<p>Does anybody here successfully completed the processing for student visa? Did you get your visa and where are you headed. Which is harder, getting admitted at your favorite university or getting the student visa. Where would you rather go, getting full scholarship at your country's elite university or partial scholarship from the lowest(buttom)tier university or LAC. Is it easier to get financial aid from the lowest tier universities and LAC but with good endowments if you are scholastically elite. Is it cheaper and easier to apply by avoiding top tier universities where you know you'll be competing with other elites? There are a lot of small town universities that are willing to diversify their student population. It just seems nobady is mentioning or interested in these universities. They might not have the brand name but they are pretty good. I'll appreciate your comments!</p>
<p>I would prefer every single German university over a bottom tier American college, regardless of scholarships.
Just curious: do you know a bottom tier school with a large endowment???
Only my guess, but most if not all those schools don't have enough money to support international students.</p>
<p>And I haven't applied for a F-1 visa yet, but two years ago I got an J-1 visa for a high school exchange and getting the visa should not be a problem.</p>
<p>I had to apply for my F-1 visa to attend school in the US, but I thought it was easier than applying to schools. </p>
<p>You can’t apply for an F-1 until you get accepted to an college and they sent you an I-20, which is paperwork stating that you are an emrolled student at that college and you have the funds to be there.</p>
<p>You call your embassy to schedlue an appointment. It’s actually a hotline number, and these people tell you all of the paperwork you need nefore they give you an appointment. Make sure you have passport photos and all of the paperwork is available online. </p>
<p>It was not a lot of trouble at all, and I go to a fourth tier private, all womens, LAC. It’s a lot of fun here, with few internationals and I get a good scholarship. </p>
<p>Good luck, but don’t rule out smaller schools. Most people I know that attend universities are on full rides, if that helps!</p>