sofadj:
Prior Visit to Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic
Dress: Bespoke native wear
Prep: Didnt memorize any response, just read my SOP about 3 times the night before.

Was interviewed at Window 2 by a female with indifferent countenance

V.O: What are you study plans in the US
sofadj: I intend to go to University of Maryland College park to pursue a Masters' degree program in public health. The program is to run for 18 months ...( I mumbled the ending part, she kept nodding while typing). After which I hope to have acquired sufficient skills to help play my part in reducung the burden of diseases on Nigerians

V.O: What do you do currently?
sofadj: I am a medical doctor

V.O.: So how would this program benefit your career?
sofadj: MPH with a concentration in Environmental Health Sciences will equip me with necessary skills and technical knowledge to identify and analyse realtionships between people, disease and their environment in a bid to proffering solutions to these diseases in Nigeria, with diseases such as HIV, Malaria, TUberculosis killing millions of Nigerians yearly,It will give me a strong leverage to work with the FMOH in order to help institute policies and carry out projects that will help reduce the burden of diseases in Nigeria.

V.O.: Who will be sponsoring this
sofadj : My brother. He is a XXXXXX
V.O. : Cuts in sharply. Your visa has been approved,...blah blah blah


V.O. didnt ask me for any document
V.O. seemed to have made up her mind after asking the 2nd question, she probably just asked the 3rd to keep me talking. She was nodding while i was talking but i could swear she wasnt listening.
I wasn't as coherent and fluent as it seems here, i paused, hanged, at some time while answering but I still went on. I was not over trying to make an impression.

MAIN ADVICE: Relax and talk from the heart. KNow your points but dont cram a speech.




SPECIAL THANKS TO AADEYI AND EVERYONE ON THIS PLATFORM

Congratulations

Fortissimo:


Hey man how you doing. How's summer break?

Hey bro, thanks for checking up on me. You are a good man. Summer break is pretty good so far. How have you been? You sha don't want to wash your visa for boiz. Kontunu

dickoflife:
can I have a copy also? Kindly Whatsapp me.. My number is on NL here.. Thanks in arrears.

Hey bro, I would rather you share your email with me. We can still gist on WhatsApp if you want to

kayzoner70:

Brother pls, i will need a copy of that GA seek too, here is my mail wsurferer@yahoo.com. Thanks.

Check your email

masquellett:
Please House. Anybody has the format mail format of seeking assistantships from professors? Please help a brother. Its urgent. My mail is noob_ig@yahoo.com

Cc: sirriddy. DickOflife. Imperiouxx. Bbdd. Gunther6. Warryboy1.

Thanx. Epp me edakun

Hey bro, I sent a mail to you. You will need to totally revamp it to suit your profile. Good luck

Fortissimo:
So my people, my visa was approved today which is exactly 120 days before the start date on my I-20. My interview itself was very short with just 3 questions, so I will try describe my general experience today to add more benefit for those that may want to have an idea of how things might work.

Got to the consulate about 45mins before my scheduled time and was immediately accosted by some "gentleman" that tried to convince me that my printouts had to be coloured, stapled in some certain way, some new requirement/ regulation, etc. He tried leading me to his shop near the carpark to do the needful and obviously part with some money. From the knowledge gained on NL I knew to steer clear away from him and other shysters.

So I joined the queue but I guess I was a bit early as they were calling people for an earlier time slot. Met a lady and her brother who had come to renew their H1b visas and I made small talk with the lady. Tried making small talk with some other female F1 applicant but she wasn't having much of it. Perhaps nerves?

They finally called us to go through but some people were held back because they brought in prohibited items. This obviously delayed them. I think there is a rule that you have to join the queue from the back if you have to step away to drop prohibited items.

So finally entered the highly venerated US Consulate! Joined a queue that I thought led directly to the VOs. I started hearing the infamous speakers announcing denials...So the queue coordinator told me to go to a window and I thought wow finally! I walked up to the window full of nerves...the lady there wanted to take my biometrics and asked me to place my left hand fingers...I kept placing my right hand fingers until she repeatedly chided me. Mehn I thought wow this interview is going downhill. She asked for my documents and I struggled to pass them through the little slit until she told me just to slide them in. She did some checking and handed me back my passport with my I20 inside. I though I had been denied! I stared at her dumbfounded and refused to collect the documents until she said I was to go give them to the actual VO! I was surprised sef cos she had a Nigerian accent and I expected a VO with an American accent.

So I joined the real queue to speak to the VO...she was very respectful and courteous. Greeting people even before they reached her cubicle. Even those that she denied, she denied respectfully.

So now the transcript:

VO: Please pass your documents...just your passport. Are you a student? Ok please pass your I-20 as well. Ok...so tell me about your travel plans.

Me: I am going to Mississippi State University (MSU) for my Masters in Chemistry. I will be working with Dr. Bleep in the synthesis of natural products and I expect to use the skills I learn in MSU, when I come back to work for a pharmaceutical research institute in Nigeria.

VO: Typing...So where are you working / are you working currently?

Me: I used to work in Bleep but resigned 6 months ago to give myself sufficient time to prepare my applications and prepare for studies at the graduate level.

VO: Typing...so how are you financing your studies?

Me: I was awarded full financial aid by the school. I also have some additional personal funds.

VO: Typing...Ok I will approve your visa...(couldn't hear much past this point. she gave me the white slip and said I would need my I-20 and Sevis receipt when I enter the US).

No documents were requested.

At numerous points in the interview (especially during the pauses) I started having doubts that maybe I might be denied. I had to keep pushing those thoughts away.

Glory be to God alone!

NL is a treasure trove of info. We even have threads here that VOs themselves respond to queries. I also encourage applicants to look through the US Embassy (Nigeria)'s youtube videos, facebook page and also educationusa's facebook page. Knowledge is power.

Congratulations bro. So how are we bathing it now? LOL I am really happy for you

Here is a compiled PDF of some visa interviews.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hywyk7y7ilocmtr/APPROVED_VISAS_Part_7.pdf?dl=0

You can learn one or two things from here. Thanks to @sirRiddy for sharing it with me

There is love in sharing, feel free to share it with others.

Good Luck everyone

MrMann1:

Baba, Na that template gangan I need. Kindly help. Thanks

I have sent it to you.

Goodluck

Fortissimo:


Chief thanks for your comment. I wasn't trying to influence anyone's opinion about America. I was just stating my opinion. So I wasn't proselytizing. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Everyone has their life to lead, decisions to make and ambitions and future plans. I was just sharing mine. Apologies to any who got rubbed off the wrong way by them.

Mekurexx would bear me witness that it appears in this thread, the only people "allowed" to comment on America are people that are there already.

I won't be commenting further on this and would likely be leaving this thread. Anyone that needs my assistance in anyway (e.g. SoP review) should please mention or PM.

To bigfrancis21, imperiouxx, emmanuel, cutemorgan, slimmy2005 and the host of others I've benefited from, I say a big thank you.

All the best, everyone.

You can still state your opinion - that's why it is your opinion. This is a public thread and quite a number of people come around just to read comments and suggestions. I guess what folks around here don't like is when people show off ('cos they've passed through that cycle) but I don't think you did. Hence, I urge you to reconsider (no man is an island).

Good luck

gunther6:



Bros abeg gimme template abeg

send an email to me --> baodium@gmail.com You will need to revamp the template to suit your need.

Basquiatttt:
Hello everyone,
I'm a graduate with a 2-2 in Computer science. To be exact, a 2.84/5 (WES conversion of 2.94/4). Also, TOEFL - 94/120, GRE - 304 (Q - 157, V - 147, AWA - 3).
I intend going in for a masters in Computer Science. Any ideas of schools that offer scholarships, tuition waiver, GA or any sort of assistance that suits my profile?
Thanks a lot.

P.S: I'm CCNA certified if that bolsters my chances too.

How should I start self? Well, GA is not automatic . I am a CCNP and I really doubt they used that as a yardstick (in my case). However, I know three things can get you assistantship; 1) Your profile (GRE, GPA, SOP, etc.) 2) Your experience (if you have some industrial experience or you have published a paper) and 3) Availability of funding.
Of all, the third seems to be the most difficult to predict. My school used to have a lot of funding for MS in CS (but not anymore). However, I am almost certain you will get full funding if you come for MS in maths, physics or chemistry (My friends with way lower profile than myself got full funding before coming over). So if I told you that there is no funding in my school, you will automatically assume there is no funding in all departments. Funding is in cycle!

Solution:

1) The best thing you can do is to do a lot of background research about some schools. Sincerely with your profile, you should choose some good low ranked schools to boost your chances.

2) Send an email to all the professors in the dept (I can send a good template that I have been using to you - you may need to review some of their research papers tho).

3) Pray to God!

Good luck!

unclev:
I've been applying to a couple of grad schools in the US. The thing is I asked my Prof to write in recommendations, which they have uploaded to the schools websites. I'm applying to about 5 schools. Recommendations for 3 of the schools have been uploaded and submitted. I need recommendations for the remaining 2 schools but I have a feeling my Profs are getting tire of writing and uploading recommendations already (na only me graduate from the school?). Plz i want to ask can i write and upload recommendations for myself by myself using the names of my Profs? Are recommendation letters investigated or screened during the application process? Cause I don tire to de meet my profs them

Good things don't come easy. You are really close to sorting it all out. Just keep on reminding your professors. Either way, you can mail the school and ask if they waive the right to see your recommendation letters (I don't think it's a bad idea). The response can determine your next course of action. Good luck

purplesummer:
Hello all,

I would like to know if all research assistantships come with tuition remission (whether partial or full). In other words, can I possibly be employed as an RA while I receive only stipends without any form of tuition remission?

Those who got their GA positions only when they arrived the school, what were the terms of the GA?

Thank you.

Brief answer, Yes!

To the best of my knowledge, it depends on the kind of assistantship you are offered. If you are lucky to secure a full assistantship (in forms of TA or RA), you will have to work for 20 hours per week and your tuition will be fully covered. On the other hand, if you are offered a half assistantship, you will work for 10 hours per week and half of your tuition will be covered. Either way, you will still have to pay some miscellaneous bills. I would advise you to always be prepared for the worst case scenario. About the terms, it's almost the same as getting it before coming to school.

halidaf:
My people, if am given $1000 scholarship is it reasonable to make mention of it at the embassy?

Yeah, it wouldn't hurt to mention it if asked about scholarship. BTW, be prepared for the following follow-up question:

1) How do you intend to pay the remaining part of your tuition? "possible response: e.g. My uncle/My dad or so will help out with the remaining part of the tuition". If it is not someone that is directly related to you, you should have enough reason why the person will choose to invest a huge amount of money in your education.

2) What's the person into? or What's the annual income of the person? etc. "I wouldn't advise you to lie but say something realistic "

3) How did you get the scholarship? Even if you didn't do anything, I think it would be nice to say something like "I guess they were impressed with the quality of admission materials that I sent to them --> follow up with ejo wewe "

slystanley:

Are you at southern Arkansas university, magnolia, please if yes, I will really need you, I got admitted for fall session, they have dispatched my i20. Am praying and hoping the interview will be a success

I am at UALR. Don't fret, your interview will be alright. Here are some quick tips:
1) Make sure you read the interview transcripts on this thread (I think there is a compiled PDF version - if going through the thread seems daunting - just ask the folks around here)

2) If possible try to read (or memorise) what you filled in your DS 160 before going for the interview

3) Be calm and speak confidently, it doesn't hurt to say errm or be quiet once in awhile, if you arent sure (just give intelligent responses, smile and look at the VO in the eyes).

4) Make sure you dot the i's and cross the t's as regards the instructions you were given.

5) If at any point you are not sure of anything, please ask (trust me, it will save you so much stress).

6) Don't be intimidated by the amount of denials (Just believe in yourself).

I wish you the very best.

acadollar:


Hi, I messaged your school about enrolling for nursing program( taking pre requisite courses).

I hope to get feedback from them but if you have any info about that, please let me know

I really don't know much about the nursing program but I have a friend that is currently enrolled in the program (maybe I can introduce you to her). BtW, if you don't get any feedback, just send them a reminder email.

Tods:
Thanks a lot baodium.. I appreciate ur response.
You said if one has some skills. By skills you mean what? Can you give some examples?

It depends on your area of specialisation. In my case, it is computer science - I possess some computer programming and networking skills. I was told to learn liferay within a week (Almost impossible but I did out of desperation). Eventually I got an RA position but I am currently teaching software engineering.

If you are in IT, you can learn the following:
- Hadoop
- R programming
- Android programming
- Linux
- OpenStack
- C++
- Java (design patterns, analysis of algorithm, etc.)
- JavaScript
- MySQL

If you are not in IT, just make sure you know your onions in your field of specialisation.

Fortissimo:


Really? I thought it's automatic for PhD students.

Some schools may not even admit you for a PhD program if funding is not available. Different strokes for different folks. I didn't even get the funding before coming over *risky plan * The idea is to never be too shy to ask questions. You will be surprised at the level of firsthand information you can get from folks around here. QUESTIONS are the source to KNOWLEDGE!

Fortissimo:


Oh nice. You should have an assistantship, then.

Yes but it is very competitive.

Fortissimo:


Ah nice. What school and program? I think MsNas was there too. How's life in the south.

I am in the Integrated Computing program at UALR (PhD in Computer science). I think MsNas was at Fayetteville . Sincerely speaking, I think the people around here are really nice and the quality of life (relative to the cost of living) is okay.

Fortissimo:


Hello are you schooling in Arkansas?

Hi, I am schooling in Arkansas

MsNas:
@Topic:

Like I always say, America is what you make it out to be. Some people chose to see a glass half full, while some prefer to see it as half empty. It is what you make it to be. I know some of the issues I am gonna raise is over-flogged... but irrespective. I am gonna use myself as an example, therefore I will refer to myself a lot in this post.

1. Nobody said its easy. This is the same reasons why I tell people I know (on and off NL) to remove their rose colored glasses before entering America. Trust me, you will have it very very rough at the beginning. Make up your mind to start from the barest bottom of the food chain here and don't expect to be living the high life 1-2 years after getting here. I got here with no funding, cos I had conditional offer as I was switching from a Physics undergrad major to an IT graduate major. I was not supposed to get funding until I did my prerequisite courses and that should take me 1 and a half years. I paid my first semester fees no hassles, but because I knew getting funding for the next semester is gonna make my educational pursuits easier, I got good grades, pressed my graduate advisor, and while that one ran me around in circles, I pressed the graduate school. Point is I never gave up, I eventually got funding (almost 100% and I had just completed 1/4 of my prerequisite course) and my life became simpler. All these while, I never longed to buy a car (my friends were buying), never longed for vacations to Puerto Rico (people around me were going), I was simply focused on getting up the food chain. I have survived on $500 a month before (housing, bills, and to do fine girl o ). Be prepared to manage for at least the duration of your grad school or education. I rarely ate out when I was in Arkansas and when I do, its $8 Chinese takeout. The people there know me and my friends. Lmao. Anybody who knows me on this thread knows I am an advocate of "Bring plenty food from Nigeria".

The food I brought saved me most of the time cos I barely spent $70 on groceries every month. I never used to eat at fancy restaurants then, unless I go visit my Oga at the top . I learned how to live within my means. I learned to hunt for bargains and sales. I learnt how to look good but not live beyond my means and run into credit card debt. Where to buy a Micheal Kors coat that retails for $350 for $70 brand new, where to shop for the cheapest groceries, how to cut my utility bills and not have too much to pay at the end of the month, where to buy designer apparel for 1/10 of the original retail price. I learned and learned and those practices got me through the days when I have little or nothing and is also helping me with my savings.

2. I know this has been said before, but I would repeat it. People in certain majors have it easy, but they certainly don't get things handed to them on a platter of gold. This is no fiction, but I applied to more than 150 jobs before landing one. I would mention some monikers at this point ..... people like vivvysparkles, FideliaJohn and co that I came here with had it tough, but they eventually got great paying jobs with superb benefits after months of looking hard. They didn't relent and they were rewarded. even if you are not majoring in the so called hot majors, make yourself employable. I have seen some Nigerians on F-1 visa applying to jobs here with the Nigerian style of resume (date or birth, state of origin, religion. etc) Who does that? Which employer will take a second look at those kind of resumes?

3. Don't be stuck in your comfort zone. Most people that I know here went to school in one state and got jobs in another state. They looked for jobs outside of the state they studied in. They didn't get too comfortable. Do not concentrate your job search in one state and do not be afraid of change. Change might be what you need to get what you want.

4. Prepare to cry, prepare to be frustrated but prepare not to give up. I have been frustrated and angry after I kept getting reject upon rejects from jobs I applied to, I had wanted to give up but I could not afford to. One tip I always give to people is "Until you get what you want, you can afford to give up" When I was applying to those jobs, I would get as much as 8 "We are sorry" emails in a day. At some point, I even got angry and decided to stop applying. But I came here to win, I came here to survive and that is exactly what I am gonna do.

5. Ask for opinions. Ask people who know more than you and they can give you pointers. No man is an island of their own and some people know way more than we do. One of the things I am most grateful to is having someone who always was ready to go the extra mile for me with advise, counselling, resume help, interview pointers.... anything! You name it. Find someone to be your sounding board. Someone to bounce ideas off of and you will gain a lot. I never knew one could have a full time job(not internship), be a full time F-1 student, hold a full time graduate assistantship and not even be in the same state your school is located. I am doing that right now and I wouldn't be able to do that if I had not sought advice from people who knew better than me and could offer concrete advises on the way to go.

6. I saw someone complaining about racism. Lmao. You must be joking. We are NIGERIANS!. Racism is a small thing compared to tribalism and we are the grandmasters of tribalism. I went to school in the bible belt of Southern US (google it) where racism is at its peak, but I refuse to be daunted. I don't even think I pay any mind to it. There has been issues where people have been racist to me, I simply call them out on it, refused to acknowledge it or simply cannot be bothered. Who cares? I have other things to think of than to be thinking of racism. Someone even complained about the cold, lmao. We call one of my friends masquerade because of the way she dresses in the winter. Bundle up oga or madam, you're complaining about cold, people in Naija are complaining about excess heat. Be content.

7. Pray like never before. You sure do need it. Prayers bring good luck and we sure do need that to survive in America. If I tell you the story of one of my friends who also happens to be a Nairalander, you will marvel at the glory of the Almighty!! The person is doing so great now, you will not believe that's his/her story. Prayers have saved me many times.

8. Set realistic goals for yourself and don't "look face" so to speak. When I came here, I walk everywhere I went, my school city had no public transport and I had no car. What would I do? Make good use of my God given car aka my legs! If you see me walking around in the crazy Arkansas sleet, snow or rain, you will pity me. I even used that to keep my weight in check. Lol. I had friends who had cars, bought cars months after we entered America. I know people that got cars from car dealers and were paying monthly, but I am not here to keep up with the Jones, I won't put myself in financial distress just so I could belong. Let the people at home know your condition, don't pretend. If you pretend to be rich and having a ball in America, they will keep asking you for stuff and how many people you wan explain to for Nigeria that all those your Facebook pictures is just packaging? Infact, I deleted more than 400 people off my Facebook when I moved here. I don't need unnecessary stress or demands in my life

One problem with Nigerians is that they expect to enter America and magically things will start to fall into place. Wrong. even natural born citizens have it worse. You can't walk if you don't crawl. You have to fight double or even triple hard to get your foot in the door and trust me, you will forget the days o. Also, cultivate the habit of saving, even if it's $50 a month while a student. That way, it will be easy to save and not get caught up with the good life after you graduate, get a job and start earning them big bucks. That way, you won't end up like those people who have spent decades in the USofA with nothing to show for it. If you are lucky to have trusted people in Nigeria, invest some of those savings back home, real estate is easy money in Nigeria. I'd even advise on taking advantage of the current naira/dollar price in Nigeria and invest back home. $1K will fecth you nothing less than 300K in Naija right now, think about it. You will have something to fall back on if at all there is need to relocate after a while.

I bless the day I decided to quit my job and made the decision to move here, my life is much better, if I had stayed back in Nigeria, I will also be in the same rat race. I am not a millionaire neither do I have a fat bank account but my quality of life is much better. I was in Nigeria in December and I saw things first hand. If you don't have someone to get you in the door in Nigeria, OYO is your case. How many people are making it big and hammering millions on a day to day basis back home? Less than 5%. Majority are living paycheck to paycheck, and that's the fact. If you don't have someone to give you a job, or give you a contract, 80% are gonna end up with a job that pays less than 150K a month. That's even if you get the job sef. I graduated college in 2009 and I know a lot of my former classmates who are working extremely low paying jobs or even with no jobs at all.

Sorry for the long epistle.

This is brilliant. Thank you very much

KELVIN086:
Goodday house, pls I would like to know how long it takes to receive an admission decision from a school , I intend applying for my msc for the spring semester.
I heard it's always a month after application dealine, but im not sure about it since most schools have very late application deadlines i.e October to November for spring admission. Does this mean if I apply now for my msc for spring 2017(the program starts in january) i would have to wait till november before I get an admission decision.

.

It varies from school to school. I would advice you start the application process as early as you can. BTW, why spring? LOL *Don't mind me* I just prefer fall to spring.

pappyyanky:
House pls how do i pay for my SAT fee online .my mastercard and paypal arent working.

Maybe you should contact someone abroad to help you with the payment

Tods:
Hello peeps, Are there other ways one can seek for funding from a university, apart from the merit-based funding especially as a prospective MSC student. Can an. international student apply for on-campus jobs or off-campus along with pursuing the degree? Please what are the likely jobs to be given if one applies for them? What if my school doesn't offer one any funding, what other ways can one support myself through school. please guru answer.

.

Funding! Funding!! Funding!!! The reality mostly dawn on most of us when we are on ground. I personally think its better to secure funding before coming to the US (if you no wan enter one chance ) 'cos some professors go give you story That said, some schools have international student award (I guess it is merit based but 3.0+ GPA and decent profile should get you the award). Yes, you can apply for on-campus jobs. You will be eligible to work for at most 20 hours per week. You can also get assistantship from another department in some schools. You are only eligible to do off-campus jobs after one academic year in the US (with F1 status). If your school doesn't offer any funding , sincerely this is a difficult part for me to answer 'cos it is in two ways. If you are very proactive and you have some skills that a particular professor can leverage on and he has funding, you might be lucky. The last thing you would want to happen to you is to lose your status (the hustle will become real once you are at that crossroad). Don't worry, you will be fine

Tods:
Please I need an answer asap. Can I interview with a particular i20, get my visa and then decide to enroll in another school when I get to the us? Does the student visa carry the name of the school I interviewed with?

Yes, don't fret. You can transfer your SEVIS when you get to the US. Just go to the Office of International Services at the University on your Visa when you get to the US. Yes, your student visa will have the name of the school you interviewed with.

bc2015:
hello guys, good morning. M a newcomer on this thread. pls I need your assistance
1. can I get a cheap uni doing a masters in public health without GMAT or GRE?
2. My sponsor wants to know the relative cost of MPH buh really don't know how tuition fee is calculated, can somebody just give me a range for school fees and other departmental fees and health insurance?
3. how long does it take b4 u get a response about ur admission offer?

Thanks

I assume you don't intend to write the GRE, I would really advice you give it a shot (even if it's for the sake of securing visa). Get some nice materials, study and do well in the exam. You will be glad you did. To your question, 1) like how much do you consider 'a cheap university'? You need to give us a range 2) I think every school has estimated cost of attendance on their websites 3) It varies. Some schools have rolling admission policy

monsieur2016:
Sup guys? For the interview,do you need a copy of that printout (not receipt) used to pay the form i-901?

To the best of my knowledge, I think you will be needing your i20, GTB payment, DS 160 confirmation, international passport and (5cm x 5cm passport photograph). It doesn't hurt to bring additional documents.

VISA INTERVIEW
My F1 visa was approved yesterday (11/12/2015) at the Lagos embassy

MY EXPERIENCE
I got to the US embassy around 6:15am and to my utter dismay I met quite a number of people on the queue . I proceeded to where I did my first security check. While I was being checked, my international passport mistakenly fell on the ground and one of the "Oyinbo" guy looked at me and said "Your visa will be denied" . I was shocked! I just locked up. Fast forward to the biometric center. I gave the woman my i20, sevis fee, passport (international and photograph). The woman looked at me and said " Your i20 is not complete". I tried to respond and she said something like "you want to teach me my job, you are likely to have a problem with the consular officer" . At this point, my confidence is almost close to zilch . I quickly verified with other F1 applicants and I realized that my i20 is actually complete and the supposed missing part is at the back of my i20.

I think all F1 applicants were interviewed by the lady in window 8. After a short while, I concluded that the lady has been programmed to say " Unfortunately, you are not qualified for the US Visa ". She just dey dash out denials like "mama Christmas " . But I think the process is fair.

INTERVIEW
Me: Good morning, how are you doing?
VO: Good morning, so you are going to university of Arkansas at Little Rock
Me: Yes
VO: oh, you are going for a doctorate, what is your research interests?
Me: My primary research interests is in the area of computational medicine and bio-informatics. I am looking at how ICT tools can be used to enhance healthcare delivery in developing countries like Nigeria. I sha talk a lot of rubbish and yes I told her that I worked with the Health Informatics research lab during my NYSC and I was involved in the development of an healthcare solution, I elicited requirements from medical practitioners, modelled the system using UML and developed it using Java. I finished by saying something like " I believe integrating my knowledge with this degree will help me tackle some of the challenges facing healthcare delivery in Nigeria. (You see, I talk a lot of rubbish - me self know )
VO: so what are the challenges facing healthcare delivery in Nigeria using ICT tools
Me (I no expect am): well, I think electricity because erratic power supply will hinder medical practitioners from using healthcare solution. Also, unstable internet because the medical practitioners wont have a timely access in retrieving patients information.
VO: Who will be sponsoring you?
Me: my dad
VO: what does he do?
Me: I told her what he is into and before I could even finish, she said "Your visa has been approved"
Me: thank you
VO: you are welcome, have a nice day

APPRECIATION
Thanks to @sirRiddy and everyone that has contributed on this thread, you have helped so many people without knowing. God bless you!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Well, I didn't fast (I like chow ) neither did I pray (maybe my mama prayer fit dey do the background job sha). I even had fun before the interview (you don't need to know the details, you too like aproko). I really think what the VO is looking for is "purposefulness". At least you should be able to articulate why studying in the US is the best thing for you. I think one lady was denied because when the VO asked her why she chose the school, she responded with "That's the only school that gave me an admission or stuffs like that". Another was talking about groundnut oil and so on (she sounded desperate to me - think she is going for MS in food science).

In sum, be confident.