The scariest words in the preparation process—though I felt more awe than anxiety. But let's take it step by step.
Handling a mountain of paperwork, paying for the program, and the MRV Fee took me no more than three weeks from the moment I received my job offer letter. You will get help with all of this! Scheduling the interview was the truly nerve-wracking part, but the procedure is simplified to the most basic "write this," "check this box," "choose a date."
After dealing with the simple questionnaire, I chose April 4, 2014, which was a week and a half away, and called the office.
At that time, reports were already coming in about those who had or hadn't received their visa, but you can't get to me with that; I started preparing on Wednesday (April 2). What does the preparation consist of? I simply found questions from previous years, read the question, came up with an answer, checked the accuracy of my words, learned new ones, and memorized important facts.
Even though my English is pretty good, I was worried about perceiving questions that I might not hear clearly or might misunderstand. A grand summer is at stake; you need to be ready. I asked my friends to read the questions to me so I could make sure I understood what was being asked.
I'm telling you about how I got my visa.
On Thursday, I was shaking with nerves, so I kept myself busy by going to an informational meeting at the center regarding the consulate interview. They really supported me, calmed me down, and to some extent instilled confidence in me. Now I will try to do the same for you c:
So, Friday, the interview is scheduled for 10:00 AM. I grab a friend and run to the consulate with him. Why did I take a friend? You can't bring bags, phones, players, tablets, gum, or even belts into the building; I needed someone to wait for me outside. Plus, don't forget about moral support. We arrived half an hour early, but that's okay; they let me in after checking my passport in a small booth at the entrance. I won't tell you the entry procedure; there's nothing scary there, I'll create some intrigue!
At the entrance, we were given colored cards—I think there were six of one color, which is a group. We were asked to provide documents at one window, and at another, we had to give fingerprints. It says what to do, where to put your hand, and the lady behind the glass will explain everything if you get completely lost. Then you sit and watch a movie; don't try to repeat anything—it's useless, everyone around is creating a bazaar atmosphere and won't let you concentrate. So just relax and wait until you are called.
While I was waiting for my turn, people kept coming out with rejections; I even resigned myself to the fact that I might not get a visa.
And then they say: "Guys with orange cards, line up at windows 3, 4, and 5." Personally, I went to a young woman at the third window who pronounced "Alexandra" so nicely. Actually, after checking the data from my passport, she started asking questions:
- Where do you study?
- What year are you in?
- Where do your parents live?
- Did you come here for studying?
- Where do you live?
- What do you want of this trip?
- How long have you been learning English?
- Did you read the pamflet?
- What will you do if your employer doesn't pay salary to you?
And that's it, all the questions were from the list; I was ready, so I answered everything without difficulty! Remember that lying and nervousness are very different, so answer everything as it is :) And then I hear: "Your visa is approved, have a great summer!" It turned out to be much easier than I expected; in the end, out of 20 people from our group, only a fifth received rejections.
There are curious cases; sometimes they have to refuse to meet a certain quota. As for me, Mr. Chance did his job, and I ended up in the right place at the right time, with the right knowledge and priorities.
You will succeed too!
I kept a blog on VKontakte (https://vk.com/wielec_usa), more information there!
