Setting the Document Folder for Visa Interview

While going for a Visa interview, there are numerous documents which you need to carry along with you. The documents are of three types - legal, academic and financial. Legal documents include your passport, fee receipts, I20 etc; academic documents include your degree, marksheets and score reports; and financial documents include your CA statements and other supporting documents. [See, Documents for Visa for a checklist of required documents.]

It is suggested that you arrange these documents in a harmonium folder having 12 pockets. The pockets should be properly labeled so that you can have easy access to these documents at the moment you are asked for them. Here is a recommended arrangement for these documents:

1: Passport, HDFC Bank Receipts, DS Forms (Appointment Letter, 156, 157 158), SEVIS Receipt and I 20. DS 156, DS 158 and I 20 needs to be signed.

2: CA Statement, Bank Statement and Affidavit of Support. Bank loan sanction or pre sanction paper in case one has that.

3: Score Reports (SAT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL)

4: Mark sheets (10th and 12th with the Passing Certificate and Bachelor’s Mark sheet with the Final or Provisional Degree. If the degree is not available then the Bonafide Certificate will do. )

5: Letter of Recommendation, Statement of Purpose and Resume (Graduate Students)

6: In case of students that have work experience, Appointment Letter, Salary Slip and also the Income Tax Papers (if paid).

7: Supporting documents for the Liquid Assets. This will include all the things that are listed in the CA documents, liquid section. E.g. – Pass Books or Bank Statements, FD’s, LIC Policies, Kisan Vikas Patras etc.

8: Supporting documents for the Immovable Assets. This will include registration papers for the property and also the evaluation report of the properties that are listed in the CA documents.

9: Income Tax Returns and also the Salary Certificate On The Sponsor or the Salary Slip.

10: Acceptance letter from the university, any financial award statement. Also, carry copies of correspondence with professors, if any.

11: Other Acceptances and Rejections

12: Certificate of Achievements [...] Read more!

GRE: Verbal Section Strategies

This post is in continuation to the series of posts on GRE, contributed by the author of: GRE: How to Start Preparing? The author scored 1510 [Q:800, V:710, A:5.0] in the GRE. This post postulates the important strategies to be followed for each type of questions in the Verbal section.

The verbal section measures the test taker's ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it; analyze relationships among component parts of sentences and to recognize relationships between words and concepts. The most important requirement for scoring in the verbal section is by improving your vocabulary. I had discussed details about it in my previous post. Here, I list out the strategies for each type of question in this section, viz. Sentence Completions, Analogies, Antonyms and Reading Comprehensions.

Sentence Completion:
1. Before looking at the answers, try to complete the sentence with words that make sense to you.
2. Don't rush your selection. Consider all the answers to make the best choice.
3. Use the context of nearby words to figure out unknown words.
4. Don't overlook the reversing effect of negative words (like not) or prefixes (like un-).
5. If you're really stuck for the meaning of a word, try to think of other words that have similar prefixes, roots, or suffixes.
6. Eliminate choices in double-blank questions if the first word alone doesn't make sense in the sentence.
7. Let transition words (like although and likewise) help suggest the best answer.

Analogies:
1. First: create a sentence in your mind that uses the two capitalized words.
2. Learn to recognize common types of analogies.
3. Eliminate answer pairs that are clearly wrong.
4. Beware of possibly correct answers that appear in reverse order.
5. If more than one choice appears possible, analyze the words again.
6. Consider alternative meanings of words, as well as alternative parts of speech.
7. If you don't know the meaning a word, try to recall if you've ever heard it in an expression. The context of the expression may suggest the meaning of the word.
8. Beware of obvious answers! They may be there only to mislead you.

Antonyms:
1. Use word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes) to figure out the probable meaning of unknown words.
2. Be aware of secondary meanings of words. For example, 'appreciation' can just as readily mean 'increase' as it does 'gratitude'. When no answer seems correct, look for an alternative (or 'secondary') meaning for your antonym/opposite choice.
3. Consider the 'feel' of the word. It may create a sense in you of its meaning, such as a word like 'grandiose'. It may have a positive or negative connotation, which may help you to eliminate some choices.
4. Try to think of similarly constructed words that you may recognize and that may give you a clue as to the meaning of an otherwise unknown word.
5. Think of a recognizable context for a word you don't recognize. Let the context of the word in a phrase or sentence suggest its probable meaning.
6. Think of an opposite meaning for the capitalized word, even before you look at the actual choices.
7. Read all the choices before selecting your answer.

Reading Comprehension:
1. You should base your answers to the questions solely on what is stated or implied in the passages.
2. Read the italicized introductory text.
3. Skip questions you don't know. Return to them after answering other easier questions.
4. First and last sentences of each paragraph are critical.
5. Find the right spot in a passage by using any line reference numbers that appear in the questions.
6. Answer questions on familiar topics before unfamiliar topics.
7. Read the passages before reading the questions.
8. Don't waste time memorizing details. [...] Read more!

Make Cheap International Calls

Most of you who are planning/going to USA would be making a lot of calls to seniors and university officials. The costs of these calls from normal phones is very high. But, you can make international calls at the charges of a local call through internet without any compromise in the voice quality.

Skype is the best service for making cheap international calls and is most widely used. It delivers crystal clear sound just like a normal phone. Calls to US can be made for as little as $0.021 - thats just over 2 cents, even less than Re. 1. You can buy credits for as little as $10 and use it till it gets over (though, you would need to make atleast one call in 6 months to prevent it from getting expired). You can also take a unlimited calls subscription for just $2.95 month, which also gives you a free international phone number and a voicemail box.

You will need to download a small Skype software to be able to make these calls. This software allows you to make free computer-to-computer calls and even supports video calls. You need to buy credits to make calls to landlines and mobiles in USA. You just need to connect a headphone and a mic to start talking. Also, a variety of devices(Skype phones) are available which can be configured with Skype by changing the software's input/output device settings. These devices allow you to dial numbers like from a normal telephone instrument. It is ideal to buy one for your family, so that they can get a familiar interface when they need to talk to you.

So, click here to download Skype and buy credits to make cheap international calls.

P.S.: For great telephone deals in US, visit: Great Deals @ USA [...] Read more!

GRE: How to Start Preparing?

One of the most common questions asked by MS aspirants is that how should they start studying for the GRE. Like any other examination, GRE requires thorough preparations and familiarity with the question types you are going to be asked always helps. GRE generally requires two to three months of preparation time but it varies with individual cases. You can prepare even faster if you wish.

First thing before starting preparation is to get be familiar with the GRE pattern. [All About GRE provides details about everything you wanna know about the exam]. Go through the various sections and the question types tested during the examination. Take a mock test and analyze your score. You may have scored less but don't worry, you still have to start your preparations. If you get a good score in initial mocks, you still have to work hard for the final GRE.

Now, get into the exam mode. You have to start serious preparations. Start by taking a Barron's book. Go through the word lists. Take up 1-3 word-lists a day depending on the time you have. Revise each word-list of previous days, before proceeding with new ones. Mark the words you find difficult and pay special attention to them daily. Also, make flash cards of these words and keep them with you always. You can take out these flash cards multiple times a day. If you have about 3 months or more for the GRE, I would also suggest you to go through 'Word Power Made Easy' by Norman Lewis. Complete the sessions in the book as advised by the author.

The quantitative section of GRE is quite simple (especially, for engineers). For this section, Nova is a good book to start with. It gives a basic overview of all question types and topics to be covered. Do all the exercises of this book to get a basic brush up of the concepts. Then take any good aptitude book or practice questions online.

Do practice the analytical writing section for your GRE. Try using the new vocabulary you learned. Also, device strategies to complete the writing in specified time. Most of the GRE books provide some basic tips to go about this section. Follow any good strategy customized as per your preference.

In the end, practice is the most important step for your preparation. The more you practice, the more you score. Try to do as many mock tests as you can. You can find mock tests online or on the CDs provided with various books.

Best of Luck!

(The author of this post scored 1510 [Q:800, V:710, A:5.0] in the GRE. He has agreed to contribute more posts for individual sections of GRE and would be answering all your individual queries. Post your queries in the comments section.) [...] Read more!

Increase your Chances of Getting a Visa

Every visa official looks for certain factors, which you must satisfy to get a Visa. So, how do you convince him and increase your chances of Success? Here are a few points which you must keep in mind while going for your visa interview.

A. Legitimate Student:
Show that you have a coherent plan of study. e.g. B.A. English in undergrad in India then MS in Computer Science in US is not a coherent plan. B.E. Electronics & Communications then M S (Telecommunications) is very clearly coherent. Also, try linking the plan of study to India. There should be a connection between past study and future plan.

B: Reputation of School:
The better the ranking of the school that you finally choose, the higher your chances of getting a visa. Visa officials have actually been quoted saying that they never canceled the visa application of a Harvard or Stanford student (they don't even look at anything else if he has a Harvard offer). Of course, everybody doesn't get Harvard, but then if you choose an obscure university, your chances of a visa decrease correspondingly, as suspicion about your choice rises. The official thinks, "he's going there only to get to the US, there are better universities than this in India".

C: Exclusiveness of course:
If the course chosen is not offered in India, then it is a positive sign - as long as you can still show that it is logically related to your past studies. So you can't choose Evangelism after a BSc Chem. and then say, "it's not offered in India". Well, actually, you can but you have to show compelling reason why you want that subject.

D: Evidence of having researched all options:
Show all schools that you chose (say, printouts of web sites, Photostats of brochures), show clearly which ones you short listed and why, which ones you got offers from, which ones you chose and why. Basically, show yourself as a thorough student.

E: Proper documentation of previous study:
Have original copies of Board certificates, college degrees, diplomas, extra courses, etc. Also have original results of GRE, A-GRE TOEFL, TSE and other standardized tests handy.

F: Show proof of networking (if any) with professors:
If you have sent mails to(or written to) professors, have copies of the mails ready to show, to establish seriousness of intent to study and to show that you consider your education as an investment.

G: Multiple Offers:
If you have received offers from many universities, show that. Especially if you have a scholarship offer from a lower ranked university and are still going to a higher one, then attach proof of this with your application.

H: Be Systematic:
Carry a folder with the covering letter and all these papers in order, so that (a) you don't fumble around in front of the counter window looking for the right papers (b) you look systematic and thorough.

While going for your VISA, dress properly. Wear formals.

Best of Luck! [...] Read more!