@“aunt bea”
Those students’ families are playing “fast and loose” with their univs. To get their visas, the families have to show that they have funds for the full COA. However, some of these int’ls will temporarily borrow money from friends and families to pretend like they have the funds to get the visas, and then send their kids to fend for themselves.
The univs need to demand that the money be put into an escrow acct HERE that only the students have access to. Or the schools should insist that at least a minimum meal plan be purchased.
Seems like these kids need to at least come with enough money to buy dry rice and dry beans and other staples at a Club store so that at least they could eat that.
I agree @mom2collegekids. I think that’s what happened in this case.
The roommate is supporting the two roommates food needs, and that shouldn’t be on him.
So to get to the US to study at any cost, the families prefer to send the students with nothing, expecting them to fend for themselves.
^^^^
And it defeats the visa rules. The idea is that visitors/guests to this country are not be become a burden to citizens or gov’t resources because those are to support our own needy people. So, they’re supposed to show that they have the funds to be here.
Many med schools have gotten wise to these sort of games by requiring 1-4 years of COA to be deposited in escrow. More and more med schools are moving towards the 4 year req’t because it’s tragic on a few different levels when an int’l cobbles together funds for the first year, but then must drop out when funds can’t be secured for later years. That student took a seat from a domestic student. And, the med school is hurt when a student drops out.