₦airaland Forum

Anybody schooling in Missouri? How's the atmosphere there like from the Ferguson stuff ...

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domex007: Hi friends,
Pls what is the difference between scholarship and financial aid??
Does receiving any one from a school in the US boost one chances of getting the visa??

They are all classified as the same thing but there is a difference between scholarship and financial aid. Scholarship is like the money/reward/funds the school give you based on your good score from either SAT/TOEFL, high school GPA, essay, application, and recommendations if you're an undergraduate or if you're a graduate student from your GRE/GMAT scores, GPA bachelors degree, LOR, Statement of purpose, etc. While financial aid is mainly like FAFSA and Spell grant for citizens/permanent resident. To some extent, getting a scholarship boosts a student chance because that makes you look serious at the face of the VO who is interviewing you

teddyrain: hmm

I'm sorry, what's the "hmmm" for?

Graviton2: You've got a PM.

Seen and replied.

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teddyrain: thank you oh! It was salvino also a nairalander who is at OSUIT that told me he paid his fees through a loan but he used his cosigner (uncle)

Does he have a social security number? Does he have credit scores? Well as I said earlier, there might be but I don't know of them. And why apply for loans, which you have to pay back with interest when you can get a scholarship? Probably the loan is from his school. My friend just told me some schools do that but you have to pay up before they give you your certificate after your studies.

teddyrain: Hello guys if you can't pay your tuition for first year complete, what will happen?
I heard there are organisations that lend loan to international students. How true is it and how does it work.
Because my tuition/expenses is almost 30k
So I will know if I will defer to spring.
#i fear no ebola

If your tuition and expenses for a year is $30,000 then for a semester you will pay $15,000. There's two semesters (Fall & Spring exempting Summer) in a year. I'll just say you sign up for a payment plan which will split the money you have to pay to little bit, e.g you pay $3,750 per month for 4 month that's for $15,000. There should be an additional payment plan fee not more than $25 to $50.

After your first semester, make sure you get good grades then transfer to a cheaper college/university or even a community college that might even give you transfer scholarship. There's no organization that lend loan to international students like you (the international students the organization I know lend to are Indians). Hope you understand now?

Tekecoms1: Pls which is better between the paper based GRE and the computer based GRE? ? By the way in response to someone's words, USA does not put an end to one's sufferings but i will say that the chances of making it in USA is far possibly higher than wasting away in naija and be saying God will do it as if our parents did not pray the same prayer. I ld rather do menial jobs in yankee and get well paid than stay in naija doing a white collar job and paid a rubbish wage where a stupid boss will be claiming lordship over my live...

The paper based GRE is only available at some certain location in Nigeria. I think they are three that should be in Aba, Benin city, and Gieva in Lagos. The computer based GRE is the most recommendable so register for the GRE and get the study materials in order to use it for studying.

And please listen to what they are telling you, you seem kinda desperate which is not good. You need to know that it's not so easy in the state and look at you talking about doing menial jobs (i'm shaking my head for you). Some Americans don't find it easy not to talk of an International student who is not allowed to work more than 20 hours in a week on-campus or work off-campus unless under DHS authorization. Calm down, pick your schools, ask the school questions about admissions, tuition & scholarship, apply to them, do the tests, and then apply for visa. One step at a time.

HOTWATER: Thanks a lot . If I get him to file for me for K1. Do you have an idea of how long it takes and can I ever get a visiting visa while the petition is on ?

I am not too sure but I think it takes mostly 6 to 8 months but I heard it depends on the country. And you know you have to get married in 90 days when you get to the US. I don't know too much about petition via fiance(e).

Teyana Taylor - Maybe


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuDx-Ojto6I

HOTWATER: Thanks guys for the good work you guys are doing here . I need to ask , what is the implication if one hides the fact that the husband is a legal resident in the US and claims He is here in Naija while applying for a student Visa .

I will not like to say the outcome but if they get to know that a person lied about having a husband who is a permanent resident (green card holder) then that might lead to automatic rejection. I think it just depends on individual case and they might not even ask about. I remember my cousin telling me some year ago that a guy was told that until his wife who lives in the US come back to Nigeria, he can never get a student visa to the US.

Joenice: Yes, I've traveled a lot. I will have to leave for Chicago for my masters next year. I need to plan very well. Chicago is very expensive. My friend would be coming with me. So we need to plan together. Then we need to have two beautiful ladies, who would be cooking for us and keep our house clean, as niggas don't have time to do house chores

This is so wrong in every way, I wonder why some ladies will decide to turn themselves into slaves for someone they are not even married to. Smh . Well whatever rocks their boat. I'm sorry if it came out offensive or what not.

Beyoncé Ft. Nicki Minaj - Flawless (Remix)

http://flawless.beyonce.com

Pipsland78: Who is she pls?

How about you save the energy of asking who she is and go on a search engine like google, bing, or yahoo to see who she is or better still ignore her since you claim to not know who she is. Smh

Hey y'all I know I was supposed to complete my post yesterday (Friday) but I was busy after getting back home.

Back to the matter. First of all, in order to have a smooth sail when you get to the US make sure you are coming the right way and you prepared for anything that comes your way. It won't be easy when you first get here. Things from people saying you have a funny accent to other stuffs like your long name (my name is Osayuwamen i had to shorten to Uwa but I still put my full name in any application I fill). I am not copying from any source so this is all from me, my thoughts and I might be wrong in some places. Corrections and constructive criticism is allowed.

There are different route which you can migrate. The common one is US Diversity Visa Lottery. Nevertheless, you can move here via student visa or something like that (although those route are never guaranteed to make you a permanent resident/green card holder). The benefits you get are:

1) Well Paid Jobs: If you have a good certificate in a good course, trust me there is nothing like going out to look for jobs. They will be even looking for you to come work for them. Most job recruitment do not require you to first go in to turn your application in, just go on their website, apply, attach your resume and if qualified then get an interview date. After that, you fill out paper works, sign agreement, and start working. No need to be begging your aunty or uncle to let you work or find a work in their friend's office like we do in ...... *cough*

By the way, there is no discrimination in jobs applicant. If one believes they were denied a job based on their country of origin, race, beliefs & religion, sexual preference, or political party then one can contact U.S Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division to complain.

2) Education: The education is of standard level. One cannot deny that almost the best and highly ranked universities are in the US. One can opt for Ivy league or a public school. They are all of good quality, they pay a lot of attention to research so if you are a research lover then US college is the one for you.
Another good thing is education is free from pre-k to high school where you earn your high school diploma or GED. Although university is not free, one can go to school for free. There is federal financial aid in form of loan which you have to pay back but you get grants also which you don't have to pay back. The BEST thing is if you have a good GPA from high school and scored high on their standardized test like SAT or ACT then you can get a full ride till your college finish without paying a dime for tuition & fees. One more thing, the US know some students are not academically sound so there's literally scholarship for anything. If you can play sport like basketball, athletics, american football, volleyball or you play music or you have something creative you will get scholarship from your school.

For graduate school, if you have a good top tier GRE score, high GPA, good recommendation, and letter of purpose then be rest assured you will get funding in form of research assistantship or teaching assistantship from your university.

There's nothing like buying hand outs or so, you can either rent or buy the book. When you rent you have to mail the book at the speculated time mostly after the semester if not your credit/debit card will be charged for extra money. The education advise is mostly for people who might going with a visa lottery. With a visa lottery, you get green card when you get here which makes you a permanent resident. Aids are given only to citizens, green card holders or US nationals.

3) Standard living: One can be rest assured of a good standard of living because most things but not all though are so affordable unless you convert them to naira. If you have a well paid job then getting a roof under your head should not be a problem. Most people take mortgages to buy a house but for an apartments then one have to pay monthly rents. The location also plays a major role, the cost of houses depends on the environment. One thing is that one have to pay somewhat a lot of bills, where in the world won't you pay bills? You gotta pay electricity bill, water bill, phone bill, and everything like that. You also have to have insurance ranging from health insurance, to property insurance, and auto-insurance.
You also have to file tax yearly based on your previous year household income and living expenses. If qualified, you get a tax return check of money. The roads are good as well so your car gets to last longer and you don't have to visit the mechanic every now and then. There is also bicycle access on most road which means you get a lane where you can ride your bicycle but there are not on high ways. Public transportation is good; just get a card for example I live in New Jersey and also Maryland so I just get NJ Transit bus card or a Maryland Transit card which I can use whenever. These are for people without a car.

4) Easy access to your Government: One can easily get in touch with either the local government head/city councils, mayor of ones city, or the state governor, the senator, sometimes the president in some cases by calling their office or in writing to them via postal mail/email. They always like to know what they are doing right or wrong so the level of getting a response back from them is high. There are town or city council meetings where you get to sit with people and discuss how you can move the town forward. You can also voice out your complaints and concerns.

5) This is pertaining to Nigerians. Hardly will you see an American that haven't heard of Nigeria. Our country is very popular. These can either be an advantage or a disadvantage. An advantage because they know we can work and we are very intelligent so most people wants us but a disadvantage because we have some people who have decided to soil Nigeria and Nigerians image including our government with fraudulent activities. And also bear in mind that some part here is dangerous so watch out where you go and always know you can dial 911 at anytime.

What else am I missing please? Kindly let me know and if you are or were in the states then you can also add to it. Thanks for taking your time to read y'all... God bless Nigeria !

tpia1: migrating to america actually seems very easy, going by appearances.

everybody gets a visa these days.

very easy? I think you are wrong. Go and ask people who have tried the visa lottery for many years but ain't lucky.

optimusprime2: I beg to differ... Australia is another country with a high Success rate upon migration

Hello sir, you might be right. However, I have never been to Australia so I cannot say anything about it. Wonder why I mentioned the UK in my post? That's because I have been and lived there so I can say something about it. And I never said America is the only country with high rate of success upon migration. One can be successful wherever they are including Nigeria. Thanks for your contribution, its duly welcomed.

Janelle Monáe - What is love


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cl5c-Q1BC4

With the few years I have lived in the USA, I will say the sky is so big in the states that everyone can become successful not withstanding the stringent laws imposed on immigrants. I have also lived in the UK too before my parents moved to Nigeria, I love my British people but truth be told there's plentiful opportunities in US than UK.

One thing about US is you need to have something spectacular to yourself which can wow people. I am not in anyway saying everyone should move out of Nigeria. Nigeria is a beautiful country but we are somewhat greedy.

I am new on here and just thought of bringing up some conversation. I will be back to put more stuffs, going back to work.

li2pac1717: thanks Bro. Please is it true that international student can apply for financial aid by second year?

Federal financial aid? Nope International students are ineligible to apply for federal financial aid like PELL grants and loans. However, it just depends on your school. They might have something like departmental scholarship or honors scholarship (if you have a GPA ranging from 3.5 or above I guess). Not all schools have aid for international students so make sure you check their website or contact international admissions of your desired college.

li2pac1717: Gurus. Please is it permitted to take our local herbs to USA?

I doubt you will be allowed to take local herbs to the states but you can opt for the modernized herbs in capsule form.

azeezbaba: I am in similar situation as davidgunther, although self sponsored

Hello sir (I suppose), what similar situation are you talking about? I am lost because I never said I was in any. Just confused and no offense please.

unnamdi79: It wasn't easy..I left for abuja on staurday with abc...got to abj @ 6:00 or so.I was meant to stay in a hotel but my uncle offered to help me out so I stayed with him..On sunday by 12:30,we left for the airport.I flew arik to lagos..I had excess luggage so I paid for it #3500.My uncle was like,I don't like this Flight itinerary ..he has a friend in dakar cus my flight was from abj to lagos den to dakar and to washington...he gave me his friends number in dakar.We left for lagos from abj,our flight was delayed for hours.We got to lagos and my flight to dakar was scheduled for 8:30 but it was moved to 7:45..Meanwhile arik forgot my baggage at abuja and I was at the baggage services making complaints,*my time just dey waste*I did the check in and den rushed off to immigration..I was telling pple I was gonna miss my flight so evryone just gave me chance..after err'thing,we were settled for the flight but by 9pm nothing was happening and d told us we were gonna leave by 11pm...most of us had connecting flights to US....by 11pm..nothing was working and by 12:30 we started boarding. meanwhile my flight to washington from dakar was for 2:15 am..We got to dakar by 4:00am and I realised my flight to DC had left,I was stranded,nobdody,no money,couldn't understand their language..a man gave me his phone and stayed with me at the restaurant till morning,I tipped him 20 dollars and he was bent on taking everything I got* God punish the devil*..He was yelling at me to tell my family to bring money for him..Luckily,I got the number my uncle gave me and he came to my rescue,he spoke french,we called my mum I'm maryland and she sent in money via western union and we cashed it,went to south african airways to make a penalty for missing the flight and that will enable me get on the next flight,the told us to wait till 10:30pm...we called arik and they insisted we should make the penalty and they were gonna refund me.10:30pm we made the penalty,got the ticket and boarded by 2:15am...got to DC by 6:45am...I just thank God for sending a helper,u never wanna experience such in your life(a country where u don't understand their language)...thank God I'm in maryland,chilling and eating chicken like never before...meant to report in school on 4th august but there's no money on me...(God help me again)..thinking of deferring my admission till spring...

Congrats and welcome to US. No do not defer, you can sign up for monthly payment plan which will allow you to pay every month and if your school is nice enough and you go ahead to talk to them about having financial issues then they might not be strict with you on paying monthly. You can just pay whenever you have the money BUT you have to pay up before the semester ends.

pixietop: Good day, I am planning on attending Northwestern University this fall. I have a very rich immigration history and so also does my wife. We both currently have the B1/B2 visa. Our Visa interview(mine F1, hers F2) is for the 7th of August. My company intends on sponsoring me for the trip, I have a board resolution that says that and another covering letter that explains why. I have their six months bank statement, incorporation documents and a cheque for my complete tuition.
We have our I-20s(the two of us), Sevis proof of payment, accommodation deposit, admission letter and my statements that more than covers my wife's expense.

Please have I left anything out.

You're good to go BUT prayers, prayers, and prayers. Put it in his hands.

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Graviton2: Wait a minute! The total first year cost is $14,227.50?

I doubt that. $14,227.50 should be the tuition for a semester and not the total first year.

stevecrun: The school is okay..but they do not offer financial aid to non-usa citizens

http://www2.kutztown.edu/costs-and-financial-aid/guide-to-financial-aid/international-student-scholarships.htm

Check that website. I guess I am feeling very generous and good today.

theunusualmoon: Thanks for the heads up but if I may ask what extra does Kutztown University bring to the table?

You're welcome. I think visiting www.kutztown.edu and go on the financial aid section will help. And they do not just provide aid unless you have a very good outstanding academic profile like GPA, results, and the likes.

Graviton2: Wow! I was having a similar problem so it probably wasn't best served for me to give advice on the issue, that's why I decided to bring it on here — thank God, the issue has since been resolved and the advice given on the matter has been duly taken.

Thank you so much. God bless you.

You're welcome. And don't beat yourself down. Things happen for some reasons.

And try to get reviews from international student in your prospective school. Ask the admissions office all the time when you're not clear.

P.S: Everyone interested in coming to the states, take a look at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. I believe they are quite generous to international student. I don't even go there but I just want to give back info. I remember someone random referring me to this forum when I got disappointed at Abuja Embassy some year ago. God bless that guy forever, too bad I never thanked him.

Graviton2: Guys,

If a student who has acquired an F1 visa isn't able to meet up with paying a remainder of her college costs and her school threatens to cancel her i-20 and report her to immigration.

- Will these bear a negative mark on her record?

- Also will this in any way hinder her plans of getting another admission and most probably a full scholarship from another university?

- Will she face a problem at the point of entry with her other admission?

I have tried to answer her question as well as I possibly can, but I need more inputs on these.

Hey, I know we don't know each other but was torn when I read your post. I come on here as guest but had to create an account just to get through to you. I see how you help people on here with advise so why not render advise to someone too. However if you've sort yourself out already then that's good.