This one was not HALF as bad as people make out, although I think it was so straightforward because I was a student going on an official exchange programme...
Basically UCSD sent me out whats called a DS 2019 form. Once I received that I was able to apply for my visa. To apply for an interview, you have to ring this switchboard in like siberia or something!!! you can opt to ring them at €2.40 per min or you can choose to pay a flat rate of €16 euro which i did. When you ring you hear a recording for a while before you are put through to someone so I think I went for the right option!
Then all I needed was my passport number, name address etc and they gave me an appointment for 31st of July... my 21st birthday!!!!! which was about three weeks after the call.
I then had to go online and pay the SEVIS fee, which was very straightforward. I then had to fill in two more forms, DS 156 and DS 158 (i think) which did take quite a while. The tricky thing with these is that you have to fill them out online, submit the info online, and THEN print them out with a receipt barcode on them which they will be able to scan in the embassy and all your imputed info will be able to come up straight away on their screens. An unfortunate nun had filled these forms out by hand and was sent off to redo them, I ran into her in spar in Ballsbridge while I had an hour to kill (luckily) before my interview and helped her fill them out.
After that it was just a case of bringing all the relevent forms in a plastic folder to the embassy. I had
-DS 2019
-DS 158
-DS 156
-Passport
-Stamped Addressed envelope for €5.25
-Financial resources form
-Letter from UCD to say I would be returning for final year
-Passport photo sized to the specific requirements
(all this info is on the embassy website)
I had to give in my phone and a stapler that i had that they put in a box and gave me a tag for. They brought me into the embassy where i went up to a counter, gave in all my documents, and sat down waiting for my name to be called.
When i was (eventually) called, an hour later, they only asked me a few questions. What I was studying, what year I was in, Had I ever been to US before and that was all!
And I got my passport with visa and my DS 2019 form back in the post a few days later!
Happy days!
:D
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Temporary accomodation
I was unsure about when to fly over, knowing that orientation was on 17th. I ended up booking it in a rush as aerlingus were doing a sale on their US flights so I booked it for 12th.
I have been in contact with a few other people going on the exchange on facebook, as a page had been set up especially for us to join. Another girl Emily is going to fly out the same day and we have arranged to stay with a host family.
The link to the website is here: http://solanabeachhostfamilies.org/
They were really nice, and agreed to house us together. They matched us with a really nice couple who are going to collect us from LAX and we will stay with them until 17th when we can move in to I-House. This is an absolutely free service so it is fantastic. A massive relief for my mother (!) and saves Emily and me loads of hassle and expense as we would have had to arrange transport down to San Diego from LAX and also would have to have stayed in a hotel. La Jolla is a posh and pricey area so that would have set us back a good bit!
Our family sound super nice. Francie Murphy is the name of the woman (how irish can you get??) whos grandfather was an immigrant irishman so she was able to get irish citizenship through him. She is big into her irish roots and is taking irish classes over in california so she is excited to have an irish student... she wants to take me to her class like show and tell haha this is going to be hilarious!
She used to be an anchorwoman and reporter and knows loads of ppl in TV and Radio in LA so is going to take Emily up to them as Emily is really interested in Radio. I definitely want to tag along, it sounds so cool!
I'll update this one when i arrive...
22 days til I fly out, i am SOOOOO excited its unbelieveable!!!!!
I have been in contact with a few other people going on the exchange on facebook, as a page had been set up especially for us to join. Another girl Emily is going to fly out the same day and we have arranged to stay with a host family.
The link to the website is here: http://solanabeachhostfamilies.org/
They were really nice, and agreed to house us together. They matched us with a really nice couple who are going to collect us from LAX and we will stay with them until 17th when we can move in to I-House. This is an absolutely free service so it is fantastic. A massive relief for my mother (!) and saves Emily and me loads of hassle and expense as we would have had to arrange transport down to San Diego from LAX and also would have to have stayed in a hotel. La Jolla is a posh and pricey area so that would have set us back a good bit!
Our family sound super nice. Francie Murphy is the name of the woman (how irish can you get??) whos grandfather was an immigrant irishman so she was able to get irish citizenship through him. She is big into her irish roots and is taking irish classes over in california so she is excited to have an irish student... she wants to take me to her class like show and tell haha this is going to be hilarious!
She used to be an anchorwoman and reporter and knows loads of ppl in TV and Radio in LA so is going to take Emily up to them as Emily is really interested in Radio. I definitely want to tag along, it sounds so cool!
I'll update this one when i arrive...
22 days til I fly out, i am SOOOOO excited its unbelieveable!!!!!
Applying for International House
This was definitely unexpectedly tricky!
We had an info meeting with the organisers of the exchange with some US students who were studying in UCD for the year attending. Basically the dealio was that our only hope of living on campus was to apply to International House, as all the dorms are guaranteed for 1st and 2nd years and there was no hope getting a place from the waitlist.
International House is a block of apartments for 4/5/6 people which house half american students, half international students. The US students who were at the meeting said that they are actually the nicest place to live on campus so its v.competitive to get in. Also, since it's the only on campus option for international students, there are always more applications than places.
The application process involved all the usual things that you would expect, name, address etc but also a series of four essay style questions about your past experiences and how you could bring your culture in to the i-house community etc.
I put in absolutely everything I could think of that I had ever done that held any relevence. It took a long time to complete these questions and I would absolutely recommend you not to rush this and to take your time in your application. If you ARE applying and want some advice, email me.
A few weeks ago I found out that I had been accepted to live in I-House which was a MASSIVE relief because the thoughts of heading over to San Diego without anywhere definite to live was very daunting. But it wasnt over...
We then were all sent the contract by email which had to be signed and returned within two weeks. The tricky part was that it was to be accompanied by a bank draft/cheque in US dollars drawn from a US bank for $650. Luckily for me I was able to get one of these in AIB but alot of students were having trouble with their banks. I sent it off by courier and it got there on time (phew)
So I have somewhere to live, happy days!
We had an info meeting with the organisers of the exchange with some US students who were studying in UCD for the year attending. Basically the dealio was that our only hope of living on campus was to apply to International House, as all the dorms are guaranteed for 1st and 2nd years and there was no hope getting a place from the waitlist.
International House is a block of apartments for 4/5/6 people which house half american students, half international students. The US students who were at the meeting said that they are actually the nicest place to live on campus so its v.competitive to get in. Also, since it's the only on campus option for international students, there are always more applications than places.
The application process involved all the usual things that you would expect, name, address etc but also a series of four essay style questions about your past experiences and how you could bring your culture in to the i-house community etc.
I put in absolutely everything I could think of that I had ever done that held any relevence. It took a long time to complete these questions and I would absolutely recommend you not to rush this and to take your time in your application. If you ARE applying and want some advice, email me.
A few weeks ago I found out that I had been accepted to live in I-House which was a MASSIVE relief because the thoughts of heading over to San Diego without anywhere definite to live was very daunting. But it wasnt over...
We then were all sent the contract by email which had to be signed and returned within two weeks. The tricky part was that it was to be accompanied by a bank draft/cheque in US dollars drawn from a US bank for $650. Luckily for me I was able to get one of these in AIB but alot of students were having trouble with their banks. I sent it off by courier and it got there on time (phew)
So I have somewhere to live, happy days!
Applying
This was trickier than first anticipated, but at the same time, doing it wasnt as bad as anticipating having to do it... does that even make sense?...i dont think it does.
But ANYWAY...
For my application I had to get references from two academics. I chose the professors of the two modules I was ace'n so I knew I was fairly sorted. I'd recommend doing the same...
The personal statement took ages to put together, mainly because I wasnt sure what was expected in it and also because American forms like this can be very arsey... they expect you to really show off and push your achievements and goals etc. My uncle is a college professor so I was able to send my draft to him and he corrected it for me and gave me a few hints about how to edit it. The only other thing that I needed was my Leaving cert results and to choose which university.
It had to be University of California as number one! I put San Jose State (in San Francisco) as my second and University of Connecticut was third but I was lucky enough to be nominated to apply for university of california.
Back to the drawing board with a brand new application. Last one was for UCD this one was for California. I ended up in hospital for the weeks running up to the application deadline so my friends majorly helped me out here (for which i am v.v.v grateful!)
I basically just remodelled the personal statement talking only of my three choice UC campuses (Berkeley as number one, San Diego as number two, and Santa Barbara as number three... UCLA didnt appeal to me at all!)
I also had to do loads of research into classes and whether or not they would offer equivalents to the classes here which basically Padhraic my boyfriend did ALL the work or... cudos padhraic!! xx He had to set up meetings with professors and everything to have the class schedules okay'd and everything. Very stressful for me to be stuck in bed and not able to do anything!!
Another thing I had to get was a financial form saying i was good for $20,000 ... which scared the crap out of me. My dad sorted that one out... But i'll be paying for some of it myself.
Then it was a case of getting it all in on time and hoping for the best!!!
The hardest thing was waiting because I really wanted to tell people my plans but was afraid to incase it all fell through. It got to the stage though that I really couldnt imagine spending third year in Ireland so I really was hoping I would be accepted!
A few months later I got an email saying I had got my second choice, UCSD, which at first I was a little disappointed about, because I had my heart set on Berkeley, but now I am delighted... I think I will enjoy San Diego much more! From there on out it was v.stressful. I had to sort out housing, flights, visa, etc etc but that can go in the next blog...
If anyone reading this is thinking of applying for an exchange dont be put off by all the organisation. It isnt as scary as it sounds, its completely do-able, go for it!
But ANYWAY...
For my application I had to get references from two academics. I chose the professors of the two modules I was ace'n so I knew I was fairly sorted. I'd recommend doing the same...
The personal statement took ages to put together, mainly because I wasnt sure what was expected in it and also because American forms like this can be very arsey... they expect you to really show off and push your achievements and goals etc. My uncle is a college professor so I was able to send my draft to him and he corrected it for me and gave me a few hints about how to edit it. The only other thing that I needed was my Leaving cert results and to choose which university.
It had to be University of California as number one! I put San Jose State (in San Francisco) as my second and University of Connecticut was third but I was lucky enough to be nominated to apply for university of california.
Back to the drawing board with a brand new application. Last one was for UCD this one was for California. I ended up in hospital for the weeks running up to the application deadline so my friends majorly helped me out here (for which i am v.v.v grateful!)
I basically just remodelled the personal statement talking only of my three choice UC campuses (Berkeley as number one, San Diego as number two, and Santa Barbara as number three... UCLA didnt appeal to me at all!)
I also had to do loads of research into classes and whether or not they would offer equivalents to the classes here which basically Padhraic my boyfriend did ALL the work or... cudos padhraic!! xx He had to set up meetings with professors and everything to have the class schedules okay'd and everything. Very stressful for me to be stuck in bed and not able to do anything!!
Another thing I had to get was a financial form saying i was good for $20,000 ... which scared the crap out of me. My dad sorted that one out... But i'll be paying for some of it myself.
Then it was a case of getting it all in on time and hoping for the best!!!
The hardest thing was waiting because I really wanted to tell people my plans but was afraid to incase it all fell through. It got to the stage though that I really couldnt imagine spending third year in Ireland so I really was hoping I would be accepted!
A few months later I got an email saying I had got my second choice, UCSD, which at first I was a little disappointed about, because I had my heart set on Berkeley, but now I am delighted... I think I will enjoy San Diego much more! From there on out it was v.stressful. I had to sort out housing, flights, visa, etc etc but that can go in the next blog...
If anyone reading this is thinking of applying for an exchange dont be put off by all the organisation. It isnt as scary as it sounds, its completely do-able, go for it!
Making the choice...
Basically I got a group email that was sent to all second year science students from my international office explaining that there was an exchange programme for third year students to either University of California, University of Connecticut, University of Virginia or San Jose State University...
I immediately thought 'yep, i want to do that!'
I rang my mother and read the email to her and she did her little sarcastic laugh and said 'yeh good one'... so i rang my dad who said 'wow, cool, go for it!'
...so I did! I had to do a bit of research to see how much it would cost, etc etc, and ended up nearly not going ahead with the application until my Dad told me that if I wanted to do it I should. He said that it's very easy to talk yourself out of doing something. Which is v. true!
If your in the position I was in and are undecided, here are some reasons why you should go ahead with the application:
1) You will still be a student of your home university so fees to your US college will not apply. Basically all you will have to pay for is for flights, accomodation, and living expenses. With the current exchange rate, it will be cheaper for me to live out there than it will for me to live in Dublin.
2) Because you will still be registered to your home university, if you are eligible for receiving a grant you can still avail of this during your year abroad.
3) Any money you borrow from your parents can be paid back when your rich and famous anyway. Duh.
4) If you apply and are accepted, you can always change your mind!
I immediately thought 'yep, i want to do that!'
I rang my mother and read the email to her and she did her little sarcastic laugh and said 'yeh good one'... so i rang my dad who said 'wow, cool, go for it!'
...so I did! I had to do a bit of research to see how much it would cost, etc etc, and ended up nearly not going ahead with the application until my Dad told me that if I wanted to do it I should. He said that it's very easy to talk yourself out of doing something. Which is v. true!
If your in the position I was in and are undecided, here are some reasons why you should go ahead with the application:
1) You will still be a student of your home university so fees to your US college will not apply. Basically all you will have to pay for is for flights, accomodation, and living expenses. With the current exchange rate, it will be cheaper for me to live out there than it will for me to live in Dublin.
2) Because you will still be registered to your home university, if you are eligible for receiving a grant you can still avail of this during your year abroad.
3) Any money you borrow from your parents can be paid back when your rich and famous anyway. Duh.
4) If you apply and are accepted, you can always change your mind!
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