LUCAS99:


No. I have work authorization (economic hardship) and I work off campus.

Ok boss. Thumbs up on the computer science argument. Am glad there was no name calling or insults regardless of the opposing viewpoints. Just sent you a pm.

@SirRiddy Impressive post, Keep it up bro.

If someone had told me this thread will be making this much progress, i would have doubted them. But thanks to you all, we are making great progress. Once again, a big thanks to all those who take out time from their busy schedule to make contributions here. God bless you all.

LUCAS99:


Yes the $2,000+ tax refund include the one gotten for educational credit. I got $1000 as a result of the educational credit. Then I got an additional $1000+ from Federal and State Taxes withheld.

You can only receive a refund equal to the sum of the Federal and State Taxes withheld from all your paycheck.

As you know you cannot receive refunds for Social Security Taxes and Medicare taxes withheld. I had about $600 withheld for Social Security Taxes and an additional $200+ for Medicare taxes but you cannot be able to get those social security benefits until you are retired and/or you are at least 65 years old.

Boss, hold up. How do you make all this money? Do you have a GA? or do you just do the usual work study of 20hr/week?

LUCAS99:
Dear forumites I received my State ID in the mail last week but I noticed something unusual. I checked the expiration date and noticed that my State ID is valid for only one year { It expires on the same date my Form I-20 expires}. When I checked my siblings ID I noticed that there state ID is valid for seven years. The one thing I can think of is maybe because they are immigrants and I am a non-immigrant.

Is this rule only applicable in Charlotte North Carolina and does anybody have similar experiences.

Ojap, Imperiouxx, Msnas, bigfrancis21, Walspring, Slimmy05, DARKLIGHT, Zeezahbee and other forumites your inputs are highly appreciated.

I think it depends on the state. Am a student and I just got my state id as well. It expires in 2021. Thats 7 years of validity. Am i lucky? i dont know.

LUCAS99:


You're kidding right... You can't compare computer science with engineering.

Engineering, Physics & Math are the most difficult in any University in the United States.

Bros, don't you think its way better to backup your statement with some facts? While comparing Computer Science to other STEM majors may seem like apples to oranges, there is a simple way of measuring difficulty and its called the attrition rate. Attrition rate is simply a measure of the number of those who fail/dropout from that program.

According to the U.S. Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics, about half of bachelor’s degree candidates in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) leave the field before completing a college degree. You will find the report here:
- https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/11/27/study-tracks-attrition-rates-stem-majors

According to that same report, of those who leave STEM majors, "The attrition rate was highest for bachelor's degree candidates who declared a major in computer/information sciences and for associate degree candidates who declared a major in mathematics.

Bros, you see am? In terms of those who dropped out, Computer Science is number one and mathematics, not even engineering, is number two. If you have any data to dispute the U.S department of education, please put it here and i will learn from you.

P.s: I studied Electrical Engineering for my undergrad and I am currently doing an Msc in Computer Science, so trust me, I know what am talking about. I will not go into the complexity involved in computer science,just know its difficult. And please be aware, computer science is not just about programming.

Kapitain:
Happy new year stolid, sirriddy, carterIV, femi321, danjaninja et al. Fresh oyel to your elbows as we ride into a more prosperous year.

Happy New to you as well bro.

sirRiddy:
you are doing a fantastic job stolid. Happy new year to you and all members of the thread.
Wish all luck with admission and funding.
I would post my application transcript soon.

Oga Danjaninja happy holidays sir

Thanks alot my broda. I wish u all thesame and many more.

@stolid Well done o. I see u

[quote author=dannybrown19 post=41498339][/quote]

Bros waka well you will find something that fits your budget. Every store is doing an end of year sale at the mall right now. Check out old navy or aeropostale, you might get some really good deals there. Thing is, before you leave for the mall, go online and checkout each individual stores to see what deals they have. Most times, the stores offer better deals than what you see online.

dannybrown19:
Had a lot of sightseeing at mall of america in Minneapolis, retired back to Amtrak station for 10pm scheduled...I thank God for journey mercy, poe at JFK was cool, no questions asked, just the stamp and I am in.. But wait o, americans be like when u ask them question, dey go tell u say I am sorry I can't help you..I no just understand am

Bros i was also at the mall some days ago. That mall is "MASSIVE" - four floors with over 500 stores!!!, an indoor roller coaster and an underwater observatory . The malls @ Ikeja and Lekki combined are puny in comparison. If you are in Minnesotta or ever visit this state, please visit the mall of america. Trust me, you wont regret it. There's a downside to visiting such places though. You get to think of your country and wonder why even in the midst of our wealth, we never get it right. One day, one day, E go better o.

bigfrancis21:


Thanks bro. I'm officially a Master's graduate of the University of Maryland College Park. It is quite a prestigious thing to be graduating from one of the top 25 engineering schools in the United States. My joy knew no bounds when my name was called on the stage, shook hands with the dean, and handed over my 'certificate'. Well, 'certificate' as in you're given a fake one sort of but the original one gets mailed to your address about 2 months after graduation, the way it is done here.

I guess Fall/December is a good time to graduate as the joy of graduation also coincides with the christmas celebration.

Congrats boss.

LUCAS99:


Congratulations on your achievement
Not an easy feat...

I believe Engineering, Physics & Math are the most difficult in any University in the United States. Don't really know why Nursing students believe their courses are the most difficult...

Just by taking the prerequisites such as differential Calculus, Integral Calculus, Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations then you will understand what Engineering students pass through...

Bros you think engineering is difficult? lol. Come to computer science.

amunkita03:



I'm heading to UB this spring by God's Grace and all things being equal.

send me a pm so we can talk. Have you made accommodation and airport pickup arrangement?

bukunmmy:


Gudmorning Boss am a silent follower of dis thread am a Graduate of Mass Communication from The Polytechnic, Ibadan (HND) pls is it possible for me to Apply for Masters direct or go for PGD presently have applied for IELTS Exam hopefully to take it in January, 2016 my plan is to Apply for Fall Admission Pls Advise on how to go about it............ Thanks the Gurus

Send your academic profile to Justin Hume - jhume@bridgeport.edu . He's responsible for international admissions. He should be in a better position to help you.

Runge:
Took the GRE on 28/12/2015. Venue JKK

Scored. Verbal - 147, Quant. - 158.

Nice. Please share your experience.

femi321:
Just occured to me that I have not gotten my TOEFL hard copy score report, did it Oct 16. Or they dont issue hard copy to candidates again just like GRE? Anyone in my shoes? cc @sirriddy @stolid @all

Toefl and Gre dont issue hard copies. You only get it when you pay for it.

masquellett:
Hello Stolid. Dman and all gurus in the house. Please I hope to write my gre by February. I want to know if Feb isn't to late to write the test. Cos am applying for fall 2016. Please advice.

For top class schools, it is too late. However for every other school, you might have a chance. It all depends on the schools in question though. I think you should Make a list of schools that suit your academic needs and find out their application deadlines.

I should post my school search guide already. Its been almost a year in the making.

stolid:


DanjaNinja doesn't come here as often as he used to. Drop your facebook email address, and someone will.

Get yourself a copy of Barron and Manhattan for the quantitative, then the Magoosh Vocab software and GRE Bigbook for your verbal reasoning. If you've got extra cash to spare, you could also get a Magoosh GRE Account. Getting a 300+ would be a walk in the park if you can practise diligently using these materials.

All the best.

Lol. Not entirely true.

Chanteh:
Am really glad to find a thread like this on NL. I was opportuned to spend 3 months for a training course in the US and wrote my GRE there. I used 1 month to study plus busy moments during the training. I scored V145 Q143. I was dissapointed and cried all day. Now back to Nigeria and I intend to write again in febuary. Please DanjaNinja can you add me to the fb group? I wish to take insight from all you gurus so I can make more than 300 in my next exam.
Thanks to you all and happy holidays.

Case resolved.

bigfrancis21:


You can only transfer if you're already present in the US and you must have gotten admission already from the school you wish to transfer to plus the new I20 with the same start semester period as the one you're transferring from. The transfer process isn't difficult at all and is basically the release of your SEVIS records by the old school for the new school to pick up. It usually takes about 5 days. You can transfer immediately on arrival to the US without having to attend the first school at all but you must arrive early before the resumption date of both schools to do this, for once the first school has already started you might have to complete the first semester with them before being eligible to transfer out the following semester, which of course means deferring your admission from your second school to the following semester to be able to transfer the following semester or transfer after a semester or two depending on you.

Always on point as usual. Baba i hail o!

fizzile:
Hey guys,please I need your response. I have registered for the next GRE which is built for February. I want to know how long it takes for WES to evaluate results? I have a B.Sc but the CGPA isn't too good,but I just finished a PGD where I had 3.87/5.00. Please during evaluation,should I send both transcripts for evaluation? Secondly,do I apply for my current CGPA or I should apply when its been evaluated yet? Will appreciate your replies.

Evaluate both transcripts together and apply with the evaluated cgpa.

Larriekay:
bros pls help my ministry with d material sir. Larriekay2016@gmail.com. Thanks

Done.

Cephas0009:


Thanks boss, dey av eventually completed the evaluation, took a lot of time though...

It's really been a while seeing u around here, how av u bn sir?

Broda i dey o. Living in the us is a different story. When you get here, you will understand.

CarterIV:
Thanx boss... Mine was Rensselaer polytechnic Institute, Top 50 in research in USA, the average gre score dy even admit is about 325 buh then their geoscience is nt up there, buh since I can send my documents after admission I'll just Dance to their tune for now. And I will say a big tanx for this thread, well I wouldn't av taken the exam.. I was told to write it since last year buh was scared .... Tiri gbosa for you

Bros grab it with speed. Rensselaer polytechnic Institute is a great school.

If you are heading to University of Bridgeport this Spring, you can holla me with your questions and inquires. I'd be glad to help.

femi321:
Hello, so I just thought of giving those preparing for GRE an advice..its not okay to just be preparing for GRE alone and not do INTENSIVE research and shortlist schools you will want to apply to so that you can send your scores to them on the test date for free. Dont waste those '4 free' slots to send scores on the test date like I did, this will save you cash. I remember I did research and shortlisted schools I will like to apply to but it wasnt intensive enough. it was after I had taken GRE I realised I can/wont apply to thoses schools due to one preference, reason etc. so inshort I ended up not applying to any of the 4 schools I sent my scores to and I am sure you know the implication (had to send to the schools I applied to at a cost, and dollar Naira exchange rate no be beans). Merry Christmas and happy New year in advance. Special shout out to sirriddy ..thank you brother for the year..i owe you

Thanks for this bro. This is one issue i was gonna talk about. Like you correctly stated, its advisable to correctly use the four free score reports. If you dont utilize them properly, it would cost you $27 per school to send your scores to additional schools.
So my people,it is good practise and cost effective to do a proper research and make a list of four schools you would like to apply to before writing the Gre.

Thanks @femi321 Am glad you brought this up.

CarterIV:
Something happened to me, a school messaged me d day I got my official scores, said dy saw blah blah blah... Was really confused cos my score ain't super, buh den someone once told me dat schools too Scout for candidates too ... Did anyone have d similar experience... The school even waived application fee and I can submit official documents later if admission come through... I checked faqs on gre site and found:
www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/tools/search_service

If you didn't register for that service I'll advise you do

Be mindful of schools who contact you. Great to average schools rarely scout for students. At the end of the day, what really matters are - the quality of the curriculum,available funding as well as on campus work opportunities. The international composition of the school also matter greatly. An average, above average as well as great school usually have a well balanced composition of students. In these schools, you would get the opportunity of interacting with real americans. This is a great plus and you wouldnt know how invaluable it is untill you arrive.

I currently study at a below average university. Its filled with international students - mostly indians and The professors are mostly internationals as well. On campus work opportunities and funding opportunities are pretty slim. To be honest, it doesnt feel like am in the us. Would i attend this university if i had a second chance? Hell No.

So, in essence, be mindful of schools that contact you. Before committing to attend any university, do your research very well.

CarterIV:
Congrats... Well rounded student
Buh dy ought to let you start the same time... There will be distraction... Cos I dy wonder if person dy read Dat crazy long verbal passage come dy hear typewriter... Like seriously wen AWA was on wen I did at jkk the noise dat was coming from keyboards ehn... You'll tink it's typing competition

True talk bro. I wrote my first GRE at Jeptha international school in ph. The noise from the keyboard was a big distraction to me. I wonder if ETs knows about this. Providing noise cancellation ear phones would really help noise sensitive students like myself.

happyday:
My GRE test - taking experience :
I took the GRE (paper based) for the first time, and I got my scores a month after ; 157Q, 157V, 5.5AWA.
I started studying about three months to the test date, in three phases.
Weeks 1 - 4: I dabbled into practice tests (I now realise I 'wasted' them). I corrected my mistakes in the practice tests I took, went through about 20 Vocab tests in Gruber, finished the first 5 chapters in Manhattan 5lb book (Quant section), and refined my approach in the practice etwas for the second time.

Practice Test 1: ETS paper test. I scored mid 150s on both sections, so I thought I should focus on Verbal and Quant in equal measures. I started with the Gruber practice tests, focusing on only the Quant and Verbal sections only. I also improved my vocabulary by working on the Vocab tests at the end of Gruber. I would mark my work, identify strange words and look them up in the dictionary.

3 weeks into this, I was able to come up with 8 Vocab decks, split into 100 words each. I memorised as much as I can per day using the spaced repetition technique.
Also, I realised my Quant mistakes came from not understanding how standard deviation is being tested in the QC section, so also percentiles, number properties and geometry. I took the MGRE mixed with Nova, towards the end.

Practice test 2, 161Q, 158V. I used this to get more comfortable with the test layout and identify particular areas of weakness to work on.

Test Day :
I woke up early enough, observed my daily routine and warmed up with a few Algebra problems in 5lb to knock myself into test mode.

I had to start asking around for the test centre on test day. This, I'm sure, cost me as I wasn't well composed on starting the test. I was checked in, went through the routine. I had planned to write the draft first before the actual essay. But this was not to be. Exam anxiety, I think.

For the Issue task, I developed my introduction, brief body, alongside 3 examples, then conclusion.

Next was the Argument. I checked the fallacies in the task given, and quickly punctured those fallacies in my write up. The only prep I did for the AWA is to write out the 6.0 essays in the Official Guide, and then study the structure.

And then it was Verbal, verbal, quant, quant.
For the first quant sections, I spent too much time confirming my answers for the first 3 or 4 QCs, which left me with little time for the Numeric Entry questions. In fact, I had to guess on about 6 questions.

Now that my scores are in, I'm a bit disappointed with my Quant. Test anxiety definitely crept in.

Takeaways :
1. Take full - length practice tests which should with you down and mentally challenge you. The GRE requires your brain to be in full working mode, for over 3 hours. Prepare for this.

2. Don't expect a miracle. When you take the practice tests, and you are nowhere your target, don't console yourself by saying test day would definitely better. More often, it can be worse. In your practice tests, though you are working with time, your brain knows this is just practice, and you won't take it seriously as on test day.
On test day, it might go like this :"I need to seriously ace this test. If I don't, I'm never getting into a good US college, which means I might never get out of this country, and would never make it in life! ". By the way, getting out of the country is a bad reason for wanting to the GRE.
If you are scoring in the 150s in your tests, don't expect to climb to 160 on the real thing.

3. Register for the test you are comfortable with your practice tests. I know you need to pick a test date quickly before the deadline, but there is no point in rushing to register when you know you are nowhere your target.

Lastly, gather good materials and practice only with those. Of course, the Official Guide comes first.
Check page 1 of this thread for those materials.

Thank you.

God bless you for sharing. Am so glad this thread is beginning to take off without my input/assistance. Kudos to SirRiddy, happyday, stolid, CarterIV, bigFrancis21, pennstate and the others for your great work. God bless you guys abundantly.

fizzile:
Omor I mailed u the other day,u didn't reply me. Boss reply me naaa.. I supoz ball in Minnesota next year but reply my mail plz. Odikwa very important.

Replied your pm. I dont live in Minnesotta. Only came here for the hollidays.

Cephas0009:
Evening friends, pls I need help urgently. I tried to evaluate my transcript using wes and after sending my documents to them, dey mailed me dat dey av sent back d documents to my school 4 verification and they await a written response 4rm my institution.

Of course, I want to believe dis is not normal but not rare either, but if u av ever experienced anything of such, how long does the verification take (approximate).. Ese gan, Thanks

Cc: the whole house

Have no fear, Mailing your school for confirmation is a required step in getting your transcript verified.

Abeg who dey Minnesotta o! I need your help, Boredom wan kill me for here o. Biko come flex me o. No Naija waka waka for here o. Without a personal vehicle, mobility in this winter is almost impossible o. Oyibo people sef, Everyone is just keeping to themself and I don't know anyone in this zone.

oxygen9gs:
Hello house, i've been a silent follower of this thread. I want to inquire if anyone here can suggest a safety school for me, one that wouldn't require TOEFL. Am applying for PhD programs in chemical engineering. My stats are GRE Q166 V157 A3 GPA 4.587/5 Dats 3.71/4 on the american scale. I have applied to the following schools
University of colorado boulder
University of delaware
University of Notre dame
Northwestern University
University of Utah salt lake city.
I'd appreciate any suggestions I get. Thanks

Ha han!!! These your stats are very sexy o! If am correct, you have a first class in your bachelors abi? That's very commendable o - infact, three gunshots for you.

That said, most times, when you apply for a PhD, by default, you would be "considered" for funding as most PhD programs are usually funded. The funding may be in the form of Teaching Assitant (TA), Research Assistant (RA) or a Graduate Assitant (GA).

For some of these posiions especially the TA and GA, a proof of proficiency in English is usually a pre condition for acceptance. So its in your best interest to take the TOEFL. And given that you have already taken the GRE with a score of 157 in the verbal section, I can confidently assure you that you would make at least a 100/120 in the TOEFL. The TOEFL is really that easy.

But since you have already applied and you took the GRE, chances are that when you get funded, you may be required to take a test to confirm your English proficiency.

As for safety schools, I no sabi any one o. :p