₦airaland Forum

exceedinggrace: Hi naira landers, God has it done for me, first I give all glory to God almighty and my savoir Jesus Christ who's EXCEEDING GRACE singled my out for favour at the US embassy today at approx. 11:45 am this morning. I want to also hail all the gurus in the house for their enormous contributions and advise. Only God can reward you guys.

I had one of the STRANGEST interview at the Us embassy today. I call it strange because only the unimaginable favour of God could make things happen like this.

I got to the Embassy today some minutes after 6 o'clock, my interview was schedule for 8:30 AM. After the arduous security checks and protocol, I got into the interview hall about some minutes after 10 o'clock, got my token number and waited for my finger prints to be collected.

My finger prints took unnecessary time to be collect, even those I came before had their bio-metrics done sharply. It made me uneasy, I was wondering what is going on.( not knowing that Baba God was working in mysterious ways) While various interviews were conducted simultaneously. I listened and watched carefully, I discovered that the BOLD, CONFIDENT & "SWAGGERLICOUS" were rejected. I didnt know what do because my mind was falling me. I just prayed silently in my mind for Gods grace to intervene for me.

Finally, my number flashed for my bio metrics. fast forward>>

When my numbered flashed for the interview, I carried my self( with my heart almost breaking out of my rib cage because it was pounding so hard that I thought people around could here it). I was interviewed by a fine american lady

This is how my STRANGE interview went.

V.o: Good morning
me : good morning

v.o: why are u going to the US?
me: to study for my masters degree in petroleum geology
me: petroleum geology, thats my specialization( I emphasized)

v.o: ok, how did you choose ur schools?
me: I used google search engine, my gre scores and choose schools within the oil patch region

v.o: who is paying for ur fees?
me: my dad

v.o: what does he do?
me: He is a Technician by profession, he works as a shift supervisor for .....

V.o : ok, come on Tuesday and pick ur visa,( hands me the pick up white paper) u know ur resumption date is near( 13th Jan), ( Interview has ended)
me: (cuts in) I have an letter of extention

v.o : ok, u can try tomorrow, to see if it is ready or monday
me: ok ( but I was not really listening)

my brain was still trying to understand what just happen. The interview took less than 3 mins. I turned around, people were looking at my as if I used one kind of charm, I carried my documents and left

No documents were requested, no gre,toefl or bankstatement

Naira landers am not saying you should not prepare well for your interview, but this is what am saying, please pray for God's exceeding Grace to single u out for unimaginable favour and dont depend on your abilities. Trust God to favour u even when u dont merit it.

It is the God factor that makes destinies great not abilities nor effort.

It is indeed my year of Exceeding grace.... strange works

Amefrica: You should av booked Emirates enrouting New York, the connect ur state from there.

I reserved a ticket yesterday for next week thur. for $1020

Frizzle: Please help help help!!! I want to know how I can book flight ticket to Minnesota from lagos and how much is the cost presently? I need to leave this country by 14th please help me I need cheap ticket, price and how to book it..... Thank u all

Walspring: Welcome to Obamaland! wishing you a blissful stay..

nomso27: hello house, Amefrica, Ricky rozay, Bigfrancis, imperoux,gaviton and all, grretings.
Repoting live from the states.
will post my travel experience soon.
got lots of NL pages to read.

Amefrica: Just called the embassy now, they said my VISA is still undergoing Administrative Processing..

Devil is a liar!

Amefrica: Just called the embassy now, they said my VISA is still undergoing Administrative Processing..

Devil is a liar!

Graviton v.2.0.:
Can't see anything, bro

Graviton v.2.0.:
Congrats to everyone who got their visas approved. I cannot over-emphasize the power of positive thinking, information from this thread right here and prayers.

For those whose visas are getting approved as I speak type (somebody wey im moniker begin with "A"

Go and collect your visa, Amefrica. It is well with you

Aekmanweb what's your feedback? Send me a PM.

unbounded: ALERT!!! LONG POST
Hi nairalanders!! First of, I'd like to thank nairaland and all those who hav mainained its existence, if not wetin i for tok (please pardon d pidgin )...............................................................
I wud hav loved 2 tell of the funny tale of my whole journey 2 the U.S, especially at the airport, but that wud not only b too lengthy (more than this!) but also irrelevant 2 dis thread. Suffice it to say, that on this very cold day(-15 degree.C), i am waiting to resume my second semester in a couple of weeks after a successful(thank God) first semester.
P.S. i am sorry fo the numerous typos in this. I also apologize fo utilizing pidgin English at times if it is inappropriate. and i apologize in advance fo any digression from the tradition of this thread. God bless.

Kassidy4luv: Hello house, plzzz I av d intention of going to the States for my M.sc.
GRE and TOEFL have been susended in Nigeria, Can I register for d exams in Ghana or wait till dey lift d suspension?
Tanx

castrogee: dear people of nairaland

I have an interview on friday and I to the best of my knowledge have prepared very well. University of Bridgeport gave me admission with a GRE test waiver, I have my NECO exams ready, my intended date of travel is 15th of Jan and its my father that is sponsoring me for a post graduate studies in Technology Management. the balance on the account that I will be presenting is well over 20mil, and I am the only dependent child of my parents as all my brothers are full-time employed. review my case and advise me on what to take care of during and before the interview.

Best

adebonje: Please who here got his visa apporoved on friday and has gotten his passport back, cos I am yet to get mine. I was mailed yetsterday that my documents has been collected from the US Embassy/Consulate. When will it get to the dhl office to collection?

double08: house please I would like to know if it is a disadvantage that your BROTHER who will be sponsoring your education is residing/working in the UK?

Babalola1990: Details soon!

Babalola1990: Details soon!

Idazbawz: bro, use my idea...

Prof Enny: I can't fit laugh at some comments I read above. Here's the interview from thursday.

VO: Good morning (They can so greet and be polite! Just like the small fine boy that was taking fingerprints at window 9)

Me: Good morning

VO: You are (she mumbled my surname and I quickly provided the others b4 she bit herself). You're going to Murray State Uni?

Me: Yes. For an MS in .............

VO: How many skls did you apply to?

Me: 3. East Tennessee State Uni Murray State Uni and Rutgers Uni

VO: What tests did you do to get admitted into Murray State?

Me: GRE and toefl

VO: Can I see your GRE (gave it to her. Grateful all 3 skls were listed on the score sheet... She didn't ask for the toefl ooo)
What degree did you graduate with?

Me: BA............ (Dey don tear me warning for house say make I no go mention my grads. U don get ms wetin you dey find again?)

VO: Which school?

Me: O.......U (Popular uni in the southwest)

VO: What have you been doing since you graduated?

Me: Left skl late 2008, did my national service btwn feb 2009 and feb 2010. Returned to Lagos, got my present job in June 2010 and I've been there since then; that's about 3 years and half now

VO: What do you do there?

Me: Its a marketing communication and PR company and we consult for a number of organisations some of who have in-house PR depts and some who don't. (No story telling. Straight to the point plus make e tally with wetin you fill for ds-160. They stare into the computer, something in your ds-160 catches their attention and they ask questions about it)

VO: Have you travelled before?

Me: Not @ all. Never had any reason to until now

VO: Who's paying your fees?

Me: My father

VO: What does he do?

Me: He's a financial investment consultant who equally runs a transport and a rental company

VO: Can I see his bank statement (Gave her the statement only, nothing else and she looked through it and passed back to me) She kinda paused for a brief while not looking at the computer but staring at me. Guess she was thinking of what next to ask but I didn't flinch, my face and smile remained the same.

VO: What do you like about murray state uni? (I thought I caught a mischievous smile on her face. In my mind I was like shuuu? Oooo ti_ee ri nnkan beere)

Me: Its a public skl, co educational, with no religious affiliation and it came tops in a list of skls that offer............... Besides, Murray has also been tipped to join the likes of Fordham and Rutgers as institutions to have earned designation as an NGO affiliated with the United Nations department of public information. (I stopped talking. Didn't want to continue since that seemed like a speech already. She dey look me like say make I continue and I took the hint) Murray is also a top tier east south central region skl with relatively LOW (word stressed) tuition fees and it offers a $6k Global Outreach tuition waiver to admitted international grad students and that was the catch. Murray also lays claims to academic and research excellence like every other skl.

VO: Okay (Those consuls can type shaaa)..........Pick up your visa on tuesday and enjoy your stay in the US (and she passes me that white grammar filled paper)

Me: Thank you. (Didn't wipe the cheesy smile off my face all through)

Observations: She didn't ask for my own bank statement, transcript, certificate, about other admits, letters, waec and the likes of what I'll do when I come back and those funny questions wey fit throw person off balance. She only asked to see my dad's statement and my GRE.

I'm so thankful to God because he made it pretty easy for me and I didn't get all those unnerving questions I'd been bracing myself for espy with my yank citizen siblings.

After God, the most of it I believe boils down to LUCK and FAVOUR in UPPERCASE, good mastery of the oyinbo language (dropped my phonetics @ home and spoke proper english) and a whole lot of confidence.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, shared experiences and member contributions on this thread did more than help to set my preparations right. For that, BIG THANKS and hugs to everyone. God bless ya'll.

NB: That chinko guy @ counter 1 wey some of una biiin give reputation actually seemed cool and was the only guy interviewing. He gave more approvals than denials all the while I was there sitting in front of him yawning and jeez! There were some yelling kids in that place.

Plus, a coupla F1 ppl I saw with Virginia International uni admits were denied. Guessing there's really something with that skl as mentioned earlier on this thread.

OjaP: Technically, you are right. But for embassy purpose, I would say I graduated high school in 2014 if I have a WAEC result carrying 2014.

You can always say you started high school late. There are one thousand and one reasons you could give. Please don't ask me to tell you

bimbola85: Here is my transcript house

Me: Gud Morning Ma
One stupid kekere winch wey no reach 20years no answer . Dat one sef add to d tension.
V.O: Where U going in d US
Me: Saint Joseph's University,Philadelphia
V.O: How many schools you applied to?
Me: 3
V.O: Which schools?
Me: SJU,GVSU nd UCO
V.O: How many offered U admission?
Me: 1,SJU bt my application to other 2 schools got there after deadline nd is being considered for Fall 2014 admission.
V.O: Did U take SAT
Me: Na only SAT I hear ooo cos d winch dey talk like some1 aving extremely hot dodo 4 mouth. I said No(na dier d gobe start)
V.O: When did you finished ur *****
Me: Sounded like secondary school for my ears. I said 2003 because d GCE I'm using was written in 03.
V.O: She asked what av U been doing since then?
Me: Na dier I pick say mehn I don messed up.Realised she was asking abt my UG. I started story say I did waec in 2003 nd started diploma in 2004 b4 I graduated in 2011 nd went for my NYSC in Nov 2012 nd jst completed dat abt 2months ago. Nov 5th 2013 precisely
V.O: Diploma in what?
Me: Bus Admin
V.O: nd ur degree in what?
Me: Philosophy
V.O: what u going to study as M.S.
Me: I said Criminal Justice
V.O: She den repeat all these wanting to be sure she heard me well. Like dis,Ur Diploma Bus Admin nd I said Yes,UG Philosophy nd I said Yes nd now U going for M.S Criminal Justice nd I also said Yes.
Me: Na dier I knw say she no see hw all these courses related to demselves I guess,bt she's wrong cos Philosophy is somehw interwoven with CJ.
V.O: Who's ur Sponsor
Me: My dad
V.O: Pack my I-20 with my Int'l Pp joined with dat suicide blue paper con giv her papa oooo. She con dey look me like make I dey beg her after she don already handed me d blue paper.

Note:
She did asked me to repeat my answer to abt 2questns or so bt can't really remember d qstns cos I still dey blame myself till now. I would have gotten it if I didn't loose my composure nd maybe didn't mention d diploma @ all cos she no ask me wen I entered uni na

Amefrica: [b]Interview transript:

Me: Happy Nu year!
VO: Same to you, you look smart and cute *blushes*. Pls pass me ur docs. *i did*
VO: You are going to Minnesota to study?
Me: Political Science at UG level
VO: you wanna be a politician?
Me: Of course yes! Tho, not like the ones currently in power, we all know mosta dem are co***pt, so we need young bloods like me to restore the political health cuz it is seriously deteriorating.
VO: *laughed* sure, I know. So, you finished high school in 2010 what av u been doing?
Me: I went to do some Advanced Level courses
VO: Can I see your transcript?
Me: It has been sent to my school for evaluation.
VO: Ok, did you write WAEC, SAT and TOEFL
Me: Yes, I passed the docs.
VO; *she verified the score report and checked my WAEC cert under a machine like that and returned all to me* So, who will be paying for ur studies?
Me: My mum, she's a legal practitioner and property consultant.
VO: Do you have any siblings or elders?
Me: I have a young sis of 5 and my sister works here in Abuja.
VO: Pass me your mum's bank staty.
Me: I did.
VO: Ok, is your sister married? Me: Yes!
VO: I'm not denying ur VISA now nor approving but we r gonna contact you back *hands me a white paper with adm processing* when we contact you back pls come back with ur A'Levels transcript too.
VO: have a nice day..[/b]

Graviton v.2.0.:
Aekmanweb, Constant, Vic-Jay

Thank you, I just received the SMS.

Aekmanweb, have you completed your research? PM me with your views

Vic-Jay, a lot of schools accept TOEFL, most even accept IELTS as an alternative

Graviton v.2.0.:
Guys, I just created a GT Bank account but was issued with a temporary MasterCard that expires after 30 days.

Also, I'm yet to know my account number. I'm feeling very uneasy about this as this MasterCard is what I plan on using to pay up my app fees.

Is this usually how GTB operates? they just wrote "new account" on my deposit slip and asked me to pay in which I did...next thing, they said I was free to go

Graviton v.2.0.:
This guy eh!

Na UG o! but the school wants to relate personally. A rep is even coming over to Owerri next year to speak with me

I no fit believe my luck. #Oluwa_is_involved

Walspring: Its okay but Fall is better than as far as am concerning ooo..

Am just saying/advicing you now to rush and kindly take time bro!

Idazbawz: thanks for the info bro! I'll use yur style.. By the way, are u schooling abroad?

Idazbawz: thanx man,
what if i shedule at Abuja, will it affect me negatively?? Will the VO feel like (why do i hav to change my venue? Does he think Visa is free here?)... Also, i'll repeat all i said during my interview; but wont say i'll work under my Dad this time, is that okay

alingo4life: People.I want to apply for BSC in about 3schools in the US.I already have the schools at hand.However two of them do not require any Foreign Test as such but would want to do it.I mean sit for the test.However,I was told Toefl is no longer taken in Nigeria.Is this true?If it's true,How do Nigerian Applicants then sit for the test.You advise needed please.Cos with the recommendations i see here,It seems it would be better you go for a Foreign Test while Applying to a US school.

Thanks

Idazbawz: Hello NLanders,
I went for an F-1 Visa interview today(24th dec 2013) in Lagos and was denied VISA. Here's my Interview:
ME: Hello Sir
V0: No response
VO: why are you going to America
ME: In order to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering Tech at Eastern Michigan University
VO: Bachelor's?
ME: Yes!
VO: Whats the name of your School?
ME: EMU.
VO: why EMU?
ME: EMU is an area rich in academic, technological, and recreational resources. Also, I've interected with some graduates and i got to knw that Engineering majors are handled to the fullest.
VO: what will you do with your degree?
ME: my Dad already secured a job for me here in Nigeria.
VO: what Job?
ME: managing director of the oil company he's about to build.
VO: what does he do?
ME: works with NNPC
VO: you graduated from Fortune Private School?
ME: yes!
VO: unfortunate, we cannot issue u a visa....

Pls, what's my offence?
Should i reapply in Abuja Embassy instead of Lagos Pls reply soon...

crownlast: My interview date is very close, house please pray for me, I must come here to share my testimony....amen

bodeplot: @all please is Elubo(Cassava powder or yam flour) allowed at the airport in Nigeria and US?? Wanna carry some for someone..

Congrats to those that got their visa and to those denied, never give up,work on your flaws and be good..

Strange denial so far on this thread for that guy,it is well...just believe in God,all shall be well..