₦airaland Forum

Disclaimer: I got this on Quora, and thought it might brighten someone's face out there going through pain.

The hardest day of my life was my entire childhood.

At age 3, my uncle made me lick his penis "like a lollypop."

At age 9, I was raped by another family member.

At 15, my mom and step-dad thought it was funny for my step-dad to touch my breasts.

I was date raped at age 17.

My mom's second husband would make me strip naked and lay in the center of my bed while he beat me all over my body.

My mom's third and current husband, my step-dad, beat me regularly for a decade, from the time I was 5 until I was 15.

I got hit for making too much noise in the morning. I got hit for eating the last pickle. I got hit for speaking. I got hit even if I opened my mouth to speak. I endured black eyes, bloody noses, fat and bloody lips, a broken finger, welt marks and bruises all over my body. I've been hit with a croquet mallet and beaten with a whiffle bat until it was broken in half. My entire childhood was terrifying.

On top of it my mom would tell me that she didn't want me, that if she could do things over she wouldn't have had me. She didn't want me.

My step-dad made fun of me every day because I was a little chubby. He would entertain guests by making fun of me. He would encourage me to make fun of him in return and then laugh at my poor attempts. Whenever I did make a joke he didn't like, he would beat me for it.

I tried my best to overcome it. By age 30, my body gave out. It was too damaged from all the physical abuse. I have Enthesopathy, Fibromyalgia, and polyarthritis, just to name a few. I also suffer from chronic PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety.

I live off of SSD and receive less than $12,000 a year to survive. All of my hopes and dreams were stolen from me.

I haven't overcome it yet.


Shortly after my uncle sexually abused me, he killed himself. I have wondered all of my life if he killed himself because of what he did to me.

The person who raped me when I was 9 years old was my older brother. He did not live with us.

My two older brothers grew up with our biological father while I grew up with my mom and step-dad. My mom didn't want the boys. She barely had anything to do with them. She kept me because I was a girl and because she wasn't entirely sure who my father was. I grew up believing that William James Young Sr was my father. My mom kept me away from him for most of my childhood because of my brothers, according to her.

The brother who raped me did so during a very rare visit to our home. He was allowed to spend the night that night. He hated me. He hated that my mom kept me and had barely anything to do with him. Little did he know what I was going through.

I didn't tell on him until I was 11. My mom contacted the police and a woman came to our home. I had to tell her everything. My brother was arrested and sent to live in a juvenile detention facility for 4 years. His last year there, my mom took some interest in him for some reason. She started bringing my rapist home for visits.

One day she made me sit at the dining room table and write a letter. She forced me to write that I had forgiven my brother and that I wanted him to come live with us. None of it was true. I was terrified of my brother. Additionally, my parents never got me any help for what he did to me. They said that they couldn't afford it.

My parents could afford new jewelry every Christmas for my mom and yearly vacations to Las Vegas but they couldn't afford anything for me ever, not dental check ups, not doctors, nothing. I was lucky to get a coat for winter and with that I was forced to get on my knees and thank my parents repeatedly for all they did for me.

My mom had my rapist come live with us. Then they blatantly favored him right in front of me. He was good looking. He made them laugh. My step-dad would have my brother join in in making fun of me.

Eventually they kicked him out when he became a serious drug user and started selling their stuff.

I came to forgive my brother. I learned that he did to me what someone had done to him. He is currently on parole after serving his second prison term. He never stopped using drugs. I don't have anything to do with him.

A couple of people have asked me, "Why didn't you get out?" As a young child, I didn't realize I was being abused. I thought that all kids got hit like me. I was a bad child. I didn't clean my room when I was told to. I made too much noise. Sometimes I talked back. I ate the last pickle. I didn't clean up my parents mess in the kitchen. I could go on.

When my step-dad broke my finger my parents brought me to the hospital. I was told to say that I slipped and fell in the driveway. I was threatened that if I said anything else I would be hurt worse. I was too terrified of my parents to say anything but what I was told to.

It wasn't until my early teens that I was allowed to spend time with friends in their homes. That's when I saw that they weren't being beat like I was. I remember one friend talking back to her dad. I winced and cowered in anticipation. I was shocked by her father's response. He spoke to her firmly but lovingly. I finally started to see that what was happening to me was not normal.

At 15, I overdosed on Advil. I was questioned by many people at the hospital but I was still too terrified to speak about my parents. I blamed it all on a bad grade.

Eventually, I started to confide in some of my friends and one friend's mom in particular. I would tell her something and then I would be shocked and intrigued by her response. She was the one who got me to open up a little.

At one point CPS (Child Protective Services) were notified by another friend's mom. I told CPS a few things over the phone. The next day they showed up at my high school. I was horrified.

My step-dad was a teacher at the school. I was brought to a guidance counselor's office. I knew that the guidance counselor knew my step-dad. I was too terrified to speak. I only confirmed the few things I had told CPS on the phone. From there, a detective brought me down to the police station.

I was brought upstairs to a room full of desks. The detective introduced me to the secretary. I recognized her name. "She knows my step-dad!" I exclaimed. The detective yelled at me saying that whatever I had to say would stay in that room. Again I was too terrified to speak about my parents. The detective started asking me if my step-dad touched my breasts "playfully or sexually."

To me it didn't matter. I thought it was wrong that he touched me period. I couldn't answer the detective. He kept asking me over and over again, becoming more irate everytime he asked. He was outright screaming at me. I thought about how my parents would laugh at me everytime my step-dad touched my breasts. They thought it was funny that I would get upset by him touching me.

After the third time he touched me, I stood up and stormed off. That's when my mom said, "oh we can't even play with you!" Because she had said that, I finally answered the detective, "playfully." That was it. That's all he wanted to know. He was done with me.

The detective then brought me down to CPS. I was made to sit in a worker's cubicle. Somewhere in the room, I could here my mom and my rapist brother talking. I could hear my brother saying, "She's lying! She's lying!" I could hear my mom say, "He's a respected teacher in this community!" While hearing all of this, I was questioned by the CPS worker. Again, I was too terrified to speak.

At no point in time during that day was I given a safe place to talk. No one offered me a single ounce of compassion.

I was put in a foster home that night. I spent 4 nights there. On the 5th day, my parents called me. They said all the right things. They told me that they weren't angry. They said that they loved me, that they missed me and that they wanted me to come home. I agreed to go home.

The CPS worker came and brought me home. She stayed and chatted with my parents for a few minutes. My parents were so polite and friendly to her. I really thought at that moment that everything was going to be okay. Then she left. My parents watched her leave. Then they turned on me and the smiles on their faces morphed into something that looked pure evil. I got a verbal beating that day that was so awful I just ran. I ran out of the house and I didn't stop running until I got to my friend's house a mile away. It was the friend whose mom I had confided in.

I lived there with my friend and her mom for a few months. One day my friend and I got into an argument over something stupid like kids do. My friend decided that she didn't want me living there anymore. Her mom went to pray about it. Five minutes later she decided to bring me home. They packed up all my stuff in a garbage bag and drove me to my parent's house and left me there.

I spent one night home. I endured more verbal abuse. The next day I ran away again. For some reason I ran back to the same friend's house. This time the police were called. I told the police I was being abused. They told me they would handcuff me if they had to to bring me home. They treated me like a run away, not an abused child.

They advised me to get a job or do some after school activities to keep myself out of the house. That's what I did. CPS never did another thing for me.

My step-dad did not lay a hand on me again after CPS was notified. The verbal abuse was worse then ever though. When I was 17, my step-dad hurt my cat. That's when I called up my real dad and asked him if I could live with him. He came and got me and my cats right away.

My father never knew the abuse I endured at the hands of my step-dad. I don't know why I never told him. My time with him was very limited as a child. What little memories I have of him were all positive. I always felt safe with my dad. He never hurt me in any way. During my rare visits, we would do whatever I wanted. He would take me to the movies or roller skating or ice skating. We would take walks and go to the park. He also protected me from my rapist brother.

Living with my dad meant living with my rapist brother. For that reason, I only lived with my dad for one year. It was during that year that I really got to know him. He was a great man.

When I turned 18 I got my own apartment. I worked full time and went to college full time. Because I had lived with my dad, who was poor, for the year prior to college, I was eligible for full financial aid.

Four days before Christmas of 1992 my dad came over to my apartment. He gave me his big, bright beautiful smile and handed me a $100 bill. He told me that it was my Christmas present. I asked him why he was giving it to me so early. He just shrugged and said that he wanted me to have it. I thought about asking him to stay and play gin rummy with me. He always kicked my butt at that game. For some reason I decided not to ask him to stay. Instead I gave him a hug and a kiss and I said to him, "I love you." He said it back to me and then left. Later that night he died of a heart attack.

It was my dad's death that prompted me to go to paramedic school. I became an A-EMT-I. I did EMS for 5 years before my body just couldn't take it anymore. I was lifting and carrying patients of all sizes day in and day out. My body was damaged from the physical abuse. I worked through the pain as long as I could. From there I went to work for a hospital caring for cancer patients.

It is common for abused children to end up with abusive partners in adulthood. It has to do with feelings of worthlessness and not deserving better. That's what happened to me. I ended up with an abusive police officer. He lied to me. He told me that he had had a vasectomy. He told me he wished he could get me pregnant so he could keep me in his life forever.

At 25 I was pregnant, destitute and all alone. I had been taken out of work at just 5 months along because of all my health issues. I had no where to turn. I hadn't talked to my mom or step-dad for 4 years. I made the biggest mistake of my life and called them.

They were absolutely thrilled to be having their 1st grand child. They fed me. They threw me a baby shower. They bought me everything I needed for my son. I told my step-dad that if he ever lay a finger on my son I would have him arrested.

Maybe it was Stockholm syndrome or something but I was happy to have some type of family in my life. I had spent 4 years having no place to go on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I've never had many friends. I was quiet and shy and I couldn't trust. I hoped that my parents had changed.

They had changed to some degree. They spoiled my son. He wasn't their responsibility so they could just enjoy him and send him home. I monitored their relationship closely over the years. There were several times that I had to step in and set my foot down.

For example, I had to make sure that my step-dad didn't drive drunk with my son in the car. I had to insist that he not make his racist comments in front of my son. Because I monitored everything so closely, I agreed to let my son spend one night a week with my parents.

I never told my son all the horrible things my parents or his father did to me. I wanted to protect my son. I didn't want to taint their image to him. I didn't want to be bitter and angry around my son. I figured he would learn the truth about them on his own when he was old enough to understand.

After working at the hospital, my body was still struggling. I decided to go back to college and earn my degree in criminal justice. I worked jobs that were easier on my body. I worked security, loss prevention, and I even did some stuff for the state police. My body gave out though at the age of 30. The physical abuse I endured was just too much and it finally caught up with me.

I have not worked in 12 years. I cannot sit or stand for long periods of time. I suffer chronic pain. I have muscle aches, joint pain and weakness, bone pain, and nerve pain all over my body all the time. I get injections all over my body just so I can function enough to care for my son and I.

I did not date for 15 years while raising my son as a single parent. I didn't want to bring different men around him. I was also too busy and stressed spending all those years in family Court trying to protect us from his father. Now that I'm 42 and disabled, most men don't find me appealing I guess.

My son started rebelling at 16. My parents did not help. Instead they would undermine me and talk bad about me to my son every chance they got. I would try to discipline my son by taking his phone away. My parents would run out and buy him a new one. I would also try disciplining him by changing the WiFi password. He would run away to their house. The police would tell me that they couldn't force him to come home and to file a PINS petition.

A few months ago my son ran away for good. He lives with them now. They have turned him against me. He hates me. He does not want any chores or any rules. He will be 18 in September.

My son does not know what abuse is. I ended the cycle of violence. When I became pregnant I started seeing a psychologist. I still see her to this day, 18 years later. She helped me tremendously to end the cycle.

I currently have an order of protection against my son's father. At our last court appearance, my son showed up with his father. My son and I don't speak now. He is too involved with all of them. My heart is crushed.

My parents and my son's father have my son believing that I am this terrible, awful person. They call me a "professional victim." I'm "mentally retarded." I'm a "nut job." I'm a "disgrace to women and mothers everywhere." I am told to "Shut the Bleep up you stupid ugly bitch."

Someone asked me how I keep going. It used to be my son. Now, the only thing that stops me from swallowing my entire bottle of pain pills is my cats. I promised them a "furever home." I cannot imagine how scared they would be for strangers to come in and cage them and take them away from their comfy home.

If you read all this God bless you. I hope this answered your questions. Specifically, I have lived on my own since I was 18. I have never depended on anyone since then. I can no longer work as my body is way too damaged and fragile. My parents were never held accountable for any of their abuse.

I guess all my life I have wished for some kind of hero to come rescue me and take me away from this place, from them. I cannot go anywhere without great anxiety about running into one of them.

I imagine this hero rescuing me and just holding me and letting me cry and telling me that's it's ok, that I can take a break, that I don't have to be strong all the time. I imagine being loved for who I am and being told that I am deserving of love, that I am worthy of love. I have struggled and endured and survived abuse my whole entire life and I've learned that no such hero exists.

https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-hardest-thing-you-went-through-in-life-and-how-did-you-get-past-it/answer/Ann-Young-14

codexgigax:
For those of us that registered for GRE recently, how much is it in Naira? Thanks

At N335 to a $, it's around N69, 000 (for $205). Leave that in your account, and your bank will leave some change. That's for GT bank, though.

But wait o, is this how we'll keep talking, and yet do nothing?

Someone should read MIT's Wikipedia page, and see how far they've come. It hasn't been this rosy for them.

155 years, and still counting. That's one big perseverance right there. If we can start ours today, imagine where would be 50 years from today? How do we start?

We need money, support, talents and doggedness.

Forget about the government. Nobody's coming for us. Let's go ourselves.

When she insists you must send some cash to your kid sis in school. . .

blackberlin:
Bro, leave matter for mathias. . .
US and Nigeria are not on the same level of social/economic/ infrastructural development, that's it.

All your long write-up about unfortunate occurencies doesn't in anyway relate to what we're discussing. That's a human problem and will keep being so till the world ends.

So with your level of exposure, you would compare Nigeria to USA in all aspects? We're just not mature enough as a country and the speed we need to catch up is being undermined by destructive politics and lack of vision.

The 36 states of Nigeria are nothing but counties in America. Alaska alone is bigger than Nigeria and it has crude oil. While we are still hoping to one day have constant power supply, good roads, portable water, good schools and food, America has solved those problems before some of us were born.

Don't get me wrong, there's hope for Naija, but right now, we still have a long way to go as a nation.

Candid observation! "We still have a very long way to go."

emmasege:
What's the problem with these OAU kids and why are they always portraying their school in bad image? What's so spectacular about the level of decadence in OAU that's not obtainable in other public universities in Nigeria? You kids should grow up, for once. Instead of you to organize a mass rally and storm Abuja NASS so that your school can be reopened, you are here portraying your school as the worst on earth. Your colleagues in other public and private universities continue with their studies and they will hit the labour market for the very rare jobs, earlier than you. You know what that means in terms of competitive advantage?

OAU is the poster child of "top-quality education" in Nigeria. If I'm going to expose the rot in our nation's institutions, I'm so happy to use OAU as a case study.

blackberlin:
Please Professor, tell us the basis for comparison... we are waiting.

You think say your country and USA na mate? You no get respect o. . . USA is 50 big states (countries) in one. They are light years ahead of Nigeria in EVERYTHING. Your politicians aren't making things any better too. . . You can't even compare us to South Africa infrastructure wise. . .

I love my country though. . .

Lol, what do I know? Here goes nothing:

We are 36 states-big, just as US has 50. Nigeria's population's about 160m, while that of US is about 300m.

We've bad eggs in Nigeria. Do we have same in America? You bet. There are good people there, as they are in the US. Americans will continue to lambast Obama years after he leaves office, due to "high" unemployment rates and what have you. We'll continue to shout at Buhari, long after he's gone.

In the US, people get killed in broad daylight. Philando Stiles and Alton Sterling come to mind; we all are crying in annoyance. Same happens here everyday.

My point: We are all humans, black or white, or pink; and so long as we still call this planet home, evil will continue daily. The question is what happens after the evil?

When someone is killed, what happens? Do we fold our arms, and think it's none of our business?
When students fail, do we wail and heap the blames at the doors of their parents, teachers and schools?
When we see daylight killing of innocent men by hyper-aggressive herdsmen, do we keep quiet because we're not affected?

When something bad happens here, everyone goes about their normal business. They aren't concerned.

It's not so in some other places. Other places we so earnestly crave to go daily. Places like MIT. Places like the US.

jornie:
That's what happens when you want free education and you get scammed at the same time.
I've said it many times,nothing is free,someone's paying somewhere.Another one,'alot of people' take advantage of things that come free.if OAU had being a school where students themselves pay/ are funded to pay as much as the education is worth, OAU might be competing with the best schools in the world. Real talk, this free education thing has only further caused a rot in our system,producing unskilled low priced graduates.

Rightly said! You hit the nail on the head.

MIT's cost of attendance is roughly $50, 000 a year. And out of over 30, 000 students who apply there every year, less than 2, 000 eventually get to call MIT home. And OAU?

For my entire university education at OAU, I can take a safe guess, and say I didn't spend up to N200, 000 (official fees aka tuition, books, room etc., that is).

So, you raised a very germane point. You get what you pay for.

However, I've no doubt in my mind that things have stayed this way because of our fears. Our fears that even if we pay N300, 000 per year in OAU, we wouldn't see the corresponding changes. We're scared our leaders, top down, are not accountable to those they govern. Especially the university administration process is far from transparent and responsible to the stakeholders viz-a-viz students, lecturers and alumni.

ramdris:
Oga start from comparing Nigeria and USA then u will know there is no basis for comparison...

Actually, there are bases for comparison.

We have a very long way to go.

50calibre:
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, Nigerian universities never crack the top 1000, as a matter of fact, I doubt if any manages to crack the top 5000.

What you call universities in Nigeria are actually ramshackle establishments where young folks go to waste few years of their life in squalid conditions all in the name of learning and earning a worthless degree.

Wooohps! That second sentence sums it up in a pretty frightening way!

Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Yale . . . all private.

robosky02:
Nigerian universities fail to make list of world’s top 1,000


The Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) has just released its 2016 ranking of universities across the world.

Sadly, no university in Nigeria made the list of the world’s top 1,000.

The ranking, released on Monday, placed Harvard University, United States, on top as the best higher institution in the world, followed by Stanford University, also in the U.S.

Another school in the U.S, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the third best in the world.

Two universities in the United Kingdom, University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, are ranked fourth and fifth respectively.

Five other American universities are also ranked within the top 10 – they are Columbia University, sixth position; University of California, Berkley, seventh; University of Chicago, eighth; Princeton University, ninth; and Yale University, 10th.

The U.S has a total number of 224 universities among the top 1,000, followed by China, with 90.

Japan has 74, while the United Kingdom has 65.

Others are: Germany, 56; France, 48; Italy, 48; Spain, 41; South Korea, 36; Canada, 32; Australia, 27.

In Africa, only universities in South Africa and Egypt made the list. South Africa has five, while Egypt has four.

For South Africa, the five universities and their rankings, according to the CWUR, are: University of Witwatersrand, 176th; University of Cape Town, 265th; Stellenbosch University, 329th; University of KwaZulu-Natal, 468th; and the University of Pretoria, 697th.

The four from Egypt are Cairo University, 771st; Ain Shams University, 960th; Mansoura University, 985th; and Alexandria University, 995th.

No Nigerian university also made the list in 2015.

CWUR said it used eight objectives and robust indicators to rank the world’s top 1,000 universities, and listed them as follows:

1) Quality of Education, measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals relative to the university’s size [25%]

2) Alumni Employment, measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held CEO positions at the world’s top companies relative to the university’s size [25%]

3) Quality of Faculty, measured by the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals [25%]

4) Publications, measured by the number of research papers appearing in reputable journals [5%]

5) Influence, measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals [5%]

6) Citations, measured by the number of highly-cited research papers [5%]

7) Broad Impact, measured by the university’s h-index [5%]

Patents, measured by the number of international patent filings [5%]



http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/206737-nigerian-universities-fail-make-list-worlds-top-1000.html

I noticed adding your numbers or names on to FB or WhatsApp seems to be the "in" thing. Dear, don't go about prepping for the GRE the wrong way. Stop! Don't go on to Facebook or WhatsApp yet!

You need to have a target score, prepare a personal study plan, buckle down and start practicing. It's the good-old method, and would continue to work. Like they say, the more things change, the more those things stay the same.

Of course, it's good to show your excitement about the GRE and browse around on what to expect, especially if you're new to the GRE. I mean, you can go on Facebook, see questions posted by someone, and discuss with friends. Same with Whatsapp.

But, you need to be careful. $205 to naira, at our current exchange rate is no joke. You need to know how to do practice for the GRE.

To do well on the GRE, you need to master core GRE skills.

For instance, there are some questions that will NEVER be asked on a GRE test. If you keep answering those, and you think you'd smile at your real test scores, think again. You'll never see extremely hard questions. Because it's a general test, and ETS is trying to gauge your level of critical reasoning skills, not our well you can solve that complex cubic polynomial question.

Truth is, some random person cooked up a question from the dark corners of the internet, and off they post it on WA or FB for innocent people to chew on. And daily, people are wasting valuable time on "extremely difficult" questions or way too arcane questions that you'd never see come test day.

ETs wants to test how well you can hold up, parrying diverse questions for a space of almost 4 hours. So, you'd be doing yourself a lot of harm, if all you do is solve some random questions posted on Whatsapp, check the answers, and smile at yourself if you aced it. Sorry, but it won't be that simple at the test center.

Here's what you should be doing: What scores do you want in Quant, Verbal and AWA? Write them out.
Next, find a quiet environment, remove all distractions and stretch yourself 4 hours with the standard breaks, and take the entire test (and that includes the AWA). Your head might start pounding the first time you try this. And that's the essence.

(Graduate school is no joke, and tests such as the GRE drill candidates, so they know that getting an MS or PhD is somewhat different from a BSc.)

And when you grade your answers, you won't like the result, compared to the target scores you wrote. I know I didn't like mine. But it's no time to whine. You need to set out few hours a day, depending on your schedule, making sure to practice questions (both on concept and strategy bases) on all sections of the test. And ensuring not to make the same mistake twice.

Practice and focus. It's how you get better.

It's how you master anything. It's how you prep for a test like the GRE.

Toluak1:
Goodmorning guys.
Want to inquire from anyone that took the TOEFL recently.how much is it n how did u go abt the payment.I am planning to write it by month end.pls I need all the support I can get ,msterials,sites for online practice etc.to come out excellently.I will b waiting for your responses.

TOEFL costs $180 for virtually all test locations in Nigeria. Use an exchange rate of N335 to a US Dollar to get the Naira equivalent.

Next, go to https://toefl-registration.ets.org/TOEFLWeb/extISERLogonPrompt.do;

You'll need to create a new account, if you haven't done so before. Current nearest test dates are July 23rd, August 6th and August 26th. Settle on any of those dates, and fill in all details to register for the iBT.

Next, open a PayPal account on www.paypal.com. I used a GTB Mastercard (check for the Mastercard logo on the ATM card), linked it with my Paypal, and asked PayPal to deduct the naira equivalent of $180 from the GTB card.

Plan to spend three weeks for prep. I wouldn't know how comfortable you are with speaking, writing and reading English. You'll need to download the ETS Guide to the TOEFL, 4th edition here: https://www.fshare.vn/file/W3HUK16HMEUT to be sure of your strengths, and which areas you'll want to work on.

When prompted for a password, use sunrise.edu.vn.

sirRiddy:
Thank you for your good and balanced advice on this thread.
You are highly appreciated, sir.

Sir, I'm glad I could be of help. I should thank YOU.

Thank you, Sir.

Question1:
Good Morning guys, Pls I need help...

Currently a 300 level student of Economics with computing.. I will be graduating April Next year. And intending to WRIte GRE next year June. I'm currently on 3.97/4.00. My interest is PhD in Economics or international Economics does anyone has any school in mind with Funding please

If you can score over 330 in your first attempt, it's very hard to do. But if you can, you've just jump-started your chances.

Now, you need to get close to lecturers in your department. Who have research projects going on, and wouldn't mind your help.

This will do things for you; help you understand the research direction in Economics, and give you likely graduate research ideas; and also help you get glowing hot recommendation letters, when you'd need them for your applications.

Good job!

tensazangetsu:
And besides if I can't get into a top graduate school in the usa. university of british colombia offers my program and they ask for a minimum of 2 1 from graduates from ghana same with university college London (I don't like the UK though).

I see. I think you're concerned about the rankings, because of the cash you'd be spending for the program.

I guess that's the point. The main idea of research, is you delaying rewards for now, so you can contribute an original concept to the existing body of knowledge.

So, rather than you paying, the program will be paying you a small stipend, to keep you aloft enough to be able to pursue your research, not so you can comfortably afford the good things of life.

No research program will ask you to pay. If you're successful in your research, you boost the program's profile.

Whereas, if you excel in your coursework masters, you'd have boosted your chances of getting a good job thereafter.

tensazangetsu:
Actually a masters in marine engineering and naval architecture is offered in very few schools worldwide very few same as an undergraduate degree in marine engineering. And again I can't do a postgraduate in a lowly ranked school I rather forget about it. It makes no sense going to spend all my resources in a school which isn't even ranked among the top 100 in the world in engineering. Ranking matters a lot nowadays and about getting into a top ranked graduate school two of my friends one graduated with a 3.6 on 5.0 and another a 3.8 on 5.0. The guy with a 3.6 got a fullbright scholarship to upenn and the guy with the 3.8 is in MIT now. Aside grades a lot is considered for admission into graduate school. it's not always about who has the highest scores and all that. Each case is considered on a provisional basis.

A 3.8 on a 5.0 at MIT? What course? Did your friends school in Nigeria or US?

carik:
I plan to write the GRE early next year whilst in my nysc period.
I have obtained my HND in Electrical Engineering with a 3.08/4 CGPA

,checked online to find out the duration of a post graduate program but stumbled on a post that says postgraduate study falls into three categories

1. Professional masters for employment after the program
2. Academic masters for further studies
3. Doctoral degree


Meanwhile a source told me I'll have to obtain a post graduate degree before applying for a master's program.
Don't understand the logic here
Can you help me out?

Don't over complicate issues, bro. We call it postgraduate program here in Nigeria. They call it graduate program in the US.

I need to ask: Are you planning to apply with your HND?

Most schools require that you've a baccalaureate degree in your proposed course. That's equivalent of a Bachelor's degree.

But, don't take my word for it.

Look for your desired course, and Google any TWO schools offering the course at the graduate level.

Next, find out the contact email of the coordinator (there's always someone to contact, if prospective applicants have questions and inquiries).

Contact the individual for the two schools. Let your email be short, straight-to-the-point and brief.

AFAIK, schools offer a. M. Eng. b. MSc and c. PhD

M. Eng. pretty much applies to those who would want to come in from industry, for graduate study.

MSc is for preliminary research. Think of this as the NEUTRAL gear while driving. You go for MSc if you want to test the waters, if research is your pot of soup, or not.

PhD is the highest point of academic research - research zenith. You bring so many skills to bare here. Your creativity, perseverance, resilience and determination will go far than any other thing. Any other thing like your talent, GPA or GRE scores.

tensazangetsu:
Hey guys, am an undergraduate and am presently going to my final year I intend writing the GRE in august am on holidays now and have started preparing. I wanna do my masters as soon as I graduate and I wanna apply to MIT, umich, virginia tech and university of new orleans am thinking of doing a masters program in naval architecture. I wanna know if writing the GRE now is a good idea.

I need to ask: What informed your choice of those schools you picked?

If it's the prestige, then you might be missing the whole point of going for a (post)graduate degree.

They call it graduate school in the US.

Here's why.

"If you only want to go to a top graduate school, then you're going to graduate school for the wrong reason, and the chances of you getting in are low. You should go to graduate school, because you want to do research, and you don't need to go to a 'top' school for that."

Vanguard News few minutes ago shocked me about the 'strange' decision of the Federal Government to scrap Post-UTME in Nigerian universities. It definitely came to me as a rude shock.

The Honorable Minister of Education saw "no reason" why there should be multiple exams for admissions into Nigerian varsities. I hereby present my humble views about this issue in focus:-

1. That the current admission process into Nigerian universities is inefficient, undemocratic and arcaic;

2. That starting from this 2016/2017 session, there should be a national meeting of stakeholders, comprising of University Council members, Vice Chancellors (past and present), Deans of Faculties of Education, senior and tenured academic members of staff, students and all relevant partakers in the Nigerian Education project;

3. That a board should be set up, out of control of the FG, and be charged with the responsibility of administering a unified national examination into ALL tertiary institutions of learning in Nigeria. Let's call the exam the National University Entrance Exams (NUEE);

4. That the NUEE will test the candidates' skills in critical reasoning, analytical writing and subject matter knowledge - key factors necessary for university readiness and career preparation;

5. That to reduce exam malpractices and encourage excellence, the NUEE should be administered or given multiple times a year, as against the once-a-year UTME syndrome we are using at the moment. This will reduce the pressure on the examiners, invigilators and also boost the record of the exam as a fairly accurate exam for university-bound students;

6. That the students' scores in the NUEE be used as the first yardstick to university admissions, for which the quota, racial, ethnic, tribal, political, gender, religious or age differences have no say;

7. That other criteria should be based on scholastic achievements and history of community service or leadership potentials;

8. That the Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS) should establish their universities in their regions. Research has shown that students admitted through the ELDS system find it difficult to cope with rigorous demands at most universities, and ultimately drop out without completing their program;

9. THAT WE ARE NOT READY Y[b]ET[/b] FOR THE COMPUTER BASED TEST.

Thank you. More coming soon.

Have a happy day.

lexzyjunny:
please i tried registering for a part time programme but d application portal is not bringing out part time option while the prospectus indicates that there s a part time mode for the program.... can i change to part time any time in d future if i apply for full time now? for application sake

No, don't. Call the Postgraduate school to know. 09090561432.

benedictuyi:
Please is attestation letter same thing as statement of result?

Depending on your institution, however they serve the same purpose. They are used , until the certificate comes in. Some even call it ' To Whom.'

And finally, it's official.
The sale of UI postgraduate forms will start this Monday, 9th of May. By then, the link on UI's postgraduate page should be live for payment instrcutions.
Let's go, people!

Ali929:
That cheap? It's the range of the school fees am talking about.

Oh no, it should be in the 120k bracket. Not sure.

Ali929:
Nice post. Do u have an idea of d fees for Msc in any science related course e.g MPH or Environmental biology.

It was N15,500 last year.

Team16:
I appreciate your input bro. I think academically my supervisor knows a talent when he sees one. The guy is a professor emeritus. I think he's seeing what I'm not seeing yet. Don't you think someone can help you discover your destiny looking at your background. Talking about skipping MSc, I have a lot friends that have done it n came out successfully. My fear is i changed from Chemistry to Chemical Engineering and now about to skip MSc to PHD in Chemical Engineering. If it had been in Chemistry I for no bother. Don't say I'm confused cos I know what I want, in MSc I would be very comfortable and excel without fear but PhD, i don’t know what lies ahead for me. That's why I need advice from people who have schooled abroad. Thanks

If you know cool luck when you see one, then you'll know this is a special type of cool luck!
PhD is damn hard; start getting prepared for the challenges of a Canadian PhD education. You won't regret it. Since your aim is an eventual PhD, it would be shameful if you decline the offer. Sorry for that word, but I don't know how else to put it.
Your supervisor saw your transcripts, he KNOWS you can cope if you can make the effort, and sir, PhD programmes (esp abroad) are designed to cater for each student.
If they think you need to take extra classes to cope with the Chem Eng, they will put them in your curr. in your first year.
Also, you'll likely write a Qualifying Exam, which they would give you the necessary materials you need to pass, cos they want you to pass!
As if that's not enough, you'll likely enjoy a full ride scholarship, covering tuition, research expenses and even a stipend. If this is not part of the package, express your concerns to your supervisor.
Whatever you do, don't take God with you, let God take you along. Very key.
Congrats!

For the academic year 2016/2017 session, we're already on the look out for UI's sale of MSc and PhD forms.

Your comments, questions and help are welcome. To kick the ball rolling, here are some highlights from last year's admission exercise. Here goes nothing.

1. The sale of forms started first week of June, 2015, and lasted for 6 weeks initially, so we should look out around that same time this year. By the way, academic MSc forms went for N15,500, while professional MSc sold for N20,500.

2. To apply, you'll need your official transcripts from your last higher institution. To save yourself from stress, apply for this transcript now and keep it. All you'll have to do when it's time is to print UI's transcript label, attach to the official transcript, and deliver it by hand at the UI Postgraduate school OR send through courier if you're not around UI.
Other documents are WASSCE certificate and NYSC Certificate of Discharge.

3. After the sale of forms, an English Proficiency Test is administered to ALL candidates. Last year's cut off was 40%.

4. From then on, the department takes charge. Depending on each department, you might be asked to come for a test, an interview, a thesis presentation or others. Some will do all, others might ask you to come for two of these, while some would only admit based on your GPA and transcripts.
You'll need to find out when it's time.

5. Relax, relax, relax.
Do what you're asked to do, and move on with life. UI's admission process will exhaust your patience, if you let it.
Admission decisions will likely come in by Jan/Feb, 2017 for 2016/2017 session.

Thank you.

educational advancement centre vacancies

simplephil:
AGE applicant drop ur WhatsApp contact so I can add u to d group

08103165588.

rabidvirus:
Please somebody should break this statement down for me..

"Have a GRE score (verbal and quantitative sections) of 1200 and a TOEFL score of 550 (paper) or 213 (computer)"

The said GRE score they used is now old. They mean 1200/1600, combined score, I. E quant/ 800 and verbal/800.
Now, it is quant/170 and verbal/170.
Try to convert from the 1600 old scale to the current 340 scale. Around 314/340.