I have a question. I am an Indian student in the 11th grade, and it is currently November. I have a keen interest in computer science, mathematics, and physics, and I aspire to pursue studies in these fields (at t50 institutions in USA). The thing is, while I am constantly engaged in learning and exploring these subjects out of genuine passion, I don’t have anything tangible to show for it—no formal extracurricular profile ,Whether I'm doing things out of my interest but after all a proof or record is required to show them . If I start now, is it still possible to build a profile of the required caliber? I have a strong desire to learn more, but as it stands, I have zero evidence of my work to present. Given that I have about 8 to 10 months, is it feasible to build such a profile, or should I abandon this idea? (i have used AI to help me write this English text, mines not so good)

I need help with choosing Uni for ED1
Background:
Kazakh, first gen, low income (I need full ride)
Stats: ELTS 7.0, sat 1540
Major: Bio sciences, neuroscience
I was thinking about Bowdoin as ED1 but its 1.4% acceptance rate makes me question whether i can realistically get into this uni
Maybe that would be more reasonable to apply for other universities?

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Hi everyone! I'm from Bangladesh, graduated HSC in 2025, and currently studying CSE at BRAC University.

My F4 immigrant visa interview was scheduled for October 20, 2026, but it was rescheduled after I completed my medical. The new date is uncertain, so I'm considering applying to US colleges through ED II as a backup.

My main question is for people who moved to the US on an immigrant visa (F4 or otherwise):

Was your college application process the same as that of international students applying from Bangladesh?

Did you need the same application essays, LORs, extracurriculars, SAT scores, and other requirements?

Did you apply before moving to the US or after arriving?

If I prepare for ED II now, would the application process or requirements differ depending on whether I apply from Bangladesh as an international student or later from the US as an immigrant?

I'm confused about whether I should start preparing for ED II while waiting for my uncertain F4 interview date.

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have experienced either pathway. Thank you!

Do they ask for an Affidavit of Support and a Letter of Sponsorship during the F-1 visa interview?”

I recently got accepted into a university in Canada for a graduate film program. As a US/international student, I’m having trouble finding proper funding. are there any specific grants or scholarships? I should be researching to help fund my education specifically for international film graduate students?

Hello cool people! Fall 27 international undergrad applicant here. People keep telling me I have the potential for a 70% scholarship or such in the US, but the thing is, I can't find the universities where I should apply to.

Intended major: Engineering (Mechanical or Mechatronics)

SAT score 1450, 780 in math

Highschool GPA 4.9/5

IELTS overall 8.5

Volunteered for 4+ years

Have a solid science project (won 3 awards) + competed in national level

Self taught C, python, Web Dev

Won national gold medal in a debate contest

Volunteered in a charity club for a year

I know my chances for the Ivy universities died thanks to my SAT score, but where else can I try for a good amount of scholarship/aid? Would reallyyyy appreciate any guidance!

Note: No, I'm not necessarily looking for a full-ride program! I just can't seem to find a uni where my profile is a good fit and has a cool aid/scholarship offer... especially one with my intended major ;-;

I’m an international student with a 1520 SAT, strong extracurriculars and awards, and a high need for financial aid. The main problem is that I haven’t started my essays yet.

Even if I lock in completely, I think I’ll need until around November 15 to submit applications I’m genuinely happy with. However, most top universities have November 1 early deadlines, and the few with later EA deadlines aren’t necessarily my top choices.

I’m considering three options:

1. ED to Wharton: It’s my dream school for finance, but I need substantial financial aid. I’m worried about the binding commitment if the aid package isn’t sufficient. But we can talk to the admissions committee or even leave the binding agreement agreement na if aid is not enough
2. REA to Princeton: Apply early to Princeton, then apply RD to Wharton and the other Ivies and top universities.

Would applying ED to Wharton be worth the financial aid uncertainty, or would REA to Princeton be a better strategy? Alternatively, am I overestimating the importance of applying early, and should I focus on submitting the strongest possible applications during RD?

I’d appreciate advice, especially from international students who applied for substantial financial aid.

I keep seeing the most ragebaiting sort of posts here, so I thought I'll give my two cents. Been on scholarship and financial aid since 7th grade, studied in 3 different countries before undergraduate so I know the process through and through. I think a lot of applicants are underestimating what it means for a university to cover your tuition or even room and board.

Firstly, I got my first scholarship in 7th grade not cause I was a genius, I did well academically, all A's but had no national or international awards on that. I played piano really well, had regional and national achievements in track, had leadership experience throughout 4-6th grade, and was a great kid in class and stayed out of trouble. Being a scholarship recipient at my new school, I was simply told I had to be an exemplar student. Did well in class and always available to tutor my friends who were a bit behind, played the piano during school plays and church, represented the school in different competitions and constantly mentioned how great my teachers were (and they really were) and basically did marketing for the school. So same logic applies to undergraduate studies, only that Harvard does not need you for marketing.

Please stop asking why unis are cheaper for citizens. Their parents pay in-state taxes, and it funds part of their education. Similar to whether you are coming from developed or developing countries, public schools and unis in your country are either free or highly affordable. They may not be of the quality you want but fees-wise, they are funded by your parent's taxes.

With that answered, if a university is investing over 200k+ USD in you, someone whose parent is not paying taxes, then you must give something back. Scholarships and financial aid are MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL AGREEMENTS. I can not stress this out enough.They are meant to benefit you, but importantly also benefit the university.

As an international student, high GPA and test scores are simply there to say that you do well in class and are a good test-taker, but again, they also have citizens who are great academically so nothing really distinguishes you here.

Recommendation letters are important as they verify things that you stated in your activities list and speak about who you are as a student. Are you curious? Do you try to get ahead of your peers? Do you go the extra mile in class? They speak more about your transcripts and importantly, who you are as a student so give your teachers a brag sheet to ensure they have important details there. ECs and Awards are also just as important. Are you already pursuing leadership positions in school and will be a great addition in the student government? Do you have some research experience under your belt and will build on something with the university name attached? If you went to a boarding school, do you have any experience that will later make you a good RA? Do you have national/international accolades so that later you can become a notable alumn?

Essays are just as important especially all they "why us" as they know international students shoot anywhere and they want to keep a high yield rate, so research about the university really well. Watch YouTube vids, their social media to get campus feeling, attend webinars, look into subreddits, go through their website really thoroughly, and ensure you have a good hook on why that university.

But importantly, you need to be someone who already has achieved something and they can build on it. Most importantly, they want to see that you have utilised as much as possible all the resources that were at your disposal. While you self pity that you didn't score well because you had no reliable electricity in your city, there is another student who was active in peaceful protests that are documented by local newspaper, wrote letters to government officials and made sure that something was done.

When you have excuses for not having ecs because your school didn't offer them, someone else did online volunteering, took extra courses at a local public uni and does art that benefits their city.

When you are complaining about failing in your three A-levels because it is hard to balance with ecs, someone has 5 at an under-resourced public rural school and has to assist their grandma with their small food business to help with house expenses. If they have lesser gpa, they will still have a good shot because again, they utilized the most of what is provided to them. Make sure that your application speaks that you utilised all the resources that were handed to you, and if not, then you took initiative to do something.

Really hoping to see less of "my grades are mediocre, no hooks and I need full aid" posts. You are not entitled to education of a country in which you are not a citizen of. And Harvard or Stanford could literally go full pay for international students only and they will receive just as good cohorts. So them investing is really saying they want students who are meant to be someone well accomplished if given the resources.

So kindly reflect as to why these institutions should invest their money in you. What have you accomplished? What will you accomplish and most importantly, have you utilised all resources that were available to you?

TLDR: Stop ragebaiting.

The subreddit is /r/visainterviews, so please keep questions visa-related. I may do an admissions-related AMA in the near future.

Hello everyone, I’m Qusie, and I live in Syria. I am looking for a community where I can discuss options, seek advice, or get guidance from anyone who has successfully navigated studying abroad from a high-crisis environment.

My Background & Journey
I graduated high school in 2023 with an 88% GPA (Scientific Stream). At the time, I didn't even know what a "scholarship" was. When I started researching, my English was around a B1/B2 level, and I quickly became completely overwhelmed by the intense bureaucracy and paperwork. Because everyone around me was equally clueless, I gave up on the idea at the time and focused on pursuing my higher education locally here in Syria.

However, I refused to let the circumstances stop me from growing. Alongside my local university studies, I focused heavily on self-teaching. I managed to bring my English up to a ~C1 level and teach myself programming, but sadly Im still not as good as lots of people my age in other countries. To fill the gaps in my profile and actively solve local problems, I built multiple projects, two of them specifically designed to make the educational process smoother for thousands of students inside my university ( SVU ). These apps already have an active local user base of students who support and encourage the ideas.

Recently, a friend of mine got accepted into NTU in Singapore. Seeing their success and getting their optimistic support made me wonder if I should give my dream another shot and completely restart my Bachelor's degree abroad. The reality of studying Tech (IT/CS Engineering) inside Syria is devastating—international sanctions constantly block my connection or accounts just because of my nationality, making online freelance work or global project collaboration almost impossible. I am incredibly passionate about CS and just want a decent education so I can join a genuine company and make an impact.

The Hurdles I'm Facing

1. Proof of Funds / Blocked Accounts: This is my ultimate barrier. It takes years in Syria to make even half of what some countries require you to deposit upfront for a student visa.
2. Undergraduate Scarcity: The vast majority of global scholarships target postgraduates (Master's/PhD).
3. Purely Academic Selection: Many full-ride scholarships look purely at elite, context-free GPAs. It makes perfect sense why providers take that road to minimize financial risk, but it makes it hard to compete when coming from a distinct, crisis-affected environment.
4. Testing Costs: Standardized tests like the SAT are either unavailable or completely unaffordable for me right now. I cannot risk spending money on them unless it is the absolute final piece required for an application.
5. The Sanctuary / Refugee Catch-22: I see plenty of "Sanctuary Scholarships" or refugee grants available online. However, under international law, you cannot apply for refugee status from within your home country—you have to already be outside. I am stuck in a loop where I cannot access refugee aid because I cannot afford the risky, illegal journey to leave, but I cannot leave legally without the aid.

My Questions for the Community:

• Bypassing the Year 1 Block: I don’t need financial aid for all years. I only need a way to clear the Year 1 visa hurdle. Once I am in a country that allows international students to work part-time (even at minimum wage), I can entirely fund my subsequent years. Are there countries or specific universities that waive the upfront bank block if you can prove your profile?
• Holistic Admissions vs. GPA: Do undergraduate scholarship boards actually care about real-world software portfolios and community impact (like the student apps I built while studying locally), or will I automatically be filtered out by an algorithm because of my 88% high school GPA?
• Bonds: I am completely open to university or corporate bonds (working for a specific company/country for years after graduation) if that opens doors.

I would like to hear any suggestions, advices, blueprints, or country recommendations (Italy, Hungary, Germany, etc.) from anyone who has broken out of a similar situation. Thank you.

Hi, I am applying to Bard as an international this year and I saw that they say in their site that internationals are expected to contribute 30k for housing, meals, etc. We have an efc lower than that (not dramatically lower but lower overall). I'm just asking to verify whether it is a complete mistake to apply and my file will be tossed due to that or whether it is something that they prefer or whatever.

Demographics:

Gender / Age: 18, Indian Male (Class of 2026 grad / Gap Year applicant with final board scores in hand)

Location: Small town / Tier-3 city in Haryana, India (Bahadurgarh)

School Type: Private CBSE High School

Hooks: Underrepresented geographic region (semi-urban/rural Haryana), rare regional folk music heritage, tangible legal & grassroots impact

Intended Major(s): Legal Studies / Political Science / Economics / Public Policy

Academics:

Class 12 Final Board Marks: 93.6% unweighted in CBSE Arts/Humanities with Economics stream (Note: CBSE Humanities grading is heavily deflationary compared to Science/Commerce; graduated Rank 1 / Valedictorian in class).

National Standardized Entrance Exams: (For non-Indian readers: These are ultra-competitive national entrance exams taken by tens of thousands to 1M+ students across India)

CUET (Common University Entrance Test): 99.5th Percentile in General Test; All India Rank (AIR) 2 in Art History.

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) National Entrance: All India Rank 5 in BA LLB (Law); All India Rank 2 in BA Journalism.

CLAT & AILET: Cleared both premier national law entrance exams.

Honors / Awards:

All India Rank 2 & Rank 5 in National University Entrance Exams (CUET Art History, JMI Journalism, JMI Law) + 99.5%ile CUET General Test.

High School Valedictorian (Rank 1) & Student of the Year (highest all-round school honor).

District Officer Award for civic leadership and managing a 200-house local election campaign.

Statewide Folk Music Recognition: Performed and competed in statewide Haryanvi Ragni (traditional folk music) programs.

Extracurriculars (Activities):

Founder & Lead Coordinator — Free Community Tutoring Initiative: Founded and run a free educational program serving 260+ local youth in my town. Coordinate 5 volunteer tutors, including a local police officer who teaches competitive math.

Legal Intern — Trial & Appellate Law Chambers (Adv. OP Dalal): Analyzed criminal/civil case files and mapped witness timelines. Identified a critical timeline discrepancy in a criminal case (Vijaypal Nara v. State of Haryana) that directly contributed to an acquittal.

Co-Author — 15,000-Word Constitutional Law Research Paper: Co-authored an extensive research paper on Indian Constitutional Law (Article 21, due process, and comparative US/Indian judicial precedents) with my high school Political Science teacher.

Founder — Ghadwa Benju Cultural Preservation Club & Folk Musician: Learned the Ghadwa Benju (a rare traditional Haryanvi folk instrument played by dragging a rubber strip over an earthen clay pot) from my late grandfather. Founded a local club strictly dedicated to teaching the instrument to youth so the dying art form survives. Also sing Ghazals.

Debate President & Class Representative: Elected Class Rep; as Debate President, trained and mentored 25+ junior students in public speaking and debate.

Campaign Manager — Local Grassroots Election: Managed voter outreach and operations across a 200-house constituency; recognized by the District Officer.

Operations & Client Deals — Family Real Estate Business: Assisted in managing daily office operations, client negotiations, and closing property deals.

Family Responsibilities: Primary driver and caregiver support for my grandmother, driving her 50–60 km round-trip for medical care appointments.

Please reply with:

Your honest % chance estimate for me at:

NYU Abu Dhabi (ED1): ___%

Georgetown Qatar (GU-Q): ___%

Amherst College (ED1 vs RD): ___%

Harvard / Yale / Princeton (RD): ___%

ED1 Strategy: I am planning to apply ED1 to NYUAD. Given my profile, is NYUAD my best possible ED1 play, or is there another school where my ED1 would carry more weight?

Last-Minute Tweaks: What 1–2 changes can I make right now to how I frame my activities or awards to boost my odds?

Anyone from morocco got visa student F1 these days?

Hi!! I am a student from Romania applying to the US with high need, I need full tuition

1510 SAT (740 reading 770 math) 8 ielts 97.5% gpa (no ads or Ib offered)

F1 in School Made Financial Portfolio , team won nationals and qualified to internationals

Top 20 Nationally in Physics

Music Covers and Originals -- 25k views YouTube and instagram

Self taught producer, worked with 3 small artists

Research in a lab during the summer (not saying cuz I have friends who know ts on here)

another internship in microbiology but not research

Conservatory music group main male lead 100-200 audience members 4-5x performances per year

a very quirky ec related to my school that almost no one has and I won't say again cuz no doxxing

Anyways, I am applying as undecided, but my why us essay is centered around their music major in the college NOT CONSERVATORY