Trump’s travel ban just shattered my dreams as an Iranian student
Posted by nick-nt@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 106 comments
Trump just shattered all Iranian students’ dreams of getting a PhD or MSc in the US.
Many of us have been waiting for our student visas for over a year. We have had to defer our start dates at least twice, and Trump suddenly decides to annihilate all our hopes for no reason.
The average experience of an Iranian student with a dream to study in a world-class university in the US, based on my own and my close friends’ hard-lived experiences:
1) Being an international applicant already puts us at a disadvantage. We have to work harder just to get noticed, and many get rejected despite high GPAs and quality publications.
2) The USD / Rials exchange rate is INSANE. English tests cost ~250$ and uni application fees ~100$ on average, while average monthly wages in a large Iranian city are ~150$. We have to save up for half a year just to be able to apply for 5 programs.
3) Iranian students are outstandingly smart and hard-working, and many earn fully funded PhD or MSc positions in highly prestigious universities despite all challenges. They are finally set to realize their full potential and chase their dreams in a supportive environment. They finally made it, right? No. fuck no. The hard (and ridiculous) part is obtaining a study visa.
4) No US embassy in Iran. We all have to travel to a third country (UAE, Turkey, or Armenia) to attend a visa interview. This adds a 250-400$ travel cost to the already high visa application fee of 350$ and appointment fee of 180$. Means another 6 months of savings down the drain.
5) A ridiculous 50% of Iranians have been refused a student visa since last year for no reason.
6) I attended my visa interview 3 months before the program started, and I got lucky and didn’t get rejected on the spot. Surely I will get my visa in time and start my studies after all the sacrifices I made, right? No, because fuck me I’m a brown fucking Iranian and don’t deserve to dream. At least 1500 Iranian student visa applicants, including me, have been waiting on a decision on our visas for over a year (yes, that is 12 months) due to a black-box, vague, excuse of a process called administrative processing (AP), a.k.a. security clearance. No one answers you or your pleas while you are in AP. You simply have to wait, not knowing if or when there will be a decision on your case.
7) While waiting to get out of AP for over a fucking year so we can make it to our programs this fall, Trump just announces a full travel ban on the nationals of 12 countries including Iran after an Egyptian man’s attack in Colorado. Egypt is not even on the list, while none of the nationals of those 12 countries have ever been involved in a terrorist attack on American soil. Iranians are consistently amongst the most educated and respectable migrant groups in the US, with many highly influential people including Dara Khosrowshahi (CEO of Uber), Maryam Mirzakhani (first woman to win the Fields medal – most prestigious prize in mathematics), Firouz Naderi (NASA lead scientist), and many, many others. It is undeniable that Iranian migrants have lifted above their weight and contributed to the US in so many different areas.
There simply is no reason behind this travel ban except racism. All this achieves is to end the American dream for talented students and professionals, and separate families from their loved ones.
I want to emphasize again how shattered we all feel. After a full year in AP limbo, after all the sacrifices, all the financial difficulties, all the hard work, we are suddenly banned from our dreams for no reason at all. The last two years have been constant stress and uncertainty for us. We deserved relief after all that, not a slap to the face. What are we supposed to do now, just start the process from scratch for another country? There is no willpower left. There are no dreams left.
If you can bring our story to someone who can do something to defend our rights as human beings, we would all be very grateful, and we appreciate your help.
wild_thingtraveler35@reddit
Good. Don't need you here!! Plus the ban has be on and off for years with different presidents so don't fully blame Trump!
expats-ModTeam@reddit
Be nice to each other. Uncivil conduct, ad hominem attacks, etc. will result in up to 3 warnings and then a temporary ban. Violent, racist, homophobic, sexist, or generally bigoted attacks and content will be dealt with immediately with a ban of a week or more.
Moist-Ninja-6338@reddit
It is a privilege not a right. Move on and try Canada or the UK
BlacksmithThink9494@reddit
I will never agree with this sentiment. It is such an anti American thing to say as just about the entire US is built on immigrant labor.
awajitoka@reddit
Funny how people will defend other countries instead of the their own (US).
mmoonbelly@reddit
The second part is practical advice. We welcome excellence in research students. Apply to the UK OP.
Humblebrag1987@reddit
You know the USA dream is outdated. Go somewhere less fractured and where college doesn't cost a retirement best egg. For the best. I wouldn't want my American children to attend an American university at this point.
la_srta_x@reddit
Same!
Mysteriouskid00@reddit
The only people who think the American Dream is outdated are lazy Americans.
I have friends who immigrated to the US in the few years. They are on their way to living the American dream. They work hard, buy homes and make enough to send their kids to great colleges.
They have a life they never could have achieved in their home country.
Humblebrag1987@reddit
LOL. My dude, my wife and I make excess of $300,000/year and have for more than 5 years. The American dream is dead.
Even at my income, you have to ride the razor's edge between stability and outright disaster to achieve 'the american dream.' It's dead af. I've been a net-worth-millionaire for 3 years now. Fuck this place. The entire economy is totally unsustainable.
We make enough to do all the things, but we're also smart enough to know when we're being squeezed for all our juice in this consumerist car brained capitalist hellscape.
Mysteriouskid00@reddit
Please tell me more about this “Gestapo”. Are they in the room with you right now?
Humblebrag1987@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/ICE_Raids/
Mysteriouskid00@reddit
I’m guessing you’ve never lived outside the US?
Most countries heavily enforce their immigration laws including arresting and deporting illegal immigrants.
If anything the US for the past few years was an outlier in how much it ignored its own immigration laws.
Humblebrag1987@reddit
I was born in Argentina and have spent a total of 15 years spread across 4 continents.
dannihrynio@reddit
Agreed!
Glittering-Speed7847@reddit
Same.
Bugatsas11@reddit
I feel sorry for you, but on the other hand, why specifically US. There are top tier MSc and PhD programmes in EU, which will be quite cheaper and easier to get into.
tresslessone@reddit
Exactly. Countries like Germany, France, Netherlands all have highly rated universities and tuition fees there are much, much lower.
lamppb13@reddit
I've got a lot of students where I live who've had their dreams shattered as well. I feel you.
Glass_Crazy3680@reddit
I seriously am just baffled at some of the replies.
"the USA is overrated anyway" "people are willing to fight their neighbors over there". These people have no idea how bad political division is in the rest of the world and I say this as someone who lives in eruope. the USA still offers the most professional opportunities and disposable income. not all of us want to leave the office at 5 and chill out at a wine bar. and some of us have to feed our family back home with our salary.
"if your claims about iranian students are partly true other countries are fighting tooth and nail for you to enter". LMAO. Iran is under sanctons and in europe we actually NEED qualified workers and instead of setting up a system to allow them in we use outdated treaties that allow any economic refugee in despite the ones we actually need.
this being said, please keep your head up despite the situation in iran being desperate.
inrecovery4911@reddit
I'm shocked. And this as someone who is on reddit a lot (mind you, only a select few subs). I've said ot before but I guess I'll say it again - talking about how America is a facist hellscape worse than any other place on earth has become some people's entire identity, it seems. It also means they seem to lose any sense of compassion - instead of saying "sorry man, that really sucks" to someone who's had basically their life's dreams dashed by the whims of politics, they skip over OP completely and use them as a springboard to broadcast their own worn-out speech "America bad!". I'm disgusted.
crazybrah@reddit
Post this on r/askconservatives some of them are very unaware of the impact this will all have
LynnSeattle@reddit
They have no empathy for their fellow Americans. You think they’ll have empathy for a grad student from Iran?
napalmtree13@reddit
What about the EU? There are a lot of programs in English. Speaking as an American in Germany, you’ll likely be happier in Germany as well. Likely other EU countries as well, I just don’t have university experience anywhere but the US and Germany.
Educational_Word_633@reddit
ngl as a German university looks more fun in the US - I have no clue though only seen it in movies.
napalmtree13@reddit
Why? Undergrads in Germany also fail most of their classes the first semester or two because of parties. It’s just that they aren’t in dorms.
Educational_Word_633@reddit
In my undergrad people just went to lectures and that's it. There was no campus vibe.
Take this with a massive amount of salt because as I stated earlier - I only know it from movies.
beerouttaplasticcups@reddit
Yeah, as an American in Denmark my friends and colleagues are jealous of my experience at a big state university. The university experience here is apparently much different and low key. Here university is just something you go to, like a job, whereas in the U.S. it’s like your whole world and social life for 4+ years.
MisplacedChromosomes@reddit
US college life is pretty awesome. Best years of my life. But if you’re here just to study hard for a graduate program, it’s a lot less immersive and probably doesn’t subscribe to the same experience
Delicious_Theory19@reddit
The irony of hating the USA because you cannot attend school in the USA.
CptQuackenbush@reddit
I didn’t read it as hating the US. I read it as a young person who may not understand geopolitics (because teens) and is extremely frustrated because of the time and money spent and was almost at the finish line when the finish line was removed and the whole race shut down.
LynnSeattle@reddit
He’s applying for graduate school so is likely not a teen.
sharpafm8@reddit
Right?😂 when did people get so entitled? Coming to the US is a privilege, not a right
FartTootman@reddit
Yes. But when you've worked extremely hard, using the proper paths, to obtain said privilege only to have it revoked because of the color of your skin or some fuckwit's interpretation of why "all immigrants are bad", how can you not expect someone to be upset by that....? Your understanding of what makes a foreigner worth having in your country could use some nuance...
Delicious_Theory19@reddit
Yes it’s hard, and especially if the country in question’s official position on the ISA is “Death to America”. Perhaps the educated class in Iran could get to work installing a democracy and we might be more open students from that country.
sharpafm8@reddit
What a concept!
sharpafm8@reddit
It’s not revoked because of his skin color. Are you actually fr? It’s revoked because he comes from a hostile nation with a hostile government.
If it’s just about skin color, why are other middle eastern nations not subject to the same restrictions that Iran is?
You’re exposing yourself hard right now. You’re actually the racist “fuckwit” in this situation. It seems you don’t understand nuance, or anything really
FartTootman@reddit
Did you notice the "or" statement there, or are you just purposely ignoring it?
wifeofpsy@reddit
I feel for OP and for anyone who wants to study abroad and go to another country for opportunities they might not have at home. But I don't think any country would make it easy for foreign students. As a US citizen I did post grad studies in Asia and it was difficult. It was something I planned and organized for years, I struggled with language competancy, funding, I'm lucky everything came together. Of course any country is prioritizing its citizens for admittance to its higher education institutions. Costs associated with such a path are too high for most. But it's not because of race. I don't support T but this decision doesn't have any racial reasoning or anything to do with Colorado. I beleive he is trying to prevent certain countries from investing in these institutions. It's a political move. Like every political move it has fall out. In this case it is going to prevent many foreign students from coming over right now. That will impact funding to these schools. We will lose out on having more diverse student population for sure. Then we will see the pendulum swing the other way again.
T0m_F00l3ry@reddit
You don’t want to be here right now. The political climate is volatile. People harbor deep resentment toward fellow citizens over relatively minor differences in beliefs — which means hostility toward foreign nationals is even worse. Would you face hate every single day? Probably not, but often enough to make you feel unwelcome. And for the next three years, even with an approved visa, you’d constantly worry that it could be revoked for reasons beyond your control. Just look at the comments you receive. There’s little compassion. Many are quick to blame you personally for the failures of your government.
Mysteriouskid00@reddit
This goes to show how ignorant most Americans are.
Can you imagine telling someone from Iran - a country that is a religious dictatorship with secret police who come and snatch you for whispering criticisms of the rulers - not to come to America because it’s so “bad”.
Oh sweet child, you have no idea what “bad” is.
FartTootman@reddit
Really? Here are a few examples, just off the top of my head, of the basic differences in belief between a Trump supporter and non-Trump supporter (these are all ACTUAL Trump supporter positions, so assume the non-supporter's position is the opposite):
- Everything bad that's been happening in government is a result of DEI (i.e. because non-whites and women were hired over white men, who they believe must be more qualified on that basis alone).
- Trans people are fake, and not only do not deserve special treatment, but they don't even deserve to be recognized as anything more than mentally ill.
- Trump didn't actually lose the 2020 election, it was stolen from him. And the people that almost overthrew the US government on Jan 6th did nothing wrong.
I could sit here all day writing about stances these people have that run contrary to basic common sense and reason, much less to my particular political stances. And you say "relatively minor differences in beliefs"?????
Sorry, these people have demonstrated time and time again that they are off the fuckin deep end - so deep they barely resemble the basic definition of "American" I had even 5 years ago. I'll have to strongly disagree with this part of your statement.... They're barreling headfirst into off-brand fascism (some just going straight to actual Naziism), and they're doing so with the FULL belief that it's totally normal and reasonable. I no longer have common ground with these people beyond the literal ground upon which we walk.
T0m_F00l3ry@reddit
You’re pretty much proving my point. You singled out a small part of what I said and blew it out of proportion to make your argument. When I said people hate each other over relatively small differences in belief, I wasn’t excluding those with wildly divergent views. I was highlighting that Americans often turn on each other even over minor disagreements. You’ll see two conservatives argue bitterly over slight ideological differences, and the same dynamic plays out among liberals. No political group is truly unified.
What’s relevant here is that people have lost the ability to show compassion toward one another. They’re quick to fight over the smallest provocation and no longer seek compromise or ways to coexist peacefully. The prevailing attitude is “my way or the highway,” with everything viewed in stark black and white, while ignoring the reality that most issues exist in shades of gray.
blackkettle@reddit
Can’t believe you got downvoted for this comment. It’s absolutely spot on - and as “unpleasant” as it might sound compromise is almost always about a middle ground that makes everybody feel a bit unsatisfied. Our apparent inability to manage that anymore is absolutely a huge part of the problem.
Every issue is a “wedge” issue - and nobody gives or receives any grace on either side.
FartTootman@reddit
Yeah - I stand by my statement. I have no reason to show compassion to people that refuse to show any to anyone else.
Compromise?!?! Have you ever spoken with the average Trump supporter? 15 years ago, I felt I could have a political conversation with someone that I didn't agree with and at least be able to understand how they reached their conclusions - that no longer exists, in almost any capacity. Vitriol amongst parties is a result of a purposeful attempt at creating tribalism, I'll agree with you there. But to act like I'm supposed to be able to find common ground with these fuckin idiots that gleefully vote for someone who couldn't possibly make it more obvious that he's the opposite of what he claims seems.... short-sighted. It seems like a "both sides" argument, which only works if both sides apply the same intellectual standards to their extremism, which is patently false.
I do not want to co-exist peacefully with the type of person who, in 2025, is capable of seeing what's happening around us and finding it acceptable. And I don't think I'm the one in the wrong on that front...
I, and many people I know, show compassion to all kinds of people that we don't share ideologies with, but I draw a line somewhere. I just didn't think that the other side of that line had so fuckin many people in it...
lurch99@reddit
Well said.
Sad but true.
realone3500@reddit
If an American wanted to study at an Iranian university, would this be easily accomplished? This post speaks of entitlement. Nobody has the right to live in another country, simply because they desire to do so.
davidswelt@reddit
All good points, but keep in mind that it's a net positive for the US. Universities make a lot of money with the Master's programs, and as a society we tremendously benefit from inventions made by people with American PhDs (often during their PhD studies here). Many of them can be persuaded to stay and contribute enormously to America's ability to compete with other global powerhouses, notably China.
Yes, the post is written by a young person that sounds as entitled as any young person in the world. But if you take a step back, the bigger picture is that we are strong because of the talent we can attract. This has nothing to do with illegal immigration, people over-staying, people milking the system, and so on.
realone3500@reddit
Nobody is disputing that. The issue is the entitlement. Many Americans want to move to Europe. But they can’t. It doesn’t simply work that way. Usually when an American finds that out, rarely do you see them criticizing the European country, do you?
There’s a set of rules to be followed, whether right or wrong, just or unjust. And if the reality isn’t feasible, then one can find alternate plans. You rarely hear these Americans crying and blaming the European countries for not letting them in, do you?
davidswelt@reddit
Actually, from a visa standpoint, it is very easy for an American to move to the UK or to Europe to go to university if they qualify. And tuition is low (UK), or almost free (e.g., France, Germany).
After university, for Germany, e.g., you have to have a job offer for a job you're qualified for, and you can apply for the visa and work+residence permit. The fee is 75 EUR. No big deal, right?
https://www.germany-visa.org/work-employment-visa/
What you don't get is a residence permit without concrete work, thinking you can benefit from social services and so on without paying taxes. But as I wrote, this post isn't about that.
yeahmohammad@reddit
Sure, but this post wasn’t really trying to engage in that sort of discussion. It was just screaming “I’m entitled to study in the US.” We can have a discussion about the benefits of immigration and US immigration policy, but first we have to recognize that immigration isn’t a right, and no one is entitled to immigrate to the US.
yeahmohammad@reddit
I completely agree. Ask an Iranian about the Afghan immigrants in their country and you’ll hear the most vile racism. “Ekhraj Afghani” (kick out the afghans) was literally trending on Persian twitter at one point. A lot of Iranians hold these sentiments but at the same time think they’re entitled to immigrate to a Western country. According to them, the rules they want applied in their country shouldn’t apply in ours.
IndependentPudding85@reddit
You’re going to get a lot of downvotes, but I honestly think more or less like you. The part that pisses me off the most is people from a foreign country giving their opinion about what another country’s democracy and its people have chosen. What right do you think you have as an Iranian to criticize the democratic decision made by the population of another country?
I don’t like Trump, I wouldn’t vote for him in a million years, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was democratically elected, and as such, the people’s decision must be respected.
Honestly, why the hell do you even want to go to the US if, as you say, they don’t respect your views or way of life? I’m European — I’d never live in the US for that very reason, so I don’t even consider it. But at the same time, I don’t go around judging them either.
realone3500@reddit
Because he wants the money, prestige and the hope of an American job that comes with the degree.
He doesn’t care about the USA, obviously. One can clearly see by their tone in the message. It’s all about me, me me. Entitlement on every level.
If an America university degree brought him Iranian wages and no prestige, would he be in such a difficult path? Obviously no.
UnderstandingIll1456@reddit
It’s really a shame and I feel for you. But I doubt this is a human rights issue as it’s within the rights of any sovereign country to block their bothers towards any other country.
You just gotta have to hope things change quickly
TheBiscuitMen@reddit
The UK is far safer and has better universities - why would you choose the US over it in the first place?
733OG@reddit
I love how people think the USA is this dream place. It is all a facade.
22amb22@reddit
i think this is a really unsafe time to be an immigrant in the US, especially from the middle east. i’m sorry your dreams have been crushed, but i also think this is something or someone keeping you safe. we are in full blown fascism. people are being taken by ICE immigration “agents” AT immigration hearings. visitors (like the teenagers from germany) are being detained and strip searched at the airport for being foreign. it’s just not safe here and not predictable.
Shoutymouse@reddit
Just go somewhere else - the US are failed states
Argentina4Ever@reddit
While I understand your struggle, it's not just Trump's fault. Iranian government is an autorhitharian religious fanatism dictatorship that is a world wide pariah and it should change.
Sugarloaf78@reddit
This is all his fault as he enacted the ban based on no real issues.
propsNstocks@reddit
Lmfao
hammurabis_turnips@reddit
Yeah, becuase the dictatorship cares about student visas not being authorized and will turn itself around now? Grow up
awajitoka@reddit
The people there support the dictatorship, they need to realize much of the rest of the world doesn't. This sends a message. You should grow up.
Then_Deer_9581@reddit
Why should we grow up? You claim we do support it yet most of us don't. You need to grow up instead and read a bit about Iran.
Ashamed_Fig4922@reddit
Do you really think that 'the people' - as a whole - support the dictatorship? Poor delulu.
sharpafm8@reddit
OP might, considering he thinks all the sanctions on Iran are for “no reason”
Let’s just ignore the daily “death to Israel and America” chants
Ashamed_Fig4922@reddit
One thing are 'chants' another one are 'actions'.
In the meantime Donnie signed very yummy deals with dictatorships like Qatar, UAE and KSA only a few weeks ago.
sharpafm8@reddit
Those countries governments obviously don’t espouse “death to the west” doctrine. Are you stupid, or just intentionally obtuse?
ContactSpirited9519@reddit
If you think "the people support the dictatorship," I urge you to look more into what a "dictatorship" is.
If people openly and democratically support a government... it doesn't need to adopt as many authoritative practices...
Buford-IV@reddit
Which dictatorship did you mean?
Comprehensive_Link67@reddit
"Iranian government is an authoritarian religious fanaticism dictatorship that is a world wide pariah " Sounds a lot like the US under the MAGA regime.
sambull@reddit
They do keep yelling about it being a "christian" nation now I've noticed
propsNstocks@reddit
Maybe because Iran doesn’t like the US? I would not feel safe traveling to Iran as a US citizen.
Cojemos@reddit
Sorry for this. But I have to say.... why would you want to get educated in the USA to begin with? This was a major miscalculation. Why wasn't your visa approved before Trump was in office or even elected for that matter? "Many of us have been waiting for our student visas for over a year. We have had to defer our start dates at least twice." This makes it clear Biden/Harris are equally responsible. This is more than just a Trump thing. With that, wanting to come to the USA is strange.
WhimsicalRenegade@reddit
I am so, so sorry. Please stay away from my shithole country and go somewhere that will welcome and appreciate your contribution. We Americans are reaping the rewards of spending several decades with our heads in the sand while wealthy terrorists ruined our education, healthcare, and social safety net systems in pursuit of decreasing their own tax burden. We are anti-humanist and do not deserve to have those who strive to do great things hold us in any kind of esteem. I hope that something wonderful works out for you and I will help you hold your pain.
Papayero@reddit
There is no American dream. You have made a mistake believing in a fairy tale, but it's ok. The good news is there are probably good universities in Europe that would love to have you. I am an American who did PhD in Europe, and I have had multiple Iranians that I have mentored through their studies and research.
There is no mythological Dutch Dream, or Belgian Dream, or French Dream, etc like the propaganda of the American Dream. But reality is not dreams, and America right now is not a place that values and supports foreign talent.
Modullah@reddit
EU or China. And despite all the anti China propaganda, I guarantee you most Chinese people will treat you like a King or Queen.
ultimate_zigzag@reddit
Come to the EU. They will treat you better.
nebulousx@reddit
You had the misfortune to be born in a terrorist country. Honestly, you're not missing much. I'm American, now living in Sweden. America is going to shit and university costs are insane.
Besides, by the time you finish a PhD, AGI is going to be here and likely render whatever you study obsolete.
Mammoth-Goat-7859@reddit
I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. I know the visa fees are crazy in the UK, but do you think your supervisors would be able to suggest you to theor international colleagues? It's a bad situation all around, but maybe there are other places where you can get your education.
Glittering-Speed7847@reddit
My question, as a US citizen, is… why here, and why now? The world is so big… why the US? Please, for everyone’s sake, pivot. Get your advanced education, but do it somewhere safer for you than here. It’s expensive and it’s just not safe.
Antiquedahlia@reddit
I feel bad for all the Americans who are suffering.
mothlady1959@reddit
As an American, I whole heartedly apologize for our governments behavior. It's unforgivable. We, as a country, have fought to become a beacon of acceptance and inclusion, despite our many and grievous failures over the centuries.
Now, we've become the United States of the Hateful and Mediocre. Perhaps, it's a permanent change. Perhaps this is a nadir we need to hit in order to fight harder for that dream of democracy. Sadly, it's looking good for the Christian and White Nationalists.
I fear for my children and grandchildren.
So, maybe a new dream; Canada, UK, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Japan, Australia? I know it has been hard. But I don't think America is it, anymore.
I wish you nothing but the best of luck.
TM02022020@reddit
You are aware of what happened with the US embassy in Iran, back when there was one, right?
I don’t support Trump and what he’s doing sucks. But you can give some of the blame to your own government as well.
Look into Europe- most of the countries there have a better lifestyle than the US and will welcome talented students.
Informal_Republic_13@reddit
UK is high quality still and in cities at least there are plenty of nationalities and ethnicities, it’s so much less racist than US! Not saying it’s not racist at all but they still have some manners.
lethal_defrag@reddit
Maybe Iran should be welcoming to US citizens
wapera@reddit
I’m honestly so so so sorry for international students right now. Even before this whole mess making a move to the USA for studies is a massive major investment of money, resources, time. It’s a serious thing!
To see it get crushed in a matter of a few months of presidency is insane. Orange man has no clue how bad he is going to wreck our education system and how bad public universities will fair when they aren’t getting international student tuition which makes up for a majority of income.
Now as an American myself, I honestly wish everyone would reject the “American Dream”. It never was real to begin with and is a fake dream we all wish to have from seeing it in movies. I’m a natural born citizen and I will never own a house at this point. I don’t think I want to have children because I can’t afford it. So many of the “american dream” scenarios are just a myth to keep us working in a system of capitalism.
Sensitive_Big4893@reddit
Why go to the USA? Iran is your home, where your people are.
Vladimir_Putting@reddit
It sounds like you bet the farm on one country that has not been really friendly to Iranians for decades. When you make that kind of bet, there is always a chance that you lose big.
Change your dream. Go for Europe. Or Canada. Or Japan. Or somewhere that doesn't make it this fucking hard.
You decided to take the really hard road. Yes. It did not work out. That was always a possible outcome.
S3v3nsun@reddit
Salaaaam!!! Honestly you are lucky, the school system in America is fucking retarded!!! Life here is fucked and since trump took office and all the shenanigans he has been doing is going to run America to the ground! America is occupied buddy, I recommend shomal..
borrokalaria@reddit
Okay, Mohammad Harvardhopeful69, I was gonna stay quiet, but I just read your little War and Peace: Iranian Student Visa Edition and I need to process this out loud. Publicly. On the internet. Because I, too, have suffered. Greatly.
My son Kyle, a real American, born on this soil during a Red Hot Chili Peppers song, just got into college. Full tuition. No scholarship. No discounts. No mysterious "international hardship waivers." We’re talking $83,000 a year so he can major in “Media Studies with a focus on Twitch culture.” My husband is on his third job. Our family dog is now a registered DoorDash driver.
And here you are, crying in MLA format because you only got into FIVE PhD programs and had to pay $250 for the TOEFL. Oh no. Not $250. That’s how much my son’s textbooks cost per chapter.
You had to fly to Turkey for your visa interview? Aww. Kyle had to fly to Iowa for a college tour. There were no good airports. And the only place open was an Applebee’s.
Also: “We are banned from our dreams.” Sir, my dream was retiring before 72. That’s gone. Annihilated. Because Kyle needed a triple dorm room with “natural light and vibes.” His cafeteria meal plan costs more than our mortgage, and I’m out here reading your post like you’re applying for sainthood.
You think getting into school is hard? Try applying for parent loans. Our credit score now lives in a swamp. I had to sell plasma to afford Kyle’s lab fees, and he’s not even pre-med, he just wanted to "experiment with kombucha cultures."
And don’t get me started on your “Iranian students are the smartest immigrants.” Okay, cool. Want a medal? Or do you want to take Kyle's calculus final because clearly no one in this house knows what a derivative is. Not even Alexa.
You say you’ve been “waiting in AP for a year”? We’ve been stuck in AP Calculus for two. And guess what? No one’s processing that trauma.
So respectfully, take your fully funded research slot, your world-class brain, and your heartfelt essay, and shove it somewhere safe, like a German university that pays you to breathe. Canada still exists, and Australia lets you bring your own goat to orientation.
Some of us are out here bleeding from tuition wounds while you’re upset your visa didn’t arrive on a unicorn-drawn chariot.
Anyway, best of luck, sweetie. Hope you find a better country to disappoint you.
mrnx136@reddit
Whataboutism
gschoon@reddit
Meh. I couldn't go to the US to study when I was 18. I ended up coming to Europe when I was 19.
I dodged a bullet. You may not see it now, but in a decade you will.
davidswelt@reddit
It's not just the travel ban. Are you aware of how much federal funding is getting cut? How the administration is fighting our best and most famous universities by blocking their ability to admit international students? That funding (NSF, NIH) is what pays for your stipend, tuition, labs, while you, as a PhD student, do the grunt work that invents new materials, cancer treatments, or lays the basis for advancements in AI. And without that funding, the university has no means of bringing you on as a PhD student.
What it also means is that the US is rapidly losing the status as a top place to do science.
There are other excellent places. Remember: Much of today's AI/ML was invented in Canada, in the UK. Many drug discoveries came from Germany. Chinese universities have caught up. Some of these countries get to hire brilliant researchers now. And maybe Germany is fixing its policy, and maybe salaries in Europe might become competitive.
My own Iranian PhD student did great work, but she and her husband fucked off to Canada after experiencing the treatment during Trump 1. Teaches at a top school there now. Our loss.
My UK PhD enabled me to launch an international career (yes, in the US). Would US_PhD->US_tenure_track been easier? Absolutely. But it seems these things are rapidly changing given following the combination of democratic+academic fuck-ups and the Trump insanity.
You now have the chance to sit this one out and take your talents where they're valued.
SadSpeechPathologist@reddit
I am so very sorry. All the work, money and time you put into this application wasted for no reason. Some jerks here are saying you’re feeling “entitled,” but having the very CHANCE of going after investing in all this preparation yanked away because the current piece of garbage in the White House hates brown people is disgusting.
trashhighway@reddit
The US is no longer what you were hoping it would be. It’s a scary place and everything is collapsing. You dodged a bullet not being able to come here. I’m sorry your dreams are shattered but they were dreams - the reality here is awful. Good luck with your very bright future.
ledledripstick@reddit
I am so sorry that happened to you. I get it - the American dream. However, you should know that Trump has shattered the dreams of most Americans and especially Americans and expats and immigrants of the scientific persuasion. The hard sciences, medicine etc. - funding cuts to major universities, funding cuts to medicine and then sciences. Funding cuts to everything except people with massive stock portfolios and billions of dollars already. It's embarrassing how far the USA has fallen.
There are other places in the world where a dedication to real democracy still exists. Places where higher education is still admired. For now, find a better spot and then let's see what happens in American after this regime is over with,
satedrabbit@reddit
If this claim is true, then there's probably 194 other countries fighting tooth and nail, in order to sign up all the outstandingly gifted Iranian students, by offering generous scholarships and lucrative opportunities.
In that case, is this really a problem, since they can go anywhere they want (except the US)?
The travel ban is stupid, will hurt research & innovation in the US and is quite probably racist, but come on... being an international student in the US is not a human right.
Why would you want to move to a country, that clearly regard you as a persona-non-grata?
Realistic_Citron4486@reddit
I completely agree with you. There is advocacy for you, so sit tight I’m sure that this is a shock campaign for the newspapers and will rationalize in a number of months.
leondemedicis@reddit
Ok.. a lot to unpack here...
I was on a j1 visa doing my postdoc at a national lab (USDOE) back when Obama was president and I got AP while renewing my visa a few times.. it is a normal thing. Then colleagues of mine who are world renowned scientists directors of large research institutions (Max plank ) also got their visas rejected during Trump, for being Iranian born (UK citizen). Another world renowned scientist with Mexican citizenship but born in Russia and living in Europe was also in AP for 5 years... he was invited by the academy of science, by the major conferences and still did not get it... he even gets funding from dod...
All this to say, this has nothing to do with current administration... this is a shift in the American government views on science and education and it is just more open now... (And yes F orange man and his shitty politics.. this is not the point)
That being said, you need to be a bit more humble.. there are smart people everywhere and this attitude of entitlement is part of the issue. You know how many smart people try to go to higher education universities? All of them. You are not the only foreigner trying to make it.
Also, there is cambridge, Oxford, UCL, Imperial, EPFL, Tokyo, Sorbonne, Polytechnic, Max planck... and you can pick any other university in the world...
If you are brilliant you can go anywhere and you will be fine. If you want the name of the university as a testimony of your greatness then maybe you need to mature a bit.
Again, I feel tour pain, but you need to chill. Plus with all the horrible things happening in the US, I can guarantee you that you do not want to be on the campus of any elite universities right now... we are struggling to keep funding beyond imagination and are trying to first save tenure tracks, then postdocs and then current grad students...
dc73905@reddit
Your anger is misplaced, I feel it should be directed very much at the door of your own political figures first and foremost
josekun@reddit
It didn't "shattered" your dreams. It just made you open your eyes to reality.
soupteaboat@reddit
I have many iranian classmates with friends in the US here (i’m in the EU) and we had many talks about all the sacrifices they had to endure to study in a different country. The truth is that the US right now is no longer a good idea or even safe for anyone who has any roots in a foreign country, they are deporting their own citizens now. If it’s somehow feasible for you, I’d look into universities in europe instead
Educational_Word_633@reddit
Im sorry to hear this. While Im not American, stories like these make me realize how lucky I am being born into a country with a very strong passport.
There is nothing I can say or do to make it better. Life sucks, lets hope it sucks a bit less in 3 years - maybe you can try again then.
Appropriate-Bad-8157@reddit
The U.S isn’t a safe place for foreigners right now and living quality has gone down a lot. I recommend checking other countries with more safety and stability for foreigners. Canada is a great option