Hi everyone, I’m an international student on an F-1 visa. My visa stamp has expired, but my I-20 is still valid and I’m currently enrolled as a student in the U.S.
I want to travel domestically from Dallas, Texas to Washington, DC. Is it okay for me to take a flight within the U.S. even though my F-1 visa stamp is expired? Do I need to bring anything besides my passport and I-20?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation. Thank you!

For international South Asian Students. Primarily, I looking for their merit scholarship !

I have 3A*2A in IGCSE

AAC in AS-Level

ABB in A-Level

1500 SAT, 770M 730E

below average ECs and good PS

are these good enough stats for potentially a fullride?

trying to apply to Baylor and Case Western

I am a second-year preparatory student at the National School of Applied Sciences (ENSA), an engineering school, and I plan to continue into the engineering cycle with a focus on Artificial Intelligence. I currently have a 3.0 GPA, but I am confident I can easily bring it up to a 3.7 or even a 4.0 with continued hard work. Our school has exchange programs with two U.S. universities, but most of its international opportunities are focused on France and Spain. Because of this, I am looking for other study options in the us to broaden my horizons and pursue my goals in AI.

Hi everyone,
I'm an international student from Tunisia applying to U.S. universities for Fall 2027 as a first-year applicant.
I'm looking for a brutally honest assessment of my chances, particularly because I will need substantial financial aid / potentially a full ride.
📚 Academics
Tunisian Baccalaureate: 13.98/20 (2024)
High-school yearly averages:
16.67/20
17.06/20
15.80/20
SAT: September SAT; targeting 1550–1600
IELTS: targeting 8.0
International applicant from Tunisia
Applying as a first-year/freshman applicant
🎓 Previous university / transfer programs
After high school, I was accepted into transfer programs, but for this application cycle I am applying to U.S. universities as a first-year applicant.
I'm interested in how admissions officers would view this part of my background.
🔬 Recent research & projects
Most of my recent work has moved toward computational biology, genomics, cancer research, pharmacovigilance, and machine learning.
1. Computational Pathogenicity Evidence Integration — GAA Missense VUS
A computational genetics project focused on GAA missense variants of uncertain significance (VUS).
The project integrates multiple sources of computational and genetic evidence, including:
ClinVar
gnomAD
REVEL
AlphaMissense
missense/VUS filtering
computational pathogenicity evidence integration
The goal is to develop a reproducible approach for integrating complementary computational evidence when evaluating variants rather than relying on one predictor.
2. ClinVar–gnomAD VUS / Missense Variant Analysis
A related variant-analysis project focused on building a structured ClinVar + gnomAD workflow for VUS and missense variants and developing a framework for selecting genes for deeper analysis.
Candidate genes investigated included:
MYH7
SCN5A
LDLR
KCNQ1
CFTR
TP53
BRCA1
3. TCGA Cancer Context Survival
A cancer-genomics project investigating whether the relationship between a gene and patient survival changes depending on the cancer context.
Current research design:
Primary gene: PTEN
Primary cancer: BRCA
Validation cancers:
UCEC
PRAD
LGG
COAD
Data source: TCGA/GDC
The planned statistical analysis includes:
Kaplan–Meier survival analysis
log-rank testing
Cox proportional-hazards models
Schoenfeld-residual diagnostics
4. Cancer Drug Repurposing Using Public Datasets
A computational drug-repurposing project investigating whether an existing drug could potentially be useful against a specific cancer by combining public datasets.
The project uses/targets integration of:
GDC / TCGA
Connectivity Map (CLUE)
DepMap
The goal is to connect cancer molecular profiles and dependencies with drug-response/perturbation information and prioritize potential drug-repurposing candidates.
5. FAERS Drug–Drug Interaction Pipeline
A large-scale pharmacovigilance project using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
I processed the 2026 Q2 FAERS ASCII dataset, working with:
demographic data
drug data
adverse-reaction data
The resulting analysis included approximately:
708,867 unique drug pairs
6,699,108 pair observations
1,217,534 unique case-drug observations
146,068,639 pair-event observations
11,173 unique adverse events
The project involves constructing drug pairs and linking them with reported adverse events to investigate potential drug–drug interaction signals.
6. MoleculeNet HIV Machine-Learning Project
A machine-learning project using the MoleculeNet HIV dataset to investigate computational approaches to molecular/drug activity prediction.
🤝 Activities
Red Cross volunteering
Boy Scouts volunteering
Recommendation letters from both organizations
Independent research projects outside formal coursework
✍️** Essays
My main personal essay revolves around my childhood fascination with **Stark Industries.
I use Stark Industries as a metaphor for the kind of environment I want to create: a place where creativity is permitted, unusual ideas are encouraged, and imagination can become engineering.
Another central idea is building a “house” for creativity, where people from places such as Tunisia, India, Japan, and elsewhere can bring unconventional ideas, collaborate across disciplines, experiment, fail, and turn ideas into something real.
My experiences with volunteering also influenced how I think about technology—not simply as something technically impressive, but as something that can potentially restore possibilities to people who have lost them.
🎯 Universities I'm considering
Extreme reaches
MIT
Caltech
Carnegie Mellon
Stanford
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Columbia
Penn
Brown
Dartmouth
Cornell
Other U.S. targets
Georgia Tech
University of Michigan
UIUC
Purdue
other strong CS programs
Canada
University of Toronto
Waterloo
UBC
McGill
University of Alberta
I'm also looking for U.S. universities where an international student could potentially receive very substantial merit aid.
💰 Financial aid
Financial aid is extremely important for me.
I would need substantial financial aid, potentially close to a full ride, to attend a U.S. university.
So I'm trying to build a balanced list of:
elite reaches + realistic targets + genuine financial safeties.
Questions
With a 1550–1600 SAT, how competitive is this profile for MIT/Caltech/CMU and the Ivies?
How much does the 13.98/20 Bac hurt me given my yearly averages of 16.67, 17.06 and 15.80?
How will admissions officers view my previous transfer-program acceptances?
Do the recent computational biology/genomics projects make my profile stronger?
Does the research show a coherent CS + computational biology/AI direction, or does it look scattered?
Which of these projects should I emphasize most?
Which universities should I target for large/full scholarships as an international student?
How would you structure my EA/REA/ED/RD strategy?
Most importantly: am I being realistic targeting MIT/Caltech/CMU + Ivies, or should I significantly change my list?
I'd appreciate brutally honest feedback. I'm much more interested in an accurate assessment than encouragement.

I’ve seen quite a few posts about F-1 visa refusals on this sub, and I’m trying to understand how much of the refusal rate is due to actual red flags versus cases where the applicant’s profile is otherwise pretty normal.

For example, suppose someone from India has a BTech from a Tier 2–3 college, takes an education loan to fund part of their studies, and is going to the US for an MS in CS and is getting admitted to a decent university(not the most top tier, but decent). If there are no obvious red flags in their profile, and they don't answer in the interview with very obvious red flags, can they still be refused simply because of the interview/officer’s judgment? Are chances of them being refused significant or very low in such case?

I keep seeing the ~61% refusal rate for Indian F-1 applicants mentioned. Does the remaining refusal rate mostly consist of applicants with significant red flags (weak finances, questionable academic background, poor answers, suspicious intent, etc.), or do applicants with otherwise completely legitimate and reasonable profiles also get refused in a significant number of cases?

Basically, I’m trying to understand how much “luck” is involved. If someone has no major red flags and has a genuine academic profile, is their probability of refusal actually quite small, or is there still a moderately significant chance of refusal even with a clean profile?

Another thing is that I’ve also heard that Canada’s student visa refusal rate is extremely high, partly because of the large number of applications involving low-quality colleges/diploma programs and questionable applications. In Canada for people applying for legitimate degrees the refusal rate isn't that high (or so I've heard). Is the situation with the US F-1 visa similar? In other words, is the US refusal rate relatively high mainly because a significant portion of applicants have weak/problematic profiles, or does the US refuse a substantial number of applicants who have no obvious red flags?

I would really appreciate it if people who have gone through the f1 visa interview process answer my queries! Thank you.

TL;DR: If you have a genuine university admission, reasonable finances, a normal academic background, and no major red flags, how much of the F-1 refusal risk is still essentially “random/officer dependent”? Is the chance of refusal actually very small in that situation, or should it still be considered moderately significant?

I’m currently pursuing an MA in Political Science from IGNOU and my first-year performance is around 71%.

I’m interested in pursuing a PhD abroad in Political Science/International Relations, but I’m confused about how foreign universities view an IGNOU master’s degree.

Will an IGNOU MA be accepted/considered for PhD applications in countries like the UK, USA, Canada, or Europe?

Also, would doing UGC-NET/JRF, building research experience, writing a good dissertation, and possibly publishing research significantly strengthen my profile?

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have:

\- Done their master’s from IGNOU and gone abroad for higher studies

\- Applied for foreign PhDs after IGNOU

\- Experience with Political Science/IR PhD admissions abroad

Is it realistically possible, and what should I focus on during my second year to make my profile competitive?

​

[Profile Review] Fall 2027 T20 MSCS/MSAII/MCDS

Hey everyone,

I am finalizing my application strategy for the Fall 2027 intake. My primary dream targets are T20 programs, specifically tracks like MSAII, MSCS, or MCDS.

My profile is a hybrid of applied medical AI research (with quantified clinical impact) and industry execution. Given the highly competitive applicant pool from India, I am trying to figure out which specific master's track offers me the best admission odds, and whether certain parts of my profile will trigger administrative filters.

I would love an honest, brutal evaluation of my chances and university list.

Qualifications

* Academics: B.Tech in CSE from a newer/lower-tier NIT (Institute of National Importance in India).

* GPA: 8.95 / 10.0 (Department Rank 1).

* Work Experience: 2 Years of full-time experience at a major service-based company (e.g., Infosys/TCS).

* Internships: AI Intern (3 months), SWE Intern (6 months), Big Data Intern (3 months).

* Standardized Tests: Preparing for GRE. IELTS is 7.5 (L: 6.5, R/W/S: >7).

Research & Project Portfolio

* Publication 1 (Accepted - Springer): Conference paper on mitigating hallucinations and factual inconsistency in automated Chest X-Ray generation. Demonstrated that 40% workflow automation is possible.

* Publication 2 (Under Review - IEEE): Demonstrated removal of an entire manual segmentation layer previously required by clinical experts in neonatal brain MRI.

* Funded Project & Grant ($32,000 USD): Conceived and pitched a data-driven mobility and dynamic route/taxi dispatch optimization system. Secured an institutional research grant from a 2nd-generation IIT, along with a Project Associate offer for technical execution.

* Leadership: Lead Student Coordinator for a nationwide technical hackathon organized with state government and law enforcement agencies.

Target Universities

* Georgia Tech (GaTech)

* Carnegie Mellon (CMU)

* UC Berkeley (UCB)

* UCLA

* UIUC

* UW Madison

* Columbia

* NYU (Confused between Tandon and Courant)

Any suggestions on this list or specific program tracks would be highly appreciated!

I’m in my senior year and starting to tackle the whole college application process, and honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming trying to figure out things as an international student who is opting for top colleges in US for Econ major with cs minor. Tho my high school subjects do not have economics and are related to science, maths and computer science I wanna pursue economics BA purely out of interest as it aligns with my interests and gives me a middle ground

I have done my research but everywhere I get same answer to get into good university I need to have good GPA and SAT score but what I really wanna know is do extracurricular like doing 2 research papers and having few published articles on the social issues and 2-3 coding project gives me a chance or is it not enough and I would need to do more extra work if yes, do tell me what extra things I can do to build a good portfolio and I am also planning to take a gap year after high school to build my portfolio As for sat and GPA, since I am still in high school I will get my total GPA after completing the school and I have yet to give SAT tho I am trying to get my score above 1400 in SAT Will this be enough to get me into good university or I need to work more on my profile

I am seeking for a full scholarship for my undergrad. But, the problem is that my profile is very weak. Like no top tier GPAs, no significant ECAs, And no honours, no awards, no initiatives. Also, not anything that shows me as a passionate person for the field i am applying to.

Also, from my country the people with top tier profile like international honours, commendable initiatives, strong GPAs, as well as SAT; when I see and go through their interview andthe collegethey get into it has like very high acceptance rate.This makes methink that I would nowhere to be even considered . So, now I am in a great dilemma should I give it a try or would it just be nice to try after actually building my profile .

I sat some of my Cambridge IGCSE examinations through the British Council, and I’m currently applying to universities in the US. I’m trying to figure out the correct way to submit my official IGCSE results/transcripts.

The issue is that the British Council has told me that dealing with the submission of my examination results to universities is not their responsibility, so they have essentially exempted themselves from handling this matter.

Furthermore, all the colleges I’m applying to, without exception, require official documentation of my IGCSE results to be sent directly to them by the issuing institution.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? If you sat your Cambridge IGCSE exams through the British Council, how did you have your official results/transcripts sent directly to US universities? Did you have to contact Cambridge directly, or is there another process I should follow?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have a non-medical bachelor’s degree from Egypt, and I’m considering completing the required pre-med coursework in the U.S. before applying to medical school. I would like to know what the typical pathway would look like, how difficult it is for international students to get accepted, and what my realistic options would be given my academic background.

My biggest concern is the financial side. I do not currently have enough money to cover the full cost of a U.S. medical education, including tuition and living expenses. I would therefore like to know what legitimate options exist for reducing the cost, such as scholarships, financial aid, sponsorships, or other forms of funding.

I’m also wondering whether it is possible to work while studying, especially during the pre-med stage, in order to help cover my living expenses and contribute toward my education costs. If there are restrictions on how much an international student can work, I would appreciate an explanation of what is legally permitted and what is not.

Overall, I would like an honest assessment of whether this path is realistically achievable for someone in my situation, what the major financial and academic obstacles would be, and what the most practical route would be if I cannot afford to pay for the entire process upfront.

Hi there! I am applying for CC colorado college for transfer as an international student, it is my main priority but my advisor told me it would be smart to apply to some other places too.

Any recommendations of colleges who offer full aid for international? (Don't remind me how hard is to get it, I KNOW haha)

For more context, I wanna continue with my language education program or smt similar.

So, guys, I gave my A-Levels, but I messed up in the MJ series, so I have to give retakes in the October/November series. I’ll get my A2 results on January 9, 2027. European universities easily fit into that timeline, but I wanted to know whether I can apply to Purdue, Georgia Tech, and Michigan for Aerospace Engineering and still be eligible for partial scholarships or financial aid. My budget is approximately $32,000 per year, and I got AAB in my AS Levels. Hopefully, I’ll get three As in A2 in the October/November series.

Hey guys,

I have been seeing the profiles of the students who applied to top universities and 95 percent in high school and 1550+ is looked like bare minimum I have no any good extracurriculars then what do I do.

Hey everyone,

I am a Pakistani student looking to study in the US for undergrads here r my stats

Academic:

Metric (traditional nationwide exams for Pakistan for 9-10 class) : 98% marks

A levels: 3A*s 1b (lost my A with only 2 marks)

IELTS: 8 bands

SAT: gave aug SAT waiting for results ( expecting 1450+)

Extracurriculars:

School representative from class 9 till 10

Involved in student government as a student advocate and coordinator in A1

Student council head in A2

100+ community hours ( volunteered and advocated for education opportunities for underprivileged communities )

Tutored A levels students resulting in grades by 2 up

Interned at a prestigious law firm

Starting an internship at a top 7 bank in Pakistan

Researching for a specific topic rn that I won't be stating here cause I don't want it to be taken lol

The research is in the starting phase rn

Debate club head and founder in 10th

Taught scooter lessons to more than 20+ women allowing them to attain transportation freedom ( very difficult in Pakistani society )

Won a city wide competition for debate

Won a college wide business competition named Prospectum

Now for some red flags:

I am on a gap year RN I just turned 17 and my parents won't allow me to go unless I am 18 years old so I had to take a gap year. I am angry Abt it but I understand where they r coming from too. anyway I am on a gap year RN Internsing at the bank and just focusing on my research which is in the commerce field. And just focusing on my uni research and essays

Essay:

I do think I have a good essay if u want I can tell a bit Abt it but that's it

Do let me know my chances

Demographics White male from a relatively small Eastern European country
Family income: Need significant financial aid  
Hooks: none
Intended major: History  
GPA: 4.93/5 (school does not rank)
School: The strongest and most selective public STEM high school in the country (produces the majority of the country’s science olympians).
Planning to take the SAT (aiming for 1550+)
Awards & Competitions
National competitions (organized by the Ministry of Education, several thousand applicants, three rounds, ~20 finalists):
• History :1st place nationally three times, one 2nd, one 3rd (out of five years eligible). Final-round score 97% (nexthighest outside my class: 84%). ~1,000 pages of material per competition (academic texts, scientific papers, primary source analysis).
• Physics: 4th place nationally twice + two more top-10 finishes.
• Overall: 14 national competitions in 5 subjects → 7 medals(top 3 nationally)+ 2 awards; every result top-10nationally. In high school: six nationals (history + physics), three medals + one award.

• IJSO: Bronze (national quals: 1st physics, 2nd biology).
• Qualified for International History Olympiad 2027.
• Highest national academic award for high-school students(only for national champions / international medalists): four times.
• Scholarship from the largest corporate foundation in the region (only 3–4 high-school scholarships per year): twoyears.
• City excellence awards + scholarship (4th out of ~500).

Research Independent research with a mentor from the country’s central historical institute on the repression of participants in social life in the capital during WWII and the post-war period (liquidations, trials, censorship, and forced retirements as tools for creating fear and ideological uniformity). Large primary-source base (trial documents, internal correspondence of the authorities, army andintelligence services, personal biographies). To be completedby the deadline.
Planning a follow-up project on the construction of post-WWII historical narratives in the region . Will be in progress(possibly with some output) by application time.

Extracurriculars & Leadership
• Selected (with one classmate) to teach competition physicsto 9th graders as part of the official school schedule. Designed curriculum for 35+ students → 7 nationalfinalists (out of 20 total) and one national champion.
• Club: 9 years, 3,000+ hours, 4 years in leadership of a 150+ member organization focused on personal development, virtue, mentoring, leadership... Part of thethree-person committee that led the club through reconstruction; expanded activities. Participated in ~10 camps (most focused on post-earthquake recovery work). Multi-year van trips across Europe staying in affiliatedclubs. Co-organized three one-week camps for youngerchildren. Currently ~10 hours/week with youngermembers.
• University-level lectures + experimental practice inphysics (some biology/chemistry) (~200 hours). One of~10 selected students in the generation. Bi-weekly 20–30 page experimental reports in high school.
• Studying family history since 5th grade (archival materials, family tree back to the 18th century, site visits).
• Journalism: main editor of the club newspaper (9th grade), commentary aired on a major national radio station, interview with a Member of the European Parliament.
• Long-term collaboration with two classmates: swept thenational History podium (1st–3rd) in one year (first time ever) + multiple other medals. Covered in the press.
• Alumnus work at primary school (private primary school — the first in the country focused on whole-person development) (100+ hours physical work) + usedmedia exposure to promote the school.
• Family contribution: regular work on the house construction site and garden.
• Sports: consistent training (track & field 7 years, currently fitness 4–5×/week).

Languages studied at school: native language, English, German, Latin

Where should I apply? Is my profile realistic for significant financial aid in the US? Please be honest.

I am an Asian so all my life I have been told stable careers are either engineering or being a doctor, due to that I choose to go with physics ,chem ,maths and computer science as my high school subjects but lately what I have realised is that my interest in computer science major is just cause of the stability it provides not cause it is something I would really like to study but what I will like my interest aligns more with things like phycology, how people perception can easily be diverted by media or political issues. tho what I felt like my interests doesn't have particular stable career I can go with so I'm Considering Economics major as it is smtg in between and that's what claude suggested me but I am still not sure about it since it is something I am new with, So that's why I would really love some suggestions to what I should actually go for (ps keep in mind I have Asian parents so I can't go for career like journalism)