I have been admitted into both Harvard and Stanford.
I believe that I am the first from Bhutan to get into any Ivy League college.
I think that my background made the cut since my scores,acads and extra curriculars are pretty normal.

Congratulations on the admits.
These schools are very selective. Good job!

My problem is - Which college should I attend?My goal is to get a decent job in the USA after MBA and then settle down there.Therefore I am confused? Please help me out.:sad:

Harvard. Period.
Dont even think.

Can anyone tell me more about Harvard and Stanford as I have only been to India outside of Bhutan? .. Also how to plan for the finances - Should i take a loan here or from some bank in USA

Take loan in USA. The school will arrange for a loan - it shud not be an issue at all. And since the school is involved, it will reduce your paper work. At the rate at which interest rates are falling (3 month LIBOR is at 3.24 and 3 month Tbill is at 1.92), you wont accrue a lot of interest. So it is a win win!!!

Hi,
I am currently on H4 and have been offered admission to an MBA programme with assistanship. I have the follwoing queries.

Congrats on your admit.
Now, to your queries one by one...

1. Is it safe to get my F1 stamped in India or should I go for change of status within the US?

Bot have pros and cons.
Getting a status change in US is simple and kind of guaranteed - but it involves some logistic issues. You cannot work once u applied for a status change (but u can start school). Rejects of status change are very very rare AFAIK. Others can add to it if i'm wrong/incomplete. And if u ever happen to travel outside US during course of study, u will need a visa stamping. So it is kind of a pain.
If u apply for visa in india, it is a one time process and u will be saved a lot of logistic issues. but there is always the uncertainty involved with it. in my opinion, things shud be easier coz with all things happening, US is really keen to bring in intl talent.
Personally - i wud do the latter. But it depends on ur preferences/priorities.

2. If I apply for change of status within the US, how long will it take? Can I apply for change of status right away and then join the course on F1 in Aug?

I guess it takes about 3 months. but u can start school once u applied for a change of status - meaning, u dont have to wait for change of status to be effected to start school.
But u cannot work (sure) or stay (not sure) in US if u apply for change of status. so check out how that works with you.

3. If I go to India for F1 stamping now and God willing if my F1 is stamped, will my H4 be cancelled? I have heard that we can come to the US on F1 only before 1 month of the course start date. If my H4 gets cancelled after my F1 gets stamped, will I have to stay back in India till July?

AFAIK Your H4 will be canceled.
The 1 month duration is correct - you cannot come before that. People who do this will stay back in US till early or mid july, fly to india, get the F1 stamped and fly back to US in August.

Talk to the Intl Affair personnel in ur school. They handle this every year and they will be able to give you exact information.

cheers!

I could speak for Chicago GSB.

In my opinion, nothing really has changed at GSB. Most second year intl students have offers from companies. People who were not extended offers, failed to do so because of either genuine issues. With respect to first year recruitment, companies are recruiting full steam, as usual. The companies that were open to recruiting intl students are still doing the same, and the opposite case is true too.

I wudnt sweat too much on this.

Thanksgiving is very close to our first quarter finals. I don't know if we can travel that weekend.

What other options do we have???

What about winter. There is a high possibility of me visiting some friends in Cali, if i don't decide to backpack to some place away from the snow

Hi Guys,

Someone told me that chicago has a rolling admission, and one should submit the application as soon as it is done. Is it true ?

If the admission is rolling, what is the meaning of 1st round, 2nd round etc ? Please clarify.

Thanks

ausdia,

Chicago does not follow a rolling admission process. We follow a system of three deadlines, hence three rounds. There will be no advantage in applying earlier, or later, within a particular round.

cheers,
Iday

Hi everyone,
I took the GMAT on 16th of July and got 740( Q49, V42). I would like to thank all the members on this forum who took their time out to help me with my preps. Im yet to finalize the schools I would be applying to. I would be glad to help anyone with queries about the exam.

Hey o-range,
Congrats on the great score!!!
Now go get that admit :)

cheers,
Iday

Unfortunately, I am one of those unlucky ones who got denied for a visa with a loan approval letter. I am going to try again, without a loan this time, but I fear that if I have to return to the same VO, I may encounter some other problem.

Could you please tell us what the OIA is and how do we reach out to them. Also, please shed some light on the kind of evidence required to prove ties with the home country.

cheers
:neutral:

OIA is the Office of International Affairs (though it might be a different name in ur university). This is the university body that handles stuff for intl folks - visa, language classes, orientation etc. Get in touch with them to get more proof abt the availability of funds or to see if they can send any support document to the Consulate.

Ties to the home country - cud be property, parents, family, investments etc

rinku145 Says

As many of you know, I had got admission in Columbia Business School last year couldn't attend as my Visa was rejected twice last year at Kolkatta Consulate (As I was taking 100% loan). Luckily for me CBS admitted me again this year. I shifted my base from Hyderabad to Delhi soon after admission so that I can appear for Visa Interview at Delhi. My move paid off. I was granted Visa this time at Delhi without any hassle. this time I had loan approval and my personal funds too. I had changed my I-20 to show 60% loan and 40% personal fund (Though the loan approval letter was for 100% funding)

You had an admit from CBS and the VO denied u a Visa??? The VO must have been nuts. But i guess we do have our share of crazy VOs everywhere. One of my classmates was initially rejected a Visa too (she applied in Bahrain), and she was showing 100% loans as well, while no one else had any problem in getting a Visa with the loan guarantee letter. But she got in touch with the OIA, made them send further material and perhaps showed some of her own funds - she finally did get her visa. There are a few odd unlucky cases, but mostly ppl get their Visa with the loan guarantee letter.

Good luck everybody!!!

I was somewhat surprised at reading Simba's blog and her suggestion of avoiding US-B schools this year!!!
Look for the best college you have got into and study there.

My opinions about the H1 Visa issues are pretty much the same. I look at the 2 yr MBA as an opportunity to improve my professional/business skills. Do not look at a Bschool as a place where u get a job - they are not employment exchanges. Of course, one needs to think abt job prospects, considering the fact that we have a huge loan to handle. But US is not the only place in the world where you can work. And an MBA from a good school will help you get a job anywhere in the world, provided you throw in the necessary time and effort.