₦airaland Forum

I just hope I don't oversleep tonight. Stay strong, people.

Just had my phone interview. Lasted about 23 minutes. It was fair in my opinion. Good luck to y'all awaiting yours.

jtech:
pls wen was ur status last reviewd b4 d fone intaview invyt...

I don't know how to check that, I'm afraid. If you could tell me how, I'll do so.

unclecycs:
phone call stage achieved ...hopeful

Hi, how was your phone interview? What sort of questions were you asked?

ratigan:
are you also for trainee?

Yeah. Management Trainee - Manufacturing. Were you also scheduled for an interview?

Got scheduled for a phone interview on Monday. Anyone got any idea about the nature of the interview, questions and all?

annabee:
To God be the glory, Visa approved this morning @ Lagos consulate.
White man @ Window 7 interviewed me.

VO: good morning ma'am
Me: good morning
VO: why are you going to the US
Me: For Masters degree
VO: Are you married
Me: Yes
VO: do you have kids
Me: yes, two kids
VO: how old are they?
Me : 3 & 4
VO: why do you decide to go back to school
Me: I was offered a job to manage one of my husband's companies in Abuja. Managing over 50 staff is a huge responsibility and I wouldn't want to fail him.
VO: Who will take care of your kids
Me: my mom and they will visit during holidays.
VO: I am going to give you back your I20. Your visa has been approved.

No documents asked. All glory to God for his grace and favor. Interview was in about 2mins.

Happy for you, dear. God be with you and prosper your endeavors over there.

imperiouxx: My brother, please bear with me. I'm always on the move but I will reply you today. It's just 8:43 am now.

I applied for a B1/B2 visa and have an interview coming up on Thursday (9/11/2013). This is my first time and as such, I need a couple clarifications:
-I'm currently serving and I made that known in my application. Got an approved leave letter from my boss. Would that hold up when they ask what my home ties are?
-I'm going on the strength of an American friend's invitation. He is going to foot the entire bill from the round trip plane ticket to the cost of my stay there. He's a tax-paying citizen with a well-paying job. Would that raise any red flag with them?
-Should he send his the letter of invitation, his affidavit of sponsorship, his bank statement, etc, directly to the consulate or to me?

Please, I'd appreciate your response and that of the house in general. Bless up.

tzetzefly: You say you're currently serving i.e. NYSC. And have you been permitted for this foreign trip at this time?

Only a close relative can effectively sponsor your trip from abroad.

I am sorry, your friend is not in that category.

Yeah, I have been permitted. Thanks for the clarification.

I applied for a B1/B2 visa and have an interview scheduled for next month. This is my first time and as such, I need a couple clarifications:
-I'm currently serving and I made that known in my application. Would that hold up when they ask what my home ties are?
-I'm going on the strength of an American friend's invitation. He is going to foot the entire bill from the round trip plane ticket to the cost of my stay there. He's a tax-paying citizen with a well-paying job. Would that raise any red flag with them?
-Should he send his the letter of invitation, his affidavit of sponsorship, his bank statement, etc, directly to the consulate or to me?

Please, I'd appreciate your response.

tzetzefly: For now travel someplace else with your family. Apply together again on a future date.

I applied for a B1/B2 visa and have an interview scheduled for next month. This is my first time and as such, I need a couple clarifications:
-I'm currently serving and I made that known in my application. Would that hold up when they ask what my home ties are?
-I'm going on the strength of an American friend's invitation. He is going to foot the entire bill from the round trip plane ticket to the cost of my stay there. He's a tax-paying citizen with a well-paying job. Would that raise any red flag with them?
-Should he send his the letter of invitation, his affidavit of sponsorship, his bank statement, etc, directly to the consulate or to me?

Please, I'd appreciate your response.

DanjaNinja: Not entirely true, You can pay with Mastercard via Paypal. ETS accepts paypal.

My bad. Thanks for the clarification.

ebdib: @igbonerd there's also manhattan free online test but
It's very hard.

For simulation, powerprep is the best. They update powerprep every 3 or 4 months so the one you took is probably dated now.

Usually your score in powerprep mirrors your actual score in this way.
Your verbal score increases by 2-3
Your quantitative decreases by 1-3

Analytical writing just use Kaplan and cram their strategies. Man those guys are excellent in writing tips. Don't bother to be creative. Infact if you're creative you'll lose points. Don't form soyinka. Be as boring, prolix as possible and go straight to the point. You'll get at least 4.5.
Also make your essay as long as possible. Paragraph well. I recommend at least 4 heavy paragraphs with solid thesis breakdown by points

My observation and what I read from grad café.

Thanks. Clicked around in grad café but couldn't get any resource recommendation for the Analytical Writing, so your counsel is really timely. I'm indebted for that. As for the powerprep, I'd try to download the updated version as soon as I happen on a good WiFi network.

Always known Kaplan to be very explicatory in their resource materials. My GRE isn't until October so I plan to start reading (or roting) for the Analytical Writing a month before. Thanks for the heads-up, my good man. Any additional study tip would be intensely appreciated.

francisabuah: then wat next after getting the visa card,will a master card do too? I just wanna a complete info on how do do about it if u can give me in details.

ETS doesn't accept Master card for Nigerian test takers; you'd need a Visa card. I got mine from First Bank and it cost me #2,000 and less than a week to do so.

I should alert you that because there are only three centers in Lagos, and we're just entering a fresh admission window, seats for the GRE are filling up really fast. As I type this, the earliest date you available is October 26. Or maybe even later. Another alternative is registering to take the exam in another state: Port Harcourt or Abuja.

I'm forewarning you because I'm presuming you're working with the December 15 deadline, else there's no rush. Lemme know if you need any clarification.

ebdib: When I wrote the Gre,
I got a 166V 168Q 5Aw
You can do it too.

If you're in a math based field, it might be easier to hit 170 in quants. I really should have scored 170 if in was more careful. So you have to watch out for those tiny annoying mistakes.
Verbal was easy for me but really wasn't expecting 166. Powerprep range was 162-163. I ended up with 166.
So yes it's certainly doable.

Btw have you taken Powerprep?

First I must give you due deference by prostrating: ____O_
Those scores are really fantastic. I'm a graduate of Electrical/Electronic Engineering, and believe I'm generally better at math than verbal (like the average engineering student, lol).

Anyways, I took the powerprep sometime last year. I had no idea what it was at the time, so I took both tests I and II under untimed conditions. In hindsight, I regret it because I can't take it again to ascertain my readiness and performance level. Please, do you know of any other tests I may use in lieu of the ETS powerprep? Secondly, how did you prepare for the Analytical Writing (your scores are pretty ace)? Lastly, have you secured any admission yet? I'm appreciative of your interest. Bless.

dafemlions: GRE is about 185 dollars and if you have a Nigerian Mastercard or visa card, you can register yourself online. you can find more information from https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/faq/#faq601

Only Visa card is accepted for Nigerian test takers. The registration can only be done on a PC, not a phone or tablet.

missdebs: coming soon.....quotes from spartacus on leadership and bleeping skills

We await with lubricious eagerness.

ebdib: You say it like it's so easy.
I like your determination though.

If you want very good scores, know your weakness early and start working towards it.
Generally Nigerian students have poorer verbal than math but not always the case.

You can use manhattan prep.
reassess your score target. Less than
00001% of people who write the exam get perfect scores. So you don't get demoralized when things don't work out.
Goodluck

Thanks a lot for your response. I like to overstretch my goals, ensures my performance is way above average. Besides I took the GRE in my 400L (2011) and got 161 & 164 on the Verbal and Quant respectively, so I'm hoping to improve tremendously on those scores.

I'm done with the Manhattan Prep. It was quite engaging, to be honest; particularly the Advanced Quant section. I'm looking for other resource and would be obliged if you could recommend. Bless you.

mimiy05: abeg wht steps do u take if you have a request letter from a private company. is there a place where u can submit in camp?

Usually, no. Standard posting policy permits corps members to work in one of four places:
1. Schools (Private or public)
2. Agricultural establishments
3. Ministries and government parastatals
4. Local governments
Special consideration are given to doctors (and others along the medical line) and lawyers. They get to work in hospitals and chambers respectively.

Word around now is that this policy is would be revoked come the next batch (August, 2014), so you just might have your dream come true.

berryB: i have plans of serving in lag come aug 5th, i hv aunts in lag but i will like to find accomdatio n live solo..pls whats d average cost of renting a self contained room in lag

Depends on what part of Lagos you're looking at, really. It ranges from about #50,000/year in hoods like Ikotun to somewhere around #400,000/year on the island. Answer certain questions first before deciding: Are you certain of a gainful employment? Would you be willing to split the cost (and consequently put up) with a friend? Do the cons of staying with your aunt outweigh the pros? Only then can you make the wisest decision.

I need a recommendation as to the best resource to use for my GRE preparation. My exam is scheduled for October, and I'm gunning for perfect scores in both the Quant and the Verbal.

kenkool: please is 146 verbal nd 154 quat on gre gud enuf to get funding?

That depends on the course you hope to go in for and the school you're looking to apply to. Generally, engineering would require much higher scores, especially in the quantitative section.
I'd advise that you look up the university's website to see their funding criteria.