For people taking the revised GRE. Chk dis page for materials u can use.

http://www.grecenter.net/mainb.php?id=downloadlibrary

Goodluck!

Time to bring this thread back. I need some inspiration as I try to finish up applications and turn these things in. Hey people where are you applying?

ma test is in January and i literally just started revising yesterday , the verbal reasoning part is gunna kill me all these words , and now you can only resit every 60 days which means i can't resit if i intend to meet the deadline i gotta revise hard, so i got the recommended text book as well as the barron 1 so hopefully i'll pass good luck every1 x

tabarity:

ibn hasan

Sorry for the late reply. KAUST is a good school, and so very competitive to get in. If you apply there, you will be competing for spots with guys from Cambridge, Harvard, Cornell and the likes. So you want to get the best you can get in the GRE and write a really good SOP. Create an impression on the reviewer that you are really interested in their research areas and you do associate with their core values. You will be fine.
Regarding GRE materials, I only used Barrons, that's all. You can also get one too. But I think you may have to do more than that since the testing format changed recently. Good luck bro.  

On point!@tabarity

And it very true that you would be competing against guys from the top universities in the world. The reason is that, as far as I know, KAUST offers a great funding package that is not obtainable in any other university in the world.

@ ibn hasan

Housing is free, you get $1670 as a master's student and I guess $2500 as a PhD student. This money is only meant for feeding and transportation around Jedda; housing, 2 return tickets to naija, insurance and all are arranged by KAUST. KAUST is really a cash cow for students, if you ask me. The only downside of the school is that it has no track record. If ranking matters not to you, then I think KAUST is the best place you can be. The three people I know there always have only good things to say about the school.

I would like to add that the GRE is not a mandatory requirement for admission into KAUST. What is mandatory is the TOEFL. Nonetheless, a good GRE score will never hurt you. Meanwhile, it may interest you to know the profiles of two of the people I know at KAUST. This will help you compare your profile to theirs and therefore rate your chances of being offered a place there.

Person A
Programme: PhD in Materials Engineering
GRE: 750+ Quant, <500 Verbal
GPA: 12 or 3 or 14/20---French system

Person B
Programme: MSc in Applied Mathematics
GRE: <710 Quant, <450 Verbal
GPA: 3.75/4.00

Give it a try! I think your chances are not dull.

Truly yours,
T22

mimi234:

ma test is in January and i literally just started revising yesterday , the verbal reasoning part is gunna kill me all these words , and now you can only resit every 60 days which means i can't resit if i intend to meet the deadline i gotta revise hard, so i got the recommended text book as well as the barron 1 so hopefully i'll pass good luck every1 x

Hi mimi234, I was about answering your previous question on the equivalence of a British first class honours to a 4.00 GPA before your post came in. Let me know if you still need an 'alaye'.

Truly yours,
T22.

mayorteeny:

HI peeps, just thought I should join this thread officially.


Looks like most of the people on this thread are Engineering "nerds", My background is in the medical sciences and I am applying to top B-schools and top phd programs in Health policy this fall.

GRE 1 : Quant 690, verbal 730, AWA 4.0
GRE 2: Quant 770, verbal 730, AWA 4.5

Went to a top Federal university, now guys I need your help as regards the application process, hints, SOPs and all.

I have always said that the smartest people, by proportion, on our campuses have always been medical students followed by, of course, engineering students.

Your GRE 2 scores are not funny and I imagine you are one grammarian. From your verbal scores, I can surmise that you are verbally more proficient than 89% of the so called native speakers I know. Most native speakers I know don't score more than 700 on the verbal section. Your quantitative scores are well above average. Only the Ivy's might have a reason to reject you.

Well done bro/sis!

Truly yours,
T22.

flo_path:

Time to bring this thread back. I need some inspiration as I try to finish up applications and turn these things in. Hey people where are you applying?

Long tyms, What schools are you applying to and is it for a PhD?

I am feeling very anti-academia nowadays so I doubt I will be inspiring. Just choose places that are in good environment.

tanimola22:

Hi mimi234, I was about answering your previous question on the equivalence of a British first class honours to a 4.00 GPA before your post came in. Let me know if you still need an 'alaye'.

Truly yours,
T22.

Hey Tanimola, thanks for d fast response.

Yes pleaseeeeee i need a lil more explanation on this GPA system its very confusing (to say the least). I'll be applying to one of the top schools in the states (not an ivy o lol) as well as canada so need to put in a very good app.

ruther2:

I really want to know, can one seriously register for the GRE using a Visa or Master Card in Nigeria. I saw someone mention it somewhere here, even though the ETS site says it is not allowed for Nigeria.

Also guys, I graduated with a 3.65/5 CGPA in petroleum engineering and I am looking at a masters program at Texas A&M, CSM, LSU and U of Oklahama.
If I get a Quantitative score like 750 do you think I stand a chance? Thanks.

@ruther2

I think your GPA is not bad. Countless number of students, especially from Unilag's engineering faculty, with your same GPA or slightly lower have gone for graduate studies at the above universities you listed. Some went for chemical engineering while some went for electrical engineering, petroleum engineering et al.  Just sit the GRE and try to get 800 on the quantitative section. It is possible to achieve such a score.

You will do yourself a huge disfavour if you don't apply to these schools. Colorado School of Mines is a good one and is never out of your reach!

Truly yours,
T22.

mimi234:

Hey Tanimola, thanks for d fast response.

Yes pleaseeeeee i need a lil more explanation on this GPA system its very confusing (to say the least). I'll be applying to one of the top schools in the states (not an ivy o lol) as well as canada so need to put in a very good app.

Haya mimi234, you are tired of applying to the big banks . hahaha

Okay, in my experience, Canadian institutions normally ask applicants coming from British styled institutions to have a minimum of 2:1. This goes to show that they are kinda familiar with the system. However, the real pains in the ass are the American institutions. Many American schools use this http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.asp as a guide to convert British honours system to the 4.00 GPA system. In fact, you may employ the services of the company if you like.

Your 70<Class<100 should translate to nothing less than 3.70/4.00 because a 2:1 itself is equivalent to a 3.5/4.00. Don't ever do something like this 70/100 *4.
If you do so, you will grossly underestimate your achievement.

If I were you, I would put a GPA of[b] 3.89/4.00 [/b]on my CV and then refer any interested enquirer to http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.asp. It is as simple as that. In fact, because A=4, you would not be off point if you put 4/4 on your CV. Without any loss of generality, first class honours=A=4 and so you are still on point. But don't do it.

Hope this helps.

Truly yours,
T22.

@Tanimola

Thanks for the reply. Here's my Profile

GRE: Q-164, V-163, AWA- 4.0
TOEFL- 103
GPA: 4.35/5.0

What I am trying to do now is to write a good SOP. Though I am concerned that I have no published papers and research experience. I would not mind tips for a strong SOP.
Thanks

ibn hasan:

@Tanimola

Thanks for the reply. Here's my Profile

GRE: Q-164, V-163, AWA- 4.0
TOEFL- 103
GPA: 4.35/5.0

What I am trying to do now is to write a good SOP. Though I am concerned that I have no published papers and research experience. I would not mind tips for a strong SOP. The people you know in KAUST, are they Nigerians? I'll appreciate if I can get through to them for advise on a good SOP.
Thanks

Hey Hassan,

I think there is a mistake in your GRE scores, perhaps a typo.

Go to KAUST website, look for a professor that you would like to join his research team and then write him an email. I am sure you have done this; however, if you have not, then please quickly do it.

The people are not Nigerians. One is a Ghanaian and the other is a Cameroonian. What I would say about the SOP thingy is that you should try and flatter KAUST and its professors, but don't overdo it. Show enthusiasm and the desire to continue to a PhD at KAUST and eventually become a world class researcher. Even if this is not your plan, just bobo them well.

I helped revise the SOP of someone who successfully got into KAUST and the above hints were what I incorporated into the SOP. In addition, make sure that your letters of recommendation are shiny and that the writers compare you to students they taught while abroad. KAUST is an international environment and because of this, it would be very nice for your professors to present you as an internationally capable person.

There is this school in Dubia. It is very similar to KAUST. Don't forget to also try it.


Truly yours,
T22.

ruther2:

I really want to know, can one seriously register for the GRE using a Visa or Master Card in Nigeria. I saw someone mention it somewhere here, even though the ETS site says it is not allowed for Nigeria.

Also guys, I graduated with a 3.65/5 CGPA in petroleum engineering and I am looking at a masters program at Texas A&M, CSM, LSU and U of Oklahama.
If I get a Quantitative score like 750 do you think I stand a chance? Thanks.

I studied Biochem and graduated with GPA of 3.68/5.00, after my WES evaluation in May 2011, my evaluated GPA was 3.29/4.00. So, use that to know what you are coming up with after your evaluation. Good luck.

mimi234:

Hey Tanimola, thanks for d fast response.

Yes pleaseeeeee i need a lil more explanation on this GPA system its very confusing (to say the least). I'll be applying to one of the top schools in the states (not an ivy o lol) as well as canada so need to put in a very good app.

ruther2:

I really want to know, can one seriously register for the GRE using a Visa or Master Card in Nigeria. I saw someone mention it somewhere here, even though the ETS site says it is not allowed for Nigeria.

Also guys, I graduated with a 3.65/5 CGPA in petroleum engineering and I am looking at a masters program at Texas A&M, CSM, LSU and U of Oklahama.
If I get a Quantitative score like 750 do you think I stand a chance? Thanks.

I studied Biochem and graduated with GPA of 3.68/5.00, after my WES evaluation in May 2011, my evaluated GPA was 3.29/4.00. So, use that to know what you are coming up with after your evaluation. Good luck.

tanimola22:

Hey Hassan,

I think there is a mistake in your GRE scores, perhaps a typo.

Probably not, he/she probably took the revised gre. It's out of 170 now. Those are pretty good scores actually.

SEFAGO:

Long tyms, What schools are you applying to and is it for a PhD?

I am feeling [b]very anti-academia [/b]nowadays so I doubt I will be inspiring. Just choose places that are in good environment.

why? lol. What are you up to sef? Am sure you are doing something cool though.

Yeah, I am applying for phd in the US schools and masters in some uk/eu schools.

I am not sure I should post the schools here because everyone will say am crazy. I have VERY legitimate reasons(research) for applying to these places though.

Anyway, uk/eu: Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial. Considering ETH, but I don't know if I want to go there. My ideal place would be Italy, but given their economy right now, who knows. I having been talking to a research group there though. Israel would also be pretty cool.

US: MIT(ha!) twice too! Stanford, Caltech, and berkeley are probably reaches for me. Would be happy to crack anyone of those. As it stands right now, I want to go to grad school in the east coast or california. No midwest or south for me. Can't stand TX too. Those are the interesting schools am applying to, but I am also applying to some other places where I know I should get in. I need to turn these apps in though within like the next few days, or else am screwed. Make I just get through this year sef.

Anyway, any advice anyone has would be highly beneficial for me.

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flo_path:

Probably not, he/she probably took the revised gre. It's out of 170 now. Those are pretty good scores actually.

why? lol. What are you up to sef? Am sure you are doing something cool though.

Yeah, I am applying for phd in the US schools and masters in some uk/eu schools.

I am not sure I should post the schools here because everyone will say am crazy. I have VERY legitimate reasons(research) for applying to these places though.

Anyway, uk/eu: Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial. Considering ETH, but I don't know if I want to go there. My ideal place would be Italy, but given their economy right now, who knows. I having been talking to a research group there though. Israel would also be pretty cool.

US: MIT(ha!) twice too! Stanford, Caltech, and berkeley are probably reaches for me. Would be happy to crack anyone of those. As it stands right now, I want to go to grad school in the east coast or california. No midwest or south for me. Can't stand TX too. Those are the interesting schools am applying to, but I am also applying to some other places where I know I should get in. I need to turn these apps in though within like the next few days, or else am screwed. Make I just get through this year sef.

Anyway, any advice anyone has would be highly beneficial for me.

Thanks!

@ibn Hassan

Your scores must be very good if they are both out of 170. Wow, well done! With these scores, you should try other excellent schools in the US. Or do you want KAUST only?

flo_path:

Probably not, he/she probably took the revised gre. It's out of 170 now. Those are pretty good scores actually.

why? lol. What are you up to sef? Am sure you are doing something cool though.

Yeah, I am applying for phd in the US schools and masters in some uk/eu schools.

I am not sure I should post the schools here because everyone will say am crazy. I have VERY legitimate reasons(research) for applying to these places though.

Anyway, uk/eu: Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial. Considering ETH, but I don't know if I want to go there. My ideal place would be Italy, but given their economy right now, who knows. I having been talking to a research group there though. Israel would also be pretty cool.

US: MIT(ha!) twice too! Stanford, Caltech, and berkeley are probably reaches for me. Would be happy to crack anyone of those. As it stands right now, I want to go to grad school in the east coast or california. No midwest or south for me. Can't stand TX too. Those are the interesting schools am applying to, but I am also applying to some other places where I know I should get in. I need to turn these apps in though within like the next few days, or else am screwed. Make I just get through this year sef.

Anyway, any advice anyone has would be highly beneficial for me.

And why Italy? Curious me!

tanimola22:

And why Italy? Curious me!

Not applying for phd in Italy, I'd just like to live in Italy for a year. I took one art history class sophomore year and my final project was art in Italy. I have wanted to check out the history and architecture. If I go there, it'll be for a year and I will be working on the kind of stuff am interested in. There just won't be a lot of money.

Anyway, are you applying this year too?

Those are not my GRE scores BTW, even though mine is pretty similar, I think the scores are hassan's.

Anyway, I looked at KAUST, it seems like they have a lot of money, but isn't anyone concerned about the location? I mean foreigners aren't exempted from their laws right? Seems like a pretty good school though. Anyone you know there, what is it like?

°°°

Hi flo, KAUST has a lot of money. It is due to this that they are able to always attract good students even from the best of schools around the world. They pay a PhD $2500 monthly. The only thing guys do with that money is to eat; flight tickets, insurance and all other costs are catered for by KAUST. I have never heard of other schools that offer such a generous offer.

KAUST is another world of its own; the laws in Saudi are not applicable in KAUST. The governing board of KAUST knows that to attract special minds, stringent laws have to be relaxed. KAUST is a good school, but has no track record. The school has been able to 'buy over' leading professors from around the world to bring their expertise to Saudi. We were told that the school was created to compete with the Ivy league universities of this world, but in the long run.

I know a guy there. He is doing his PhD in Materials Engineering. He mouth has been stuffed with too much money . So he cannot talk again Another friend of mine got an offer from there, but decided instead to go to Warwick! Different strokes for different folks if you ask me.

flo_path:

Not applying for phd in Italy, I'd just like to live in Italy for a year. I took one art history class sophomore year and my final project was art in Italy. I have wanted to check out the history and architecture. If I go there, it'll be for a year and I will be working on the kind of stuff am interested in. There just won't be a lot of money.

Anyway, are you applying this year too?

Those are not my GRE scores BTW, even though mine is pretty similar, I think the scores are hassan's.

Anyway, I looked at KAUST, it seems like they have a lot of money, but isn't anyone concerned about the location? I mean foreigners aren't exempted from their laws right?  Seems like a pretty good school though. Anyone you know there,  what is it like?

Flo_path lol you sound a bit like me, I think we should talk off Nairaland for several reasons--- I lived in Europe for a year b4 starting grad school at one of the Harvard/Yale/Princeton/ MIT/Stanford schools. Biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. But its quite possible, trust me, I randomly contacted professors from Universities all over the world and I got research positions in EPFL, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, Oxford, St Andrews and a bunch of other UK universities- but funding was also a major issue though and some of them wanted me to even pay for my housing.

I personally think you should stay in America and dont waste time on places like Oxbridge or Imperial- apart from the fact that they are three years, I do not think that they can match top 15 US universities in terms of facilities or quality. The quality of UK PhDs is heavily dependent on the student, with some good students completing excellent PhDs while the large majority might not because its just three years and some people spend a whole year figuring out what to do and two years doing it. America is not that different but the Generals/Qualification exams you have to sit and the fact that you are required to publish a certain number of papers forces you to get a good quality PhD. Anyways I dont have time to type because I am very busy but if you are interested in talking further let me know.

I dont think MIT/Caltech/Stanford are necessarily reaches- Berkeley might as an International student.

SEFAGO:

Flo_path lol you sound a bit like me, I think we should talk off Nairaland for several reasons--- I lived in Europe for a year b4 starting grad school at one of the Harvard/Yale/Princeton/ MIT/Stanford schools. Biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. But its quite possible, trust me, I randomly contacted professors from Universities all over the world and I got research positions in EPFL, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, Oxford, St Andrews and a bunch of other UK universities- but funding was also a major issue though and some of them wanted me to even pay for my housing.


I dont think MIT/Caltech/Stanford are necessarily reaches- Berkeley might as an International student.

Why? I was planning on doing a year in europe too and then coming back to the us for phd. may be that's a bad idea too, but I just didn't want to go directly into a phd program. I feel like I should take a break for a year or something. Anyway, i was planning on just contacting professors randomly and just packing up and going somewhere for a year.

Yeah, we should talk/email off nairaland. Are you still in grad school? How is that going. I am bent on the grad school route right now. anyway, let me know where to contact you. I need serious advice.

Why? I was planning on doing a year in europe too and then coming back to the us for phd. may be that's a bad idea too, but I just didn't want to go directly into a phd program. I feel like I should take a break for a year or something. Anyway, i was planning on just contacting professors randomly and just packing up and going somewhere for a year.

I did the same thing- and trust me its a refreshing experience- the US gets monotonous and while I would personally encourage you to do this, like my experience was not great because of finances (I am not from a rich family ). If you get a job though and stuff like that definitely go for it but you also gotta consider like Visa issues and stuff. Can give you more specifics elsewhere. Start contacting professors early though and also you have to consider like if they can pay you to work in their labs or something- it seem like a great idea in theory but in practise might not be all that good.

Are you still in grad school? How is that going. I am bent on the grad school route right now. anyway, let me know where to contact you. I need serious advice.

Yeah I am for now hehe, If I dont drop out/Fail out , you can send an email to graduatenaijahelp@gmail.com then I will redirect you to a better/real email address or add you on chat or something. Yeah I will be happy to give you advise- seems you are in the same situation I was in when I just graduated and I was a bit idealistic like you like going abroad for a year which I did and which was a great experience dont get me wrong but yeah send me an email.

@ Tanimola

Thanks so much. I'll put those into consideration. Maybe I'll send you my SOP for review before turning it in finally. I am also applying to LSU and University of Alberta

@ Ruther
Which school did you finish from?

hello house please i need someone to forward a revised gre materials to as i will be writing my test soonest. Also i need ur advise, i grad from a state uni and i want to apply to oru. I checked their site and they said they want a gpa of 3.o/4.0. I have a gpa of 3.08/5.0 please what can i do to get admitted to the skool. The reason i want to apply to the skool is becos my aunty stay near thhe skool and also it is decent skool with outstanding graduates. Pl can someone help to convert my gpa to usa standard. Thanks guys my email addys is akinwolekay@gmail.com

Will like to go through this thread, but seems like y'all are still discussing the older GRE.

I'm looking for a very solid GRE score. Any pointers?!

Hi folks,

Still on the matter.

I have recently taken the New GRE. Official scores turned out weird; actual scores turned out less than estimates given on test day. Now, i just dont know how to interprete my score. My profile goes thus:

CGPA - 4.85/5.00
V - 160/170
Q - 161/170
AWA - 4.0/6.0

I'm applying to the top Engineering grad programmes in the US (Stanford and the likes). I'm also considering U.K, but have started the process.

Can anyone (especially those of you already studying in US grad schools) tell how these new scores are viewed by admission committees vis-a-vis the old scoring system, and what the general averages appear to be for bright engineering grads from US schools.

Thanks.

PS: SEFAGO, cezeozue, et al. your comments are welcome.

Sintame:

Hi folks,

Still on the matter.

I have recently taken the New GRE. Official scores turned out weird; actual scores turned out less than estimates given on test day. Now, i just dont know how to interprete my score. My profile goes thus:

CGPA - 4.85/5.00
V - 160/170
Q - 161/170
AWA - 4.0/6.0

I'm applying to the top Engineering grad programmes in the US (Stanford and the likes). I'm also considering U.K, but have started the process.

Can anyone (especially those of you already studying in US grad schools) tell how these new scores are viewed by admission committees vis-a-vis the old scoring system, and what the general averages appear to be for bright engineering grads from US schools.

Thanks.

PS: SEFAGO, cezeozue, et al. your comments are welcome.

, I meant general averages (in the new GRE), for bright engineering grads from US schools.

Hello all,
is good to be back here after a long time. I am particularly sending this message out to fall 2012 applicant for petroleum graduate programme. I think is right time we get acquianted with each other progress in terms of application. I am pesently making my application to tamu,tech,ou. So let's get the ball rolling.

PLEASE @tanimola22,

does anyone know where in lagos I can find the barrons for the new GRE?