One thing I want to tell potential F1 students

The US does not owe you anything. It is a simple fact I wish I learned sooner. They will let you study (and maybe work for 1~3 years afterwards), but that's it. They do not need or want you, and they will make it as difficult as possible for you to stay.

I (and many others) were tricked into believing that the F1 visa is the pathway to the American dream, coming to the US in hopes of starting a life here. We were told that after we graduate, we can work on OPT, get a H1B, and eventually get a green card. The truth is that every step past the "study and graduate" part is extremely difficult - or nearly impossible.

I realized that I came here with the wrong expectation. I was entitled to enter the US to study, and nothing else. A lot of people (including myself) get mad when they cannot find a job. Or fail to get a H1B visa. Or fail to get a green card. But at the end of the day, none of that was owed to us.

So here's a piece of advice: Set a realistic expectation. Come here to study, and don't expect anything else. Sure, things will work out for some of you, but it's a very small chance that is getting even smaller. If you are not okay with this, reconsider. You maybe end up in a large pile of debt and going back home disappointed. Just like me and hundreds of thousands of others.