dayokanu:

When you have to go to Walmart look for the[b] "Great value"[/b] Walmart brand.

They are usually cheaper. Then during the holidays like Thanksgiving, you can go to nearby stores that might need an extra hand during the shopping season and work all the Overtime available.

As a student in yankee, this is not the time to form big boy for anything. Grab all the menial jobs you can get and make time to study.

When you get out of school have a job and stabilize you can start the gbogbo bigzz gals/boyz

DK baba. . .  no tell me say na still the 'great value' levlz u dey o. Gbogbo bigzzz boyz like u, hehee

@op
-From buying groceries
Walmart. . .no two ways. Buy great value items too. I recall I used to shop by scanning through the price lists. . .I trained my eyes to always 'catch the lowest price'. As a fresh student, you want to forget brand names.

-Paying rent
Stay off campus. Its usually cheaper, and you get to do your thing at your own time. . .come in and go out as you like, cook anything and host anything

-Doing assignments/Research and thesis
Sincerely I have no advice as per that.
If you like, if dem give you assignment, no do am :/

-Reading plans
There is light no reading with candles. In other words, make hay in the sunshine.  

-Getting a phone line and cheaper plan
Best bet is to find a family member and join a family plan. Lucky to find a God sent Aunty who paid my phone bills till I graduated.

-Getting scholarships
-Graduate/resident assistantships
Scholarships are everywhere. With a lil effort on your part, you are good.

-Owing a used car (if necessary), Getting a bus pass

Bus pass if your town has a functioning transport system. Stay as close to campus as possible if you live off campus.

-Getting a licence
-Getting a State ID
Get your docs together. I think I-20, birth cert and a letter from your int'l office.

-Making the right friends.
No advice on that.

-Getting a job on campus/off campus
Not easy to secure a job on campus, don't bank on it. But there are jobs though. RA's, library, drivers. . .so on. Any one you get, grab it so you can atleast have a SSN

Keeping it simple, get to school, try to live within your means. Focus on the end game. . . your degree that is, do what is required, pray and all will be well.

As you carry come, na so you go dey. A lizard in Nigeria cannot turn into a crocodile in Alaska.

life is not eazy, except ur dad is a politician, i have a friend in my skul, he gets 10k dolls per semester,

dayokanu:

Assuming you even have a 100% schorlarship for your education

How would your wife and family survive when you are not allowed to work and your wife is also unable to work.

You can be drinking Garri morning and night, Would you tell your wife and kids to be doing the same?

If you have the admission get here and start your schooling when its like 6 months to the end of your program, You would have had the experience of what it takes to survive. Then you can make a decision whether you want your wife to come and how she can survive without a job on you solely.

Are you sure of the bolded?

Then how do you hope to convince the consulate that you have enough means to cater for your family and they wont become a public charge

Like I said earlier, You have to be financially buoyant to bring your family to the States as a student. This is done by convincing the consulate and by providing financial records.

And about the wife working, students are allowed to work 20hrs without detriment to their studies. Wives of students are automatically granted permit to work for the duration of the partner or husband's stay. Check with DHS or your local DOL.

paris10:

Like I said earlier, You have to be financially buoyant to bring your family to the States as a student. This is done by convincing the consulate and by providing financial records.

And about the wife working, students are allowed to work 20hrs without detriment to their studies. Wives of students are automatically granted permit to work for the duration of the partner or husband's stay. Check with DHS or your local DOL.

permit to work does not translate to job offer.

Im not sure but she might have to go through the school system here to get any meaningful job.

paris10:

Married men can bring their wives and children to the states as long as the man remain a student. The only downside of it is, when your visa runs out or you finish your study without securing a professional contract from a firm, you and your family would face deportation or removal.

Remember, your wife or kids would have the same visa expire date as yours, but ofcourse your wife would be able to work full time.

And like some have said, if you have your money, you're more than welcome. Your family would not qualify for any benefits or welfarism.

Only if he is on a J1 visa. On an F1, your wife will be a stay-at-home mother.

Excellent post by Haribo on the first page too.
Pretty much sums it up!

paris10:

Like I said earlier, You have to be financially buoyant to bring your family to the States as a student. This is done by convincing the consulate and by providing financial records.

And about the wife working, students are allowed to work 20hrs without detriment to their studies. Wives of students are automatically granted permit to work for the duration of the partner or husband's stay. Check with DHS or your local DOL.

As much as we are trying to guide or advise people, try not to give the wrong advice.
Spouse of a student CANNOT work legally.

They are not even 'permitted' if that's the word you like!

davidylan:

Only if he is on a J1 visa. On an F1, your wife will be a stay-at-home mother.

Me sef i dey wonder oo

gongo aso:

As much as we are trying to guide or advise people, try not to give the wrong advice.
Spouse of a student CANNOT work legally.
They are not even 'permitted' if that's the word you like!

I wan sue Attorney General for not allowing my wife armyofone whom I h-imported from Nigeria to work

Kakatazz:

Pls what's ur advice to a married man intending to skool in d US with a view to moving wife n Kid later?Is it worth it?

My brother, next time do school first before marrying and having kids. You basically hobbled yourself at this point and made it way more difficult to emigrate to the US through the school route. Forget it unless you have tons of free cash. You cannot work your first yr neither can your wife (she cannot work even in the next 20 yrs on an F2 visa) so how do you intend to pay for your kids support? Besides you are highly likely to be denied a visa if you indicate you are bring your wife and kids (they will be attending public school for free!).

Even in ur second yr, is it the $10/hr for 20hrs/week money that you will use to feed a family? Single person never chop beleful on that money.

dayokanu:

Me sef i dey wonder oo

I wan sue Attorney General for not allowing my wife armyofone whom I h-imported from Nigeria to work

hehee. Give am work under you na, that one no need any filing

[size=4pt]Ise aabe[/size] 

gongo aso:

Excellent post by Haribo on the first page too.
Pretty much sums it up!

As much as we are trying to guide or advise people, try not to give the wrong advice.
Spouse of a student CANNOT work legally.

They are not even 'permitted' if that's the word you like!

The permission to work lies with INS. The student in question would first request for his/her own permission to work outside of the campus, and if granted,  that automatically confers the honor to work to the spouse also.

Just that most times, you have to be in the know to know most things. This applies to F-1 students only.

paris10:

The permission to work lies with INS. The student in question would first request for his/her own permission to work outside of the campus, and if granted, that automatically confers the honor to work to the spouse also.

Just that most times, you have to be in the know to know most things. This applies to F-1 students only.

I dont think these permissions are discretionary.

In most cases, they are CAST IN STONE.

Just like F1 status prevents you from working outside and this is not based on any individuals case, its the law.

paris10:

The permission to work lies with INS. The student in question would first request for his/her own permission to work outside of the campus, and if granted,  that automatically confers the honor to work to the spouse also.

Just that most times, you have to be in the know to know most things. This applies to F-1 students only.

^^^ be in the know how?

We just like to make things complicated.
This is simple. A spouse of a student (F2) is not legally permitted to work. That is why before she is given the visa, the man has to prove he has the funds to take care of her!

All these addendums you are planting in the hearts of those who don't know hardly work!
Which permission lies with the INS? how many people do you know the INS granted permission to work with F2 status? even F1 to work outside campus?

Brother, its not black and white. Let's not deceive people, rather educate them on the realities on ground.

Cheers

gongo aso:

^^^ be in the know how?

We just like to make things complicated.
This is simple. A spouse of a student (F2) is not legally permitted to work. That is why before she is given the visa, the man has to prove he has the funds to take care of her!

All these addendums you are planting in the hearts of those who don't know hardly work!
Which permission lies with the INS? how many people do you know the INS granted permission to work with F2 status? even F1 to work outside campus?

Brother, its not black and white. Let's not deceive people, rather educate them on the realities on ground.

Cheers

Don't take anything paris10 says seriously, he makes things up as he goes, i hope prospective students don't read his misleading info and take it.

paris10:

The permission to work lies with INS. The student in question would first request for his/her own permission to work outside of the campus, and if granted,  that automatically confers the honor to work to the spouse also.

Just that most times, you have to be in the know to know most things. This applies to F-1 students only.

you sabi person for INS?  
An F2 holder working is illegal. If caught you are going home on the early morning flight.

davidylan:

you sabi person for INS?  
An F2 holder working is illegal. If caught you are going home on the early morning flight.

ol' boy!

justwise:

Don't take anything paris10 says seriously, he makes things up as he goes, i hope prospective students don't read his misleading info and take it.

Ha! ok. My bad. lol

davidylan:

you sabi person for INS?
An F2 holder working is illegal. If caught you are going home on the early morning flight.

lmao!

Dis is wair the brains wey no how the system take be dey tok. I dey gbadun you guys joor. 

imperiouxx:

Dis is wair the brains wey no how the system take be dey tok. I dey gbadun you guys joor. 

i love this thread, makes me hungry to study in the US already, may God bless my papa with money because me i never get money yet.

am a final year student, will be thru by June this year, can I do my masters on scholarship without GRE? Pls if yes or no explain other means. Thanks

nice thread!

I am a plumber, can I work as a plumber and study at the same time. And will I earn more than the menial "jobers"?

As for me, the major cost I expend is that of calling Nigeria and funny enough, some people think it is as cheap as theirs and expect you call every now and then particularly none family members and it could be very annoying. As for housing, I made a mistake getting a one room apartment though from the school (Graduate Apartment) unfortunately, those I could have shared the bills with were forming and the only person who wouldn't mind wasn't living my kind of lifestyle thus, I knew it wouldn't work as we may have to keep stepping on one another's toes. However, I would recommend a check on craigslist to get something decent and cheaper at a very good and low rate.
Academically, it was pretty tough for me at the beginning but now I can say I am getting better because I am getting more impressed by my performance since I can tell I now know. Initially, it was quite difficult for me to move from my level of being smart which implies reading to pass to a level of reading to know and understand since the nature of studies here require you know else, you would not be able to pass since you truly cannot answer questions correctly unless you understand what you are asked.
As for feeding, you can minimize your cost if you cook. You can buy okro at cheap rate and cook nice stew which you can keep in your freezer which implies, you can easily eat what you want and decently at a relatively low cost. You can go for chicken instead of beef as it is cheaper and once in a while, you can also cook fish stew for a change. To minimize cost, you can buy "Black Eye Peas" for beans since it is the same as the white beans we sell in Nigeria and the 5lb bag goes for just almost $6 as against the Oloyin that is sold in most African stores for $9.99.
Feel free to ask questions from your classmates when you do not understand particularly the ones that are exposed because they sure would answer you better than those who have never gone our of their states who tend to look down on you and ask stupid questions out of their ignorance. It is a lot more different here particularly, if you are taking a graduate class in Economics wherein you are expected to have taken some core mathematics classes before coming into graduate school and it could be very frustrating when they apply it to almost everything and you find it difficult understanding what is being explained.

Lastly, if you have a family member who is a citizen here in the United States, how easy is it for the person to file for you and how long does it take? Whoever that has an idea should please respond to my inquiry.

davidylan:

My brother, next time do school first before marrying and having kids. You basically hobbled yourself at this point and made it way more difficult to emigrate to the US through the school route. Forget it unless you have tons of free cash. You cannot work your first yr neither can your wife (she cannot work even in the next 20 yrs on an F2 visa) so how do you intend to pay for your kids support? Besides you are highly likely to be denied a visa if you indicate you are bring your wife and kids (they will be attending public school for free!).

Even in ur second yr, is it the $10/hr for 20hrs/week money that you will use to feed a family? Single person never chop beleful on that money.

What about if he is opportuned to get some funding that allows him pay in state tuition and pays wonderful stipends? He can also get authorization to work outside campus and that indirectly increases his income. What I learnt from my International advising office is that you can work 20hours maximum within the school and you can work another 20hours outside per week but you need authorization to do so.

Life in the USA as a student is not that bad especially if you got into a top school where things are usually cozy.
grocery shopping, phone plans, rent technicalities and other points mentioned are really not a big deal.

the real life starts[i] after [/i] school is over. then you have to worry about making some tough decisions:
-finding a professional job (some choose to return to school the cocoon)
- maintaining legal residence (some choose to do green card marriage)
-returning back home to Nigeria  
etc

↑↑LMAO.
HOW 'BOUT TO GET THERE?? WHAT DOES IT TAKE!! PLEASE

enter the plane at Muritala airport and get off the plane at JFK airport in NY. gbam you're there.

For those on mega tight budget, or budget in general, Please note I'm giving this based on life in Los Angeles

Grocery Stores.

99cts store, Food for Less, Value etc

Bread- 99cts
2 dozen of eggs (24) $3
Bag of chicken $3.78
3 dozen of rice $3
bathing soap 99cts or body wash

The list goes on but those are the price range.

For school supplies, go to walmart or target. Browse thru books and get the recycled ones. The price are 99cts to $1.19 maximum

Rent- The valley is cheap if you look closely, go on craigslist and you can share 2bedroom or 3bedroom and pay $600 a month including utilities.

Bus- Get the monthly STUDENT bus pass. The form is found on metro.net

Car- if u get car, buy fuel for Arco if you have cash or Mobil if using card (Arco charge .30cts for cards, not worth it)

Nightlife- Take advantage of happy hours, use yelp or google cash only bars, CASH ONLY Bars are the cheapest anywhere!

Clubs- If you like clubbing, take advantage of google nd do your research.

Party- If you re mega broke to go bar or club, take advantage of HOUSE PARTY. Go to walmart, buy cheap wine and you re welcomed!

More info when I remember.xx

Offtopic.

And som pipu go com here dey claim YANKEE! Wey dem no dey see 3sq meal chop. Lol [op, not u oo!]

^^ Very insensitive!

@Topic, wow!!

I think life is WAAY easier in Canada. If you are still in Nigeria looking to school in the US, you should definitely consider Canada.

Good luck.

I think people have said it all but all i need to add is be close to your instructors or professors if possible go to their office anytime you have problems and be really nice and close to people at the international center because if you would have to work off campus a school official can authorize that for you because it states that if you are really in financial trouble they could fill out a form for you that would allow you work off campus (note this is not OPT). be nice to everybody and do not scam anybody , Osheeeeeee

- Don't forget to date!! Guys & gals, college will be the one time in your life where you are exposed to a huge pool of potential partners. I'm not saying you must find a husband/wife or something, but don't be too focused on studies to ignore your romantic education You may not get married to someone you meet in college, but at least you'll have some knowledge of what you want/don't want in a relationship. This is very important. I know some folks that were too 'serious' for dating back in college, and to tell you that they regret it now would be an understatement.

Well stated. On top of all the hustling,