Kojo Aseda:

First, try and get a feeling for how important the GRE is to the school you are applying to. Believe it or not, the GRE is normally the least important part of the application process. More important is your resume and history of accomplishments. Most important, perhaps, is the strength of your personal statement. American universities look for ambition and diversity, not test scores.

If you have any specific questions send me a message.

And how would you know GRE is not so important to a particular school ? If one's GPA is not so great, then you had better study hard for the GRE !

Your GPA is crucially important. If you have a low GPA in the field of study you're applying to, your chances are very small of getting accepted. The GRE won't get you out of that mess. If you're a strong candidate for that department, why would you have done poorly in your undergraduate classes in that field? You're better off trying to get into a different grad program that you have no experience in. Like I said before, write a strong personal statement!

RE: Knowing if the GRE is important to the school you are applying to.

You should know this because you should be emailing professors in the department which you are applying to. If the professors don't know who you are, they won't accept you into their program.

Kojo Aseda:

Your GPA is crucially important. If you have a low GPA in the field of study you're applying to, your chances are very small of getting accepted. The GRE won't get you out of that mess.

RE: Knowing if the GRE is important to the school you are applying to.

You should know this because you should be emailing professors in the department which you are applying to. If the professors don't know who you are, they won't accept you into their program.

I mailed several professors when I was trying to learn more about my school, few ones that answered referred me to the admission page on their website or referred me to the lady in charge of admissions and the lady in return referred me to the international admission office I have been corresponding with.

"If you're a strong candidate for that department, why would you have done poorly in your undergraduate classes in that field? You're better off trying to get into a different grad program that you have no experience in. Like I said before, write a strong personal statement!"

very very wrong, "you're better off trying to get into a different grad program that you have no experience in." very funny, my GPA for undergrad wasnt so great, but I am doing so fantastic in my grad studies, so i wonder where you got that notion of yours, oh!, and i continued on same undergrad degree


and because students from Nigeria dont actually know how to convert their GPA on a 5.0 scale to 4.0 scale, kindda difficult to tell what you GPA actually is, unless maybe they want WES to do it prior to seeking admission in a school. So I still suggest reading hard for the GRE!

Are you currently attending a graduate program in the U.S?

Kojo Aseda:

Are you currently attending a graduate program in the US?

yea,

What subject do you study? That seems like a very interesting and unusual application experience you had. I'm certainly not trying to talk down the importance of the GRE. It can be crucial in some circumstances. For social sciences, humanities, and other liberal arts departments it's pretty common to put a strong emphasis on one's personal statement and GPA over their GRE score.

I am a M.A student at San Diego State University. Whereabout in the U.S are you staying?

Kojo Aseda:

What subject do you study? That seems like a very interesting and unusual application experience you had. I'm certainly not trying to talk down the importance of the GRE. It can be crucial in some circumstances. For social sciences, humanities, and other liberal arts departments it's pretty common to put a strong emphasis on one's personal statement and GPA over their GRE score.

I am a M.A student at San Diego State University. Whereabout in the US are you staying?

Thats true, I can agree with you it might not be strongly emphasized for social sciences, humanities, and other liberal arts departments.

My major is Computer Science, wright state university.

Cool. Congrats on coming to the U.S for your studies. How are you liking Ohio?

lol, thanks, been here for a while though, Ohio is boring , how your end ?

San Diego is my hometown. It's a great place to live. Right by the beach, near Mexico, in the great state of California. Good scenery and lots of diversity. There's even a woman who cooks Ghanaian food on Saturdays near my house. Have you been out to Cali?

Kojo Aseda:

San Diego is my hometown. It's a great place to live. Right by the beach, near Mexico, in the great state of California. Good scenery and lots of diversity. There's even a woman who cooks Ghanaian food on Saturdays near my house. Have you been out to Cali?

nice, not been there, plan coming over during the winter break. heard is so sunny out there, we are going off topic, send me your email and we can chat or something , that way, the thread can serve its purpose,

ya, am new on the site, i need people to helpme solve my probs.
thanks

Pls, how can i get 2006 MAster Job Apptitude test(GMAT)

Try this link for your GMAT 2006 resources:

http://www.4shared.com/network/search.jsp?sortType=1&sortOrder=1&sortmode=1&searchName=GMAT+2006&searchmode=2&searchName=GMAT+2006&searchDescription=&searchExtention=&sizeCriteria=atleast&sizevalue=10&start=0

The graduate school admission criteria varies with school. Some schools emphasize high undergraduate GPA, while other schools emphasize high GRE scores. To be on the safe side, its better to have at least a 2:1 in your undergraduate degree and a decent GRE/GMAT score. Then you can make your application complete by writing a good statement of purpose and getting recommendations from some of your undergraduate lecturers or previous employers

pls i am preparing to apply for graduate studies in the Us.pls could anyone tell me how to start correspondence with any of the lecturers or professors in the Department before my applicaton reaches them. And how should I send my application fees, is it before or after i send my application. nairalanders in the states i need your help pls.

kev-d:

please i am preparing to apply for graduate studies in the Us.please could anyone tell me how to start correspondence with any of the lecturers or professors in the Department before my applicaton reaches them. And how should I send my application fees, is it before or after i send my application. nairalanders in the states i need your help please.

your application will be ignored if you dont include your application fees !

go to the website of the school, navigate to the department you want to apply in, then somewhere around there, list of teachers in the department will be listed, names and emails,

kev-d:

please i am preparing to apply for graduate studies in the Us.please could anyone tell me how to start correspondence with any of the lecturers or professors in the Department before my applicaton reaches them. And how should I send my application fees, is it before or after i send my application. nairalanders in the states i need your help please.

In addition to sayhi2ay's comment, once you have decided on the schools you want to apply to and the program of your choice, go to the departments website. Most schools usually have web pages for each faculty member and professor. From this, you can learn about the current teaching and research work that the professor is involved in. Try to identify the professors whose work you are interested in. Then send out an e-mail to the professor indicating how you found out about their current research and teaching interests, how you have similar interests and why you think you are qualified to work with him/her. Tell them about your intention to apply for your program of choice at that university.
You should also note that some professors will not reply your e-mail while others will give a positive or negative response.

Note that it has become extremely difficult for MS students to land Research and Teaching Assistant positions with professors as most of these positions are usually awarded to Phd candidates. That said, it is still worth the try. If you do not get a position before getting admitted into the school, you can still attempt to get one when you arrive in the states and have completed a semester at the school with a very good GPA.

Feel free to post any other doubts you have and I will try my best to answer those I am aware of.

Best of luck

@sayhi2ay and bigboyslim.Thank you very much for your assistance you guys are Godsent. i still have some questions,
1-I made my application online and i intend to pay the application fee next week, will it hinder my application?
2- How should i send my Transcript currently in my possesion to the School being that they do not accept transcripts directly from students?
3- Can i send certified photocopies of my transcript?
4- I intend to write GRE come november this year will it hinder my plans for the fall of next year?

kev-d:

@sayhi2ay and bigboyslim.Thank you very much for your assistance you guys are Godsent. i still have some questions,
1-I made my application online and i intend to pay the application fee next week, will it hinder my application?
2- How should i send my Transcript currently in my possesion to the School being that they do not accept transcripts directly from students?
3- Can i send certified photocopies of my transcript?
4- I intend to write GRE come november this year will it hinder my plans for the fall of next year?

1. Once the school get the application fee, they will begin the admission process. Without this fee, they wont touch your application.

2. It doesnt matter if you send the transcript yourself or through your school, what matters is that the transcript is sealed and doesnt look tampered with. Also, there should be a letter in the envelope saying that you asked that your transcript be sent to them.(very very important). I got my transcript from my school, and FedEx it myself, if the school had sent it for me, God knows when they will get it, that is if they even get it at all.

3. Ask the school if they will accept. I strongly doubt that though.

4. No it wont. The result expires after 5 years I think. Why wait till next Fall anyways?

@sayhi2ay.Thank you very much for the info,pls keep this up your really helping alot with this info.I'm applying for next fall because i thought it will give the admissions commitee more time to consider my application and for me to prepare financially, anyways i if i apply for the spring session i hope it wont affect my chances of admission and a visa?Once again my gratitude to you folks for your help. pls keep in touch in case i need more info thanks.

kev-d:

@sayhi2ay.Thank you very much for the info,please keep this up your really helping alot with this info.I'm applying for next fall because i thought it will give the admissions commitee more time to consider my application and for me to prepare financially, anyways i if i apply for the spring session i hope it wont affect my chances of admission and a visa?Once again my gratitude to you folks for your help. please keep in touch in case i need more info thanks.

Reasons why I think fall would be a better shot for you.

1. Most schools that offer scholarships usually have a deadline which you might not make for Spring 09. And most schools also only offer scholarships for fall admissions. Check with your school to confirm
2. Like you said, better to save all you can while you are in the naija. So its definitely advisable to wait and save except you have more than enough money to throw around
3. Hopefully, by the time you start school in Fall 09, the country would have fully recovered from the present recession and finding a job while in school and after graduation will not be as difficult.

@bigboyslim ,thank you very much, i really appreciate your help.

though l'm an african, l cant but wonder what mr kojo is doin in such a rural setting and such person who cuts the pix of an adventurer cum missionary doctor is in best position to advvice anyone on gre.
l stand to be corrected, and l really like being corrected!!!

@bigboyslim and sayhi2ay, I was asked by the scholl im applying to toforward my financial statement to prepare an i-20 for visa preparations., pls i have 2 questions. 1- should the financial statement be in dollars or in our local currency?
2- what is the minimum amt that should be in my account so as not to hurt my chances of getting admission and who should own the account?Thanks

@bigboyslim and sayhi2ay, I was asked by the school im applying to to forward my financial  statement to prepare an i-20 for visa preparations., pls i have 2 questions. 1- should the financial statement be in dollars or in our local currency?
                 2- what is the minimum amt that should be in my account so as not to hurt my chances of getting admission and who should own the account?Thanks

kev-d:

@bigboyslim and sayhi2ay, I was asked by the school im applying to to forward my financial statement to prepare an i-20 for visa preparations., please i have 2 questions. 1- should the financial statement be in dollars or in our local currency?
2- what is the minimum amt that should be in my account so as not to hurt my chances of getting admission and who should own the account?Thanks

1. If the statement is in Naira, they know how to do the conversion. Dont worry about that.

2. The balance in the account I used was 30000Naira or something similar. What they actually look at is the total amount debited and credited to the account, not the current balance. So that is the amount that would be printed on your I-20. Well, it could be different from other schools.
But am not saying I used the same statement at the embassy. I used that account cos I was posting it and dont know what could have happened along its way, lol,
At the consulate, they check the BALANCE.

I think its better your parents be your sponsor.

blackpro,

Your contribution is quite commendable. I have an unconditional offer for a Masters programme in London School Economics for next session 2008/2009. However, I had to defer my admission because I couldn't obtain finance for it.

Please, I would like to know how you financed your MBA and also get any advice from you.

Thanks in anticipation.

though l'm an african, l can't but wonder what mr kojo is doin in such a rural setting and such person who cuts the pix of an adventurer come missionary doctor is in best position to advvice anyone on gre.
l stand to be corrected, and l really like being corrected!!!

I lived in Ghana for two years working with farmers in the Volta Region. I gave agroforestry workshops and founded some rural development projects.

Why I'm giving advice on the GRE? I am in graduate school in the U.S and have both taken the GRE and am familiar with how graduate school applications are reviewed.

@ kojo

great i think pple like me will really need an advice from you. i am a working class but the future is not too visible without a good masters from a reputable school and i prefer grad schools in states. let me have ur email address so that i can email you or better still if you wish to advise us on this thread generally. i will be glad. looking forward to reading from you soon. very soon.

also please let me know the session/admission session so that i can quickly seat and write gre or gmat, my plan course is Msc Econs.

May be this is going to help you. Check:

www.myeducentre.com

You can also post your questions there!

Does anyone know of any good US Educational Consultancy firm in Lagos.

The only one i saw in some other post (Sharper Edge Ltd.), said they're closing business June 30th, 2008 on their website.