₦airaland Forum

Christian129:
Hi all. Abeg can someone apply to two different schools in the same city. For example, University of California and California State University. Abeg, won't those send a wrong message to those guys at the embassy..

It won't...but be ready to explain why, just like every other interview question

dickoflife:
Silentpistol i don dey look you..... kai dis credit card sweet o... you go dey buy things free but to come pay back go be wahala.... kai due date don dey near o.... lagosismyhome why do they allow us buy so much sef.?

Hmm..how come you got a credit card that fast..

dicapino:
Imperioux baba your prediction is slowly coming into effect, at least for me. We got WiFi everywhere but to open Naira land and make a comment is rather turning to rocket science for me( classes never start oo).

In other news Indians abi....Asians full here ...chai....I see dem..yesterday fear catch me.

Better start making friends with them

Mystiqme:
Accidentally bumped into purplesummer in Baltimore. Softspoken, kind and calm lady. Thank you, ma.

Not many things happen by accident

nellyalph:
My Short travel experience

I took off from Lag with Qatar on 11th, 2:30pm Nigeria time.
We stopped at Doha and 2 hours after we kicked off to new york. 13 hours journey no be moi moi. They kept giving us food and drinks... Meanwhile pls and pls, when those oyibo FA ask what you want, make sure you hear well oooooo. because I heard rice in what they mentioned I quickly jumped to rice cos I believe nobody can go wrong in making rice not knowing its a vegetarian food.
They usually have two foods:one veg and one non veg. And they give you want. I drank enough Juice and cola to compensate their nonsense food. There are thousands of movies to watch.
I heard Ethiad dey serve peppersoup(someone should confirm tho)

Whoever brought the fear of POE should be flogged and jailed. DO NOT PANIC!!!

They don't even have time to drill you cos they know you had a long journey. they are just doing their job. I didn't spend more than five mins with the official. Showed them my passport, 1-20, scanned my finger prints and prolly took my pix and off I went.

And America is organized. In fact those people no like stress. Everything was spelt out in the airport. You can't get lost and even if you do, ask question. It was in Naija airport that the search was real but other airports had scanner or so. They didnt use their hands to search our carry ons.

Finally going to America was a mixed feeling. I wasn't excited and I wasn't sad either but I just knew it was a "start of something good".

Good thinking..once you're ready to put in the work.

masquellett:
MsNas. Thanks for the tip. Can you please forward a sample CV to my email address (noob_ig@yahoo.com). Thanks in anticipation. I sent you a PM but you are yet to acknowledge. Kind regards.

Just check online for samples based on your field/major and remember to highlight your skills and accomplishments, the most important ones at the top. That's what they need. If you embellish it, make sure you can defend it.

BTW Linkedin appears a more powerful tool now than merely dumping your resume into a pool...on company websites (some don't even make it to an actual person).

Richmond996:
How do you guys survive here, the heat is horrible, just looking out for the rain

Take a lot of water

LagosismyHome:
Phd is 3years and a lot come funded.... why not do that instead of another masters for 2 years

NairaSea23:
My thoughts too....

@bolded at least..depending on your research work

hybeenoni:
@ Nairasea and LagosIsMyHome, the cgpa is for my BSc. Actually UI killed my enthusiasm for Academics, so was thinking of getting a school to do another MS Actuarial program in order to practise as an Actuary.

I no longer wish to run a PHD program again but just do MS Actuarial science and become a professional Actuary, since I wish to settle down real soon.

My Cousin has actually agreed to sponsor my program in the US but trying to see if I could get a cheap school with possibly some funding to be on the safer side.


I really appreciate your response.

You want to avoid stories that touch...and have enough backup

@sureb0y

That's a lot of writing!
When I first got here, a white guy I only met for the first time in the plane dropped me off in School and made sure I was okay before leaving; even offering to pay for my hotel for a night...as for the Nigerians I had reached out to, maybe they'll reply tomorrow

amanze15:
it expires next summer and i have plans to travel down to nigeria around the same period, and i am not sure if this statement "Students should consult their Designated School Official (DSO) prior to travelling. Your DSO generally works in the International Student Office. You must have a current SEVIS Form I-20 endorsed for travel and your DSO needs to be able to verify that your SEVIS record is accurate and up-to-date" would be able to bring me back into the country if i finish my coursework around the same period if i either get a OPT or decides to pursue a PHD.....just curious though

Travelling very close to graduation, or on OPT especially if your OPT card is not with you yet is usually not recommended.
If you are graduating 2017 summer/fall and you plan to go to Nigeria the summer, I'd advice you go to a neighboring country say Canada before the end of the year and get your renewal done there at a US consulate/embassy.
The DSO thing is just a signature on your I-20 that you must get before leaving the country, and which you show alongside your I-20 at POE when coming back.

amanze15:
hello everyone, please has any of you ever had to go back home upon visiting Nigeria to renew F1 Visa. thank you

My question to you would be, how close are you to the end of your studies..you want to be careful it's not too close.

malory84:
My people,pls i have an issue i need clarification on.My passport expires 2017 May and I already have my visa in it. Is it possible to renew it before travelling? I am looking at the cost of going to Atlanta /NYC when it expires. My concern is I will have a new passport number,hope it won't affect the old one I have my visa stamped.

Those passport guys travel around the country. You'll just need to call them and find out when they're coming to Dallas

Tods:
Reporting live from Houston o. It a was a cozy flight with Turkish Air. The poe at IAH was so easy. The man just asked for my passport and i20 and stamped my pasport in less dan a minute. They couldn't have checked my bags for prohibited foodstuffs cos I went for baggage claim after the poe. Wishing u a safe trip in your time.

TSA still screens your bags before they put them on the plane..even though you don't see when they do it. You were only not selected for secondary inspection.

femi321:
To all the gurus in US, Please how did you get your textbooks? whats the cheapest way to get textbooks for Engineering? I dont have extra money to throw around biko..cc bigfrancis21 Imperiouxx aadeyi gboyegaD ojap Biikeys etc

Your departmental library will have most books you need if not all.
For high demand books or those not available, just get the pdf..and that's if you don't have issues reading on a PC. Those are mostly free somewhere online or you can get from students...never bought a single textbook.

sirRiddy:
Please, what reviews do you guys have about these sim cards:
1. Ultra mobile (costs 19 dollars)
2. T mobile (costs 20 dollars)
3. Ting (costs 9 dollars which makes me sceptical)

cc bigFrancis21 msnas OjaP biikeys
slimmy2005 imperouxx

Really depends on the coverage where you are going...rootmetrics.com gives you an idea if you're not there already. Ting is a reseller and may not be a very good idea.

OluDare01:
cassava flakes

Yeah and locust bean. Some people even name names that almost put them in trouble until they now explain

cutemorgan:
Alhamdulillahi Rabb ‘l’ A’lameen for safe flight and journey mercies.

Me: yes fried cassava. It’s called garri.
Her: You can go. Enjoy your stay in the US.
Me : Thank you maam

Oga Aadeyi dropped me off at Houston greyhound station where I took a bus to Louisiana around 1pm USA time. Got to BTR around 7pm.

It would surprise you that they know all the common foods people carry..garri,egunsi etc. Usually, there is no need to give them the English translation.

Dreamhigh2016:
please house can a person banned from entering canada get us students visa?urgent response pls.

That would depend on why the person in question was banned. Note that embassies do share some level of information. The US and Canada especially share a lot.

Mekurexx:
Personally I think Simplemobile is the best $25 includes free international texting. Its also good to check the coverage map of any carrier/simcard plus the phone compatibility (if its a simcard and non-contract). Contract is a No-No. paying for the phone plus the plan!. I thought you were in the US

There you go..LagosismyHome

LagosismyHome:
Some of these boils down to personal choices...
1. Some sims dont work with our naija phones. Dont have d technical reason why this problem but i have heard of At&t sim not working but then u put lycramobile and it works. ..and vice versa
2. You can bring your old handset from naija...but if u need to buy a handset then paying small small in contract better than releasing that money one time in buying outright
3. Iphone or Android. ...no answer . This one na personal preference

In america to call and recieve no difference so u have to be aware of that. If u take a contract plan which states lets say 100 minutes then that applies to any calls in or out. Most contract will be unlimited minutes so that helps if u get that package ....contract package will work out cheaper than pay as u go.. ... lycramobile or At&T is popular these days as a cheap contract package but without phone. You can get AT&T monthly package of $25 or if u feel its too expensive u shop around. So all comes down to personal budget

If u homesick and need to call naija frequently. . Calling through rebtel is not bad. You can download on your phone and buy credit to call

AT&T for $25? AT&T and Verizon have the most expensive plans in the country.

SilentPistol:
Civil Engineering

Better you go ahead with what you have in hand now especially with your scholarship...the school is okay. Like I mentioned in my previous post, if you plan to work in the US after graduating and hopefully get H-1B/GC filing..start preparing applications from day 1.
Good luck!

SilentPistol:
Brother, please what do you think of the Environmental Engineering graduate program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville? I have a scholarship to study at any University of my choice; however, I don't think schooling in the UK is an option, and TAMU, Kingsville, is the only school in which I've gained admission. I also think it's counterintuitive deferring my scholarship to spring.

I need your prompt scholarly advice please. I have a "good" profile.

cc Square65
What's your undergrad major?

LagosismyHome:
As an international student you need to think about life after F1 and also your chances of H1B for those who need or want to remain. H1B is competitive to get a company to sponsor u hence the quality of the school is vital and not the easy of getting admission that is vital . If a school is ranked at 173 in engineering do u really want to go there for engineering .

I would recommend you go and write GRE and aim for schools more highly ranked in Engineering and score high to aim for funding... After F1 years u will say i am glad someone in NL adviced me better

****Recent data analysis showed that Southern Illinois University Edwardsville area is relatively unsafe; the college is reported to have a rather poor rating for on-campus crime. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville engineering program ranks #173
Source:http://best-engineering-colleges.com/southern-illinois-university-edwardsville

I agree with the bolded..for funding at least.
Not encouraging people to apply to lowly ranked schools, but when it comes to Engineering the school you finish from doesn't really play that much role when looking for Engineering jobs (and a lot of them sponsor H1B and GC since there are not many citizens applying, comparatively). What really matters are the industry-friendly skills you develop while in school, the quality of the research you work on, your networks and the amount of efforts put into interviews and job applications. Every top Engineering company here has people from the very best schools as well as from the not-so-good ones.
The main thing is if you know your school is not that well ranked, you have a lot more work to do. But that doesn't stop you from getting into your dream company/career.
Now this is Engineering. If you're talking about say Business or any other field where you are competing with a whole lot of citizens, go to a very good school

Y2244:
I have really benefited from this thread and I thought I should post the transcript of my interview that took place today, Friday 22nd.


VO: Let me have your passport and I-20

VO: Why are you going to University of Texas at Austin.

Me: UT Austin is the best University for graduate studies in Petroleum Engineering. Additionally, they have an unmatched reservoir simulation research group and I have been in correspondence with the director of the research group, Prof. Kamy Spernoori and he has agreed to take me as an RA,on my request, with an initial agreement I won't be receiving any form of financial assistance since I have an external scholarship from the Nigerian Government, through PTDF and I have the award letter here for your sighting if need be.

VO: Your Visa has been approved bla bla bla.

Yes, I was asked just one question. Didn't spend up to 20 seconds

Well you got into a top school, full scholarship and killed the only question..good luck!

Eedris91:
Hello guys am going to Minnesota state university to pursue Msc in French language and literature,pls I neeed your help concerning questions that could be asked as the course is unique,and my interview is scheduled for next week.

Checks transcripts...btw what will you do with your degree after graduation?

expertman:
lol my sister abeg dont go to embassy and call it eye twenty like you said ohh.

nothing like eye twenty it is F120 OOOOOO.

SHALLOM

Are you flying a plane?

Fortissimo:
Tried it. Didn't work with mine.

Edit: Tried it with 2 other peoples' passports. One worked, one didn't. Guess it doesn't pick up some.

It will eventually work on those it's not working on right now..it might take some time. But I wouldn't worry about that at all if I didn't get it to work..there are far more important stuffs for you to think about

Fortissimo:
Can you read yours with an NFC reader app?

Yeah. Just install 'NFC TagInfo' from the android play store if you use an android phone.

BrosBola:
In this case who is 2 blame d student or the VO . Why didd VO issue visa to a school only to be refused at POE . Students might not know d school is under-the-table school especially people not based abroad . A friend told me to stay away from school that dont need test scores as a guide. Schools like Stratford , Columbia State University sound like regular names of University and are on this blacklist . Can you advice on this ?

I wouldn't use that on its own as a yardstick. There are top schools that looks at your experience,publications,qualifications and then waive test scores. Just FYI, people still get visas and study in some of those blacklisted schools. So blacklisting doesn't mean you will definitely be denied a visa or entry into the US...although the probability of either happening is probably close to 1 now with terrorism concerns amongst other issues. While accreditation is probably the most common way to spot such universities, some accredited schools get flagged for engaging in fraudulent activities.....and don't be fooled by the names

Fortissimo:
House, has anyone had their RFID chip in their biometric passport fail on them? Does it render the passport useless? So many horror stories online.

Just use an NFC reader from your phone to see if you can read the information. But even if it's messed up, you'd probably still be good.

LordBriggs:
Opinions needed: A friend got a visa to travel to one of this African countries via an agent but did not travel. Now he was denied a student visa at the US consulate,the vo said the visa was fake.What can be done?

Agents again...smh