Hi. Am curious what consulate you applied at. On F-1 and H1B visas I've gotten Thai visas without problem in KTM, NYC and Boston. The only fee was $20/entry for a transit visa, $25/entry for a tourist visa. Tourist visas allow you to stay 2 months, transit visas allow 1 month. For a tourist visa you need a return ticket, for a transit visa an onward ticket. You might want to call a different Thai consulate and see if you get a different answer. Requirements are not always consistent. For example according to the website the NYC consulate covers Massachusetts, but I have often gotten my Thai visa at the Thai consulate in Boston. It might also be that the person you called was confused about your status....