I did o. Some people are just difficult even the one i used as a professional one said it is stressful and he can't send again.

Now, i have taken your advice i have changed that one. The remaining one is this prof and the problem with him is because i don't know any other prof except him.

chibertha:
You would have told him you got application waiver for attending open days.

Rdfactor:



LoL. Paying for app fee for program is a lot. Except you don't have app fee waiver, then you can pay.
There are ways to get waiver;
- contact the graduate coordinator of your department. You don't have to tell him you Don't earn enough in your country to pay. Something as simple as "I write to know if the department often provide app fee waiver for prospective graduate applications" will do. They'll tell you if they can help you pay because it's the graduate schools that request for these fees. And some department often set budgets apart to pay these fees on behalf of people who can't pay.

If the department say they don't have such budget, contact the graduate school. They'll direct you to register for their graduate open house or some virtual meeting like that. Once you attend on the said date, they'll waive it. And if they can't waive, then you can pay if you're sure you have necessary credentials to give yourself a chance

Also, if you're a first class graduate. You can apply to the OFP program in Nigeria. I don't know if anyone knows this. OFP helps you till you get to the US. They pay your GRE, TOEFL, PASSPORT, app fee, flight ticket and all that...

Thanks once again bro.
The guidelines you have provided will help me immensely should I require to apply again for fall 2024. However, I am hoping on hope for a miracle cus I know I did everything accurately and got a confirmation from one of the graduate coordinator who told me I have a strong application especially with an absolute distinction in Biomedical science (UK). But he is still not the one to decide on who gets accepted or not so... fingers crossed. If e no enter, we try again bro.

Good evening house
My bro got an admission for Masters in Towson University. Resumption is Jan 23, 2023.
What are the chances of getting an appointment date before then?

Capitalbase:


Thanks once again bro.
The guidelines you have provided will help me immensely should I require to apply again for fall 2024. However, I am hoping on hope for a miracle cus I know I did everything accurately and got a confirmation from one of the graduate coordinator who told me I have a strong application especially with an absolute distinction in Biomedical science (UK). But he is still not the one to decide on who gets accepted or not so... fingers crossed. If e no enter, we try again bro.

Just make an attempt. God will crown your efforts

Idaytesj29:


Please, good people, help him with these questions pls. I will say she should apply for a PhD. She could get funding and the VO will not think she wants to Japa cos she already has a Master, not even from Nigeria, from the University of Leeds, that's something.

So, applying for another masters may be a red flag.

About kids, I am a novice too. I will leave that to more experienced people here.

Thanks alot Idaytesj29! I really appreciate this and well noted. I look forward to more suggestions from others.

Capitalbase:


Ok bro.
I appreciate your input.
Thanks a lot.

Hopefully you get in!

Please I want to ask ?

How soon can I go for my interview for fall 2022 because I heard you must go for your interview 3 months to your stating date or within 3 months?

For instance am starting school Fall 2023 when is the earliest date I can go for an interview

Mickey2135:
Please I want to ask ?

How soon can I go for my interview for fall 2022 because I heard you must go for your interview 3 months to your stating date or within 3 months?

For instance, am starting school in Fall 2023 when is the earliest date I can go for an interview

You can go for your interview whenever you get a date but your passport will not be stamped until at least 120 days before the start date in your i20.

What it means is that if your application is approved, they will either hold back your passport until 120 days or ask you to resubmit your passport when it's within time.

Kiddyong123ayo:
Omoooooooooooooooooo

My visa got rejected o, at the Abuja embassy, the VO was a lady one whitish thing like that. She had a bright smile and fine face but na snake.

Our convo goes thus:

VO : Hi good morning

ME: GOOD MORNING how are you doing (me trying to use my Barry tone voice)

VO: Very fine thank you, Can I see your documents ( I hand over i20 and passport).

VO: So you are going to Wayne County Community college DISTRICT.

ME: Yes I am, I got admitted to study business administration and management on a 2 year associate degree program. ( see how detailed I was)

VO: Who is your sponsor

ME: My sponsor is my uncle Mr bla bla bla

VO: What does he.do for a living

ME: In my mind, He is a kidnapper (lol) he is into business and he is a pastor.

VO: Okay why do you want to study in the USA..

ME: Ghen ghen (Omoooooooooooooooooo again)
I intend to study in the USA to harness the skills and knowledge the vast experience of the lecturers of this great college would impact in me and use my learned skill and degree to use it to work back here in Nigeria at the end of my program. Chikena

All this time she was nodding her head in some form of agreement...

VO: Okay what do you do for a living

ME: Again in my mind (I am a drug peddler) oloshi
I work as dis and dat at my uncles company, now I noticed when she asked this question she leaned towards the glass to kind of like hear me well, like she wanted to get a kiss or something. Me too leaned forward almost closed my eyes that I was about to break the record of the first Nigerian guy to kiss a consulate during interview and get accepted (lol)

Omo na so this white babe type type type, like 30 seconds me I was already happy small small that at least this time my interview lasted a little longer than the previous one, (that first one ehn na 20.secs I swear)

Omo.next thing wey I hear na say, sorry I can't grant your visa as there hasn't been much changes since your last application, This was 7 months ago (I think the reason they put glass between the VO and us is that incase we wan tear them slap). I was looking like a flying fish, just turned around said thank you and left.

My observation is that
1. That Abuja consular is less crowded compared to Lagos.
2. The whole process is well organised
3. The visa officers are more patient compared to Lagos ones.
4. But na oloshi be American embassy, they waste your time and efforts.

No surprise you were denied. Yours is the epitome of someone who has no real interest in education but is simply using this as an avenue to immigrate, and the VOs saw through you.

You’re attending a community college to obtain an associates degree in business administration. That is what poor Americans study to get low paying, low skilled jobs. This is why they ask you why you want to study in the United States, this is not a program or degree that warrants paying such significant sums of money when you can basically get the same degree almost for free in Nigeria.

Kiddyong123ayo:


Okay I may not have put everything in details, I just tried to remember the basics, but omo this people don't rate we Nigerians at all, there is this feeling you get when you are being interviewed.

They just glide through you and the next person, next person again, like I don't get to be in front of a VO for an interview , it cost so much money, so fucking much and not everyone is privileged to have such money talk less of investing it in schooling abroad, now I want to school abroad, gotten the admission(which is supposed to be the most difficult part) you just reject and reject over and over again, not just me but applicants before me... And some after me.
There has to be an investigation into this people because I just see this as a fraud scheme, how can someone be spending money on their future and at the whole end it is a game of luck between you and your star.
I am never trying ths USA EMBASSY again, just some frauds, if they don't want Nigerians in their country, simply close your border to us, rather than receiving applications and just judging the applicant on the spot from what you feel.
Haa this one pain me o, and I will never forget it. If not that this country is bleeped up, why will I go to a stupid embassy of a fucking country that is bleeped as Bleep... Nonsense

The only fraud here is you. Spending millions of naira to get an associates degree in “business administration” is not “spending money on your future”, unless what you really mean by future is a means to immigrate. The VOs are legally required to turn away folks like you who are quite obvious intending immigrants, using an F1 visa as a means. America isn’t obligated to support your future goals either, you are not a citizen.

The idea of “close your border if you don’t want us” is frankly tedious. You are not forced to file an application, you are not forced to stay up all night looking for an interview date. You could simply ignore the US and go elsewhere. That you applied and were denied is your problem. A basic review of this thread would have let you know your chances were incredibly slim.

tellbiodun:
Hello house, please I need some kind of assistance with my application process. To start with I am applying for a PhD in Mass Communication or Communication Arts/Studies. Can someone share a list of schools that I can apply to for fall 2023 with full funding.

Also, can I use a statement of result in place of transcript. Unilag is unable to give me a student copy of my Masters transcript because of my matric year (2008). They asked that I present a school that it will be sent to and I do not have one for now. The next option is the statement which contains basically same thing. I have a copy of my undergraduate transcript though.

Lastly, is it possible to get a kind of hand holding service through the application and visa process? My target is still fall 2023. Thank you.

You aren’t really serious to be honest. Most schools decide their applications for fall by mid-february. That means most applicants have already filed by now, especially if you’re looking for full funding. 2024 might be your best bet if you don’t already have schools in mind and are looking to be handheld through a process that really should be driven by you.

Kiddyong123ayo:
Good morning house.. What is the best answer to this question if asked by the VO.

why does your uncle want to sponsor you to the USA?
Incase of I am asked by the VISA OFFICEER.

Lol you didn’t have a clue as to why your uncle is sponsoring your education… and the visa officer is to blame for denying you a visa?

Poetchi:
Hello house,
We've been asked to authenticate my daughters USA Birth certificate. We need it like yesterday but appointment available in US embassy is only in January. Pls can anyone advise how else we can get her birth cert authenticated quickly?

Since your child is a US citizen, you may be able to request an expedited service by calling the consulate directly. You will have to provide proof of the emergency e.g. needing to travel within 24-48 hours.

Cessnk:
Hi I am applying for f2 for my daughter as a single mum but I told the officer that she will be with her dad .What reason can I give if I am ask why do I want to take her back with me ?she is 4

You basically lied, using your daughter as a home country tie, now you need help reversing the hole you dug for yourself? Good luck

Rdfactor:


PhD isn't as competitive as masters, in term of getting funded and scholarship, Msc is the most difficult.

Also, avoid schools that make it compulsory to select a"would -be " PI before they can review your app. It's an okay thing to do contact a professor but that's a long route as most of them won't even respond their email. PhD programs do lab rotation and you're expected to attend a seminar class in your First year where faculty members will present their research and lab every week. This will guide you to choose a PI. Having a PI take you in with his funding is cool, but I will mostly advise people to apply to schools first for the majority of their applications. Although, talking to a professor will help you, if he replies anyways

This isn’t entirely true. PhDs are just as competitive, if not more competitive than masters programs. The issue is most people prefer a masters program since it is shorter and does not require the same level of research. Most importantly, because most funding institutions prefer to fund full time research, you are more likely to get full funding with phd programs. For example, the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) gives Training Grants to various research institutions. These grants allow these institutions to grant full funding to students accepted into the program.

It is always good to apply to programs that require you to select a PI. It is the programs way of accessing whether you are a good fit - I.e. are you really interested in research, what research areas and do your interests align with theirs?

You did nothing wrong. Go and get funds.

Kenhal:
Hello everyone,

I had my interview today at US Lagos embassy and my visa was denied instantly without asking questions.

The transcript went like this:
VO: (immediately she saw my I-20) who’s sponsoring you?
Me: My uncle, he’s the CEO of …. They manufacture window blinds and aluminum windows for government and non government entities
VO: what do you do?
Me: I work as a business development executive with so so company.
VO: how much do you earn?
Me: I earn so so amount

VO: I’m sorry we can’t issue your visa

I was like dumbfounded because she didn’t ask about school and all that.

What did I do wrong?

Before the interview started, the person I did my finger print was already like “my passport photo is more than 6 months, bring a new passport when next you come” like she already knew I was going to be denied. Mind you, I took the passport photograph in April and I filled ds-160 in August/September

I also attached my I-20 to this comment, please view it and revert back what could go wrong.

I’m also trying to get in contact with Lagosismyhome. If you see this, kindly drop a contact I can reach you on.

Thank you as I will be waiting for everyone response

Dreamsss:
@Creativeweb.
Well, I kind of get where two of you are coming from. Plenty, if not most PhD candidates, get to the middle of their program and run away because they land a job...fact. A lot of people are not as enthused over spending four to five years ontop studying, when they could be making cool dollars and PhD is usually a backup plan, when you can't find a job as per lots of Masters graduates that I know...

Then on your part, yes, it is true that lots of schools will hint at the fact that your admission decision would rely on if you can have a line of communication with a faculty member, so you can be sure of a right fit, according to them...So that's why it could be hard to get in, because profs have their own for body and would not respond... So I don't know if that can be entirely referred to as competitive.

This is misguided. The problem is many Nigerians frankly don’t understand how the US system works, can’t be bothered to find out and have no clue why they apply to phd programs - other than the guarantee of full funding. US applicants to phd programs visit their schools of interest in person, are able to meet informally with faculty to discuss their research interests. Often, faculty open to accepting new graduate students (not all are and you need to do your homework before sending a letter - either because their labs are full or there is not sufficient funding for a new student) would have identified new students through this process. Also how you put together your letter/email is critical. Did you describe your interests in a way that helps the PI understand why you have identified them as the ideal PI to work under? Does your letter demonstrate a good understanding of their work and how it fits into your interests? If these are absent, why should they bother replying to you? Remember, these folks are busy and their lives do not revolve around you…

Hello please I want to ask
I am going for an undergraduate degree and ofcourse everyone knows that with an associate degree in a community college won’t get you a good work anywhere

This are what I planned to say when the VO askes what will you do after your study?

1st Answer: I will return to my country and use the experience I gained from an associate degree and pursue a bachelor’s degree in a reputable university in the US

2nd Answer: I will return to my country and work for my dads company….

Which do you suggest I use and if you have another idea please drop it

As someone who also went through a phd program, there’s a lot misleading here. When you talk of competitiveness, there are 2 issues at play (and you’re mixing up the two):

1. Getting into the program at all and,
2. Getting funding

PhDs programs are just as competitive to get into, if not harder than msc programs. Most biomedical phd programs consider a “c” grade a failure. 2 “c” grades in any classes will get you automatically terminated.

Funding is a different story, amd for clear reasons which I discuss below. Getting into more phd programs than msc programs doesn’t mean PhDs are less competitive, it simply means the schools aren’t bothering to grant you msc admissions if you are seeking it contingent on the availability of full funding.

Rdfactor:

PhD is a decent return on investment for them as it is for you. Hence, some schools will not fund a Ms program for some reasons.

Schools do not fund phd programs. These programs are funded typically by external grants. E.g. NIEHS training grants, T-32 grants or individual PI grants. These grants are targeted towards full time research so you are less likely to find them at masters level. That’s why schools require you to pay your own way at masters level, because few, if any, external funds are available.

Rdfactor:

Schools know international students don't want the Msc route. Who want to spend 6yrs doing a PhD where a msc of 2yrs will land you a decent job in the US.? That's part of the reason they fund PhD to encourage you to apply. If you want Msc, you'll need to spend your money because they know you want juicy jobs and that's fine.

10* easier to get into a PhD than Ms and I'm saying that because I know

This makes no sense. Schools do not fund phd programs… pls see above. The idea that Princeton or Cornell “funds” phd programs to encourage international students to apply is laughable.

Mickey2135:
Hello please I want to ask
I am going for an undergraduate degree and ofcourse everyone knows that with an associate degree in a community college won’t get you a good work anywhere

This are what I planned to say when the VO askes what will you do after your study?

1st Answer: I will return to my country and use the experience I gained from an associate degree and pursue a bachelor’s degree in a reputable university in the US

2nd Answer: I will return to my country and work for my dads company….

Which do you suggest I use and if you have another idea please drop it

Neither answer is good, but 1) is worse. Why would you spend millions of naira to get an associates degree, only to come back to Nigeria to pursue a bachelors, when you already have all you need to enter a bachelors program here in Nigeria?

Find a bachelors degree program in the US.

olasubomy:

Good day, bright minds!

I would need your thoughts and guidance regarding my question below:

I have a family member who intends to pursue a master's degree in the USA or Canada, but she strongly prefers the United States.

Summary of her profile:

• Married with two kids ( Both kids are US citizens)
• She worked as Air Hostess with one of the major international Airline but got out of job when the pandemic hit.
• She had her first degree in actuarial science and graduated in 2011.
• She had her Master's in Finance in the UK (University of Leeds), graduated in 2013, and then joined the Airline.
• She is not currently working and presently resides in Lagos.

What's your thought on how she can navigate US Immigration interview when she applies for an F1 Visa? I need your view regarding whether to apply alone or with her two kids ( both kids are still in the infantry, nine months old and 4 yrs). What courses do you think she can go for apart from Accounting? She does not like Accounting. Finally, is there anything you think she should note, do or be aware of before presenting herself for an F1 immigration interview? She is 33 yrs today.

I don't know much about how US immigration works, so looking forward to what you think.

This won’t be easy. She left school 10 years ago. Her eventual employment had nothing to with anything she studied in school (in fact, she’s never used any of her degrees!). She wants a program totally divorced from her masters program. She’s been out of work for a while… but never say never. She just has to put together a good story.

vicdom:
Michigan Technological University are just stingy with fundings. Tueh!!
I got two offers of admission in Chemical and environmental engineering for fall 2023, and none of them came with fundings!

When I emailed one of the directors of the programs, I got the reply below �

lol.. it has always been like that. The school no dey sponsor

Good day everyone,

Please I have some questions bothering me. I am married but my husband and I bear the same surname before we got married which means I do not need a change of name after getting married, now my question is; I am scared if it won't be a problem when filling my DS-160 form and I hope it won't seems like a red flag when I go for my F1 Visa interview. And also, We do not plan for my husband and daughter to go with me now but I would like them to come maybe after some months of my stay in the US, I hope there won't be a problem if they apply for F2 after I am gone?

Hello sir. Please I sent you an email, kindly respond. Thank you in anticipation.

[quote author=TWoods post=119216467]

Magink:
Hello sir. Please I sent you an email, kindly respond. Thank you in anticipation.

Unfortunately I no longer respond to personal requests. Please ask your questions here so others can also opine if they wish to and others can learn from.

resolution2020:
Good day everyone,

Please I have some questions bothering me. I am married but my husband and I bear the same surname before we got married which means I do not need a change of name after getting married, now my question is; I am scared if it won't be a problem when filling my DS-160 form and I hope it won't seems like a red flag when I go for my F1 Visa interview. And also, We do not plan for my husband and daughter to go with me now but I would like them to come maybe after some months of my stay in the US, I hope there won't be a problem if they apply for F2 after I am gone?

Shouldn’t be an issue. If there is a concern, your birth and marriage certificates should help resolve that.

Your husband and daughter will need to qualify for F2 visas on their own merit.

Thank you for responding.

When the VO ask "why did you choose National Security (my programme) Or Why are you taking this course " Kindly review my response.

I'm taking this course from a problem-solving perspective. I have observed that Security issues has increasingly become a very important element for any form of development to take place in any country. I intend to use the skills and knowledge garnered from this course to build a lasting solution around this. It will also equip me with modern security perspective and intelligence, help me improve on my existing skills, as well as respond effectively to various threats emerging in my field of study.

TWoods:


Unfortunately I no longer respond to personal requests. Please ask your questions here so others can also opine if they wish to and others can learn from.

TWoods:


Shouldn’t be an issue. If there is a concern, your birth and marriage certificates should help resolve that.

Your husband and daughter will need to qualify for F2 visas on their own merit.

Thank you for your response

Mickey2135:
Hello please I want to ask
I am going for an undergraduate degree and ofcourse everyone knows that with an associate degree in a community college won’t get you a good work anywhere

This are what I planned to say when the VO askes what will you do after your study?

1st Answer: I will return to my country and use the experience I gained from an associate degree and pursue a bachelor’s degree in a reputable university in the US

2nd Answer: I will return to my country and work for my dads company….

Which do you suggest I use and if you have another idea please drop it

I think The first answer, it’s more explaining