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Nor do I, especially since it will generally come off as rude and result in mod intervention, as it did here. It is indeed possible to have a lively discussion without snarky comments. 7 posts deleted.
I think links have been posted here but several BS (and colleges too) have posted suggestions for international students traveling to and from school. DS was sent information for a school trip over spring break.
Things like - have a letter of acceptance from the school and printed itinerary. Know that you may not be able to access your phone/computer.
Some of the information is more relevant for non-US citizens, but is still helpful for others traveling from overseas.
@Atria. I’d call the school and have a frank discussion about your worries. Give them the opportunity to tell you they have a diverse group of students and internationals and have advocates for their students. Ask what safeguards they have put in place. I hear your concerns, but I truly think you will be okay.
Daughter’s school is in a small town far from the coast. There isn’t racism inside of school, but there are misunderstandings from kids who came from mostly white town, or from places with little Asian populations. There were some outside of school though, like rude remarks made indirectly, which my daughter usually makes snarky responses whether it was toward her or other students.
Thanks for all the posts! I called MX and they were very supportive and clearly expressed that they would support us in any all ways if a situation ever arises…
Also, we found out that one of our old family friends relocated to Boston a year or two ago (for some reason it never came up in our conversations) and now I have a local contact/pseudo-aunt who would be there for me 
… So my parents are much less tense and AtriaDad is finally sending in the deposit ;)…
@Atria - we have both Global Entry & TSA Precheck for our family. This helps us get through security & also with customs. It did take a while to get the appointment for this. Look it up online. You should start the process early so that you have the documents & your TSA number prior to making your plane reservations. We have family overseas who were able to do this as US citizens not living in USA at this time.
@Golfgr8
Thanks for the suggestion… We looked into the possibility when someone else mentioned it earlier in the thread… However, the app processing take a good 4-6 weeks and there is a an interview that must be completed in the States… So we can’t do it this year (our trip to the US is going to be short and no way we could squeeze in an interview) but we have definitely considered how helpful it would be and are planning to get it next year …
App processing shouldn’t take that long. Once you send it in, it doesn’t take that long before they approve you - the last one we did took less than two weeks. And, you can check the area you would be in to see what the interview scheduling is like. When getting it for my 13 year old recently, we drove two hours to get a next day appointment, since it was more convenient than anything else.
Rly @fullofbs , I got that number from the FAQ and it also said that interview must be scheduled within a month of approval… And that it is quite hard to get an interview right away…Maybe it differs based on where you are…
Yeah, it varies by area. However, I have to say of me as a student living abroad, this was money well spent. If you don’t know it now, consider it for the future.
FYI: we were able to get the interview at the airport! We scheduled it within 2 weeks of approval. Also, the concierge travel consultant at Amex gave us info on the TSA pre check & Global Entry processes of application. If you plan to travel to the US, you can inquire if there is a location for TSA interview at the US airport. It was quick- perhaps because we all had passports & did the TSA pre check process before global entry. It’s worth the time & $$ to get this done IMO 
I live in the area. PM me if you want to ask any detailed questions.
I think it took us about a week to get the initial GE approval. The interview may have to be scheduled within a month of approval, “scheduled” that is “set on a date.” But, there was no available interview slot within a month for us, the earliest available at our airport was 3-month later. So I picked a date 3-months later and then kept checking the website (using automatic tools) and managed to find cancellations within 2-weeks. I think JFK had a plenty of openings within a few days. Certain airports are better than others.
Oh, the GE card shows citizenship so you can carry that as an ID or you could get a passport card.
@Atria logan does interviews. I also think there is a location in Billerica which is the.next town over from MX. I would look into it further.
I looked at those Boston and Billerca locations last summer, but they were booked solid months ahead. The interview can be rescheduled many many times. So if a preferable spot opens up due to cancellations (people traveling and getting interviews done elsewhere) then grab it and then continue to look for a better slot.
A relevant article, from today’s Boston Globe: