I AGREE WITH THE BOLDED TEXTS BELOW!

Chidinho10:


No one is looking down on anybody/place/thing

If you read my last post, I inferred clearly that you can be anything you want to be irrespective of where you studied

Some people that never saw the four walls of a school are successful today. Mike Adenuga went to Pace University (not Ivy) and he is the second richest man in Nigeria today. Patoranking (who I don't think attended school) was a speaker at the recently concluded Africa Business Conference at Harvard Business School. You can be what you want to be irrespective of whether you attended school or not.

But that cannot erode the fact that an average Stanford student has more opportunities at his disposal than an average lowly ranked school student. Most companies setup recruitment offices in these top schools and all you have to do to get an interview is just by showing interest. Their career centers are top notch, and they even have specialized job websites designed for their students where companies post jobs. A competitive candidate that applies from those school-specialized job websites skips lots of processes in interviewing just because he is a student of xxxxxxxxx school. The opportunities are there and it will be very wrong of us to say otherwise.

Moving on, I encourage everyone to apply to the best schools that suits your profile. Not everyone can get into Ivies. Not everyone can get a 700+ GMAT/325+ GRE/first class GPA to get into top schools (I don't even have any of them).

If you have a 2:2, you cannot change your GPA. Ace your GRE and look for the best schools that suit your profile.

If you have a first class GPA + 290 GRE, that's one hell of an unbalanced score! Rewrite the GRE and aim higher

I've seen people here with 4.7+ GPA going to roadside MBA programs. These are people that can easily enter Harvard/Stanford/Wharton Business Schools. Why suffer yourself to a school with dead recruitment drive when you can easily enter one that can guarantee you a good job?

So irrespective of the whole scenario, we can't erode the fact that these top schools' students get better opportunities. If you can join them, great! If you don't have the profile to join, go to the best place your profile can take you too

Shalom!

YOU COULDNT HAVE SAID IT ANY BETTER!

Chidinho10:



Nice analysis from you
I must confess, I picked nice points from what you said
I'll chip in some few more points from my observations.

Yeah, it's true that the Trump era has been very difficult for international students. In fact, no one know how the situation will be in the next few years.

Irrespective of the visa situation, a large number of companies still go to these top schools to hire international students. These companies have tradition of hiring from specific schools and even with the visa issue, they still keep to this practice. I have friends from some of these schools who were hired on campus between January till date for roles in companies like Wayfair, Gartner etc. These people just practically sat in their classes and got these jobs because the companies have tradition of hiring from the schools. I'm not saying students at top schools get jobs on a platter but the opportunities at their disposal are enormous.

Companies like Palantir Technologies and McKinsey still hire and sponsor international techies in large numbers from Harvard; Google, Uber, Apple still hire internationals in large numbers from UCBerkerly; Amazon and Microsoft still hire in droves from UWash.

When you go to a target school, you'll definitely get opportunities at these top firms (which you may not get if you did not attend), and if you practice your interviewing skills well, you will definitely get an offer.

THANK YOU FOR THIS!

Chidinho10:


A school where 1 person out of 300 graduates join Intel/IBM etc is not equal to a school where >100 out of 300 graduates join IBM/Intel etc

No matter how skill-dependent IT/Engineering jobs are, you can't compare the opportunities open to an MIT/Stanford Engineering student to the opportunities open to a Bowie State University engineering student in the US. Again, LinkedIn is your friend

Let's tell ourselves the truth

The only exception I've seen with this are
1. Companies having connection with some lowly to moderately ranked schools like Howard University and other HBCUs to hire their tech graduates mainly for diversity purposes.

2. Lowly ranked to moderately schools like San Jose State University, Seattle University and Santa Clara University located in excellent locations where these companies are sited


Before misquoting me;

1. I did not say people that go to lowly ranked schools cannot find good jobs. They can, but they have to work harder than the average Stanford/MIT grad to find the jobs.

2. I did not say Howard University, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Bowie State and Seattle Universities are bad schools. In fact, they are better than most Nigerian universities but in terms of US standards, they are moderate to lowly ranked schools.

Abeg no quote me. If you no agree with my point, disagree for your mind. I no fit argue today

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Please go for top 100 schools globally.

iamlucky:
I took the test today. The verbal wasn't surprising and my strategy for AWA worked well for me.
Mine was VQVQV. The first quant was a walk in the park for me while the second one was extremely demanding and I couldn't get some questions right. In the end, unofficial scores are V154 and Q163

My profile reads:
Chemical engineering 4.65/5
1 published work (undergraduate project)
My interest include Fuel/energy engineering and process systems. Which school can I go for with this GRE score?

YoungTesla:

Ma, because you clearly do not have any knowledge whatsoever about schools in the Texas A&M System, does not make TAMUK a dead school. Rankings count to a certain extent but in the Engineering and IT world, inasmuch your school is ranked and accredited, no disrespect to VIU, it’s what you can make out of your degree(Your Skills Set) that matters.

From that same TAMUK I know a couple of Engineering Grad Students who got Summer Internship Positions with IBM, Intels, Cummins etc. LinkedIn is your friend.

All these mediocre Schools in Nigeria like Unilag do not even rank among the top 6000 tertiary institutions in the world, they can’t even compete with some schools in Kenya. Shalom.

Hey,
I know about the Texas A & M system but I wasn’t familiar with the Kingston one.

The main message I was trying to pass across was that we should shoot higher shots. I just joined nairaland and 80% of the schools people have mentioned on this thread don’t even have any ranking. In other words, these school arent worthy/accredited enough to be ranked. That’s a very big thing. A lot of people here are blinded by the fact that the schools are in the US. They don’t know that there’s no prospect in some of these schools. I’m definitely not saying it must be an Ivy League, but let it be a decent school. Top 1000 in the world should be the minimum threshold.

When did you take it?

sKeetz:


When i took mine, they allowed some guys after they showed them their toefl account and national Id card

.

LOL!
I thought Lamar was the name of Khloe Kardashians ex-husband. Then "Tamuk" sounds like a place in Edo state. Didnt know they were schools in the U.S.
Guys, I think we shouldn't just be focusing on getting out of the country. I think we should do it strategically. Think about your employability after the program. There are many of the schools that have been mentioned here that's worse that Unilag, so whats the point of spending ticket and tuition money and going to all these dead schools?

AlterEnigma:


Here goes my TRANSCRIPT


VO: tell me about your program

Me: My program is in Masters in Chemical Engineering at Tamuk. It requires 24 credit hours .. 18hours in a major and 6hrs in a minor

VO: tell me about your academic background

Me: I did chemical engineering in my undergraduate (Vo cuts in: ooh chemical engineering , i said YES) and I graduated last year July.

VO: Why didn't you do NYSC

Me: I want to focus more on my education at this point and be done with it (he smiled at this point).

VO: so what will this degree do for you..
All this while he wasn't looking at me.. but after asking this question.. He stopped and looked at me

Me: I'll be bringing my U.S degree back to Nigeria to apply for jobs(started nodding his head) at P&G, GSK ( He was just looking me in the eye and leaning closer to hear more) chevron, shell to name a few because a U.S. degree has an excellent international reputation (kept on nodding And typing) which will make me a valuable asset and give me an edge over my colleagues (just kept on nodding and nodding) when I get back to Nigeria

Vo: how many schools did you apply two

Me: 2

Vo: what was the other one

Me: Lamar uni

VO: why Tamuk

Me: I almost choked here... I chose Tamuk basically for two major reasons. 1. they offer a concentration in renewable energy which is in line with my career goal of being a specialist in energy 2. They now have a natural gas dept which is combined with the chemical engineering dept and spearheaded by the same director. Dr. ******** whom I called and confirmed from

VO: whose sponsoring you

Me: my dad

Thank you for this...

Newman1010:


@ the highlighted statement, kindly confirm where you got that information from.

Till then, @hilaryxoxo, kindly ensure that you put up a good application. Be clear on your purpose of visit, ties to home country, assets if you have any, your parents property can help. Also ensure your previous study/ current job is in line with the MFIN program, explain all gaps, share your travel history, share your after study plan and show proof that the loan can be paid with what you intend to do in Nigeria.

Lastly pray, pray and continue to pray

Come back here in two months to share your testimony.

.

Thanks for this.

Newman1010:


Everything you stated above applies to everyone applying for study permit. Starting from showing good home ties to good job prospects. It all has to do with putting up a very good application. I feel there is no need to make him feel that his/her chances are slim because of the loan. How many people can afford to pay 80k CAD without a loan? Like every other applicant, he/she should put up a good application and the chances of getting approved is same as every other person on this journey.
People submit good applications and get rejected while some others submit weak applications (plus lies) and get approved.

THEY WILL NEVER ALLOW YOU TO WRITE TOEFL WITHOUT YOUR PASSPORT. That was why they closed down the center in Ogunlana, Surulere - after they found them compromising the rules. You sef, why didn't you renew your passport on time. It's your fault. Say bye-bye to your 45k.

sKeetz:


Go with your driving license plus the username and password to your toefl account. Plead with them, they will listen to you once they confirm that you are not impersonating the real test taker.

ernie4life:



Yes the fund is new and will bear certain regulatory cost at the initial offer,
in fact its estimated at 1.78% of the offer size,
lets assume the funds performs a minimum of 6% in the first year,
if you take into account the initial regulatory fees that will be 6% - 1.78%= 4.22% that means the fund will surely break even


Also take into account the increase in demand for dollar denominated investments in Nigeria which is evident in way that FG euro bonds have seen an over subscription, there is a high tendency that this fund would be over subscribed which will reduce the effect of the initial regulatory fees.

I absolutely disagree!!! You cannot compare the demand of an FGN eurobond to that of a mutual fund eurobond - especially considering the fact that its from Investment One. If it was an investment house like stanbic, i can understand. but investment one Nah bro. I advice you not to enter now.

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OBAGADAFFI:


Did you read the question asked very well?

Did the person ask the question well?

I am seeing a lot of posts on this new investment one dollar fund...

Let me advise you based on experience. If you want to invest in a dollar fund aka Eurobond fund, DO NOT INVEST IN A NEW FUND! I REPEAT, DO NOT INVEST IN A NEW FUND!

The reason is this;

The fund is new, they have a lot of initial and regulatory fees that they are going to pay - this means that the rate you would get won't be as competitive as what's obtainable in the market. The fund won't even breakeven until about 6 months - 1 year - depending on the fund managers capability.

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Chidinho10:



Great!
I will reply to your PM ASAP

1. Being a level 3 candidate is a big one!

2. The extra time to plan your apps is also an added advantage

3. Don't let average admission statistics scare you. Yeah those programs are insanely competitive but coming from an African background and being a female (I guess so) are also advantages on up our side. If you check class stats, you'll discover that Africans make up an very small percentage of their class. They want a diverse class and they may want to go below their "standards" to get someone with a unique background in. These schools want to tell the whole world how diverse they are. You can be a case study for them lol. Also, there are very very few females in Finance. So having that too is an advantage for diversity. If you're male, I worries, you are still African lol.

4. But getting that diversity slot is not easy. You have to plan strategically. I'll suggest you try and show passion in your applications. Make sure ALL the admissions officers know you in person. Keep regular conversations with them (at least 3 mails per week and 1 Skype conversation every two weeks). Ask them intelligent questions (not questions on their FAQ). Also discuss your weak academic profile with them and tell them how passionate you are about attending their program. This strategy helped me to get into some very competitive programs and I'll share my email conversations with you.

5. MSFE at Columbia is great. If that's your only wonderful admission offer, you can augment your family contribution with some student loans. Job placements are strong and with good work on your side, you can get a decent job and repay your loans fast.

6. Baruch is not a big name college but their finance program is one of the best on the market and very competitive to enter. If getting a job is your main goal, Baruch is okay. It has location advantage and a very huge reputation. Check Wallstreetoasis and GMATclub for reviews

7. If competition is the reason you're scared of FE, I think you should try it out (smiles). At the end of the day, your main goal is getting a nice job, not competing with some Chinese folks lol.

8. Nah... I'm not proficient in C++. I initially wanted to learn it and follow the FE route but I changed my plans and followed another career path.

Will reply your PM

WOW! Thank you so much for this! Please check your PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

khennybado:
I learnt there is a way people package TOEFL or ielts with one just paying without writing the exam in person...anyone heard of such?

You better pay your 45k, read your textbook and go to write the exam.

sKeetz:


98

I was aiming for a 110

How did you prepare?
What materials did you use?