I wanna let y'all know that I got my F-1 visa on thursday, July 27, 2010. What can I say? Dreams do surely come true!

bebure:

I'd just like to thank everyone on this thread once more. I remember when I started preparing for GRE all the way back in August last year. This thread has been a real asset for me in terms of applying to schools. I got my F-1 visa today and I am one step closer to my dream. So thanks guys. Those that are just starting out don't worry. Work hard, try and get a first class or a 2:1, get above 750 (preferably above 780 sha) in your GRE quantitative and above 500 in verbal, write a killer statement of purpose, get good recommendations, get your I-20, pay all neccessary fees and you'll hopefully be where I am today this time next year. This advice is strictly for engineers. If you do something more artsy you probably wanna get a higher verbal score like say 650, but you quantitative can also be lower say 600 to 700. I'll still add my two cents to this thread as a retired General.

Congrats again bro! Very well said.

jidebiz:

Hey Everyone,

Comon don't let this thread become bland. I've always known it to be an exciting and informative one.
Please let the contributions continue,
I'm presently searching for schools offering petroleum engineering in the US. Some factors I'm considering in the determination of my school choice is the rate of employability after study. Another factor is its provision of some form of assistanceship as well.
I'd really appreciate any advice offered to aid in my final choice of applications.
Thank you.

THIS THREAD MUST NOT DIE O O O O O ABEGI

Hey Jidebiz, if you go through all the posts on this thread, I'm sure you will find some answers to these questions. As far as employability goes, reputation and location makes the difference. Most employers hold some schools in high esteem and will go there to recruit even if the school is in the middle of nowhere. An example of such a school is Colorado School of Mines (Colorado doesn't have oil; they only have little gas). On the other hand, it makes perfect sense to think that if the school is located in an environment where all the recruitment action is taking place, the graduates will surely benefit because of the networks the school would have built with the industry. This is true for the Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alaska, Oklahoma and Califonia schools. The best is to get a school that has both qualities (UT, Texas A&M and Stanford top the list). I don't know what the situation is as per assistantships, but I've been told by programs that they may offer it after the student must have proven himself for one semester. So chances are very good if you do very well in the first semester.

Congrats 2Good! All the best to the hopefuls; Keep the dream alive!

Congratulations idjulyten! Indeed, God's favour is number 1.

mohaka:

sorry 4 tha little mishap there.@ Godeagle would u clarify alittle coz i wanna knw wat i should do with tha receipt that i have with me now since tha sevis id is different from tha one in tha new i20 that tha school will issue me with or i should just mail sevis to request for a new receipt with tha updated sevid id

That's the part I don't know. ecas is right; mail them to do the needful.

nairaspace:


No Try turkish! USE qatar, i heard that turkish once negleted the students at their airport sometime ago, so QATAR is good, IM me on onlyfair_boy

make we rob minds!

whats your id man

Thanks man, I think I'll use Qatar. I'll add you to my IM list.

djunit1:



My Brother, I need your number fast! I am going to NY too, I have made up my mind to forget BA or Virgin because their fees too dear. I am going through Quartar and may be paying tomorrow. The price is $1,022 USD if you are buying it through student travel centre which I am doing.

Hey djunit, please where is the student travel centre so I can explore that option? Thanks.

Congratulations to ciscoSE & nairaspace! And to all those still in line, I say congratulations in advance!

mohaka:

wow is ol i can say.congrats 2 nairaspace n Godeagle 4 your persistens and tha rest of tha members who got their visas.Guys i was rily demoralised when i was denied tha visa bt afta readin tha testimonies of tha likes of Godeagle n nairaspace i am overwhelmed and this has cheered me up and certainly i would apply again samwea in october.
pliz house i wanna knw if i am to pay tha sevis fee again for choosin a differen school and program since i was denied on tha basis of applying to a 2 yr college and now i am plannin 2 apply to a state university
any advice would rily go along way

Thanks mohaka. Persistence certainly pays off. The SEVIS fee is valid for 1 yr or so, even if you change program. So all your new school needs to do is update your sevis record when preparing ur I-20. The new sevis number will be in your new I-20 so you will not need to pay again. You shouldn't have a problem unless the school does something crazy like not updating the record before issuing I-20, which is unlikely.

bebure:

Men. Tickets aren't cheap at the moment. Everything I've seen going to Houston is about $2100. Return is $1980. Maybe your agents will have better luck.

Thanks again bebure, I've seen some good deals. I'll need to make a choice between Qatar & Turkish airlines, both are less than $1600.  

bebure:

Thanks Godeagle. I'm sure we'll meet at one of them SPE conferences as I plan to attend quite a lot of them.
There will be no adverse effect if you fly out on a different date than stated on your DS-160. It's if you fly out later than the required date that you'll have a problem.
Don't limit yourself to Lagos. Try Delta Airlines from Lagos to Atlanta and then get a connecting flight to Houston or you can try Delta Airlines from Abuja to New York and then connect to Houston. Also consider Arik air - they usually have ads in newspapers for $500 to New York or something crazy like that.
Search online for deals. I'll help also help you check online and if I find anything I'll let you know. When are you planning to jet out? Also consider getting a return ticket. They are sometimes cheaper. I came back from the US in April and just bought a return ticket then so I was quite lucky.

Thanks a lot Bebure! I'm already checking out the different airline websites. I've also enlisted the help of a travel agency. I plan to jet out between 14th and 16th August.

bebure:

Na we go dey run this oil industry in Nigeria come ten years time. No shaking. Kase Lawal needs to watch his back. New oilmen on the block. LOL.

Yes o! In fact, na we go chase all them multinationals finally. LOL

Congraulations Bebure!!!  I was sure you were going to get the visa. I hope we meet in one of the SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) meetings in the wild wild west.  

People, I have posted my successful experience at embassy on tuesday twice but my post was deleted each time. If anyone wants to read it, please check out the post from my profile. Meanwhile, please I have a question: I filled 21st August as my depature date on the DS 160 form but after going through the orientation documents from the school I realized I might have to travel at least one week earlier. Will there be any adverse effect if I do that? Also, any advice as per the best travel deals to Houston from Lagos and how to go about securing them will be highly appreciated as I need to book a flight asap.

Thanks guys! Wishing all other US visa hopefuls success!

Superbrain:

What's wrong with those folks? I'm so sorry bro. But keep trying. I'm expecting a decision come March. For those preparing for visa interviews, visit this thread and read through the pages. It would help a great deal.
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-240241.0.html
Wishing every January test-taker success in their exams.

Thanks bro, I'll try again for Fall. All the best with your admission decisions!

I agree with I and 2 above and know from the experience of others that it is hard. Infact, I was also hoping for a miracle myself. However, I also know people who didn't meet those criteria and still got their visa. As for my 3 and 4, with the employment situation in Nigeria, It shouldn't be hard to understand why someone with an engineering degree will be in another industry with the hope of securing a job in his dream industry upon graduation from the masters program. That doesn't mean the person does not know what he's doing. It's an attempt to reposition oneself to be more competitive in a world class industry with companies that only want to employ people with world class degrees. I've got friends that have done so who are currently in the oil industry. (Though they went for masters in the UK)

Hopefully I'll do a better job of convincing them the next time. I'm not about to give up on my dream and it will work out well if it's God's will for me.

bebure:

Hey guys, this thread has been very interesting. I have a major concern though, I graduated from university in the U.K. with a second class upper degree in mechanical engineering last year and am currently in the U.S. to visit a few potential petroleum engineering graduate schools and for holiday. I have already applied to schools and done the GRE (don't need TOEFL). I'll be returning to naij in a few weeks and would be applying for a student visa in may or june but since I haven't done nysc it is unlikely I would be employed at the time I apply for the visa so I'm wondering if that would hinder me getting a visa. I have all my other documents in order. Cheers.

If you can get a holiday visa to the US from the UK and you came back to 9ja to apply for the student visa, I see no reason why they will decline it. All they care about is whether you can pay the fees and if you will come back. All of which you evidently satisfy. You no get problem jare.

Wow guys! It's nice to see how much information have been shared in this since I've been gone. I've learnt a lot more. Well, I'm back for Fall admission. All thanks to the player hater that denied me visa after asking silly questions relating to my current job; it not being an oil company, my choice of school, if I had travelled out before (I've not) and who my sponsor was; him being an uncle that doesn't bear my surname. These questions I had answered honestly and satisfactorily in my own opinion. The guy no know the current job situation for 9ja? I just dey vex

Anyways, I intend to give it another shot while I look at other good programs in the UK and Canada. I've sent mails to the departments where I was admitted to have them defer my admission but there has been no response. Does anybody know how the deferring thing works in the US?

Hey CHAIRMAN1! Please what was the preparation strategy you used to suceed in the exam? What material would you recommend? Thanks.

nethacker:

Not more than a week my guy
@ d bolded,both means d same thing so dont let grammar dabaru everything for your eyes . ati affidavit of support oo ati sponsor's reference letter ooo, same ni

gongo aso:


The embassy hardly goes into details on the account statements, but then a one- week old transaction on the account will be superbly ideal

@Godeagle,
It’s best if the docs you are taking to the embassy are original, else photocopies or notarized copies will do just fine. This excludes bank account statements for obvious reasons.

Many thanks guys.

@ Suxes, It's sad what happened on thursday but keep up the Faith and you'll get another date when you won't let your opportunity slip.

gongo aso:

@echo1986
If your sponsor gave you the photocopy, let him get you the original of the statement. Else do not present or even try to present them the photocopy at the embassy. They don't have the time to verify your statement rather you will be probably denied faster than you can say echo
Otherwise you can go only with the statement that is original and pray hard the amount in there is overlooked.

How about other supporting documents like letter of incorporation, property certificates and tax certificates; do they have to be original too?

@ Nethacker, you talked about last transaction date on the account statement. What time interval between the last transaction date and interview date will considered ideal/acceptable?

Finally, is there any difference between a sponsor reference letter and an affidavit of support? and what are the features of each?

sagby:

My interview was in Lagos.

Wow!!! Congratulations sagby! You Got your visa inspite of concerns over a possible backlash from Christmas Day's incident. I pray it will be the same for the rest of us expecting our visas. AMEN

nethacker:

@Godeagle:u will nvr hv a problem @ d POE trust me. If no be this silly 9ja boy wey wan kill innocent pple.Thank God he was caught.God will punish him.AMEN

Thanks Nethacker. I trust you're doing fine over there. That incident by the foolish 9ja boy calls for prayers o. Make dem no reduce visa quota or any such thing. AMEN.

Thanks suxes, I called a Nigerian friend studying in the US; he said that all I need to do is to get a backing letter from the school and show at the POE in case they try to make it an issue.

I dont know if my bro has listed me on any occassion. I guess it's best to say the truth.

Hey Guys, compliments of the season.

In preparation for my visa interview which comes up in less than two weeks, I have a few questions to ask.

1) Does anyone here know of any case where the interval between the visa interview and the visa collection exceeded two days?
If yes, what was the reason for the delay? I'm asking because my interview date is really close to the arrival date on my I-20 and I can not request for an expedited interview due to complications that arose with my SEVIS fee payment.

2) Can there be any serious issues at the US port of entry if one arrives a day or two days after the date stated on the I-20 assuming one has not missed orientation and classes are still yet to start?

3) I have a brother who is a citizen of the US but where he stays is in a different State from where my school is. I'm talking East Coast versus Down South. Do you guys think I should keep quiet about him on the form I58.

As always, your responses are highly appreciated.

Suxes2005, I'm praying for you. Go and succeed.

Your verbal score is not that bad considering the major. The highest rated engineering schools have their average accepted scores in the 490-500 range. Most of the others have them between 380-450. As you may know, most engineering admission committees don't even look at the verbal. Moreover, strong TOEFL and AWA scores will make up for a weak verbal score. Just work hard on all the other aspects of your application. I'm sure there are great programs out there within your grasp. CSM is one of them. All the best.

Superbrain:

Finally done. Verbal-Ardous. Quantitative- worse. AWA- superb.

770 Quant, 420 Verbal, AWA pending.

I'm done with GRE for now. TOEFL next,

Shockers: I got four (4) RC's on the verbal, three consecutively and my Quant was basically data interpretation with many complex problem solving.

Delights: My AWA was superb. The issue topic was easiest while argument was fair.

Overall, i think the GRE is the hardest exam i've ever written.

Wow! Great score! Congratulations. After my second attempt, I knew that ETS had definitely stepped-up. All the best with TOEFL

Thanks SEFAGO & Okele193N. I wish us success in the times ahead. We will get there!

Thanks dear.

Who else has good news to share? Arshy, I'm sure you've heard from some of your prospective schools. What's up?

MR NEL:

I am real grateful to you guys, the eagles and all. pls I am a B.Pharm grad (4.57) pursuing a direct Phd prog, I am currently planning to do the GRE and possibly TOEFL. ideas are welcome, I am interested in US schools that do herbal plant research.

Hey Mr NEL, pardon the oh so late reply. I've been an extremely busy man lately. I don't know the admission criteria for your intended major but I'm pretty sure that your CGPA is ok. You will need to work hard and nail the GRE and TOEFL. You also need a strong SOP that emphasizes your research experience and readiness for the program. Just work hard on the other aspects of your application.

Hey Gebarday, from prevoius posts and from experience, it's not possible to make the SEVIS payment by credit card in Nigeria. I don't think it is possible by credit card even outside Nigeria. So ur best bet is to contact someone in the US to make the payment on your behalf via Western Union or the other ways. You can also check out previous pages of this thread; there are people here who can arrange it for you. Just be careful.

arshy:

Hi guys, whats going on? Any news yet?

Hey guys, it's been a long time. I got unconditional admission in three out of the four petroleum engineering programs I applied to but none came with financial assistance. The breakdown:

My Profile:
Petroleum Engineering CGPA: 3.9 (Federal University of Tech Owerri)
GRE: Q740, V650, AWA 4.0.
TOEFL: 109 (R28, W29, S23, L29)
Experience: Internships from Shell, Exxon currently work as analyst in a bank for 1yr plus.
Will post my SOP after the visa process.

Applied To:
Colorado School of Mines (Admitted)
Louisiana State University (Rejected: they said their dept was small and encouraged me to re-apply)
New Mexico Tech (Admitted)
University of Houston (Admitted)

My Choice:
Although CSM and NM Tech are on the Top 10 of the Petro rankings, I chose Houston over them because it's the most affordable, has excellent professors with extensive industry experience, has a diverse curriculum with involvement in business, energy finance and law, and most importantly because of its location in Energy capital of the USA. Internships and part time gigs will be more available,  u can even transfer to UT or Texas A&M if you want. Sincerely, UH is the place to be.

I appreciate the opportunity to have shared with some of the most motivated Nigerians here on this thread. Thanks guys.

gongo aso:

if u were using any other browser except internet explorer, that's what you will get.
so switch to internet explorer.

Thanks gongo aso; you made my day. I finally booked 7th January with internet explorer.  True, true, you fit open consultancy now o.

Congratulations abiodun1st, and best wishes for the rest of us, visa hopefuls.

Hey good people! I am a newbie on this thread but I feel like a veteran as I have read all the pages almost twice. You guys have been really helpful; thanks and God bless. I have an issue I hope someone here can help resolve. I just received my I -20 and I'm about booking a visa appointment. But the site wouldn't let me proceed beyond the second page of the application as it keeps saying that my passport issue date, expiry date and date of birth are invalid. I'm thinking it has something to do with the passport office (NIS) not activating my passport. Any leads? Please guys, I await your timely response(s).

Hey guys, I gathered from the web that this fair is holding tomorrow. However, they said the venue was TBD (To be determined). Anybody with a clue as to the venue and exact time of the fair? See one of the sites: http://usa.hotcoursesabroad.com.ng/study/events/noclg/493/viewevent.html

Cool, South East US. All the best! and Amen to your prayer! He certainly will.

I can't recall the exact date right now, I think it was early December. I heard that commonwealth has advertised the scholarship for this year. I wish those applying all the best!

Congratulations to you 10qGod!!! Indeed, when one door closes, another door opens. He knows what is best for us, and in your case it wasn't Shell. I'm still believing Him for my testimony. What city in d US will u be?