Wpi I20 -

"WPI has granted me a $56,000 annual scholarship, ma'am. The remaining $20,000 is from my family's savings."

This was the trap. He couldn't say he wanted to stay in the US forever. He also couldn't lie and say he'd definitely go back to India if he had a Nobel Prize-level opportunity in Boston. wpi i20

But the US consulate in Mumbai wouldn't care about his passion for path-planning algorithms or his excitement about the Robotics Lab at WPI’s Gateway Park. They would care about one thing: Would he come back to India after his degree? "WPI has granted me a $56,000 annual scholarship, ma'am

This was the unspoken question behind every line of the I-20. The I-20 was his invitation, but it was also a contract. It said: We, WPI, believe Aarav has the academic chops and the financial backing to survive here. Now, US Government, do you believe he will leave when the party’s over? He also couldn't lie and say he'd definitely