₦airaland Forum

Scholastica16:
PTDF stage Two

...Ater consulting all consultables I applied to Iowa State University. I was conflicted initially because the app fee was $100 and I had limited time but something told me to press on and I did. Exactly 7 days after the grad prog directed emailed me to say 2 Professors saw my profile, liked it and wanted to have a Skype Interview with me. That interview was scheduled few days after his email and I spoke with a very intelligent CALTECH grad of a Professor for something like 18mins. At the end of that chat, he told me straight-up that he wanted to work with me. That is the summary of how I got into Iowa State.

Congrats on the admit! Your perseverance is exemplary... Have a great semester!!!

babiepraiz:
UG GPA: 3.87/5.0 (WES evaluation no gree ontop my windows phone)

B.Sc Industrial chemistry but planning to switch to M.Sc or P.hD Chemical Engineering with research interest in catalysis or Renewable energy (biofuels)..

Publication: Nil
Experience: Nil

Schools am interested in

Purdue University (Ph.D)
New Mexico State University
Oklahoma State University
Rutgers University.

Advice from our seniors are really appreciated

Cc: drhappyday
Scholastica16
Hirschfielder
Time2smile
Happyday
Sirriddy
dremanuel
OluDare01

Your response and advice would really be appreciated. Thanks...

I think this post has been sufficiently dealt with. I would just like to add though that it is not uncommon for people to switch from Chemistry/Industrial chemistry to Chemical Engineering. It's great that you have identified the schools to which you'd like to apply. All you have to do is check what the prerequisite course requirements are for those without undergraduate degrees in Chem Engg. (it's usually stated on the department's application page). You could also ask the graduate coordinators directly.
Usually, you need to have done some calculus courses and probably some basic ChE courses like chemical thermodynamics. I'm not quite sure it's necessary to obtain prerequisites by doing a pgd, check with the schools first.
Get the necessary info from the schools you have chosen, prepare well for your GRE and package your application well.

PS- Most core chemical engineering grad courses are Math-heavy (Usually intermediate-level Maths, which is not too difficult if you have some calculus background)
A lot of research in ChE is chemistry-heavy, so you would be right at home in that regard.

Good luck with your applications!!!

Scholastica16:
Hirschfelder, how is it over there? What is your experience thus far?

I guess I can say it has been nice, thanks. Some of the classes are rather fast paced-we practically covered an entire (Nigerian) semester's work in 3 weeks or so. The lecturers are very nice and super helpful-so far. The classroom experience is nice, we are like 4-6, so everyone must contribute.
The research is nice, but could be better. Abstract concepts dumped on one, with little time to get to fully understand before the next research meeting. Loads of homeworks, some of which can pass off as mini-projects back home, to do. But the professors will generally help if you ask for it. The exams we have done so far are very fair, but of course one has to prepare well
There is a nice-sized and helpful African community here. Helped with the integration. I can't offer much commentary on the social scene, I don't go out much, but I guess it's pretty chill (or so my housemate says). Kansas is a very laid back state anyways, and the locals seem nice.
Overall, I will say the experience has been nice, kind of what I expected.

NB: For ChE guys coming, if you can make out space in your luggage, come with your Fogler and BSL textbooks, they will most likely be your recommended texts for Reaction and Transport.

Scholastica16:
Are you applying for a direct PhD or Masters in either school? Be careful; even though the app fees are waived, you'd still send official score reports of GRE and/or TOEFL.

Schools that habitually waive app fees tend to reject apps the same way. They have an angle they are working from which has been discussed on this thread in the past.

Miracles happen but as a matter of principle, try to guage the profiles of those rejected and accepted via Grad cafe to know if it is worth the headache. Without a Masters these days some of those top schools are hard to get in. But you could get the masters admit and be fully-funded. It is not unheard of.

All the best.

Yeah, seems like most of them want to boost their 'selective status'. But a school that waives a fee fro someone could serve as a safe option especially if they have research you are interested in. Just be sure to contact potential advisors.
Actually, I think schools that waive fees generally accept unofficial scores for evaluation, the few I know of anyway...

akatovic1:
My problem with some of these schools like Renssalaer poly is that they require official transcript. Don't they know it requires money to request transcripts. God help us all.

Yeah, sending transcripts is a bummer. But Rensselaer and Notre Dame don't need either your transcripts or official GRE for a complete application, at least for ChE. All that it requires is upload of transcripts and unofficial scores. So, costs nothing apart from letters of recommendation, which may be sometimes tough to get.
Nevada also doesn't require official things, but if they recommend you for admission you have to send them before they send your offer. Vanderbilt requires official scores for evaluation, not transcripts and Ohio U requires everything just to evaluate.
That's about all the free schools I know. When in doubt, mail the grad coordinators. Good luck

Guitarlife:
Do you mean the GRE or GPA when you said 90th percentile ?

I meant GRE. But it all depends on the school I guess, doesn't necessarily have to be 90th percentile. Ohio U is 80th percentile or so, if I remember correctly, for ChE

MasterforceII:
Please how exactly does one request for an application fee waiver?

Nevada has a fee waiver for qualified engineering PhD applicants. You only need to send your unofficial test scores to an email address listed on their website. Check to see if you qualify. I am only sure about Ohio university's chemical engineering PhD program. You just need to send your test scores to an email listed on their site too. Check other engineering departments, the same may apply.
On another note, if you have really high scores (close to 90th percentiles) and you don't already have fee waivers from U of Notre Dame and Rensselaer Poly Institute, send a mail to the grad coordinators, with your scores, and ask if you are eligible. These last two schools are very good, worth trying if you have nice scores. Good luck.

akatovic1:
However my result came out thus
AWA- waiting
Verbal- 157
Quantitative-166
I was unhappy and disappointed and I feel I messed up because I expected more(when MIT is drawing you wetin you go do na), however in all things I give thanks. But one thing I learnt is to prepare better
I had to change schools like MIT and introduce plan B schools like;
University of Texas Austin
Texas A and M university
University of Notre Dame
Colorado School of Mines ( na confusion make me add this one)
My profile goes thus;
School: One big school like that for eastern Nigeria
Discipline: Mechanical Engineering
Target: msc/PhD
CGPA: 4.53
Now let the writing of Statement of Purpose begin , I can not come and be going at the same time
Please your advice will be appreciated by me and I trust God to take us there in Jesus NameM

Congrats! Nice scores. You could still apply to top top schools like MIT and Caltech if you have considerable research experience. Just make sure you reach out to potential advisors.
I don't know much about Mechanical Engineering but maybe add Vanderbilt to your list; it's free after all. Your first three schools are quite selective (you probably knew that already). Add some good engineering schools like Penn State, UT Knoxville and Michigan State for safety. Good luck!

Whosentyou:
U of Utah app fee is 65$ and John Hopkins GRE scores are too high...imagine 5.5 for AWA. Am actually applying for PhD

Sorry, my bad. Maybe things have indeed changed.

Whosentyou:
I have applied to 4 schools already with application fees. I need to apply more. Please can someone help me with schools without application fees for engineering? Thanks in advance

You can check Vanderbilt, though you have to send official scores. Also, if you have good GRE scores and TOEFL/IELTS scores, you can request for an application fee waiver from University of Ohio and University of Nevada, Reno.
Some schools have relatively cheap application fees for engineering. Check U of Utah ($15) and Johns Hopkins U ($25). Good luck with your applications!


NB: All these are based on Fall, 2017 application cycle and Chemical Engineering. Though I believe it's the same for other engineering courses and hasn't changed.

Scholastica16:
I have really been busy and I would still be... till the 15th atleast. I am grateful for all the congratulatory messages and I would endeavour to respond to each and everyone of them in due time.

PS; Fall of next year is too far for me.

Congrats on the PTDF!!! I trust you will make the best decision with it... Big congratulations to all the other successful PTDF scholars!!! Wish you guys all the best...

Greatmayok:
Hello house,

I have a Bachelors and Masters degree in Agricultural Economics.
I am planning to write my GRE later this year. I intend to apply for a PhD in Agric Economics in the US.

Kindly advise me on Universities in the US that provides a full tuition waiver and Graduate Assistantships in the field of Agricultural Economics.

Thanks.

Hello.. Your best bet will be to carry out the research by yourself. You can try gradcafe, type in your course and you can get a rough estimate of schools that fund and their general admission requirements based on past results posted. I don't know much about your program, but you can check schools in the MidWest like Iowa State U, Michigan State U and Kansas State U among many others. They usually have big agriculture related programs...

atiteb4:
Guys with good gre scores, i think you should all try doing your masters first in Saudi Arabia especially the engineering students . I heard they offer full msc scholarships especially king Fahd University. I know of a senior who did his masters in king Fahd university and he's now doing his PhD in university of Guelph Canada. It seems the visa processing to Saudi Arabia is also easy. Then after your msc, u can cross to the USA. It will be very easy from there. Will be doing my gre next year by God grace. Am scared though but i will try it. All the best guys. We will all succeed

You are quite right. It is a good platform for crossing over to the west. The visa processing is easy but these days, it can take a lot of time for your visa to be sent to you even after being admitted (months-years). This may derail your plans. For those planning to apply to Saudi or related Middle East countries, I would advise you to either make it your alternative option (because you may not be issued visa early) or apply very early, like in your final year or immediately you finish your BSc (there are usually two application cycles in a year). This is so that before you finish NYSC, everything will be ready.
For those with competitive GRE scores, you can try KAUST. It is a very nice (relatively) new school with excellent funding and top research facilities. But it is super hard for Africans to get in. Apply anyway, it's free and you might be the exception.
On a side note, the admissions committee really doesn't care whether you are Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Agnostic or whatever....I think

OtorHope:
All in all score came out..
Vr-157.. Qr-162.. Awa-4...
Expected a lot better especially in qr but perhaps I made silly mistakes....

Need advice generally
Considering MS/PHD in US
Chemical engineering
Cgp: 4.78
Gre: 319
No much work experience and little research experience..
Ambitious and safe options all welcomed

Congrats! You have great scores and a nice GPA which should help you a lot. Try and research individual programs before you submit your application.
To add to all what has been said earlier, I would like to give a word of advice to future applicants, try as much as you can to get information on the number of students each program admits and what percentage are international students. This can help you make better school selection choices. Some graduate coordinators will readily give this information, some departmental websites show it and sites like grad cafe can give you a feel of cohort sizes.
Generally, you might want to look at large-average size departments. The competition is still tough but better odds than say a dept that recruits only 5 students each year.
You still have a lot of time, so research properly. Wish you all the best with your applications.

Mathano:
Bosses in the house, Please I need safe schools that grant scholarship for Msc/phd computer science in the united states.
My GRE score is 316, CGPA(4.43/5) and I have one year working experience.

Great scores you have here. Congrats!!! Nice GPA too. Just try and package your application very well...All the best.

tizentos:
I gave my GRE test on 17th of August( last Thursday). Here is a short transcript of how it went.

Verbal : 152
Quant: 160

I was surprised cuz I wasn't in my ideal mind throughout the test, but I can not but to thank God.

#teamFall2018

Congrats! Your scores are great and quite competitive. I would advise you to thoroughly research your schools/programs before you apply....if you haven't already sone so...

Scholastica16:
Thanks to you both and congrats Hirschfelder, on the visa. Still heading to Kansas or did MIT finally come around to begging you to attend their institution?

Lmao, I wish. Still heading to Kansas. I was outrightly rejected or waitlisted then ultimately rejected from the other schools (Upenn, UVa, Notre Dame, Rensselear and Utah). So, yeah mixed application season!
Good luck to those waiting for positive news!!!

Scholastica16:
As most know, I applied to 8 schools. Michigan State and Uni of Houston were my preferred destinations in that order and for obvious reasons: Michigan state was the highest rated of the schools I applied to whilst Uni of Houston posed (In my opinion) the best connections to the oil and gas industry based on its location and proximity to the oil Hub.

5 schools rejected me in this order: LSU, UNM, KSU (which reminds me, has Hirschfelder gotten his visa ?) UUtah, and then UH. UH came in April or May but I would hazard a guess and say mid April. It shook me to my bones especially because some Iranian with this profile (GRE 307 AWA 3.5, TOEFL 94, GPA 3.27/4, no publications) posted on grad cafe that he was accepted and fully funded for the same PhD program I opted for.

I tried to do a bit of research as to why most of my apps had fallen through but a few of the feedbacks I got centered on not finding an advisor or the acceptance process being more holistic than stats. (Absolute hogwash if you ask me) and I would say why.

So a friend of mine in Houston (MSc Chemical Engineering) told me his supervisor is Iranian and those who can count their teeth with their tongues know what I am trying to imply. I am not alone; someone ranted about UCBerkeley and pretty much said nothing thorough was done in selecting the PhDs for a particular program he applied for. So people are advised not to get disillusioned when some schools inexplicably reject their apps.

Anyways, moving on to something more positive. Michigan State accepted me on the 22nd of May but as I type this, they have proferred no word on funding. I had hoped to post here as soon as it was made available but I missed this thread and felt the need to keep you guys in the loop.
.

First, congrats on your Michigan State acceptance. Well deserved and I'm positive funding info will be sent soon.
Admissions get increasingly more competitive each year (I heard) and I think any negative feedback reflects more on the quality of applicants than on your abilities. Hopefully, your final schools will come through also. Your contingency plans (hopefully not needed) also sound very solid.
Yes, I got my visa...
All in all, congrats and wish you all the best. You have been quite inspirational here!!!

DexxyAlebs:
I hope you don't mind sending Mansfield Park (thesaurus version) to my mail please?

Boladealeb@gmail.com

Thank you

Sorry, I do not have the e-book.

aamstih:
Please as regards reading from sources like the Economist and New York Times inorder to get to see GRE words used in context and also get used to those obstruse passages, what sections on those sources do you advise I read? Thank you

Time2smile
hirschfelder
drhopeful

I didn't read from any of these sources, so I cannot help here. But, the Magoosh App uses GRE words in context which makes it very useful. On a side note, if you like classic literature, it can help too provided you still have time. I read Mansfield Park (thesaurus version) before my exam and a lot of GRE words were used colloquially which makes them easy to remember.

GucciOluwa:
I took GRE two months ago and it was disappointing to say the least. Scores were:
139 Quant, 147 Verbal and 3.5 AWA.
I am presently studying to rewrite on the 28th of August, Any help on how to improve my scores?
Thanks in advance.

It's good that you are considering re-writing. A lot of tips have been given on this forum and they all have something in common- practice and more practice (with the right materials- ETS and Manhattan are the best IMO). Check the very first page of this thread, it has a lot of information. If you could go through this post by TIme2Smile, it would help greatly too (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-ii97JplpxMTVhRZGplOEhPaVE/view?usp=sharing)
Wish you all the best as you re-write!

mfarad:
My GRE experience:
Reported scores...

Quant- 157 (3 points below target of 160)
Verbal- 152 (again, 3 points below the target of 155, lower than all my practice tests. Well, I didn't prep for it, couldn't complain)
AWA- 3.5 (about 15 days later, so my essay was Indian esque)

Very comprehensive report, and nice scores. Congrats!!! You have done half of the job. Now, try to research your programs well and apply to schools that best match your profile...

Time2Smile:
I guess that is it from me for this application season.

I have been accepted to the Molecular and Cell Biology PhD program of The University of Texas at Dallas with a Graduate Tuition Scholarship that covers all tuition and fees. In addition, I will receive a very generous stipend through Graduate Teaching Assistantship.

I only contacted the Graduate coordinator on April 14 and submitted my application on May 1st when the schools were trying to play cello with my future.

I appreciate everyone that has been asking after my application status. It has been arduous, but the difficulty pales in comparison to the sweet taste of success. For those still expecting a decision, don't lose hope. #TeamFall2017 Yes we can.

This is neat! Congrats!!!

MasterforceII:
Good day good people of this thread. Good to be here. I must say, reading your GRE success stories and admission stories has done a lot to inspire me on my quest for admission come Fall 2018.
I am making assiduous preparations to take the GRE in 2-3 months time. Everybody says the Manhattan 5lb is the best practice text for Quantitative. Infact, you are not going to score 160+ in the quantitative section if you do not practice with the Manhattan 5lb. Although the aim is a perfect 170 in the quantitative, my verbal still needs a bit of work. Unfortunately, I have seen some not so good reviews for the Manhattan texts especially in the TCs and SEs sections. However, I am taking it upon myself to improve my vocabulary on my own through voracious reading on sites such as theatlantic, newyorker, naulitus as well as vocabulary.com and quizlet.com as prescribed by various GRE forums online. My question is thus: Is there any such practice text for the verbal that is as "standard" as the manhattan 5lb text where there are a myraid of practice questions that are of GRE standard?

Nice work. Unfortunately, I doubt there is any 'standard' verbal text. The best ones, in my opinion, are the official verbal guides; though the questions aren't too much. Use the official guides, kaplan wordlists and magoosh app for vocab development and I think you'd be fine.

revenant:
I personal dont see it as a tough call, if you are given admission into a top school with full funding for your PhD program and then you don't know your supervisor yet, I think there is a problem. When are you going to build rapport with him or her? when are you going to develop research plan?. If I were her, I will go with U of Virginia, reason because she had already developed a relationship with that advisor which is what PhD is all about.

It's not necessarily a problem. There is more than enough time to develop a rapport with your supervisor...

drhopeful:
I might sound crazy but after 2 sleepless nights of thorough contemplation, I think I will have to resign the Penn State appointment.

Sorry for my long speech this hot Sunday afternoon!

Tough decision to make. Obviously you have thoroughly weighed all your options and decided on the best! Quite nice and enlightening. Wish you all the best!!!

drhopeful:
Second offer from University of Virginia. Fully funded with a research fellowship + RAship. Rather late because I already accepted Penn State after waiting on Virginia for soooooo long. Spoke with my super nice POI from Virginia and he really wants to work with me and putting me in a big fix. Lol. Oh! And I already have my I-20 from Penn and paid SEVIS. Ah well... I don't know.


Scholastica16, how far for your end?

Congrats!!! This is a nice fix to be in..lol

RexCheeng:
Recently took the GRE.

The test day was overwhelming!
I had QVQVQ; my dream format, and I proceeded to tackling the question. I cannot overemphasize the effect of adequate practice. I had almost no problem with pacing, even though I saw a few TOUGH traps disguised as questions. I was not so lucky with the verbal section. The Devil himself assisted ETS in setting the questions. Even the TC and SE I though I was good at, they proved to be too hot to handle. I barely had time to finish my last RC set and I had to make lucky guesses. I then had my break; quickly devouring my meal and from my conversation with other test takers, ETS was just in a bad mood that day. The second quant was quite tougher as expected, and I did my best and readily moved on to the verbal section; which seemed relatively easier, same as the last Quant.
I reported scores; 163Q, 157V.
Sent scores to four schools (major key).
And I left feeling elated.

You did great. Congrats!!! Wish you all the best with your applications.....

shayhune:
And that's how I got a mail from my grad cord yesterday that I had been awarded tuition waiver and graduate assistantship blablabla.... All glory to God.

This is nice. Congrats!!!

drhopeful:
And it's Penn State breaking the ice!!!!! Acceptance with full funding for first year. Subsequent funding dependent on 3.0gpa blah blah and availability of funding..... Now I am relieved!!!! Thank you guys for all the encouragement!!!

This is nice. Congrats.....

iCool:
Decision 3/5

University of Houston, An ACCEPTANCE.


Accepted in the 3 decisions received so far - I am humbled...


Got a $1k scholarship and in-state tuition.

Congrats.....

adetola007:
Congrats on your admission and funding. I want to know the secrets you used to shoot up your score from 310 to 332. I'll probably do my MSc elsewhere then target Fall 19 for PhD in Chemical Engineering. I have to have a gangster score like yours by then.
Ps: my gre score is 312 and I have virtually all the necessary gre materials. Thanks

Thanks, man. Really, there are no secrets. Just practise, practise, practise with RELEVANT materials as many people have posted here many times. For my first test, I used only Princeton Review, and did no practice tests, 3 weeks max. For the second, I used Manhattan, Kaplan, ETS guides and full length practice tests, over 2 months. So, I think practise and greater preparation time helped.
Btw, I am quite optimistic you would get in for PhD in this cycle too..All the best