The Beginning & Paperwork // Exchange Post #1
- 10-15 min read
- Jul 1, 2017
- 6 min read
This post will cover:
- How I applied to MSU
- How I was accepted into MSU
- The paperwork needed for an exchange program
- Visa paperwork
*This is a very long post intended for students applying for exchange.
If you like videos more then here is a video covering the same information with less information about the specific papers needed for exchange.
At the end of last year, I decided that I wanted to try something new. I wanted to try to get accepted into my university's exchange program to go to Murray State University (MSU) in Murray, Kentucky. Before my university's application period began I did some research about MSU and realized it was only 4 hours away from many of my relatives, only 2 hours from Nashville and they offered music business courses. All of this excited me and so I decided that if I were to go on exchange somewhere then MSU was the place for me!
In January of this year, my university's application period began. I had to make a study plan which is finding classes at MSU that are equivalent to my university's classes. This may seem like a simple task to do but I spent at least 10 hours reading and researching classes! When I finally created a study plan I sent my university's application. My university then looked at my study plan, and my grades to determine if I was a good fit for the exchange program. The waiting period was slightly over a month.
On March 8th, I was notified that the results for the exchange application results were online! I was on vacation at the time and had a difficult time opening the results (I am terrible when it comes to thing like that) but when I opened the results I saw that I was given an offer to MSU! I didn't accept the offer right away because at that point I believed that it would cost $13500 to go to MSU and that for me was way out of my budget. However, after some thought and convincing from a few close people I decided to accept the offer and see where everything would lead.
Later that week, I decided to write to the international admissions director at MSU to ask how much the exchange semester would cost and I was told it would be half of $13500! That was a huge relief for me! You may think how did I not have the correct information at the beginning? Well, the answer is simple. My university has not been partnered with MSU for 5 years so any information that my university had was out-of-date or then there was no information available.
Soon after, my university held a general exchange info session where they explained that we would need visas, apply to the exchange school, how to receive financial aid, etc. However, most of the information did not apply to me. After that, I contacted my international coordinator and asked her to send the designation/nomination letter to MSU. Then, I began the MSU application process. I had to submit various papers to be accepted as an exchange student at MSU. Here is a list of papers I needed to submit:
1. MSU International Student Admission Application
2. Bank Statements (to show that I can afford to go to MSU)
3. My University Grant Confirmation
4. High School Diploma
5. All of My High School Report Cards (9th to 12th grade)
6. Transcript of Records From My Current University
7. Proof of Insurance
8. Copy of My Passport
9. Transcript Release
10. DS-2019 Information Form
After collecting all of these papers and submitting them, I had to wait for a little while to receive an answer if I was accepted or denied to Murray State University. Thankfully I was accepted!
After being notified that I was accepted and receiving the DS-2019 form in the mail from MSU, I was able to start the visa process. By then it was already the end of April and I knew that I needed to try to get my visa approved soon so I could start looking for plane tickets. Therefore, I researched online what I would need for the visa application and I found out that I needed quite a few things. Here is a list of items needed for the visa application:
1. New passport pictures that are in the American 2x2 inches format
2. DS-2019 Papers
3. My Passport Information
4. Bank Information
5. Work Dates Info
6. Exchange School Info
7. My University School Info
8. My International Coordinators Info
After getting all those items, I was able to do the online student visa application which is the DS-160. The application has all types of questions and so it took a few hours to fill in. After I completed the DS-160 and printed the confirmation page, and paid my SEVIS fee, I needed to apply for a visa interview. However, for some reason I was unable to make an account to apply for an interview so I had to email the US Embassy and ask for them to create one for me. It was frustrating for me that everything was so time consuming because while I was doing all my exchange paperwork and collecting papers, I still had to do school work and study for exams. At that point I felt quite discouraged for applying because I felt everything was taking too much time. However, I put a brave face on and kept going on.
When I had an account created for the visa scheduling system, I was able to pay the visa application fee and pick a time for my visa interview. The only available time was 2 weeks later which was May 16th. Leading up to the interview I was very nervous about the interview because I was worried that I would not receive a visa after reading horror stories online. Therefore, I prepared all my paperwork for the interview and had way too many papers at the interview.
Papers I had with me for the visa interview:
DS-2019
SEVIS Payment Confirmation
Appointment Confirmation
DS-160 Confirmation
DS-160 Confirmation (page 2)
Murray State University: International Student Admission Application
Murray State University: Statement of Financial Support
Murray State University: Release of Information Declaration
Letter of Confirmation (University grant)
Bank Statements
Student Aid Paper
High School Diploma
High School Final Report (grades)
High School Term Report (Autumn IB2 grades)
High School Term Report (Spring IB1 grades)
High School Term Report (Autumn IB1 grades)
High School Report Cards (Pre-Dp grades)
High School Report Cards (Pre-Dp grades)
High School Report Cards (Pre-Dp grades)
High School Report Cards (Pre-Dp grades)
Secondary School Certificate of Education (9th grade grades)
Certificate (Enrolment for next academic year)
Transcript of Record (University grades)
Letter of Confirmation (continuing studies in Finland)
University Course Plan (Entrepreneurship)
University Course Plan (Human Resource Management)
Confirmation letter (work dates)
Insurance Terms (Page 1)
Insurance Terms (Page 2)
Insurance Terms (Page 3)
Insurance Certificate
Murray State University: Admission to Murray State University in Fall 2017
Murray State University: Acceptance letter & tuition waiver (Page 1)
Murray State University: Acceptance letter & tuition waiver (Page 2)
University Learning Agreement
Extract from Population Information System in Finland
Out of all the papers that I brought with me, they only looked at a few. The papers that they looked at were:
1. All of my financial papers (grant, financial aid, bank statements)
2. DS-2019
3. SEVIS Payment Confirmation
4. Visa Appointment Confirmation
5. DS-2016 Confirmation
6. MSU International Student Admission Application
7. MSU Statement of Financial Support
8. Letter of Confirmation (University grant)
9. Transcript of Records (University grades)
10. Certificate (Enrolment for next academic year)
11. Letter of Confirmation (continuing studies in Finland)
At the US Embassy, first one lady looked through all my papers and took out the papers I listed. Then, my fingerprints were taken. After that, I had the interview. My interview took only about 5 minutes and I had only a few questions. The questions were:
1. Why am I going to America?
2. What exchange school am I going to?
3. What is my current school called?
4. How will I finance the trip?
5. Am I excited?
After replying to all of the questions and being slightly confused by the last question, the interviewer said that my visa would arrive by next week. However, I received a couple days later! This means that I will be studying at Murray State University from August to December!
The next Exchange Adventures posts will be about traveling to MSU, orientation at MSU, my adventures at MSU, decorating my dorm room, and more! Make sure to subscribe to my newsletter to receive an email notification when I post new blog posts!
Love,
Suski
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