Studying in the US

[autumn1790]

Hey y'all, looking for opinions and advice.
So my SO has his bachelor's in CS and is hoping to come to the US to do his master's (he wanted to do it abroad even before he met me). He's currently applying and waiting to hear back from several universities. He has a reasonable GPA, good GRE and Toefl scores (don't remember the exact number), and his family has enough savings to pay for one year and take out a loan for the next.
However, I'm really dubious that this will happen because it seems like visas are really hard to get for people from his country. I've spent hours researching everything online, and all the stories of perfectly qualified people being denied visas scare me. Also, his parents are now somewhat against the idea because of all the recent shootings targeting Indians in the US.
Is it a waste of time to pursue this, or are there things we should be especially aware of to make it successful? These doubts are eating up my brain.

[R&R]

I think the big thing to remember is he isn't the only student pursuing education in the US. He has to excel in order to even be accepted. Usually, once a school has accepted the international student, they will work with them regarding the I20 and F1 Visa. I work in the education industry and about 99% of the international students we work with go to Columbia University in NYC.

[differentcountries]

Has he considered applying for studies in Canada as well?

[autumn1790]

Has he considered applying for studies in Canada as well?

He has applied to one Canadian university....has yet to hear back. What's your thought process there?

[kittyo9]

I sympathize with your sentiments! My ex lived in Peru and wanted to pursue a masters in CS in the states, but was rejected from all the universities he applied to. He had exceptional math-related scores but low-average verbal skills. I would never say it isn't worth trying, but be realistic and don't make your future contingent upon acceptance. India has such a huge population that it's difficult to stand out from the crowd of applicants, but it's still worth a shot, IMO. Sometimes an individual just happens to bring the right things to the table at the right time.

With an accredited school acceptance, my understanding is that it usually isn't so difficult to obtain an F-1, because at that point you have the university backing you. Certain circumstances, like previous and unsuccessful attempts to obtain a visa to enter the US, can make it more difficult, though.

[autumn1790]

Yeah, getting accepted into a university is a miracle in and of itself. All this uncertainty is so tiresome. But, that's life. Thanks for your input!