hence it made sense to visit.
Kellogg also has the policy and hence it will be good for you. Booth, as far as I know, does not have an open interview policy. So you will be able to still visit, take a tour and probably talk to Ad Com and students.

As far as whether it was worthwhile, I would say absolutely. The experience at both schools was amazing. I had concrete stuff to write about in my essays and could actually relate to the things mentioned on blogs/forums. Think of it as a part of the process, and I really hope a lot more Indians start doing this. I understand there is huge cost involved, but when you compare it to the actual cost of an MBA and the benefits it might have, this i negligible.

For the Visa, it took about 3-4 days. Not more than that. The document gathering process takes longer, but depending on where you are based in India it is fairly easy to get the visa on time. Keep an eye out on appointment dates at the nearest consulate.
Show more

Thank you for the prompt reply! What did you mention in the "purpose of the visit"? is it okay to say tourist? in that case, did you provide the hotel/flight tickets before hand?
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anupamgupta2112
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WE:Information Technology (Consulting)
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U.S. B-School Visits For The Indian Applicant 31 Oct 2014, 04:59
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I stayed with a friend so no hotel booking. Attached the flight tickets, but VO never looked at those. Purpose was for pleasure. Technically it is a tourist visit.

Posted from my mobile device