Hello

ibudes: I will need your advice.
I got 3 offers to study in the Uk but I am little bit confuse on
what to choose, I need your advice in making the right choice, Where
it will be easy for one to get a Good Job Fast after graduation

1st course
Msc. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Technologies (Northumbria University)

2nd Course
Msc. Mobile Telecommunications (Anglia Ruskin University)

3rd course
MSc/PGDip Energy and Environmental Management (University of Abertay Dundee)

What does MSc/PGDip mean? Will you have to follow a PgDip before you are upgraded to a Master's?

For Northumbria, I know a third class guy who went there, graduated and now works for a major multinational oil and gas company in North America (I don't want to be specific about the MNOC). It feels very good to equal your guys who thought they had long gone above you because they had big grades at undergraduate level .

There are no guarantees for getting a job fast. No school will help simplify the rigor to get a job after your graduation. You will still have to compete fiercely with other people and, realistically speaking, the competition can indeed be very, very fierce. Although studying abroad does not guarantee anything nowadays, it has always been a good experience and will continue to be so.

That said, what type of job do you desire to nail after graduation? Your 2nd course happens to fall outside of the set that contains your 1st and 3rd courses. Dundee Abertay is relatively new, currently ranks 1853 and has zero track records in my view. The same story can be told of Anglia Ruskin, which was founded in 1992 and currently ranks 2486 in the world. That leaves Northumbria, which ranks 1212, founded in 1992 and has a relatively superior track record, as the only plausible choice to make. In fact, all these schools are in the same league sef; they all recently gained the status of ‘university’.

Nonetheless, depending on the type of job you are targeting, I would go for course 1 because, in a way, it seems like an allied combination of courses 2 and 3, although in highly unequal proportions. I would also favor Northumbria because of its superior track record (compared to the other 2) and because of the fact that I know someone who graduated from there and is now gainfully employed.

Make your choice sha. I just stated what I would do.

Take care

T22.

seun001:
Of course,this is not new.

That is a very sad development.

seun001:
Of course,this is not new.

That is a very sad development.

Hello

Now that the application process has ended, the most difficult part begins, WAITING, to know whether your name will be shortlisted, especially now that i have heard that it will depend on WHO one knows, God help us.

hobat4cash: Now that the application process has ended, the most difficult part begins, WAITING, to know whether your name will be shortlisted, especially now that i have heard that it will depend on WHO one knows, God help us.

Many things in naija have always depended on whom one knows.

Yes, it is God whose help we need.

T22

Can someone tell me what a typical TOTAL structured interview looks like.
Especially for a technical role.
Your responses are clearly anticipated.

please you guys should not allow this thread to slack especially the guys that are working in Total. Share your experiences, the ups and the downs, so that we that will soon join Total will know what to expect. God is on our side.

Xx

@Tanimola
Hi I'm still an undergraduate th

^^
3 questions for you (though I'm obviously not T22):

1. What did you study at undergraduate level? Implied chemical engineering.
2. How did you come about petroleum economics? If you studied chemical engineering, and didn't make a 2:1, I think your best bet would be to continue along the technical career path. There you at least stand some chance of getting into O&G services/support, if not the majors directly. Why not a masters in petroleum/drilling/reservoir engineering?
3. Rather than certifications (NEBOSH etc), why don't you pursue postgraduate to start with. Looks like a short term solution is what you're looking for. Things are getting tighter on the jobs market. It might be better to look long-term nowadays.

olu16: @Tanimola
Hi I'm still an undergraduate though finishing like august this year most likely with a 2:2 just dropped. I'm really confused. Seems masters is d only way 4 me since most companies employ 2:1 and above.

So I have 2 questions:
I'm thinking petroleum economics and management : I know IFP offers this course, but I don't know If they accept graduates with a 2:2, after checking their website I've really fallen in love with d school. Do u know any Nigerian that attended d school or any info at all.

I read d other thread about HSE. Do u know if NEBOSH(since u saidd NEBOSH is better than NISP) has any courses for fresh chemical engineering graduate.

I would appreciate any other suggestions and advice from u or anybody else
Thank you and Godbless

Hi,

I didn't comment on NEBOSH and the likes O. I know nothing about them. I am a pure mathematician/statistician/economists/econometrician/financial analyst and maybe management person, not an engineer.

IFP likes a combination of relevant work experience and fine academic achievements. The petroleum economics program is a highly competitive one. You will need at least one of TOEFL, GRE and GMAT so that you can attend one of IFP's partner universities in the US or Russia or UK for your second and third semesters. The first semester is usually at IFP Paris, after which you have to go abroad.
The current partner universities are Texas A&M, Colorado Mines School, Oklahoma and Gubkin (Russia). Others are Dundee, Norwegian School of Management, etc.

The application for 2013 will open in November 2012. Submit your application and see how it goes, but never depend on IFP. Again, the petroleum economics program is madly competitive. There will be interviews after initial screening has been done, and obviously not all that attended the interviews will be eventually successful.

One trick you can employ now is to contact the director of petroleum economics program at IFP. His name is Hache. Tell him that you are very interested in the program, you are willing and in fact preparing to sit the GMAT and TOEFL, and that you can fully sponsor your studies in Paris and in other partner universities such as Gubkin, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas etc. Assure him that money is never the problem, that you are up to the task. Then ask him if you can send your transcript to him. If he says yes, then I suggest you send the transcript almost immediately so that your thoughts will be fresh in his brain. Again, tell him that you are very capable of sponsoring your education even though you do not get any support whatsoever from Total, Schlumberger, Mobil, Shell, Chevron and Saudi Aramco. These are the major oil companies that are known to sponsor students to study at IFP.

I know a Nigerian who attended IFP. He had his naija undergraduate degree in Physics/Geophysics and then studied Geology/Geophysics at IFP. He and his colleagues represented IFP and came third in an international Geology/Oil and Gas competition and that really boosted his profile. Several Nigerians are still attending the school and will continue to attend the school on a yearly basis. This is in fact the competition you are going to face because many of these Nigerians are sponsored by Total and co, so they have very competitive academic achievements. That was why I advised that you contact the director of petroleum economics and play him a card that most prospective IFP students(naijans) do not even have in their packs. That was why I said you should come across as someone who would easily sponsor his studies without relying on any external support. That was why I said you should force the director to believe that you had even registered for TOEFL, GMAT and all because I know these are tests that many Nigerians, especially those hoping to study in France, are not willing take. Abi you see the strategy.

I hope you will find the above story-story helpful. I am willing to give you the director's full contact if you desire to implement the aforesaid strategy.

T22

@ T22 thanks a lot, I actually noticed that, was mixing u up with brainwave. And I REALLY appreciate your advice. I'm very grateful. And I definitely don't mind taking the exams, I'm not scared of exams lol.
Pls do u have an Idea of the total cost, it seems u know much about the school andd it appears u've got links too . Bless Nairaland.

As per d transcripts I still have one semester to go, is it advisable to get in touch now or when I have all my transcripts together.

P.S I'm a 'She' I noticed u said his somewhere.

@ Ajanlekoko thank you
Ok yeah I'm studying chem eng here in naija final year, petro economics seems to be very interesting, I did a course (engineering economics).. So I think that's where it came from. Then reservoir, I offered "reservoir engineering" last semester, tbh it was veryy abstract. All I did was cram and I made a B. I know I could be judging wrongly.

What what Unis would u recommend,d ones that accept 2:2 grads? Uk us canada and also interms of employment opportunities. Just like a guide.
Thank you!

olu16: @ Ajanlekoko thank you
Ok yeah I'm studying chem eng here in naija final year, petro economics seems to be very interesting, I did a course (engineering economics).. So I think that's where it came from. Then reservoir, I offered "reservoir engineering" last semester, tbh it was veryy abstract. All I did was cram and I made a B. I know I could be judging wrongly.

What what Unis would u recommend,d ones that accept 2:2 grads? Uk us canada and also interms of employment opportunities. Just like a guide.
Thank you!

Are you studying in UNILAG

olu16: @ T22 thanks a lot, I actually noticed that, was mixing u up with brainwave. And I REALLY appreciate your advice. I'm very grateful. And I definitely don't mind taking the exams, I'm not scared of exams lol.
Pls do u have an Idea of the total cost, it seems u know much about the school andd it appears u've got links too . Bless Nairaland.

As per d transcripts I still have one semester to go, is it advisable to get in touch now or when I have all my transcripts together.

P.S I'm a 'She' I noticed u said his somewhere.

Hi, no problem. The she correction is well noted.

I can see that you still have a long way to go. Do you want to shenk NYSC for further studies? If I am correct, you will graduate by October 2012 and complete service by February 2014.

For someone who can really, really manage, the cost of living in Paris should not be more than 500euros per month. If you can prove that you are not a professional being sponsored by your company to come study at IFP, then the school should be able to charge you a fair rate. Most people that were admitted in the past only had to demonstrate that they had enough money to cover their living expenses in Paris and at any of the partner universities they selected to study for the second semester. The last semester is usually an internship at one of IFP's sponsors (mainly energy, oil and gas companies) and many people get great offers after this phase.

I recommend that you prepare and blast TOEFL, GRE and GMAT. Take both GRE and GMAT so that you can apply with the one where your score is better. The three tests will cost you nothing less than 75k. I do hope you can afford this amount. As you are an engineering student, I expect a perfect score from you in the quantitative sections of the GRE and GMAT, and above average verbal scores. You can always prepare for the TOEFL. Ladies are known to handle languages very well, so you shouldn't have any problems getting >105/120 in TOEFL.

It is always good to start anything very early. If you need to get in touch with them, please send me an email. We will take it from there. I once had a discussion with one of their directors of studies and he/she confidently told me that the employment rate of their graduates just 3 months after graduation has averaged 98% over the past years. I know know whether oyinbo dey bobo me O. Na just discussion.

T22.

really nice thread. Seriously considering making the move to ExxonMobil here in the US myself. I just wonder if it is possible after a couple of yrs to transfer back to Nigeria.

@2good,
Thanks for the tips. I guessed you were interviewed for an experienced role.
However I do not have experience that much and have been invited for a structured interview for Umbilical engineer role.
I guess mine might just be a rundown of my CV.
More responses anticipated though.

davidylan: really nice thread. Seriously considering making the move to ExxonMobil here in the US myself. I just wonder if it is possible after a couple of yrs to transfer back to Nigeria.

Hi,

I think @2good mentioned something like that in his post on the previous page. You may want to go through it.

@2good yes, I am

@T22 thanks for your reply,rly helped. I did a bit of research on those schools, if I was to attend TAMU, CSM or Oklahoma, I would be spending like 20months altogether for a dual degree. But d Gubkin one is 16 months for a dual degree. Then the other ones in europe essec, dundee etc single degree 16months + internship. Tuition fees were not stated on their (the partner schools) websites. Does IFPs tuition cover for d partner schools? If it doesn't, will that mean I have to pay for a full year let's say at dundee since I'll be there for abt 4 months?

And about d exams, should be able to come up with that. If not I wouldn't even be thinking of masters abroad knowing fully well that I can't get scholarship with a 2:2 degree.
Thanks Again

olu16: @2good yes, I am

@T22 thanks for your reply,rly helped. I did a bit of research on those schools, if I was to attend TAMU, CSM or Oklahoma, I would be spending like 20months altogether for a dual degree. But d Gubkin one is 16 months for a dual degree. Then the other ones in europe essec, dundee etc single degree 16months + internship. Tuition fees were not stated on their (the partner schools) websites. Does IFPs tuition cover for d partner schools? If it doesn't, will that mean I have to pay for a full year let's say at dundee since I'll be there for abt 4 months?

And about d exams, should be able to come up with that. If not I wouldn't even be thinking of masters abroad knowing fully well that I can't get scholarship with a 2:2 degree.
Thanks Again

Good.

Yes, tuition fees were not stated, I saw that. In fact, that was why I made a statement regarding proving that 'you are not a professional being sponsored by your company to come study at IFP'. If you are assumed as one, the tuition you will have to pay for the program is 30k euros. That is roughly more than 6 million naira. I agree that IFP is a little clandestine with tuition for non-professionals, implying, in my view, that it is subject to negotiation. To make you happy, IFP students are always asked to prove that they can cover their living expenses, not tuition fees. I don't want to make you too happy though, but I suspect that getting the admission is the main thing. Tuition is generally ridiculously cheap at public schools in France, and IFP is a French public school. You only need a contribution towards tuition. This can be agreed on with the director of PEM at IFP. Go to funding and read more, http://www.wec-france.org/DocumentsPDF/LABORATOIRES%20PARTENAIRES/IFP-School-English.pdf

Every agreement is made with IFP. The partner universities just offer study abroad opportunities to IFP students. It is called an exchange program, and students from the other partner universities and elsewhere also come to IFP for a specified amount of time, just as IFP students go elswhere. It does not mean that you will pay a new tuition fee to each of the partner universities you attend. It is simply a study abroad program and your to be parent university (IFP) takes care of everything.

Okay, begin to prepare for the tests. I now expect even so much more from you, considering that you will be graduating from a department that so many high flyers with whom I am familiar graduated from a couple of years ago. You guys used to have one Olu Ogboja, one very confident (some people say proud)man. Unfortunately, the guy kicked the bucket some years ago.

You may continue to ask questions and I will continue to give approximate answers. If they take you gberen and you prove yourself gberen, then you won't be far from landing that job that many people will only dream of.

All the best O.

T22.

*****Age also plays a major part in these things. Would you like to tell me your age? hahahha. I guess this is a weird question. If you find it as such, then please neglect it.

@ T22: Okay thank you soo much for your time and we usedd olu ogboja the textbook fluid mechanics.
I guess I have to start jacking hard for the tests!
What agency would u recommend for the tests in lagos?

Nah,its fine. I'm 20 turning 21 this year?

olu16: @ T22: Okay thank you soo much for your time and we usedd olu ogboja the textbook fluid mechanics.
I guess I have to start jacking hard for the tests!
What agency would u recommend for the tests in lagos?

Nah,its fine. I'm 20 turning 21 this year?

Are you kidding us ? Private university or federal university? I thought I was one of the youngest grads. You've the age, you have plenty of advantages.

Yes, start jacking. I can help with GRE material. And don't patronize any agencies. Ask your dad to help you register for the tests online with his credit card or use your own credit credit to register. The only time you should patronize an agent is when you can't register yourself. You already have the capacity to read and ace the tests. You don't need to formally attend any coaching center. Your training in chemical engineering from unilag is more than enough to make you confident to prepare for the tests yourself.

Do you want to follow the 2013 program? Do you want to neglect service?

No I'm not kidding, lol. Don't think I'm young tho, we have a 19yo girl in my class.

And yh, I can definitely prepare on my own. I thought I had to register through some kind of agency.
Yeah I'm thinking 2013, I don't mind not going for NYSC. Lol.

Thank you soo much for ur help, no more questions for now.

Xx

[b][/b]

2good:

I actually graduated from Unilag Chemical Engineering 2005 set. Its usually a tradition that you know alot about things like GRE et al if you graduate from that department cos i guess alot of your classmates will be preparing for those exams for foreign admissions now. I will advice you to go for one of the core Petroleum Engineering disciplines (Reservoir, Drilling, Production or Petroleum Engineering itself) rather than Economics. The reason is that for every 1 non technical person they employ, they probably employ like 30-50 technical people, so you have a better chance of breaking into the oil and gas industry.
Reservoir might be abstract but they are the asset owners and the decision makers in operators. I studied for an MSc in Petroleum Engineering in the Netherlands and still didn't like Reservoir Engineering becauase it is way more abstract compared to say drilling so I settled for the drilling career which I love so much. I will recommend you try one of Colorado School of mines, University of Oklahoma, University of Houston for Petroleum Engineering. I did not bother to mention University of Texas @ Austin, Texas A & M University, Stanford University, Pennsylvania State University or Louisiana State University because they will be difficult for your to get in with your 2-2. Also the US is way better than Europe because the European job market is much tougher than it used to be and there are more oil companies in the US. Also more oil companies attend US schools during company days and so you have a better chance of getting a job while still in the University. I was able to get into one of the major operator in Europe maybe because I had prior work experience before masters degree, but its doesn't happen all the time

[b]

2good:

I actually graduated from Unilag Chemical Engineering 2005 set. Its usually a tradition that you know alot about things like GRE et al if you graduate from that department cos i guess alot of your classmates will be preparing for those exams for foreign admissions now. I will advice you to go for one of the core Petroleum Engineering disciplines (Reservoir, Drilling, Production or Petroleum Engineering itself) rather than Economics. The reason is that for every 1 non technical person they employ, they probably employ like 30-50 technical people, so you have a better chance of breaking into the oil and gas industry.
Reservoir might be abstract but they are the asset owners and the decision makers in operators. I studied for an MSc in Petroleum Engineering in the Netherlands and still didn't like Reservoir Engineering becauase it is way more abstract compared to say drilling so I settled for the drilling career which I love so much. I will recommend you try one of Colorado School of mines, University of Oklahoma, University of Houston for Petroleum Engineering. I did not bother to mention University of Texas @ Austin, Texas A & M University, Stanford University, Pennsylvania State University or Louisiana State University because they will be difficult for your to get in with your 2-2. Also the US is way better than Europe because the European job market is much tougher than it used to be and there are more oil companies in the US. Also more oil companies attend US schools during company days and so you have a better chance of getting a job while still in the University. I was able to get into one of the major operator in Europe maybe because I had prior work experience before masters degree, but its doesn't happen all the time

[/b]

2good:

I actually graduated from Unilag Chemical Engineering 2005 set. Its usually a tradition that you know alot about things like GRE et al if you graduate from that department cos i guess alot of your classmates will be preparing for those exams for foreign admissions now. I will advice you to go for one of the core Petroleum Engineering disciplines (Reservoir, Drilling, Production or Petroleum Engineering itself) rather than Economics. The reason is that for every 1 non technical person they employ, they probably employ like 30-50 technical people, so you have a better chance of breaking into the oil and gas industry.
Reservoir might be abstract but they are the asset owners and the decision makers in operators. I studied for an MSc in Petroleum Engineering in the Netherlands and still didn't like Reservoir Engineering becauase it is way more abstract compared to say drilling so I settled for the drilling career which I love so much. I will recommend you try one of Colorado School of mines, University of Oklahoma, University of Houston for Petroleum Engineering. I did not bother to mention University of Texas @ Austin, Texas A & M University, Stanford University, Pennsylvania State University or Louisiana State University because they will be difficult for your to get in with your 2-2. Also the US is way better than Europe because the European job market is much tougher than it used to be and there are more oil companies in the US. Also more oil companies attend US schools during company days and so you have a better chance of getting a job while still in the University. I was able to get into one of the major operator in Europe maybe because I had prior work experience before masters degree, but its doesn't happen all the time

The reason is that for every 1 non technical person they employ, they probably employ like 30-50 technical people, so you have a better chance of breaking into the oil and gas industry.
---
The above is not a lie. I was told almost the same thing when I interviewed with Shell at The Hague for a finance position. The interviewer, a guy who has been with Shell for more than two decades, told me that 'engineers always stand a better chance to nail a nice oil job with us or elsewhere'.

olu16: No I'm not kidding, lol. Don't think I'm young tho, we have a 19yo girl in my class.

And yh, I can definitely prepare on my own. I thought I had to register through some kind of agency.
Yeah I'm thinking 2013, I don't mind not going for NYSC. Lol.

Thank you soo much for ur help, no more questions for now.

Good.

Hello

ibudes: Can anyone help me with any school where i can go for masters in drilling where they accept 2:2 and with a reasonable tuition

The only university offering Drilling Engineering as a Masters course is Robert Gordon University, so you have just one option.

Hello

ibudes: Do you have idea about thier tuition and thier entry requirement

The link below contain the answers to your above questions

http://www.rgu.ac.uk/engineering/study-options/postgraduate-taught-full-time/drilling-and-well-engineering