₦airaland Forum

rydow:
I remembered what I told the VO, My father is my sponsor .

God go do am.

Are you in Durham presently or Nebraska?

I know your father is your sponsor na. It's possible you can get partial funding just like I did, that's why I asked.

Errmmm. I'm going to University of Central Missouri. Not going to University of Nebraska Lincoln anymore. And Durham school of Architecture is one of the college or should I say faculty of UNL, and so I presume that's also located in Lincoln.

“@SaharaReporters: FLASH: @gtbank has reviewed international spending limits on your Mastercard ATMs by 100% https:///N8HkULZzz0”

rydow:
Good evening Guys,

school resumes on the 16th of may and I need to be out of town earlier,

Abeg, I wanna ask about how to handle this BTA issues, and other little expenses as a first time traveler. Please someone with idea about how to handle stuffs. I don't wanna regret and I don't wanna make a mistakes oooo

Yankee dudes help ur guy here oooo, I don't even want to answer questions at the airport at all


Anyone in Nebraska to Please Holla Ur boi or PM me, I go reply sharp sharp oooo.

Thanks

Congratulations.

You said you've not been hearing of UNL. Well, I actually got admission last year for a course in Durham school of Architecture but I had it deferred to Fall this year. I was hoping for funding then but I got a fellowship which left me with about $34k to pay.

Did you get funding?

halidaf:
Visa approved today(11pm appointment)!!!! Big shout out to warriboy fortissimo ,don4aye etc... I'll post my transcript tomorrow

Congratulations. But it's 11pm right now. How did you do it?

Fortissimo:
I no see your PM. Where do you plan to fly to though?

Kansas City, Missouri.

lazywriter:
Let me jump on this...

1) Your domiciliary debit cards issued in Nigeria wont work over there

2) Your Naira debit cards will be charged at black market rate if you use it over there, but it will work. The exchange now depends on the bank you use; Stanbic is lower, GTB is a no go area.

Sorry. As regards your first point, Banks advise that customers abroad should transact at the currency of the nation in which they reside.

Now, this means for certain, my dollar denominated card linked to my USD domiciliary account would certainly work especially in the U.S. I just have to fund my domiciliary account here with dollar cash. Shikena.

Fortissimo:
Azin ehn! Someone must really pick their words carefully cos someonelse is always there waiting to misunderstand or misquote you. That's why sometimes I don't bother.

Wait o. I hope I haven't misunderstood / misquoted you too oh

Lol. That's good. You noticed I preempted I would be misunderstood. I had to carefully explain because written text does not convey your mood, tone and how you want your message to be perceived by the audience.

I've read through most statements that usually result in an argument here. Most of the time, we misunderstand the writer. Also, the writer may not intend the message to come out harsh, or off the way they intended.

HOTWATER:
Form A

Okies. That's my intent too. Just that Bubu has been threatening to stop it.
Thanks.

HOTWATER:
ok , will help you search . Hope you are leaving from lagos ?

Yes bro. This is cool. Thanks.

MrMann1:
I will advise you fund ur visa/mastercard debit card.

That's not a problem na. Shey you mean a dollar denominated card. So I still have to get dollar cash, and fund the card. Or do you mean something else?

Please for those current students in the house studying in the U.S. that did not receive funding from their school, may I know how you've been paying your semester fees every now and then especially since this naira crash or dollar rise. Don't get me wrong now. What I mean is where your source of funding was actually naira in an account here, was it converted at black market or official rate? And via what means did you pay?

imperiouxx:
I don't know if they change such currency as naira here like that but you can always load your cards with money before coming.

Thought as much. Mrmann1 pls confirm.

MrMann1:
Na travel allowance... the cash one holds, I think the best bet is to load one's visa/master debit cards. I also heard that after you 've been cleared at the airport, the BDC over there can help change naira cash to dollars in a fair exchange.

Bro, this is critical info. Please take out time to seriously verify abeg.
If after been cleared at the airport, the BDC over there can change naira cash to dollars at a fair rate, pls let them be specific, at what rate do they mean is fair? 220? 230? 240? And not 280 and above.

Please help verify. I'm having a headache looking for dollars at a reasonable rate for my trip.

Sent you a PM.

HOTWATER:
Which city are you flying to ?

Kansas City, Missouri.

MrMann1:
Pls. are you saying, one can't get PTA/BTA without obtaining a return ticket Pls, I intend to fly by July ending too o, any good info on how to get cheap flights ticket

Yes o! CBN forbids all banks.

I'm looking for guidance on cheap flight as well, but na only Google I know.
Does anyone in the house have expert advice abeg.

Fortissimo:
It's because of PTA that I need return. I intend flying out anytime from July 31 to August 6.

Same here. I don't understand why they would bar one-way ticket holders from accessing PTA. It's just unfair. One has to start making needless calculations from the top of their heads. I've been searching for cheap flight deals for over an hour and, on average, the cost of booking that extra return leg costs nothing less than 120k.
I truly understand where you're coming from. Going the return leg route, you spend 120k more or thereabout. However, if you should get the whole PTA quarter entitlement of $4000, that's basically like a savings of 4000 x (320-200) = 480k.

So in the long run, you save 480-120= 360k.

Pls let me contact you. PM.

dickoflife:
realsheggs that mail dont work no more drop ur whatsapp and i will cobtact u. this forum is pissing me iff really. i have been here since 2005 anddl this place is getting sort of a hub for fighting and trying to expise people private luves. really wat do u people get out of this? no need to fight and be petty. i have seen this in nigerian communities abroad. alwayds the same. bring him down mentality. i might close all my monikers for good. we need as a group to change our attitude. trying to ruin someonds life or exposing him on nairaland will not change him. is that a last resort or simply so that people can see u can do it. people bury the hatchet or ya all just gonna be making the same mistakes u made here in nigeria. anyone wants to get a russian visa open thread lets educate people. sorry for d typo i still dey sleep.

Calm down bro...Caaaaaaaammmdaaaaannn

ahahnow:
Please if you don't mind, can you give me the number of the admin of that WhatsApp group, I want to join the group you speak of please. Thanks

Ok. But I can't just paste it here. How do I get it to you? You can follow so I PM you (if that's how it works).

Mekurexx:
Might be harder relating to those indians via whatsapp/social media. Indians dominate admission forums sha

Though their English ain't flawless...mehn, those guys are extremely helpful. They inundate one another with so much info. Just like when discussing how to ace their US student VISA interviews, they keep reeling out info on what to say, and what not to. They would even paste screenshots of interview appointment dates that are available for different locations from the US consulate website, from Hyderabad to Chennai. It's funny...all international students around the world face the same worry and anxiety when it comes to getting student VISA approvals. I mean, I thought they'd have it easier.

Fablady:
Nice CGPA. You would most likely get a fellowship from one of the schools I intend to apply to. What is your Naija CGPA?

4.61

lillaowow:
Not if you're studying Medical Physics (MSc) to advance to Nuclear Medicine(PhD)

Hmmm.....nice one.
Okay guys, I'm just wondering aloud, can someone switch from Yoruba education to Nuclear and Astronomical Physics PhD

cutemorgan:
Nor mind the oga jare. Engineering na baba naa(coming from a chemist).

Morgan!
4.55
304
3.5

Impressive.
Congrats

slimmy2005:
when I worked did under some staffing agency, the pay was $13/hr. So why would I have a GC and still earn same

The point is made. Please say no more.

cutemorgan:
I am also a prospective LSU grad student. I applied for a PhD in chemistry and I was offered full tuition waiver and graduate assistantship. I got an initial acceptance letter (by email) from the department of chemistry which also notified me of my assistantship offer before I got a mail from the graduate school notifying me of same. It still reads provisional admission though cos I have to present my original degree statement (B.Sc cert. can suffice) when I resume at LSU. It will be extremely cool to have you guys around there.

Congratulations!

AgreatMan:
I see no reason why anyone should switch careers because of return on investment . I studied engineering but waz the big deal about STEM that everyone seem to trumpeting. Life is not 1+1=2, n people should do things for love n passion. Everyone can't be rich, to me, money is just a means to end. Everybody has their place in the society n u can choose to study ur stem while I choose to go to a school of theology, become a pastor n kwollekt 10 phacent oph ya anual incomf.

I go to gradcafe n see people who study history, international relations, political science, child disorder...(forgot d course), astrology and the likes n they get funded but over here it seems ur life is doomed if u don't study stem.

Guy, it's all my savings for the last four years of toiling I'm investing in this and so it shouldn't come off as strange or illogical when you see I'm ensuring that I'm positioning myself for the best chances of recouping my investment, and not just that, but within a shorter time frame. I studied engineering which is STEM so don't think I'm making a significant leap in another direction.

Thanks to you, I've just learnt about gradcafe. Glanced thru it a moment ago. Well, I'm not gonna dispute the fact that funding is what it is....sweet! I just don't believe that I'll have to stick to a course because I'm likely to receive funding.
And finally, I've always had an interest in one of those areas, it's just that the opportunity exists now stronger than ever.

slimmy2005:
High school teachers are also earning same amount with guys flipping burger at burger king

Lol. This unceremonious point-blank slimmy2005 sef!

Fortissimo:
that's great. Just waiting for the I-20 now. Have u decided on which school you'll be heading to?

Guy, do I have a choice. I have to go with what I can pay for. It would be UCM, but if I see some miraculous funding at last minute, then it's IIT.

I respect you sha....Chemistry at masters level

Mekurexx:
OK I miscalculated the tuition for UCM. thought it was 28k. yeah its quite affordable. I used IERF evaluation so I felt no need to use WES. You are right about the references & acceptance rate! Good school!. But you think nigerians/africans go dey the school?

Ah! I learnt of the school from Nigerians who've gained admission there. But mehn, I joined one the Fall 2016 admits whatsapp group recently. 95% are Indians. Have exited it tho.

Fortissimo:
Thanks man. Hope your plans are shaping up.

Yep, so far so good. I know yours are too even with those funding offers.

bbdd:
Also, funding DEPENDS ON AVAILABILITY . I know someone who got funding, came here and his department got broke and he's back in naija now looking for jobs. He was funded for a year and then his department told him they can't afford him anymore. It's not a guarantee even if you get it in year one. We're international students. The only reason we're getting assistantships in the first place is because a lot of Americans don't apply to grad school and these programs have to run and do research. That costs money and it is not guaranteed that you'll get funding throughout your stay in grad school..

Geography matters! If you want to follow people that want to live in California. You can, but be wise. You are from Nigeria, our economy is bad. Go to a cheap state with a low profile, go to school, get your degree and figure out the next step. Looking for schools in expensive places makes the search for funding all the more difficult.

Choose your field wisely, IT, health and pharma are the big areas in the US. You need to be in stem field to get a better chance of even jobs. It's not just about school. The arts and social sciences are not hot. You may have to change fields. Even pure sciences like physics, chemistry have dour career prospects when compared to computer science, engineering, pharmaceuticals, nursing, medicine.
Choosing your field wisely will help a lot.

Once again, I have to reiterate that nothing is guaranteed. Pray to God for favor and do your best in your standardized test. Consult others for help with SOPs, rec letters etc. CHOOSE YOUR SCHOOLS WISELY
Hopefully this post helps someone.

Alright, that's a lovely write up. I like the part about the big areas to focus on. My relatives in the U.S. have said i'll be silly to spend $40k on a course outside those three areas. I'm actually seeking to change career direction to one of those three areas you mentioned. And thank God, these schools make it easy unlike even here in Nigeria.
I don't mind going to a small school if the course is just right!

essayHelp:
What is your priority? Funding or admission?

Assuming you prioritize funding and are applying for MS:

Georgia Tech will likely not give you funding except you have real and meaningful research experience with at least a paper (IEEE transactions and the likes).

Austin will be ambitious for your profile. As a rule of thumb, to get funding, your application must be very competitive compared to other admitted students.

MS funding for ASU is not likely.

Please, he should make funding top priority. There's nothing appealing about the ubiquitous acceptances or admits nowadays. Besides, there are over 5000 schools in the U.S.
You're right about ASU, it's actually very unlikely.
I'm wondering how you got this vast knowledge on US Schools and their prospects for issuing funding.

essayHelp:
A decreasing acceptance rate usually leads to increase in rankings. They solicit for applicants to get a more beneficial acceptance rate.

Schools like Steven's, RIT, and NYU Tandon usually give only nominal scholarships to MS applicants.

Outside the top 50, most schools are usually similar, with closely clustered prestige perception. You should check the profiles of alumni from your department.

Hello essayHelp, with a 168 verbal and 160 quantitative and vying for an MSc or PhD in EE, which schools have you obtained admissions with? Also, funding value too if received?