Happyday's Posts
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 Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 4:45pm On Sep 25, 2016 |
Hushee:Maybe you're looking at the cost of taking the GRE, but look at it this way: The fact that applicants are not required to take any test means truckloads of candidates would be applying. And since those schools must maintain some decent standards, they have to drop soo many people. And that's where money comes in. If you get cash wella, then go on soun. If not, don't use GRE waiver as a yardstick for selecting schools. You can still 'escape' TOEFL, if you can email the graduate program co-ordinator. Though most schools won't list Nigeria as an English-speaking country, if they see that you're motivated, and have taken a bold step with the GRE, they would almost always waive the TOEFL for you, and treat you as those who took the TOEFL viz-a-viz research and teaching assistantships. 2 Likes |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:02pm On Sep 21, 2016 |
jlakesideo:The richer the school, the less they care about your money. Brown is rich and top-notch. Trust me, if he thought your GPA was too low for their program, he wouldn't have invited you to an interview. So yeah, do as he says. Focus on the GRE. And also, you can do very well. 320+ is doable. Profs don't just reply emails, talk more schedule an interview. He believes in you. The question is, do you believe in yourself? Go give it what it takes. Have you sent him an email? Thank him for the interview, stating what you gained and how you were impressed, then round up with your fears. Will he tell you not to apply, and block off your future emails? Or tell you what you need to do? There's only one way to find out! 2 Likes 1 Share |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 2:34pm On Sep 21, 2016 |
jlakesideo:Waoh! That the Prof encouraged you to apply is a very very good sign. It means, he feels you should be able to cope with the rigours of a PhD program, irrespective of your undergrad GPA. When you mentioned problem, I was thinking you would say you have no interest in pursuing a PhD. But, since it's about your GPA, the best option is to mail the prof. State your concerns, and tell him everything you've mentioned here. About your pessimism and anxiety. Just let him see the interest in you that you would love to explore the challenges and rigors of academic research. Profs are human beings too, you know. Brown University speaks volumes any day, but note that, a prof can single-handedly fight for you at the admissions committee, if he thinks you deserve it. Make him think you would be a great addition to his grad research team. All the best! 2 Likes |
| Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 8:10am On Sep 20, 2016 |
[quote author=cuspy post=49513018][/quote]MIT |
| Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 8:09am On Sep 20, 2016 |
Mztadhee:If you're in your 4th year for a 4-year course, I think you should stay. Even 5-year course. Finish what you started, well. Except you're heavily loaded as per cash and/or you're top of your class in an highly competitive department, your chances of getting a transfer admission is slim. You'll need to secure admission first, before discussing visa. 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 8:04am On Sep 20, 2016 |
Skmoney:To apply for a student visa at the embassy, you must have been admitted. Do you think the money is too much or that you should pay it after applying for visa? |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:59am On Sep 19, 2016 |
tblvck:Don't wait till you 'finish' Quant, before you start Verbal. Schedule both prep to go side by side. As for the Quant, take the practice test in the Official Guide, timed. Review your mistakes. Which topic gives you worries? Permutations? GRE-style Statistics? I'm sure there's a weakness consistently making you to drop around 10 points each time. I can't identify it, unless I see your worksheet. |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:54am On Sep 19, 2016 |
GREcoach:No, it's not. According to ETS, at least. But as funds level dey now, this one will do: https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/erbuc/files/207_2f8f9f4b-d1b0-40c4-a3e3-0dbeb349472e.pdf |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:48am On Sep 19, 2016 |
cuspy:Right! Plus Manhattan places too much emphasis on hard words, which you might not need to know for the test. You should check out Barron's too. 1 Like |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:46am On Sep 19, 2016 |
temi4fash:Your test is here already, and you'll need all the ginger you can muster to perform your best. Really, the perfect situation is to practice enough until you consistently get your dream scores in your practice tests, and then you go ahead to register for a test date. But, who says everything must be perfect before we take that leap of faith? Don't want to sound like anything, but you'll need to believe in yourself. You might not know it, but you've improved since you started your practice. Don't forget God still works, he will be of help. Just don't take this impression to the test center. It will sap out that energy out of you, real quick. Don't fret if you don't understand any vocab, ETS almost always test the words in context these days, and you might find those questions simpler than you expected. Passages are always annoying, so prepare for it. Get used to it. Plan to read it once, noting salient points as you go along. How fast can you get the big picture of any GRE-style passage? This will be key on test day. Come back and share your testimony, bro! 1 Like |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:37am On Sep 19, 2016 |
jlakesideo:First off, congrats! If anything, I'm sure that the department thinks you're good on paper. It's time to make them determine how eligible you're for an admission slot in their program. First, how did you get the interview invite? Was it through a normal application, or you knew someone (a grad student, post-doc or faculty) who helped you 'press' the right buttons? If it's the latter, you might need to simply contact them to give you a heads-up on what to expect. Either way, you need not fret. Interviews like this is 2-way. They're trying to interview you, as much as you're trying to interview them! Firstly, be prepared for the interview. If you don't have a 2-way headset (microphone and earpiece), get one. If your internet connection is not optimal, find a place where you can be connected for the period of the interview. Ensure your PC's battery is fine enough to last you throughout the interview, even if PHCN comes knocking. Resist the temptation to dress anyhow. Dress as if you'll be attending an in-person interview. Test run the audio, video and internet connection. Test everything prior to the interview and make sure all is in order. Then, you'll need to be ready. Find out about your interviewers. How many are they? It doesn't hurt to ask prior to the interview. Most likely, your future advisor will be leading the team. Check his research page and really dig into his research interests. You'll need to show some enthusiasm about his research objectives. Otherwise, he might think you won't make a great addition to his lab. Which might be okay than for you spending the next 5 years on something you absolutely have no interest in. If you're applying with a BSc, be prepared to discuss your final year project, and look for ways to link it up with the faculty's research work. Ultimately, your answers should reflect that you've taken time out to know what the Prof is working on, and how you see yourself being a great Plus One in his lab. Don't get lost in the need to impress him/them. Tell him your doubts, be open and let him know you're looking forward to working with him, if truly he seems a cool person to work with. Prepare a few questions to ask, towards the end. It shows your level of initiative and motivation. Ask about the application process. If one document won't be coming through anytime soon, let him know. He might fight for you at the admissions committees. Again, if he thinks you're good enough. Which takes me to the last point. Blow your trumpet. Don't be reserved or 'humble'. Glance through the documents you've submitted to them, and make sure you can defend them very well at the interview. If all goes well, he might typical encourage you to apply. If you haven't done so already. I wish you the best. 4 Likes |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:32am On Sep 19, 2016 |
helenmi:You're not alone. Start with the official guide, and try to see their reasoning behind answering their own Verbal questions, especially on pages 496 - 526 for the 2nd edition. You'll get a feel of what thinking they want you to develop over time, as you prep for the test. Once you get used to that thinking, it would become second nature. Learning vocab is hyped, I think. |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:28am On Sep 19, 2016 |
neahyo:OK, send me an email on here. |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:27am On Sep 19, 2016 |
stadora:Please, go here for a quick download: https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/erbuc/files/207_2f8f9f4b-d1b0-40c4-a3e3-0dbeb349472e.pdf And yes, take pride in your newness. So far you keep learning. We all start somewhere. The GRE (Graduate Records Examinations) is an admissions exam (in Nigeria's academic parlance) for entry into US universities, primarily. As we take JAMB's UTME for admission into undergraduate universities in Naija, so also is GRE for admission into postgraduate schools in the US. Hope that clears things up a bit. |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 7:37pm On Sep 16, 2016 |
haftob:For a start, you need the Official Guide to the GRE. To get a feel of what's being tested across sections. Your confidence level afterwards will then help you choose materials suitable for you. |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 7:35pm On Sep 16, 2016 |
Lollyij: |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 7:34pm On Sep 16, 2016 |
Lollyij:Amen sir! |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:14pm On Sep 16, 2016 |
ipledge01:How did you practice in those 3 weeks (and with what texts), and what was your initial score? If this is your first time of taking the test, then jot down those topics that gave you a hard time in Quant, and go learn them the 'GRE' way. Depressed? Don't be! That's why it's called practice. Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. Rather, it's the thing you do that makes you good. 1 Like |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:08pm On Sep 16, 2016 |
cuspy:Yes, most will dig it up. 1 Like |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:06pm On Sep 16, 2016 |
Lollyij:Manhattan is great material for the Quant. Tips on Quant? - If you're racking your brain too much on a question, then you're probably doing it the wrong way. ETS wants to test your reasoning skills, not your Math knowledge. - Never assume anything. If you were not told specifically, or you can't infer from the question, don't assume it. That an unknown is non-negative does not make it essentially positive, it might be 0! - While practicing, see that you're able to revise your solution one extra time, especially in Data Interpretation. Work out your solutions, so you can be able to retrace for a second check. For some, you'd need to resolve the questions quickly in a different way. You might need to plug in the answer choices for others. For others, you'd need to check the steps you took the first time. - Still on DI questions, in most cases, you'd need to test out a wide range of numbers; including +, -, large, small, and 0. This applies more in inequality questions - For a normal Math student, the first solution that comes to mind is, more often than not, a longer path to solution. To conveniently answer 25 questions in 40 minutes, you'd need to be able to approach questions with short solutions logically-thought out, rather than long approaches. I also reviewed the Manhattan solutions after solving questions on a topic. This helped, by way of giving me those crisp solutions. 4 Likes |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 4:31pm On Sep 16, 2016 |
TJ0987:Yes, it's possible to make high scores studying on your own, but the final decision, happily, lies with you. I suggest you take the practice test first, and do a general review of your strengths and weaknesses across all sections. Try to mimic the test-day conditions , so you can get a fairly right estimate of your readiness level. Since, any tutor worth its weight would also strive to mark out your weak points, and coach you on those first. Before consolidating on your strengths. There really are no "tactics", per se. Which takes me to the second point. If you really need high scores, then you'd need to do what needs to be done, especially on the GRE. Of course, there are faster ways of approaching questions, but you'll need to practice a whole lot to find those out. One more thing, have you gone through the Official Guide? 1 Like |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 4:20pm On Sep 16, 2016 |
Syvyd199:Hi there! I'm fine. I'd like to think so is everyone. Thanks for asking! |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 5:18pm On Sep 13, 2016 |
Themaths:1. Your best bet is to go with your bank. The VISA debit card was issued by which bank? Better still, try to register with any cash in the account. If it's enough, the bank will send you an email on how much the you'll need to pay for the $205. I've heard N335 -350/$ though. 2. No, see No. 1. 3. In 3 sections; And yes, scores are sent per section. No general scores. Quant section: out of 170 Verbal section:out of 170 Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA): out of 6.0. Boldly? Quant:170/170; Verbal: 170/170; AWA: 6/6 . . . lol. Scores above 165 on each section + 5.0 AWA should be safe bets anyway. |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 10:02am On Sep 10, 2016 |
tblvck:NO, Don't study for the GRE and TOEFL, at the same time. It's time-wasting, inefficient and needless, to me. Yes, you need both to boost your chances, and by all means, prepare your mind to take both. But TOEFL tests your everyday English skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. For what it's worth, if you've been able to thrive in a decent Nigerian university (where, of course, English language is the medium of instruction), then you're ready to study in any English environment. In fact, some schools waive the TOEFL requirement for us. But, like you said, if you want to get a TA, they need to be certain that you'd able to cope with teaching students in American settings. - Focus, plan and take the GRE first. Score very well on all sections. - Then, spend the next two weeks on TOEFL prep. You'd only need to take TOEFL practice tests, to be familiar and also see what's being tested on the listening and speaking sections. 1 Like |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 9:43pm On Sep 09, 2016 |
tblvck:Summary: Search, and find ways to convince each professor that you will be a great addition to his research lab. Better still, find a way to see how the skills you acquired in your research project can be transferred to you desired field in EEE. And, getting profs to reply your mails, and assist you is a numbers game. You win some, you lose some. Here are my thoughts on contacting them. I have observed that grad school coordinators are more apt to reply promptly compared to faculty members. And the higher their rank, the lesser the chance they'll get back to you. I e-mailed 6 of them, only one Prof replied me consistently. Others went blank. Though I started during the summer break. - It may be that the profs are not currently accepting new students - Or that they got your mail, are interested in replying, but just plainly forgot to do so! - Or they may feel you've not understood their research interests enough for them to pay attention to you, and reply you - Or your mails just got dumped in the spam folder, since they are cold emails Whatever it may be, I've discovered that most are situations completely outside our control. This worked for me though. A sample of the first email I sent. Subject: I'm highly interested in (your request) in your (Prof's field) lab Prof's Name: Hello Sir/Ma, My name is XXXX, and I have completed SO SO SO degree from XYZ school. I'm highly interested in joining your research lab focused on developing and optimizing cutting-edge approaches to delivering drugs and genes in humans for better living conditions. I'm currently working at AAA (briefly explain your profile here, and how you think you'll be beneficial to him/her). I completed my BSc with a (GPA), and (your brief achievements, one line at most). I'm passionate about SO SO , and would love to (what you want to know/ask) + (Indicate a sense of urgency to show seriousness). Thanks for your anticipated and favourable response. Silence! No response. So, I sent the same email four days after, also on a week day, with a Re: I'm highly interested in (your request) in your (Prof's field) lab subject, and started with this note. Hello Prof ABC, Hope you're doing great? Just sending you a gentle reminder on the request for contact for research studies at ABC. [Former email] Closing: I'm sure you must be really busy, and I don't want to seem interrupting. Hope you can find a few minutes on this. I appreciate your reply. Regards. Alert! I got a reply that same day, and she's been responding since then. All the best! 15 Likes 3 Shares |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 3:01pm On Sep 08, 2016 |
seeker88:essayhelp is right. Kaplan practice tests don't mirror the difficulty of what you'll see on a real test. That you find them difficult doesn't mean the tests are helping you prepare for the real GRE. Most of these tests actually set very hard questions, that would never be asked in the real thing. They do this so you can feel bad about your prep, and think you're way behind in your prep. I think practice tests from the official guide, Manhattan (for Quant only) and Magoosh are better. When you say the app is 'cool', what do you mean? I haven't heard about it, though. |
| Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 11:51pm On Sep 07, 2016 |
xcaper:All US. 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 11:50pm On Sep 07, 2016 |
ponpon:No sir. I got the structure from this post by Phillip Guo. You can read the full article here: http://www.pgbovine.net/email-tips.htm 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 9:18pm On Sep 07, 2016 |
Hushee:I'm facing the same issue currently. But, I have tried treat it as a numbers game. You win some, you lose some. I discovered grad school coordinators are more apt to reply promptly compared to faculty members. And the higher their rank, the lesser the chance they'll get back to you. I e-mailed 6 of them, only one Prof replied me consistently. Others went blank. Though I started during the summer break. - It may be that the profs are not currently accepting new students - Or that they got your mail, are interested in replying, but just plainly forgot to do so! - Or they may feel you've not understood their research interests enough for them to pay attention to you, and reply you - Or your mails just got dumped in the spam folder, since they are cold emails Whatever it may be, I've discovered that most are situations completely outside our control. This worked for me though. A sample of the first email I sent. Subject: I'm highly interested in (your request) in your (Prof's field) lab Prof's Name: Hello Sir/Ma, My name is XXXX, and I have completed SO SO SO degree from XYZ school. I'm highly interested in joining your research lab focused on developing and optimizing cutting-edge approaches to delivering drugs and genes in humans for better living conditions. I'm currently working at AAA (briefly explain your profile here, and how you think you'll be beneficial to him/her). I completed my BSc with a (GPA), and (your brief achievements, one line at most). I'm passionate about SO SO , and would love to (what you want to know/ask) + (Indicate a sense of urgency to show seriousness). Thanks for your anticipated and favourable response. No response. So, I sent the same email four days after, also on a week day, with a Re: I'm highly interested in (your request) in your (Prof's field) lab [/i]subject, and started with this note. [i]Hello Prof ABC, Hope you're doing great? Just sending you a gentle reminder on the request for contact for research studies at ABC. [Former email] Closing: I'm sure you must be really busy, and I don't want to seem interrupting. Hope you can find a few minutes on this. I appreciate your reply. Regards. Alert! I got a reply that same day, and she's been responding since then. 22 Likes 2 Shares |
| Education › Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by happyday: 9:15am On Sep 07, 2016 |
Pitykitten:I'm working towards a combined score of 320. Do you consider this feasible? YES, I do. If you're working full-time including weekends, then I think the 4 hours is on the high side! It's better to break your study times into 3/4 chunks of 30 minutes prep, than planning to 'jack' for a 4-hr stretch. In my opinion, you're better off NOT spending too much time on prepping for the AWA. Just ensure you plan out how you'll structure your responses few days to the test, and take two practice essays one on Issue and the other on Argument. Because I can safely say you write concisely and clearly. But it won't hurt to get yourself familiar with the structure of the AWA section before test day. With that out of the way, take a practice test in the next 4-hour window you can spare, on pages 309 - 344 of the Official Guide to the GRE. Take the two Quant and Verbal sections. See that your testing conditions mirror the actual test closely. Rather than focusing on your scores, painstakingly review each question, noting why you got it right/missed it. For the ones you missed, dig deeper to ascertain if it's a content gap or an oversight from you. For instance, it might be that your 'Combinations and Permutations' problem-solving skill is rusty, or you misread the question. Or you spent way too much time on it. Whatever it was that tripped you off, think about why you specifically failed a question. The goal is to become ruthless with understanding your weaknesses, such that you don't make the same mistake twice. Do this first, and you can take things up from there. As it gets pretty interesting afterwards, such that your questions are more directed and specific afterward. Sorry, if you were looking for a one-size-fits-all prep schedule. So, in case I haven't you said it, for now, you only the need the Official Guide (from the makers of the test). All the best. 13 Likes 1 Share |
| Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 7:27pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
OluDare01:Yeah, at the current exhange rate, one needs to look at N1.5m sef. 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 10 by happyday: 6:14pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
EncephalonPikin:Admission + Full funding? Bro, I think that's cutting it too close. If you're interested in studying in the US, then it has to be both ways. Schools in US should also be interested in having you on the next cohort of freshmen. In top schools, to get admission is even neck-breakingly competitive; and so you don't get deceived by US News rankings, US schools have standards, and International students are generally at a disadvantage. If you apply, assume you'd be competing with top students from decent high schools all over the world, and that you need to identify what can make you truly stand out. That GPA doesn't stand out. If you take the SAT, and score very highly, you might be outstanding though. Also, if you've done something truly remarkable, and achieved considerable success, such that people see it as something hard to do or coy, then you also stand a chance to be considered. Those are the most obvious ways, in my opinion, of getting admission + full funding. 2 Likes |
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