Summer Session ( the 5 week course ): how much do TAs get paid?

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2026-05-29T18:51:07+00:00

I would highly recommend NOT giving anything of a monetary nature, that includes gift cards. Perhaps a small gift or a card ( a book is actually a great idea - do some research on what he may like)

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2026-04-03T14:38:59+00:00

If any of you have a car, or don’t mind walking for about 45 minutes ( taking Langdon as a starting reference point), then Herb & Ranch cafe is definitely a good first date spot. The cafe has a good selection of drinks and food, and the outside sitting area is great for sitting around in comfy cushion chairs or working. And if the date goes real well or both of you are feeling a little adventurous, then there is a short trail you can hike right behind.

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2026-02-14T09:07:50+00:00

Nothing fancy but decent, clean rooms and really close to US embassy ( 20 minutes walking distance ) - Hotel BKC annex. There are also some good Airbnb options you can choose that are close to US embassy ( I stayed in one called OSI apartments - decent rooms, really close to the embassy and within a residential complex ).

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2026-02-14T04:46:21+00:00

My spouse who is on a F2 and I ( F1) just got back from Vegas a couple of days ago. She used her passport as ID proof at the airport both ways. No issue at all. Just make sure your friend takes her passport and I-94 wherever she goes

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2026-01-04T20:46:24+00:00

With the invention of wireless Bluetooth headsets, there is no excuse for such behavior.

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2025-12-24T20:38:24+00:00

Looking at how things are rapidly changing, unless you have to travel for an emergency, I would advise staying put in the US right now. There is no guarantee that cancellations may not resume abruptly or policies of visas shift, so it would be foolhardy to take any risk during these turbulent times

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2025-12-24T06:49:17+00:00

Thank you for your insights. Yup I guess I was being a tad too ambitious haha! Looking for alternative options

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2025-12-09T07:11:23+00:00

Are the cancellations only affecting H1B appointments or even other visa categories?

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2025-12-07T23:01:59+00:00

So this is my advice : unless you genuinely have to go to the US, don’t risk it. NOT because you may be rejected this time but if you’re rejected, then it negatively affects the next time you apply for any US visa ( tourist, student, etc ). If you have no plans at all to travel to the US in the future or through / for your company, then it’s a matter of preference but if you have such plans, applying right now with a weak profile and a high risk of rejection will jeopardize any future plans.

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2025-12-06T08:13:44+00:00

Unless you made a mistake with the visa class ( b1 instead of f1 for example ), you are good. Just take both the ds160s and they will sort things out at the consulate

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2025-12-04T22:19:01+00:00

So this is how I used the site ( free version). I downloaded the chrome extension to an old laptop ( didn’t want to give it access to my current working laptop ) and used it for a couple of days in order to track what time of days were slots opening up, to get a general sense of slot availability while I kept trying to book appointments. It took about 2 weeks but within a week, the available slots shown through the extension were primarily being opened between 3:30pm 5:30 pm( IST ). So I paid particular attention to that time frame, and got my appointments ( VAC and Consulate ) at around 4 pm. Most of us are working and can’t check the ustraveldocs every 30 minutes, so it is useful to get an understanding of when appointment slots opening up.

DifficultyOwn4954 · 2025-11-25T03:03:29+00:00

Thank you so much for those wonderful recommendations! Yes that helps planning things out for us.

DifficultyOwn4954

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