F1 Visa Student: Can I Book Flights Now for July/August Travel?

Ans: Mahindra University is decent. Can consider it.

Ans: Congratulations on getting into Northeastern University.
About the visa situation — yes, it’s fine to look for appointments in other cities like Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, etc. A lot of students do that when their home consulate is booked. You just have to be a little flexible with travel, and it won't impact your chances at all. For other countries - we don’t recommend that, as the US consulates there might not prioritize or accept non-residents. Also if the visa gets delayed or stuck in administrative processing, you might end up stuck abroad, which is more stress causing.

Ans: To be honest, there’s no official proof that Manipal University students are getting more F1 visa rejections than others. Visa decisions depend more on your personal profile, how well you do in the interview, your financial documents, and how clearly you show your intent to return to India after studies.
Sometimes, students from certain colleges might feel like rejections are high, but that could also be due to a few recent cases shared online — not a general rule.
So don’t stress too much about the college name. Just make sure your documents are strong, your answers are clear, and you're confident during the interview. That matters the most.