Emma Thomas, Tufts University

Since her acceptance to Tufts University, Emma has been excited to study in Boston. But with the US government's shifting policy on international students, the Indian citizen who grew up in Dubai faced one obstacle after another on her path to obtaining a student visa. By staying alert and being proactive, she recently managed to get her interview with the US consulate in Dubai–a major step toward her college dreams.

IO: Congratulations on your acceptance to Tufts University for Environmental Engineering! How are you feeling? 

Emma: Extremely grateful considering how difficult the admissions cycle was this year. I did a lot of time-consuming extracurriculars and projects such as building a water purification system for developing countries and doing research with the Lumiere organization, and I am really happy that I have an acceptance from a top university to show for it.

IO: With the new American political administration, it’s been an uncertain and unnerving time for international students hoping to attend US universities this fall. How have you been impacted? What steps have you taken to try and make sure you can attend Tufts in September?

Emma: With international student visa applications closing due to administrative changes at the American Consulate in Dubai, and then the scheduling of appointments delayed due to US policy changes, it has been an especially stressful time. To make sure I can attend Tufts, I — along with my parents and my Ivy Options counselor — started compiling all the documentation required. Furthermore, we stayed on top of all the news and government sites to make sure we didn’t miss any updates on when visa appointments would open up again. By staying vigilant, particularly monitoring the US consulate website, I finally got an appointment!

IO: How was your visa interview, and when do you expect to receive your F-1 visa?

Emma: I just got it–five days after my interview! The process went smoothly and the interviewer was very friendly, asking about 10 questions. This probably is more than normal, but likely was due to the recent political events taking place in the US. I did have to make my social media such as Instagram and YouTube Channel public, so the Dubai consulate could vett it.

IO: How difficult was it to get a visa appointment? What have you gone through since you committed to Tufts at the beginning of May?

Emma: Words cannot describe how difficult it’s been–one hiccup after another. All this was going on at the same time that I was studying for and taking my A-level examinations. First, my Tufts email, through which the university sends all communications, was faulty. Thankfully, this got fixed quickly, but the university forgot to send me my I-20 form until I sent a reminder email asking for it. This meant that by the time I received it, the Dubai consulate had stopped scheduling any visa appointments until the end of May! This was followed by the US halt on all visa applications. So while all my classmates had scheduled their appointments, I hadn’t. Thankfully, the application pause lifted for about 10 minutes on June 20, and we managed to get an appointment booked. However, the earliest date was in late July! I filed an emergency request to expedite my appointment, and got the June 26th date. It was super hectic, but luckily it got done in the end. 

IO: Was Tufts able to support or guide you through this process?

Emma: Aside from a few comfort emails about the climate in the USA, I am sad to say that Tufts was not very helpful in the process and just requested to be updated on my visa progress. They also were not super clear on how the visa application should proceed, which is especially frustrating for first time travelers to the US. Thankfully, my Ivy Options counselor was extremely helpful due to her past experience. She knew exactly which documents we needed to upload, helped me monitor and book the visa appointment, and prepped me for my interview with mock questions. 

IO: Why did you choose Tufts–what appealed to you? Did you visit the campus?

Emma: Out of all the universities to which I was accepted, Tufts and Purdue were the two I considered. Purdue’s reputation for engineering blew me away, but I believe Tufts offers me a more holistic approach to my education where I can explore a variety of career paths, subjects, and majors to help discover my passion. I believe Tufts' career guidance is one of the best in the US,  and I know that I will find a community of talented and passionate change makers. 

IO: What was your college application process and timeline? 

Emma: I started looking at universities at the beginning of 2024 because I thought it was important to have an idea of where I wanted to apply early. This way I could focus on my school academics and ease the process for the rest of my application work. I researched over 20 universities in the US, listing the pros and cons for each, narrowing down my top choices into reaches, targets, and safeties. I used numerous websites such as niche.com and read about people’s experiences on open forums. I also found the YouTube videos from students who already attend these universities fun and interesting.  

For the SAT, I began prepping in the summer of 2023 through the Khan Academy’s courses on reading, writing, and math. Despite preparing quite early, I ended up retaking  the SAT a few times to obtain the score I wanted. As for my Common App essay, I started drafting it in the summer of 2024; my other essays were written around that time as well through December 2024. I spent a lot of time rewriting and perfecting essays!

IO: Now that you’re headed to university, what’s your best advice for high school students?

Don’t stress about finding your passion. I think that is a big ask from people who are only 14-16 years old. I think it is important to try a lot of activities and hobbies and stick to the one that you enjoy and excel at. Build a creative story around this one activity and keep developing your skills—that is, if you have found your passion. If not, that’s what university is for, particularly the US system!