Go through the OIE website as well.  Some of this information may be old and is here for reference purposes only.

Can I accept admission at different universities?

1. Technically yes, ethically no. But then obviously there will be cases where you have to accept before a deadline and you are waiting for the result from your dream university. Just inform the universities ASAP and take all the I-20s to your Visa interview, especially the one using which you took the Visa date.
2. About the acceptance and then deference, we do not recommend it as good practice. Make a decision and stick to it. However, if you must, there must be ways to work it out. For e.g. you might get multiple I-20s and then you can take both to consulate during your VISA interview. There is some documentation about it on some websites too.
   
   
1. What do I do after I get my admit letter / I-20?

 Follow this algorithm 

1. You get the admit letter
2. Mail/Fax in your acceptance confirmation ASAP.
3. Arrange financial documents and send it to department.
4. Wait for I-20
5. When you get the I-20, try to get visa dates immediately. Keep trying you'll get it. Take whatever you get. (Monday morning and Friday are the same). Tentatively all of the above would be done by June end or mid-July. Put visa documents together and go for the interview.
6. Start discussing flight bookings with other new students - it is better to come in groups. As soon as you get the visa, book the tickets. Inform IGSA about the date of arrival etc. If you really need it,we’ll try to get you temporary accommodation for a few days after you arrive,. Start looking for houses before you leave India (start as early as possible). After considering the factors mentioned above short list a few places..
7. Pack and leave for Pittsburgh
8. Reach Pittsburgh. We have a lot of detail for instructions on things to do when you get to Pittsburgh Airport.
9. Settle in.
   
2. How long does it take for CMU to send the I-20?

1. I-20 comes in 10-20 days after you send in your documents. If it doesn’t come after 20 days, it’s good to call your department's graduate coordinator and/or OIE who are pretty helpful. -RK

4. The Student Information Form that I have to fill and send, in order to obtain an I-20 requires me to send financial proofs. The form has a calculation for the 12-month minimum amt that needs to be shown. I am able to show an amount (with the help of CMU support + personal funds) which is more than the minimum required by a couple of thousand dollars. I need to know if this is sufficient, or do I need to show more (affidavits of financial support from family members) to make the I-20 procedure easy? Or is it sufficient (for I-20) to show even a little more than the min amt? PS: I am presently asking for proofs for 'I-20' and not for Visa.

To get the I-20, as long as you show funding equal (or more) than what is required (as mentioned) you are good. I think you need to show extra funds for dependents but that is mentioned on the estimates page. Basically, when your I-20 comes in, it will mention estimates expenses on the document. And they need you to show that your funds equal that amount, because if you can’t show those funds, your visa will definitely be refused and that means the  I-20 that OIE sends is a waste and this costs them quite some money. -RK

5. Documents Required for Visa interview (suggested list from our experience)

1. Must haves:

1. HDFC fee receipt (with stickers) and SEVIS fee receipt (No other monetary payment is required)
2. Passport
3. DS 156, 157 & 158 forms
4. I-20

2. Should haves:

1. Letter from CMU (mentioning scholarship amt if applicable)
2. College degree & mark sheet
3. Personal funds proofs
4. GRE, TOEFL score sheets
5. Proof to convince them that you will come back – for eg. real estate investments by you or your parents.
6. Marriage certificate and marriage album (in case of accompanying dependants)

6. I am admitted into MISM. Are there any chances of getting funded by CMU? Currently I do not have any funding.

1.  MISM doesn’t have any research assistantships (RAs). A few students are able to get TA-ships in their 3rd or 4th semesters. Other than that you can get campus jobs which can cover part of your living expense (which are hard to come by) and finally you have summer internship. But you cannot mention these sources in your financial statement as you have a letter from the employer right now to prove it. -RK

7. In the international student information form it has been mentioned that we need to show the minimum amount of about US$45,000 for the first year expenses. If someone shows that amount, will CMU admin think that he/she does not need aid and shall not be eligible for RA-ship?

To put things in perspective,. Your fee, forms and funding are handled by different people in different departments. None of these departments have much to do with each other except throwing alerts on occasions like "Fees not submitted", "I-20 not up to date". So given this view of things, the proof of finances you show the graduate administrator has nothing to what funding you get (from the specific faculty).  RK

8. While taking the date for your Visa interview, I would suggest use Internet Explorer. Follow the instructions to the letter.

9. I would like to hear suggestions from people about the chances of jeopardy to the visa application if an elder sibling is in the US. As for my case, my older brother has graduated from Univ. of XYZ and now is doing his OPT. He is still on F1 status. The doubt that I have is if I mention his presence in US, will this affect my chances of getting a visa? Does the visa office have the records of addresses? As my brother while filing his tax returns for this year has mentioned my present address. I would like to get your suggestion over the same as DS-156 requires the information about siblings to be filled over it.

1.  I know of a person studying in CMU who didn’t hide this information. It would be good if you are able to get a photocopy of your brother's passport (with visa stamped on it), so that they can verify that he is a legal immigrant. All your other documents of financial support etc should be correct. We strongly suggest you keep all your records clean and hassle free.

2.  Personally, we prefer to keep it clean and truthful. Just fill you form with all details truthfully. Look at things this way: What can you do?

1. Ask you brother to leave US so that you can go and study there (NOT-FEASIBLE)
2. Lie in the forms (NOT-A-GOOD-IDEA)
3. Fill in the right thing and face it (WORKS).

Do understand that having a sibling in the US doesn’t mean that you can’t go. It’s just a possibility. He is here as lawful taxpaying resident, and I don’t see a problem with that. Perjury is a punishable crime and verification of that guarantees you won’t get a visa (ever). Although the possibility of verification is small, I wouldn‘t go with this. Make other aspects of your case solid. You are going to CMU; you have solid financial documents and no wishy-washy stuff there, good scores, great records, well done documents. Go get it.

10. I submitted my financial docs to OIE just recently, waiting for the I20. I booked my date using another university's I-20. I've been told that i can change the DS 156-158 forms to the CMU I-20 once I get that. But I don’t know the exact procedure....
    
    It is possible to change the details of your university after you book your date. I just changed my visa details from another university to CMU and this is how I did it!

1. Visit www.vfs-usa.co.in

2. Click on Apply for non-immigrant visa keep going till you see a screen which provides you with the following options.

1. Create new application
2. Retrieve/Modify a saved application
3. Download details of current appointment.
4. Click on modify a saved application link and enter your details (passport no., HDFC barcode no. etc), after this you will be able to see the four forms you have already completed. Click on the form you want to edit and do all the necessary changes .