success at the consulate

I'm super tired...this last weekend and today combined was just too many hours of driving.

Any ways, I did get my visa today :) (thank God).

This was my second time going to the consulate in Chicago and my dad came up with some tips/strong suggestions/pointers.

1) Don't mention the following phrases/words: internship, ChinaCare. If you're really curious why, email Diana or me about the details. Basically, if you go, or even if you do agency, this is not an internship per se, so NO, not an internship. Based on the rhetoric used on the websites of the consulates, any thing that has "internship" written on it will be denied a tourist visa immediately. Believe me, when I was waiting hours in the waiting area, I saw several people denied that way.

2) Have an itinerary made of when and where you will be. Please ask Diana for some tips or email me apart from commenting here.

3) Have a set script of how you, the other interns, and Brent are related. It's too farfetched to say we all met at XYZ. You should have a reason prepared just in case though, once again, please ask Diana/Barbara for sample script. Mine was, we're connected through the same intervarsity organizations.

4) You are there to SIGHTSEE. If you indicate in any way that you have other reasons, you will put yourself in a position to be denied a tourist visa. Once again, you're not lying, you will see things, lots of kids, and some Chinese stuff, but don't put yourself through the trouble of looking like you should be applying for a business visa.

5) I STRONGLY suggest you use agency, like VisaRite or something like that. I saw a bunch of those companies come in with stacks of applications and zipped through the lines with no hassle at all, I bet all of their visas were granted. Be one of those people, pay the $50 or so, save some gas, save a lot of time, and save a whole heck of a lot of headache and stress.

Good luck, have some idea of what you'll say, have an itinerary set, use agency, use your brains and watch your rhetoric.
I know I'm missing some things here, but it's been a long day. Please email me and I'll reply all to your questions. Or email Barbara or Diana, but I believe they're swamped. They might have something that I missed, so it'd be good to talk to them too.

Just curious, who's still thinking about going to the consulate now?