Chidinho10:


That GRE score is too risky for a PhD in such schools... A 320+ GRE will be safer. My advise is for you to rewrite the GRE and apply next year.

Don't apply to same schools that rejected you. Some schools view re-applicants somehow. You can increase your option to 8 schools - 3 ambitious schools (none of the ones you applied earlier), 3 moderate schools and 2 safe schools... You should be fine.

Dear Chidinho10,

First, I commend you for the many good works you are doing on this thread. You take time to answer questions and clarify issues. Well done.

I would suggest however that you be a little more weary before you make assertions as they may sometimes be misleading.

Let us look at the case in question. How can u confidently tell the poster not to reapply to schools that rejected him as some schools view rejected applicants somehow. How can you have that information? Are you privy to the admission process of the schools that he applied to? Do you categorically know why he was rejected? (Perhaps they thought his GRE quants score wasn't competitive enough? Or his PhD proposal wasn't good/clear enough? Or his letters of recommendation weren't glowing enough? Or maybe they couldn't find any faculty with interest in his proposed area of research? Or they were looking for someone with a bit more research experience? Or maybe this year was just particularly competitive and in other years he would have gotten in but the competition was just stiff for limited spaces available? Or any other reason you can come up with). If he finds out why they rejected him and he is able to improve his profile, isn't it possible that he may get in if he reapplies ?

I know you have also said in the past that admissions may not be as holistic as schools say. Again, one would wonder how you came about that? How can you have that information?

My advise to prospective students is that they should contact schools on school-specific questions. Each school has an admission office willing to answer questions. The same breath it takes to post such questions here on nairaland is what it takes to mail the schools. Of course, you may find answers here but you won't really know if it is information you can bank on. If you get answers from the school you're applying to however, at least, you know you can take the info as legit.

Oh. By the way, I applied to Harvard for my masters last year and was rejected (strangely I was surprised). So I sent a mail to the admission office to thank them for considering my application and to say that I was dissapointed because I was very keen on the program. Then I said I thought my application was good and I wondered if they could tell me how I could have had a more competitive application. Well, the office scheduled me for an interview with the director of admissions who made me realize that my statement of purpose wasn't as "bad ass" as I thought and that my letters of recommendation could have been stronger. I worked on these and reapplied and prayed some more, and hoped some more and to cut the long story short, I got admitted in this cycle and now I am on my way.

Still, kudos to you for your responses. Just remember to always separate opinions from facts.

Cheers man!

[quote author=marvinn post=68457215]i went for my visa interview today 13th June, and i was denied. I'm planning to reapply, Here is how it went

me: good morning sir
vo: good morning, pass me your passport and i20
i did so
vo: What are you going to study
me: I'm going to study nursing at wright State University
vo: why did you choose wsu
me: i gave good reasons
vo: why did u choose nursing
me: gave nice reasons


" Good " and " nice " reasons are relative. How can people offer suggestions when you aren't giving details.

[quote author=Macaulay10 post=68375479] pls look into this

Most of the schools I want to apply to, I checked the admission requirements part on their website, they stated Official transcript..... I don't know if it's before enrollment or during application process, none stated they accept unofficial transcript, because sending transcripts from my school internationally is 10k, so 7 schools is like 70k excluding caurier...

I would advise that you send an email or place a call to the admissions office of the various schools you have shortlisted. They are the ones who can really give you legit info. It is not impossible that a school may even be willing to use unofficial transcript to review your application despite asking for official transcript on their website. For instance, University of Geneva agreed to use my WES evaluation instead of university issued transcript when I explained to them that NASU was on strike a couple of months ago. The point here is the best thing is to directly contact the schools you have on your list.

Cheers.

[quote author=Libber post=68341258]Visa Approved on Thursday
Got to the embassy bouncing, don't listen to those guys they are all scam, [/b]after normal screening, was on queue waiting for the VOs to resume, the black American woman was the first to open her window, the women dish out blue paper to the first person that day, and was dishing out blue paper like politicians wen sharing money during election, I was praying not to go to her queue but unfortunately I was sent to her queue, all the people she interview before me[b] it was one person she gave white paper...


SMH at the guys/hustlers at the gate.

They kept shouting: "staple your passport photographs to your DS 160 or you will be sent back". I decided to humor them and asked for a stapler from them. Only for them to say : " Bros, you have to take another passport o. You are not allowed to bring the same passport that you uploaded online. You are to take another one!"

Bloody thieves. At that point, I quickly walked away from them and joined the group waiting to be called in for their interview.

Needless to say that on the queue, no one asked for passports to be stapled to the DS 160. They did not even collect any passport from me. They just used what I uploaded already. SMH.

Haha at the black American lady, she wasn't even smiling at boys at all. I was hoping there would be some black solidarity or something. Anyway, I was the one guy before you who got his Visa approved.

Goodluck mate in your endeavors.

Cheers.

Visa approved today. 7-6-18 in Lagos 6:30 am.

Transcript below:

I can't remember if we greeted each other.

V.O: pass me your passport and I-20.
(I did. She goes through the document and presses her computer).

V.O: So why are you going for a public health masters?

Me: I am interested in the control of Non-communicable diseases in low and middle income countries. Presently, I am involved in carrying out dental outreaches to communities and in my work, I have some deficiencies in health program planning and conducting health research. As a result, I want to improve my knowledge and skills. I want to go to Harvard because of the quality of the education, prestige of the school and the networking opportunities that come with the school.

V.O: I see you have a scholarship. So how did you get it?

Me: I wrote GRE and I think I did fairly well in it.

V.O: Do you have your GRE result here? Can I see it?

Me: Of course. (Then I struggle for 3 seconds to bring it out). Sorry, I am taking some time. Here you go. ( I give her, she peruses it and returns my paper).

V.O: When did you finish school?

Me: I finished in 2011

V.O: What have you been doing since?

Me: working. I worked in the North, returned to the South to continue working and I've been a dentist at XYZ since 2015.

V.O: What are your plans after your program.

Me: Follow my interest. I hope to return to Nigeria/Africa to work with an organization focusing on the control of Non-communicable diseases in low and middle-income countries.

V.O: I'll be approving your visa bla bla.

Me: Thank you

Then I carry my head and leave the place.

P.S: The interview probably lasted 2 minutes or less

Sassandra:
ASK YOURSELF ONE SIMPLE QUESTION; Why do I want this masters in this University in this Country?!

I have been a silent observer of this thread and I’m not happy with a lot of things I’ve been seeing. Lots of people are plying into these “dead” schools thinking they can “finally leave Nigeria” and “finally achieve their dreams”. No boss, think again.

The only reason why people should consider an MSc is simple; to get access to a network from that masters for what ever reason it is that you want. For instance, if you’re working and you want to change your industry, or if you want to change geography (e.g. Nigeria to Canada), then a “good” MSc is perfect for that because you’d get access to a career center and the “access” that’ll give you that platform to achieve the desired career or geographical change you’re looking for.

So at the end of the day, we should ask ourselves, why do I want this masters sef ?
For me personally, I am pursuing a masters because I want more global exposure and I want a change geographically. There are other options I can take to getting what I want obviously. I can decide to stay in Nigeria and finish my professional qualification, then do an MBA and leave. But I want to leave as soon as possible so an MSc is a better option for me.

If someone wants to work in Nigeria and is finding it hard in getting a job, don’t think a masters abroad would solve that problem automatically. You need networks (which you can find for free on LinkedIn), you need trainings (e.g. industry certifications like ICAN or ACCA). You can even decide to apply to Edubridge. Edubridge trains undergraduates and graduates for investment banking and consulting jobs. They bring in a lot of industry leaders and you can use that platform to network to get a job. You can also use the brand “Edubridge” to secure a couple of interviews

If someone comes to tell me that they want to do their masters in Nigeria, CU for instance, for the sake of being more employable, I’d advise them to print their CV and go from company to company, code email and interact with people on LinkedIn, enroll in Edubridge and get reputable industry certifications that'll make them more attractive. Something would surely click, rather than going to spend c. 1 million naira in a school that won’t even give you any “access” to Broad Street or Adeola Odeku, where all the financial companies are, or Ikeja, the hub of technology in Nigeria. Unilag is even better in terms of “access” to Broad Street or Adeola Odeku because they have a very strong alumni presence in that area. (Please note: I am not endorsing an MSc in Unilag)

If you fall among the category of people that want to use an MSc for the *sole* purpose of making your cv more “ghen-ghen”, then you should reconsider it. For instance, If you work in McKinsey, you already have like 95/100 points in terms of CV ghenghen-ness, and there’s no point in leaving your job to do a masters that’ll only increase your CV ghenghen-ness from the 95 it currently is in to a 98 (it can never be greater than 100). Besides, only a few schools can do that, think HBS and Warton.

If you fall among the category of people whose main purpose for a masters is for employability in Nigeria, all you have to do is to find out what your employer is looking for. More often than not, it’s not an international masters they’re looking for. Many of them are looking for experience, many of them are looking for industry certifications. That international masters may not necessarily give you the network to securing a job in your home country. LinkedIn is waay better for that and very much more cost effective.

If you fall among the category of people that want to use an MSc to re-brand themselves. Maybe you didn’t do too well in Undergrad, or you went to a very dead Nigerian University. An MSc is great for that, however, APPLY TO THE BEST SCHOOL YOUR PROFILE CAN AFFORD! Don’t you want the best for yourself?

Last but definitely not the least, If you fall among the category of people that want to use an MSc to run away, say you wan marry and get citizenship, then your case is special. If youre using a “dead school”, good luck with creating a compelling story that you can sell to the VO’s. You think those guys be mumu?

Many people here are looking for shortcuts, you don’t want to write GRE and TOEFL but you want to get admitted with full funding and you also want to secure a mad job upon graduation? Bros how far na? You no hustle but you won chop fufu?. If your input is mediocrity, your output will surely be mediocrity.



“We see better when we stand on the shoulders of those that have gone ahead of us”. This is why we have nairaland but its just turning more and more mediocre with the schools that are being mentioned here daily. Please lets shoot higher shots!

Hi there. Your post is a little strange and a bit difficult to understand. I think your main message is that people should not apply to random schools...or "dead" schools as you have called them. I cannot tell whether you are talking from experience and you know that there is no future in these "dead schools" or you're just the beacon of excellence who is sad that your country men are applying to mediocre schools. It remains true that everyone cannot go to a "top" school whether because they cannot afford it, or they may not be willing to put in the work to get into one.
You then go on to same some things about why people should want a Masters ONLY so that they can gain access to a network for whatever reason that they want. This is in itself contradictory and shows that there are indeed many reasons why people may want a graduate education. And telling us why we should want masters...eg the example you gave about someone working in McKenzie and wanting a masters. Really? You don't think most people know why they want what they want? Again, the example of someone with a masters from C.U vs another person who may be better served by knocking from door to door to drop cvs. SMH. Of course, in another world, someone with a masters from C.U has more skills and knowledge than a first degree holder and has some advantages when applying to jobs.
I apologize that my post really contributes nothing to getting a visa or not which is what this thread is about (and i tried so hard not to reply you but I could not help it).
My advise to you: 1. Quit the subtle condescension.
2. Please take your own words that people want masters for "whatever reason they want".
3. Please, give us some "accolades". We all are just trying to play the best game we can with the cards we have been dealt.

Because they are from ETS (ETS conducts gre), the official guides offer the closest deal to the actual exam. They may be weak on strategy but u can do no wrong practicing the questions- especially the verbal questions in the official guide. Other books can't match the verbal guide.

@ our dear "gre coach". Imagine how weary we are to accept your offer after finding out your scores. While it is not impossible that u really can teach the GRE and make people ace them, perhaps a bit more tact in vaunting your coaching prowess will be prudent. All the best in your endeavors. Cheers.

Thank you. SirRiddy.

So I wrote the GRE too and i'll like to share a bit of my experience. 
Analytical writing: 4.5 (82nd percentile).
Quantitative reasoning: 158 (70th percentile).
Verbal reasoning: 164 (94th percentile).

Quantitative: . As u can see above my math is average, so I have nothing much to say...well, except that whoever wants to do well must know how to manage time. Given adequate time, the questions can be answered. But the time ETS gives is so-so for average math guys like myself. Add exam nerves and 10 +10 which should take a millisecond to answer takes more time than appropriate. Bottom time:
1. take timed tests while practicing. It helps with pacing and this is absolutely key. 
2. U don't have to answer all questions and it is important to know when to let a question go. The silly exam has "time wasters". Nothing hurts as much as finding that u spent 4-5 minutes on a particularly question (which u aren't certain u got right by the way), only to find that there are some pretty cheap (takes less than a min) questions u no longer have time for. Again. Bottom line. If u're spending too long on a question when u haven't seen all the questions, u're setting urself up and it's a pretty bad strategy. Better to go through all questions, murder d cheap questions and then if time permits, face d hard ones. 

P.s: I think this should be pretty obvious, but u'll find it surprising that it is hard to let a question go and to move on in d real exam. So again. Practice ur pacing with timed tests. 

VERBAL. 
My score here suggests that I have a bit of a "bragging right" and I probably know what I'm saying. (lol). Unfortunately, I don't have a quick fix solution here. But for the long haulers who have a couple of months to prepare, here I think is a good strategy. The verbal as we all know is 20 questions per session. 10 reading comprehension, 5 sentence equivalence and 5 text completion. 
Good news: the sentence equivalence and text completion can be destroyed quickly, leaving ample time to face the convoluted, opaque, recondite and abstruse (haha! Bloody hell. I show off)...difficult to understand reading comprehension passages. 

So this was my routine. I used aldaily.com everyday for several months. Aldaily.com basically recommends 3 essays daily for its readers. Now one has to attack these essays. Not just a cursory reading. The essays are academic, high literary, GRE language styled. Some of them are from newyorK times, New yorker, LA review of books, London review of books, aeon magazine, new Republic, the Atlantic bla bla bla. The point in reading all these is that one then begins to see various writing styles. The way people shift their sentences, the nuances and subtleties, and of course GRE type words and vocabulary. Now with these new words, I had a list I was keeping. Upon seeing a new word, I would go to vocabulary.com. The advantage of vocabulary.com is that it not only gives the meaning of words in simple language, it gives SEVERAL examples of usage. In seeing those examples, one appreciates how the words can be used in sentences.  

If one can conscientiously follow this routine, what happens is that u find that sentence comprehension and text completion questions become a godsend. The time one spends answering the questions remarkably drops, leaving time for the reading comprehension. U'll become so used to the sentences u'll be able to predict what goes into what in the text completion, and sentence equivalence becomes rediculously cheap.  Of course the voracious reading would also help with reading comprehension generally, but men! Those questions, bloody freaking hell! 

P.s. I didn't say anything about reading comprehension strategy. Here I think magoosh GRE blog offers excellent advice. So u won't lose anything by checking out magoosh.com/gre and reading the blog. 
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I might also have oversimplified the process of reading those essays from aldaily.com. Sometimes it is so much tedium and mental drudgery u just want to close the page, and leave the essays...when u get to this point, know that u're not alone. Even the best of us struggle with some of these passages and sometimes there's so much jargon in the passages u begin to think they are straight from hell. Besides, it really doesn't hurt doing well in the exam and not wasting money (the $205 these days...pretty hard to come by)

Finally on analytic writing, i'm interested in knowing anyone who has scored 5 or more. I know people get it, but I think the exam is rigged. Unless u type pretty fast of course. But that's by d way. My advise here is to use official material from ETS. Especially sample essays and reader commentaries. By the time u focus on samples that are scored 4 or 5 or 6, u'll begin to see what u have to do to get the required scores. So please, read the official examples. Sorry, read is an understatement...study them. 

Overall, abeg practice, practice and more practice, there is no short cut. Good luck and see yah all in America. ‎