F-1 221(g) AP + I accidentally created a second DS-160/case — what should I do?

Hi everyone, I’m really confused and would appreciate some advice from anyone who has been through something similar.

I had my F-1 visa interview on April 23, 2026. During the interview, I was placed under 221(g) administrative processing, apparently because my social media accounts were private during the review.

My CEAC status showed “Refused,” and I misunderstood this as a final 214(b) denial. Because of that misunderstanding, I submitted a new DS-160 and created a second case, and I also booked a new interview appointment.

Later, through email correspondence with the Consular Section, I was told that I did not need to attend the new appointment because my original case was still active and under administrative processing.

The confusing part is that my original case hasn't been updated for about 62 days, while the new case has been updated, most recently on August 2.

I have emailed the Embassy again asking what I should do, but I haven't received a response.

My university start date is coming up soon, so I'm getting extremely worried.

What would you do in my situation?

Should I:

• Continue waiting for the original 221(g) case to finish administrative processing?
• Or request a new interview for the second case since that case is the one currently being updated?

I'm also worried that creating the second DS-160/case because I misunderstood the 221(g) status may have caused a problem.

Any advice or experiences with a similar situation would be really appreciated.