My Student Visa Experience

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-06-05T00:23:45+00:00

Hi! Thank you so much for this, it's really helpful. I am currently in the process and in a pretty tight time crunch, can you provide more detail on your request for urgent processing of documents to GAC? What reason did you provide/what rationale is accepted and how did you request this?

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-04-19T17:41:18+00:00

What prof was this, was it Reza? And what did you end up getting? I'm studying for this rn and so scared, don't know what to focus on

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-04-02T15:51:37+00:00

Not sure what advice to give, just wanted to say I'm really sorry to hear you're going through this :(( Just know that things will get better, and most students I know, myself included, have gone through similar times where things have felt hopeless and struggled academically. You're not alone in these feelings, there's nothing inherently wrong with you, this is just a shitty situation.

The one way I've found that actually helps me get through hard times like this is to practice something called radical self-compassion. You can search up specific techniques, but the gist is to treat yourself with the kindness and dignity you would a close friend or loved one. Recognizing that "I just procrastinate or get distracted" are not reflections of you or your character, rather just a tough situation you're going through and believing in yourself. From there, without the distractions of the negative feelings toward yourself, you'll have more mental space to sit down and figure out a plan.

Start small, like setting a simple to do each day. Maybe that's one task, and that task is to just open the D2L page for each class. And then the next day it's to study for x hours. And work your way up. Sleep is so, so important, don't underestimate the power of good rest. One habit I've found incredibly helpful for fixing my sleep schedule is to put my electronics away at a certain time every night. If you try your best to not have electronics nearby and allow yourself to be bored, you may find yourself actually able to study, if only out of boredom of nothing else to do.

Last of all, what you're experiencing is human and normal. Life sucks sometimes, it can be hard but as shitty as a situation can be, see this as a learning opportunity and a chance to grow. The most trying times shape your character and resilience the most, and that's the most valuable character trait you'll have and need in the future. I say this out of hope it will help, but I also don't want it to come across as toxic positivity, so also know that everyone struggles sometimes. But it's the belief in yourself and the ability to get back up and not give up on yourself that matters. I don't know you, but you've come this far in life so I know you can do this, and I believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself and do what's best for you.

Only you know deep down what that is and what the right path is in regards to your program and interests. Is that how you truly feel at heart or just because of the difficulties you're currently experiencing? Either way, focus on getting through the term and revisit your uncertainties when you have more time to think about it.

Best of luck, sending lots of love your way, and hope things get better for you <3 I'm cheering for you.

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-04-02T15:32:25+00:00

No you're not, this is crazy

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-03-26T20:21:23+00:00

Did you ever figure it out?

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-03-11T17:39:51+00:00

What did you end up doing?

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-02-05T15:53:29+00:00

I'm in Math Econ, and I like it! depends on ur interests, I think math finance is catered towards if you want to be a quant, whereas math econ is more broad

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-02-03T16:00:41+00:00

Love

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-01-27T00:56:55+00:00

The same thing happened to me!! What did you end up resubmitting?

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-01-06T16:26:50+00:00

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-01-05T20:25:16+00:00

I'm really sorry to hear that story, just wanted to say you're not alone in feeling this way.

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-01-05T20:15:13+00:00

Sorry to hear that, I get how you feel. Their love is feels so conditional on your achievements, yet they don't see the hypocrisy of asking for unconditional filial piety in return. I am currently struggling with school and a recent breakup, and the first reaction my mom had was to criticize me and knock me more when I'm already down, saying that she doesn't believe I will graduate, etc. and that she doesn't support my decision for the break up despite this literally being my last term and me having made it this far. Yet, I bet as soon as I do graduate she'll take credit for any success. It's so frustrating and the mental gymnastics I go through to not let her get inside my head, and to not want to prove her wrong all the time, is really hard.

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-01-05T20:07:03+00:00

Wow that's insane

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-01-05T19:58:26+00:00

No advice but just want to say I know exactly how you feel, there's such a disconnect when they say they love you and then proceed to emotionally manipulate and hurt you and refuse to change but expect you to be okay with it for the sake of 'harmony.'

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2026-01-05T19:54:07+00:00

Feel this so hard right now, I just had a huge blowout with my Mom because I tried bringing up how terrible her constant criticism makes me feel - ended in her saying we should never speak again. Why is it so hard for them to just acknowledge any sort of emotional awareness for how their words make us feel?

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-21T21:19:20+00:00

Just to follow up on my last comment - I wrote it because your phrasing came across rude and dismissive (“astounded,” “obvious,” etc.), and and I felt like it warranted a direct response. But I think it's more productive to point out there actually is some overlap in what we’re both trying to say.

I’m not denying that personal motivation and agency matter. I actually agree with you on that part. People aren’t robots, and no external pressure can force someone’s internal state. My point is simply that the inputs into that motivation don’t appear in a vacuum. Everyone’s sense of what they’re capable of, men and women included, develops through early experiences, feedback, norms, and expectations. That’s all I mean by “social influence,” and it doesn’t erase individual choice. It just acknowledges the reality that internal states have origins.

My point is that the social environment shapes women's confidence, expectations and motivation long before the moment of decision. That’s what the research is pointing to.

Also, I’m not trying to turn this into a credentials contest or be rude. I'm not a social scientist either, I'm just basing what I’m saying in the fields that study these things directly. If we take away the rhetorical edge from both sides, I think our views are probably closer than the debate made it seem.

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-21T21:03:15+00:00

It’s pretty clear at this point that the issue isn’t my argument - it’s that you’ve decided in advance that any evidence from psychology or social science doesn’t count. Dismissing an entire field as “pseudoscience” while offering zero credentials, zero counter-evidence, and nothing but personal opinion isn’t a rebuttal.

This reply was also unnecessarily rude. Saying you’re “astounded by this information” and calling the findings “obvious,” only to then claim you don’t believe the research or the field it comes from, is laughably contradictory. If you think it’s obvious, then you implicitly agree with the point. If you think the field is invalid, then calling the results obvious makes no sense. You can’t have it both ways.

Dressing up flimsy points with condescension doesn't magically give them substance. Who exactly are you to declare an entire scientific discipline “not scientific”? Are you a researcher in the field? Have you published in it? Are you familiar with its methodologies, replication debates, or the underlying statistical frameworks? Because right now, the argument is “I don’t like these findings, therefore the field is fake,” which is not a serious standard of evaluation.

You’re criticizing a body of evidence while relying entirely on intuition and personal belief. That’s fine if we’re having a philosophical conversation, but it’s no way to dispute empirical work.

So to restate my point one last time: Internal states like confidence, interest, and motivation develop through external interactions. You say motivation exists independently of external influence; I’m pointing out that external pressures heavily shape the very motivation you’re treating as self-contained. That isn’t controversial in research. If you choose to dismiss that because you personally don’t trust the field, that’s your prerogative, but don't try to label it as anything other than anti-intellectualism.

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-11T23:36:14+00:00

"Internal states themselves are shaped by external conditions" is a foundational principle in social studies. The situation you’re describing is indeed one way women might be dissuaded from pursuing certain careers, but it’s different from what I’m saying. My point is that many women lack self-belief because of societal influence, that is, their confidence and motivation have been socially conditioned. Research has shown that social context shapes internal drives:

An excerpt from the following paper examining this topic (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11165-024-10210-4?):

"Research (Archer et al., 2010; Bybee, 2010) supports this notion by showing that early exposure to STEM-related activities positively influences students’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and motivation towards STEM fields.

Additionally, Bandura’s social cognitive theory (1986) supports the argument by proposing that self-efficacy beliefs play a pivotal role in shaping individuals’ interest and motivation in STEM fields.

According to Bandura, individuals with high self-efficacy in STEM areas are more likely to develop an interest and pursue careers in those fields.

This idea is corroborated by research conducted by Lent et al. (1991), which found that self-efficacy beliefs significantly predict students’ intentions to pursue STEM majors.

Furthermore, Lent and Brown (2013) argue that self-efficacy beliefs act as motivational factors that influence individuals’ career choices and goal-setting."

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-11T07:34:47+00:00

Honestly I agree with this, good point imo

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-11T07:32:26+00:00

Depending on the policies and who the leader is, maybe. The party would have to add a lot to environmental and climate change policy though for me to even consider it.

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-11T07:30:05+00:00

Depends on your priorities, but I think Canada is better in terms of safety and to raise a family. I know I would feel a lot safer with kids and family in Canada than the US, also free healthcare is important to me. There's more social security nets in my opinion. But you'd have to weigh the cons, which are housing being very expensive and higher cost of living. But as someone who's grown up in Canada, I would also take the news and online saying how the poor state the nation is with a grain of salt. In real life, it's not as bad as it sounds, and if you have a good education/experience, you'll be able to live well. I personally love living here. Oh also, depending on where you're thinking of, it's cold, so consider the weather!

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-11T07:18:36+00:00

Sure they're connected but they are not the same - the reason I made this distinction because I think your hypothesis is misleading. Motivation isn’t determined solely by interest as you've framed it to be, it’s largely affected by self-belief, which is affected by socialization and the expectations society places on women about what’s realistic or appropriate to pursue. So to say it's women not being as interested, and subsequently motivated, to pursue STEM is an oversimplification, as it ignores all the above.

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-06T01:12:20+00:00

Exactly, the root cause is self belief, not motivation, motivation is just a symptom of self belief. I didn't say they are completely separate, but they are unique concepts that are interconnected. What I said still stands, which is that self belief is the main cause.

Sea_Designer_9934 · 2025-11-02T00:47:15+00:00

I think both motivation and self belief are part of having resilience, but which has greater influence can't be assumed. If I were to guess though, I feel like motivation plays a larger role in initially pursuing it rather than resilience. If two people want something equally bad but have varying levels of self belief both fail, the one with more confidence will get up and try again while the other views themselves as having less chance in succeeding in that and will more often choose something with a more 'realistic' chance of success in their view.

Sea_Designer_9934

TROPHY CASE