I swear I have read somewhere that it is possible to send in your student visa application from abroad. But, then, you must go in person to the consulate to pick it up.

However, if you are abroad (say, already in Europe), how can you send in your passport as part of your application? Don’t you need your passport in order to return to the US and pick up your visa? Or is there some way around that?

I’ve heard this question a few times come up on other message boards and I’m just curious about the answer. The situation does not actually apply to me personally.