On June 9, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai hosted a ‘Student Visa Day’, opening its doors inviting over 1,200 Indian students who applied for visas to pursue higher education in the United States. In conjunction with the event, the Consulate hosted a roundtable discussion with current students and recent alumni of U.S. universities who discussed their own educational pathways and offered advice for future students.
“Student Visa Day is one of the last stops in a much longer process,” said U.S Consulate General Mumbai’s Consular Chief, Michael Evans. “Being admitted to a U.S university and receiving a student visa don’t just happen overnight. The process involves research on the part of students and parents, filling out and submitting applications, testing, and making final decisions. There is not a one-size-fits-all answer to studying in the United States. Given the great variety of U.S educational institutions available, there are many options available to foreign students. After doing the research, students need to identify the best fit for their educational needs and future plans. Students can best prepare by understanding their options, and that’s why we’re here today: to talk about the best pathways to education in the United States.”
Joining the roundtable discussion with students and alumni were Ryan Pereira, Regional Officer for the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) and parent of a student currently studying in the United States. The students and alumni, who represented diverse educational and personal experiences, shared the pathways they chose to study in the U.S. and offered advice to other would-be students for their own educational journeys.
Shweta Katti, a junior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, recalled her fruitful and exciting experiences at two U.S. campuses by saying, “It was life-altering in the truest sense. It was like a gush of fresh air, where the future was all open and wide. The world seemed to wait for me with open arms. I feel it broadened my perspective towards life in general. I gained self-confidence apart from the academics.”
Aquil Chinoy, an alumni of Gallaudet University, the world’s only university designed to be barrier-free for deaf and hard of hearing students, said he never thought he would be able to take on a significant professional role given his hearing disability. He remarked, “I couldn’t have been luckier. I am able to work in a private firm after my education at Gallaudet and now I am also in constant touch with organizations working for the hearing impaired. I feel the education has empowered me and more of my kind.”
Shrushti Acharekar is student of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. After completing her 10+2, Shrushti aspired to work in the Agricultural Engineering sector. However, she realized that there was a serious dearth of universities that offered courses on the same. Speaking about her search for a suitable institution, she says, “There wasn’t a college in Mumbai that offered courses in Agricultural Engineering. The only colleges in Maharashtra that did offer a course on it were really far off. I spent a semester in an Agricultural Engineering in Dapoli, and even though I liked their syllabus, they didn’t really have what I was specifically looking for. After thorough research, I came across University of Illionois. It was November, and most people told me that it’s too late to apply since most universities have a deadline of 31st December. That’s when I came across Education USA, where the counselors told me that it isn’t too late. With their help, I managed to apply before deadline, even though it was quite hectic. And so, I’d request everyone to keep asking if you have doubts and make us of the resources and opportunities that you are given.”
Student Visa Day is an annual event that takes place at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and the four U.S. Consulates across India. The U.S government is committed to help qualified Indian students reach their educational goals by providing the information they need to pursue an education in the United States.
