cogicero:
Thanks Babyosisi.

Hi Davidylan, I see you are in the bio/med line, and I am in Engineering so I am not asking to be spoon-fed any technical details . Do you have any hints on states / towns that I can consider for fall-backs just in case I don't get into the schools I actually want to? I was told there are some areas in the US that seek diversity so they are usually more eager to admit international students plus more likely to give them funding. If you tell me such states / towns I will search for programs there. Thanks

bootlegaz:
You paid that much for hospital because you were undocumented and making minimum wage.

babyosisi: Did someone say tuition is free in California for residents?
Is that true?
CFC you live in Cali

CFCfan:

But Brits here such as Piers Morgan, Georgie Thompson, Isha Sesay (Sierra Leonian that has an English accent), do very well in the US broadcast media.
All a Nigerian immigrant needs is to 'modify' his/her accent a little.

davidylan:

I was just describing the typical experience. I have full company-paid health insurance and have never even had to use it once. Sorry.

davidylan:

No one can tell you such things, they are mostly untrue anyway. I find what works best is to look for your schools and get in touch with your program director personally.

bootlegaz:
Google is your best bet. I see articles on such here and there on yahoo news and on forbes magazine. Seeking diversity does not mean you won't pay your fees. A whole lot if naijas skip school after arrival, which put dents on naijas in Nigeria. I think for one to embark on such journey to states, one has to be financially capable of sustaining themselves for a year .

Zeddicus:
Thank you Sir.
I don't intend going for Masters in Environmental Biology because it wasn't my chosen course. Studied it due to the Jamb factor.
And yes I have not done my due diligence on Masters in the US. If you noticed I mentioned I ignored everything about the US because of the cost of education there. Only picked interest a few weeks ago because I just felt I should know what is involved.
I just want to know if it is possible to leverage on the fact that I already have a degree to study that course without the shenanigans of a fresher. It is what I want to do and what I applied for all along as I had my wahala with Jamb.

About the SAT. I am one of those that are not ashamed to ask questions no matter how stupid. Some of us have never been to Lagos and so I don't even know those materials are sold.
Thanks.

babyosisi:

Go for your annual physicals o

InvertedHammer:

Easier said than done. You said Brits. OK. Until you meet a Nigerian using hammer and chisel to carve English , then you will
know that accent pass accent.

.

cogicero:
Ah I see. Someone mentioned schools in Utah, Ohio, Arizona and North Dakota as such places but I thought I could get more info on such locations. So I guess it's a rumor then. I'll try your advice, thanks.

InvertedHammer:

Easier said than done. You said Brits. OK. Until you meet a Nigerian using hammer and chisel to carve English, then you will
know that accent pass accent.

You have to know that in a place like California, there is some untold cold war among all races/nationalities. Whites vs. Blacks,
Blacks vs. Africans, Phillipinos vs Chinese, Blacks vs. Hispanics, etc. It is endless strife that sometimes is carried over to the
work place.

In some places, all you need is one Indian manager and fellow Indians follow. Likewise the Chinese, Phillipinos, Japanese, etc.
But Nigeria managers avoid other Nigerians like plagues for obvious reasons...bad belle things. Just as the person that may
give you the most problems at work could be an "akata" who has vowed to deal with any African b/c of the way one of
your folks might have treated her or her relations.

Wahala no be small thing o. The only solace could be that when people are backstabbing you here, they do it with smile on
their face. No food poisoning, no juju; just plain old "put sand sand for your garri".

davidylan:

They lied to you. Arizona, for example, is quite an expensive place to live. Ohio is not cheap either. Areas like North Dakota and Utah are deserts lol.

babyosisi: Did someone say tuition is free in California for residents?
Is that true?
CFC you live in Cali

davidylan:

You have a good shot at studying environmental biology at the masters level. This is one of the resources i used back then - http://www.gradschools.com/

Search by program and then narrow down your choices by looking at what they offer, cost, available funding etc. Another angle you could explore is Canada. Cost of education is cheaper and you can actually work (after the first year i think) while going to school. Besides, you will be eligible to apply for a Canadian residency permit after schooling for one year. They are usually easy to get as long as you maintain your status as a student. The website i put up can also search Canadian progs too.

babyosisi:


Very smart for a 20 sumtin year old I must say
Take your time
Around 31- 34 you start looking to settle
Not later

Zeddicus:
Thanks a lot.
Sorry if I am dragging things out but what are the prospects like for Environmental Biology and any reasons why you don't want me to go for the course I mentioned?

davidylan:

Because the visa officer will deny you straight up. They know you can take medical lab tech in naija for a fraction of the cost. Environmental biology on the other hand is not as common in naija (at least you can say that at your visa interview) and you stand a far better chance of getting a good masters program. My advice would be to actually look for and apply for a phd program, you will get full funding (or at least an assistantship position that pays your tuition and still gives you a stipend). After your quals, you can quit and still get your masters. Max 2 yrs.

CFCfan:
To an extent. In the uni, I was given state grants and federal grants. I also received some grants from the school itself. Yeah, if you are a California resident, there is a high probability of your tuition being essentially free.

bootlegaz:
I received financial aid, pell grants and calgrants yet paid huge chunk also. I am an American citizen, If its that easy how come a whole lot of white, asian and hispanic americans work in placea like subway, starbucks and then attend college part time? You still have to pay bro.

Zeddicus:
Wow. So much info in so short time! Thanks a lot.
So it is actually possible to do phd before Msc? Please any info on requirements etc? Maybe a web portal or would the one you gave earlier suffice?
Thanks.

Zeddicus:
Wow. So much info in so short time! Thanks a lot.
So it is actually possible to do phd before Msc? Please any info on requirements etc? Maybe a web portal or would the one you gave earlier suffice?
Thanks.

dayokanu:

You need to get on the web and research all these yourself. These are stuffs the consular officer would ask you and you saying I was given the information by Davidylan wont convince anyone

In the process of researching you would get many facts about what made you choose the course and school and who your intending academic adviser did and why you chose him

davidylan:

You cannot do a phd without a Msc. However some programs are structured such that you apply for a phd while getting your masters along the way. Again you really shouldnt be asking for "info on requirements", these are things you should be searching for yourself. Its like many of you simply want others to do the work for you while you just sit and eat garri. the link i sent earlier has all the info you will ever need, including direct links to the schools. I doubt you even bothered to check it out.

dayokanu:

You need to get on the web and research all these yourself. These are stuffs the consular officer would ask you and you saying I was given the information by Davidylan wont convince anyone

In the process of researching you would get many facts about what made you choose the course and school and who your intending academic adviser did and why you chose him

CFCfan:

Bro, I attended a State university here (a CSU), and I never had to pay out of pocket. The federal grants I received were over $2,000 per semester, while the State grant covered the rest of my tuition. On top of that, I also received some "pocket money" from the govt grants: the balance left after the grants had paid the tuition. In the Fall semester of 2012, I received $2,100 as left-over from the grants.

Same thing applied to my community college days.

bootlegaz:
I went to a UC and that's where I had my experience. I took classes in JC also and paid out of my pocket, they said I didn't qualify for financial aids.do you know that UC BERKELEY students were protesting school fees hike not too long?

babyosisi:

Wonderful!
Biko don't promise anyone marriage at home o
Just come here as an unentangled man and if you find nwa baby here that fits you marry am
Make sure you get signed copies of your transcripts in sealed envelopes or put machinery in place back home how it could be easily obtained when you need it.
Stay focused
Have your eyes on a goal and don't deviate from it
You will make it
My hubby and I came here with only about $350 in our pockets and the rest is history glory be to God
Don't let anyone discourage you.It is not easy but it is do-able
Chinese and Vietnamese come here speaking no English,learn English and excel how much more you
This is a land of opportunities

iLUMeN8: @babyosis and uzoemeka.
Is it really possible for a graduate of life sciences (biology, microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology etc) to get a fully funded Msc research scholarship in the US? If it is, how does one go about it?

martyns303: @Babyosisi. My brother just got admission, we'v received a letter containing his CAS with which we processed his visa, but he's planning on also running another program in a different institution, am not sure how he plans on doing it, I just want to know, can he use the same study visa to study in another school beside the one the visa was issued for?