Quote Originally Posted by Doomer View Post
Two things
1. If you see a Russian student in the US on J-1 then most likely that student stands out from the crowd. He/she either really smart and got scholarship to go to the US or his/her parents are rich (I doubt that you gonna see the second kind at the motel)
You're confusing an F-1 Student Visa (F-1 Student Visa: Education in the USA - ) (Student Visas ) with a J-1 Exchange Visitor ( J-1 Visa Basics | J-1 Visa).

2 different things.

F-1 is a visa to be a student in the USA.Work part-time.
J-1 is a visa granted to students to work and see the USA. Work full time for 3 months and travel 1.

F-1 kids are rare away from a university.
J-1 kids are pretty common. Not from "rich" families, they are usually in debt to their family though. Two jobs to pay back loans and buy stuff for their friends and family.

F-1 kids think chess is exciting and have poor social skills.
J-1 kids will beat me in chess but are a whole lot of fun.

F-1 kids go home as pale as when they arrived
J-1 kids go home with a nice tan and great stories.

I met some F-1 Russians in my school life and 3 trying to work for a summer. I remember the 2 guys as highly intelligent incompetents. The girl had "Total Recall" or Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). She could remember what a person ate, time date, credit card number, etc. She learned Brazilian-Portuguese in 2 months. She was fairly "normal". She remembers me with "What the fuck".

My "Kids".