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 Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 4:57pm On Jun 03 |
IW appointments are running into November 2024 in Lagos (June/July in Abuja) and in-person appointments are running into September/October 2025. Your only hope to get a July 2024 appointment is via emergency appointment. And your excuse for an emergency appointment has got to be very, very, very convincing. freshStarz: |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 4:53pm On Jun 03 |
Do you mean FTE jobs at Kent State or GA positions and what do you mean by black friendly (i.e. admit black students, high black student proportion, or does racism/discrimination exist)? Nigerian or African students at Kent State may be best placed to answer your questions. Their African Student Association has a facebook page. The link to the FB group on the student affairs website is below https://www.kent.edu/csi/kent-african-student-association They also have an instagram page. You can send a FB or instagram message to one of the executive members or look through their member list and send a message to anyone who has a last name that could be Nigerian. However, I urge you to be as clear as possible in your questions as non-specific questions will likely not elicit a response. liliberth: 1 Like |
| Travel / Re: USA Visit Visa Part 4 by JohnZak: 4:03pm On May 18 |
I scheduled my mum's IW appointment this week. I submitted the appointment request on Tuesday and was approved to schedule the next day. The earliest available IW date in Lagos as at Wednesday of this week was October 31, 2024. Again, this is for IW appointments and not visa appointments that require a physical interview. adenikeO: 1 Like |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 8:53pm On May 17 |
Include the applicant's MBA degree on the DS-160 if the applicant indeed has an MBA. It is not uncommon for one to change courses or career trajectories over time. However, the applicant should be willing to convincingly articulate to the VO why they want to go for the proposed course despite already having an MBA and the lack of relevance this degree has to their new course or program. naijachic: |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 10:13pm On May 01 |
The new DS2019 issued by ECFMG should cover you then. PS. the other poster consistently calls himself "USA immigration lawyer apprentice" but has no idea about what he talks about half the time. Just ignore him!. LookingUntoHIM: 4 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 9:26pm On May 01 |
Hi, I suggest that you ignore the last poster. He is well-known here for these types of antics. He does not realize that international medical graduates (IMGs) doing a US residency can do their residency on a J1 or H1B. He also does not know that IMG residents can get a Conrad waiver to waive the 2yr home residency requirement. It is very easy for anyone to copy and paste from a website onto Nairaland and sound like they know what they are talking about. It is harder to understand the nuances of the visa information that is contained on those websites. This is often where the last poster gets stuck. I was never on a J2 but I did my masters and PhD on F1 and residency and a fellowship on J1. Regarding availability of dates in Nigeria, this issue seems to be common. If you read some pages back, folks have discussed this and how they eventually got over this. It seems it takes a couple of days to a few weeks to get a date confirmation. You may also want to email the consulate in Abuja or Lagos and inform them of your situation and see if they can help expedite this. Since it appears that you qualify for an IW in Nigeria, you may not need any docs but I suggest that you have your DS2019 that shows you are in valid status as a dependent of a J1 holder and preferably a letter from your wife’s program director showing that she is still in residency (similar to an employment verification letter), and her paystubs may be helpful. Since you have an EAD, I presume that you are working. If you are working, you should have proof of your employment, SSN, and paystubs. I never renewed in Nigeria. I always renewed in Canada or Mexico. Those are alternative locations. My only concern is that since you wife is about to start a fellowship, It probably means that her residency finishes on 6/30. If your interview is between now and 6/30, a VO reviewing a renewal application with a DS2019 that shows an end date of 6/30 (2 months away) may find this problematic. Does she have a DS2019 from the fellowship program? If she has the new DS2019 from the new program, then make sure you take that along with her appointment letter showing a start date of 7/1 (the date most fellowships start). and the new end date (probably 6/30/26) Also, since your visa expired less than 48 months ago but your wife is on a J1 which was for three years, it means you were probably on another visa before the J2 or your wife was on a J1 in another program before residency and you were her J2 dependent then. Either way, just make sure that you have the right immigration paperwork to account for the visa and period before residency. Those are the kinds of things that may lead an applicant to be called in for a 221g interview. Lastly, visa renewals are never guaranteed. Although renewals are likely to be approved, especially if there is nothing adverse in your immigration history, there is always a non-zero percentage that your application will be rejected. Nobody wants to hear this but consider what you will do if your renewal application is rejected and you can’t go back to the US immediately. Good luck! LookingUntoHIM: 2 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 12:23pm On Apr 19 |
Reach out to the Graduate Director to find out if you are being considered for a TA or RA. Some programs make application decisions and TA/RA assignments at the same time while others do so after application decisions have been made. You can also review the research profile of the faculty members in your program. If the research interests outlined in your PS or your skillsets match the research interest of a faculty or an ongoing project that they may be leading, you can email them, informing them of your research interests, any aligned research skillsets that you may have, and a desire to be an RA on one of their projects. Even if you do not have matching interests, you may have a transferable skillset in your area e.g. data analysis, that they may find useful. Consider attaching your PS and CV when you email them. As someone alluded to in an earlier post, GA/TAs/RAs do not always find you; most times, you have to find them. Good luck! Chemist4life: 3 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 10:03am On Apr 16 |
The bank statement must cover the total cost that is due to you otherwise they are not likely to issue the I20. Ayosharon4321: 1 Like |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 10:01am On Apr 16 |
Madam Debbie! LOL @ The USA lawyer apprentice. The man who has been kicked off NL multiple times only to return with various usernames (NewBoyKhasoggi ---> BagOfSweets ---> ArinzeAminu ---> SleepingTablets ---> OyoTunji). The man is known to consistently share wrong information and when he is called out, he starts rambling and deflecting. As usual, he starts responding to a post before he even comprehends it. My posts on the issue he is referring to are unchanged. I will reiterate that the only thing an international student must do in order to receive their I20 is to meet admission requirements, be admitted and submit their financial documents. I20 is a federal immigration document authorized by DHS. The school issues it on behalf of SEVIS DHS. The International Student Office processes I20; not the Admissions office. You can pay the entire tuition but without the financial docs, they won't issue the I20. Some schools may require a token tuition deposit to hold a student’s spot/confirm enrollment for the reasons I mentioned in my other post. However, U.S. schools (not Canadian or UK) can and will routinely waive this deposit until the beginning of the semester/tuition deadline. You can even pay the entire tuition but without the financial docs, they won't issue the I20. Secondly, based on posts here, most people on this thread have gotten GAs and information about GAs without paying a dime for this information. GA opportunities are not hidden or secretive. They are posted on departmental listserv daily. If a faculty member likes a prospective student during the admissions process, they will reach out to them and vice-versa. The man woke up this morning looking for someone to argue with and trying to derail the thread. He is yet to realise that I don’t do online arguments. Anyway, I am glad that the OP confirmed their university and got the clarification that they wanted. Good luck to the OP Debbieeeeeee: 2 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 12:15am On Apr 16 |
I am glad that you confirmed it. Good luck!! Aishat89: 3 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 12:14am On Apr 16 |
I do not doubt that some schools ask incoming students to make a non-refundable tuition deposit. This is typically done to confirm enrollments and lock-in commitments from incoming students so that the programs can let waitlisted applicants know if they will be ultimately accepted or not. Certain programs, especially private or Ivy League programs (like Columbia) or programs that receive a high number of applications, require a tuition deposit for these purposes. However, tying the release of information about GA opportunities or a GA offer (that may or may not be made to a prospective student) to any payment is not common, especially after the school has waived almost half of your tuition. Again, many people on this thread have been offered GAs at the same time admission was extended to them and few (if any) have stated that they had to pay anything before the GA offer was made. Ultimately, it is the OP's choice. I just offered my opinion. As long as they ensure that the school is legit and that it is Tufts Uni and not Trufts Uni. I wish them all the best! Zihno: 3 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 9:55pm On Apr 15 |
Did you mean to say Tufts University in MA? I have not heard of Truft University before today but maybe it truly exists. If your sister insists it is Trufts, ensure that it is a SEVP-certified school and ensure it is not a fake university. Below is the DHS link to SEVP-certified schools. Trufts is not listed. Maybe she means Tufts which is well=known. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/school-search There have been instances of fake universities with names similar to well-known ones with the goal of preying on international students. A payment of any amount before a GA offer or I20 issuance is not common. It is not the norm despite what anyone says. Showing financial documents before your I20 is issued is the norm. People on this thread have received I20 forms on this thread and none of them paid anything before they received their I20. If you look back a few pages on this thread, there are folks who have been offered GAs/TAs/RAs and nobody has mentioned paying for information for any of these positions. If you have $300 and want to take a chance, then by all means pay it. Otherwise look for another school. A university that is willing to give you 40% off tuition should not be trying to shake you down for $300. Aishat89: 3 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 12:23pm On Apr 15 |
It is likely due to your GPA. A GPA less than 2.5 is equivalent to about a C grade which is considered a very low grade. Some universities view your undergrad GPA as an indicator of your grad school performance. The program probably conditioned your offer so that it does not bring down their graduation percentage. Some masters programs would rather kick out a poor performing student than have that student lower their program completion percentage. If I were you, I would wait on other programs to see if I they would make me an unconditional offer. A conditional offer might be problematic in the eyes of a VO. Ayosharon4321: 3 Likes |
| Travel / Re: USA Visit Visa Part 4 by JohnZak: 11:33pm On Apr 12 |
The only thing you can do is to call and explain to them and see if they can change it. The MRV receipt is linked to a specific passport number that is why it is not transferable. However, given the long wait times for visa appointment times now, it is not improbable that one buys a receipt with an old passport and shows up for their interview months later with an updated passport number. Continue trying to call them and speak to a representative. Just let them know that you paid with an old passport number and you have an updated passport now and if this will be an issue. This is about the only thing that you can do now. 333k for a visa application is a lot of money. sanyalai: |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 5:14pm On Apr 08 |
Check out the website of the Pan African Students Association (PANASA) at the University of South Carolina below. There are a bunch of Nigerians that are members. Send an email to the PANASA and let then know what type of information you want and if you would like to be connected to a Nigerian. Be specific in describing what type of information you want. Do not ramble otherwise you won't get any response. PANASA also has a facebook page where you may be able to dm Nigerian student members directly. https://garnetgate.sa.sc.edu/organization/panasa UZAD: |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 6:53pm On Apr 04 |
Except the need for you to travel to the US on a B1/B2 visa is incredibly pressing, I suggest that you see out your one remaining year on your student visa and then apply for the F1 visa. There is no need risking a denial at this point when, if you get the F1 visa next year, you can literally visit the same places while you are in the US on an F1 that you want to see this year on a B1/B2 visa. More than likely, those places are not going to change before next year. Kenny4smart: 3 Likes |
| Travel / Re: USA Visit Visa Part 4 by JohnZak: 6:32pm On Apr 04 |
Hi, It sounds like you are going to DR for your interview since you have an interview date already. Even though renewal interviews are pretty straightforward, never take them for granted. You will be renewing based on the new I20 since your OPT expires in 7/13 and you have a new I20 for the upcoming school year. I can’t speak to the success rate in DR because I never renewed there and do not know of anyone that renewed there. I renewed in Canada and Mexico but I frankly feel that because it is a renewal with a valid I20 and as long as there is nothing adverse in your immigration (e.g. falling out of F1 status or another visa category) or U.S. criminal history, your chances of success are very high. Besides Canada and Jamaica, I have friends that have renewed without issues in Jamaica. There are many reports on this thread of seamless F1 renewals in third countries. You likely won’t even be asked about any of the documents that I will list (except current I20) but I believe that it is better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. You must go with your current I20 and I suggest also going with your old 1-20, hire letter from OPT site (if you have one), letter from your current OPT site confirming your current employment, previous transcripts, and paystubs from your current OPT site. If you have anything other than a traffic citation, I suggest that you go with the final court disposition. My friend had an issue once because of this. Though I was never asked about financial documents when I went for visa renewals, I still went with them. If you have a scholarship, fellowship, or financial statement that explains how you will fund your PhD, I suggest going with them just in case you are asked. I renewed my FI visa twice and got a J1 and a J1 renewal, all in third countries (countries other than Nigeria). In all cases, the interviews lasted less than 60 seconds (no exaggeration). I was just asked for my I20 (F1) or DS2019 (J1) for all but one interview. In this one interview, the consular officer asked me about my study area and the rest was just small talk that was unrelated to my visa application. You might be asked to talk about your upcoming program, but I am sure you have that covered. The renewal interviews were a breeze for me, and I sincerely hope that it is a breeze for you. Because you have a valid visa, they will cancel your current visa with a stamp that says “canceled without prejudice”. It is likely that the issue date of the new visa will be backdated to the issue date on the old visa so that you can enter the U.S. immediately. That is what they did for me. Plan to stay close to the embassy, pre-arrange transportation, and get there early. Don’t forget to enjoy DR while you are there during the days between your visa interview and when your visa comes out. Santo Domingo is a beautiful, old city by the coast with great food and beautiful beaches. However, be safe while you are there because it can get wild at night. If you have other questions, you can post on this thread and I will respond. Enjoy and good luck!! arama2022: |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 3:51pm On Apr 02 |
Reasons for a post-IW 221g in-person interview include questions about your previous U.S. visits so be ready to discuss your two previous visits and the reason for your stay. They may also want some more financial information from you given that you have a deficit of $26K. Ensure that you have paperwork for the $45K scholarship as well as bank statements and other financial documents that prove that you and/or your dad can foot the deficit comfortably. Consular officers do not always look at these documents but it is better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. They may or may not ask but be prepared to discuss why you chose the law program and how the degree may benefit your career. Good luck! aposon07: 3 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 7:04pm On Apr 01 |
Bosses, This back and forth has been going on for at least three days. Trading deeply personal and condescending insults is not necessary regardless of where you live (Nigeria or U.S) or what you or may not have accomplished. It is frankly very juvenile. Based on the year some of us graduated from college, we are likely to be in our thirties and forties. This is not a good look at all! Nobody needs this and it is derailing the purpose of this thread. We can all agree to disagree about applying for visas in Nigeria or outside Nigeria, proving home ties or not proving home ties, funding vs. no funding etc., without resorting to the type of language that has been exchanged over the past couple of days. 6 Likes |
| Travel / Re: USA Visit Visa Part 4 by JohnZak: 1:53pm On Apr 01 |
You are asking to get swindled if you are looking to buy a visa appointment. It is not worth it even if you can afford to buy it. Folks who have bought these appointments have had more problems than solutions. Agents have completed their DS160 forms with completely different information. Do not risk messing up your immigration history for nothing. Pay your MRV fees and select a date. You can always check periodically and you may be lucky to get a closer date. 2tallman2: 1 Like |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 3:07pm On Mar 26 |
Send them a follow-up email. Your DS2019 form can literally be generated in a day. It is all about inputting your details in the SEVIS system and generating the form. It can also be emailed to you or your can ask them to send it by courier to you. crusader6: |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 3:50pm On Mar 22 |
BYU is a religious university. OP had to mention his affiliation to the Church of the Latter-Day Saints in their interview. You can't apply to a well-known religious school and not mention it. Ironically, that may have been their undoing because the consular officer may have disbelieved his motives. I have nothing against BYU or its honor code but BYU's honor code for students, staff, and faculty is pretty strict for a young student compared to other universities. https://policy.byu.edu/view/church-educational-system-honor-code Most U.S. graduate or undergraduate students do not live like this. A BYU college basketball player was suspended or expelled for violations of the honor code (a behavior that won't even register in other schools). If the OP wants to go to only BYU, they have to work on their responses in a future interview. Their responses seem pretty bland. And probably get a letter vouching for them from their local church of the latter day saints. Otherwise, they can always apply to another non-religious affiliated university. Lawal1555: 1 Like |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 1:44pm On Mar 21 |
Because your cousin's country of citizenship is different from his country of permanent residence, the U.S. embassy/consulate will consider him a third country national (TCN). Depending on the country, TCNs can routinely apply for visas in the country of permanent residence. However, they will usually be asked about their status in their country of residence at the embassy or their passports will be reviewed for a visa that allows them to be in that country. Obviously, if the applicant does not have a residence permit or any type of document that allows him to remain in that country legally, his application may not be favorably reviewed. Gokoyer1401: |
| Travel / Re: General UK Visa Enquiries - Part 5 by JohnZak: 8:26pm On Mar 20 |
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| Travel / Re: General UK Visa Enquiries - Part 5 by JohnZak: 7:12pm On Mar 20 |
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| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 7:07pm On Mar 12 |
First off, visa interviews can go either way regardless of how prepared one might be. Although full or partial funding is definitely advantageous, it does not always guarantee visa approval. Likewise, little or no funding does not always guarantee visa rejection. There is an element of grace or luck (depending on your POV) to these things. The other thing is that the VO may just have been having a bad day. This happens more than we want or like to admit and the VO may just have been looking for a reason to deny your friend. I looked at your previous posts and a few things seem off. This may be why the VO asked the other officers about the details on your friend's I20. In a previous post from Jan, you mentioned your friend was scheduled to resume on March 11. Most schools here have Spring, Fall, and Summer semesters (Summer I and II). Some accelerated programs also have a winter program (late December to January). I may be wrong but I have not heard of a school resuming in mid-march, except those resuming after mid-semester spring break and new students don't start at this point. I am not sure but if your friend was unable to explain why his school was resuming in mid-march when other schools resume in January, this may have been an issue for the VO. Probably explains why she chatted with her colleagues. Resuming in mid-march for a program that originally resumed in Jan would be a red flag. Which school issued your friend's I20? Now, you say your friend is deferring to "second quarter of spring". Again, I may be wrong but I have never heard of deferring to "second quarter of spring". I suggest you get the correct details from your friend because if he can't address these issues to you, I am not sure he will be able to do so when he goes for his interview at a later date and he will likely have the same outcome as before. If the resumption dates for this school are accurate like you said -- "second quarter of spring"-- your friend should preemptively address this with the VO because it is common for new students to resume at the beginning of Fall or Spring semesters and even less so in Summer semester. anchex101: 3 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 9:39pm On Mar 09 |
In addition to what others have said, make sure you find out whether your J1 visa will come with or without a two-year home requirement. If it comes with a two-year home requirement, ask your sponsor now (presumably WUSTL) if they are willing to waive this requirement when you apply for a J1 waiver (that is if that is what you want to do later) at the end of your exchange program. crusader6: 1 Like |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 8:44pm On Mar 07 |
Your balance is very high to be solely dependent on an educational loan. I assume that you are taking a private loan, right? If so, these loans can’t be forgiven (like Biden’s loan forgiveness program) and you are beholden to creditor. My advice to you is to think carefully about the loan that you are about to take on. 63k in loans for one year is a LOT, especially if you are not going to medical school or if you are not guaranteed a very high-paying job after graduation. Carefully examine the terms of your loan i.e., is it a fixed or variable interest rate, when do you have to start repaying, are you repaying interest while on school or deferring interest. If it is a variable rate, you will be surprised that your interest rate will jump anytime the Federal reserve increases interest rates but will hardly fall even when they cut interest rates. It might look appealing now because they will tell you that you have anything from 15-30 years to pay it off, but I can assure you that when you pay it off, you would have paid almost twice as much (i.e. 120k) and that is even assuming you do not miss any payments or they do not tack on late payment fees. This also has an impact on your credit scores and a lot of other things down the line. I will recount my experience. I came here on a student visa. I had a GA but I wanted to do USMLE exams to start medical residency after graduate school. USMLE exams are pretty expensive and I did not have a ton of money so I took a loan of 10k with my aunt as a cosigner to cover the four exam steps, exam books, pay for online mock exams, travel for the clinical skills exams, travel for residency interviews etc. I felt confident taking this loan because I would be relatively comfortable after completing medical residency because doctors earn decent money here. Although I deferred my payment for five years, I ended up paying almost 17k and this was without missing a payment and eventually paying the loan off (not waiting for 15 years before paying it off) because of the annoying interest rate hikes that would change my monthly payment. I deferred because I was still pursuing my PhD and medical residents don’t make a lot of money, at least when I was in residency. Even at 17k, I would consider myself lucky because if I had waited for the total life of the loan, I would have ended up paying a lot more. Private loans are the worst. They do not have the same protections as FAFSA. I know Nigeria is difficult and many want to leave but my sincere opinion – 1) defer and try and get a GA/RA/TA that will allow you qualify for in-state tuition and look for scholarships or fellowships or, 2) apply to another school that will offer you better tuition rates. Otherwise, be prepared to explain to the Consular Officer how you will pay the loan back while also convincing him that you do not have immigration intent and will return to Nigeria after your degree. Even if you are lucky to get the visa, be prepared to pay back almost double the loan amount. Good luck! I just joined this group and I have some questions o. I got admission for a Master’s in Technology management @ Arizona state University. Tho I didn't get funding, I applied for a loan and got $68k approved for my 1st year. On my I-20 total cost of attendance for a 1yr is $63k, which was covered by my loan. I am at the stage of applying for visa, my problem is will I be issued a visa if I provide the loan offer of $68k to cover my first year. Whats the process of applying for a US F1 visa, cos I've not traveled out of Nigeria before. Apart from visa fee Sevics fee What other fee will I be paying. What are the document that I will be needing aside from my education document. Note: I'm married and have 2 kids, my family will stay back cos no fund to apply for them at the moment. Looking forward to your comments 😀 [/quote] 1 Like |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 3:21pm On Feb 20 |
I do not think the OP qualifies for Advance Parole. He is in the US and is neither a DACA recipient nor has he filed for AOS, making the foundation for his application for AP questionable. I agree with you that the OP has to really consider what he will do if his visa is denied before he travels to renew his visa. fearlessfang: 2 Likes |
| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 2:20pm On Feb 20 |
JohnZak:
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| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 2:17pm On Feb 20 |
Hi, I am sorry about the untimely passing of your mum. Because your reason behind your renewal is personal and important, I can only list the pros and cons of renewing while on OPT. Technically, you are still in F1 visa even while on OPT so you can renew. You should go with your passport, updated I20, EAD card, OPT job offer letter showing dates of hire and end dates, and paystubs or evidence of financial support if you are not being paid. Someone here (chigozieduru) renewed without issues a few months ago. See their post below. You may want to reach out to them. [img] [/img] Some folks on reddit have also renewed without issues: https://www.reddit.com/r/f1visa/comments/10zyq5p/f1_visa_renewal_while_on_stem_opt/ Personally, I think that it is a toss-up. On one hand, I can see a situation where the VO feels that the student has obtained their degree and has already done one year of OPT and may therefore be disinclined to renew the visa because an F1 comes with non-immigrant intent. There have also been issues of lengthy administrative processing for additional review when students have tried renewing on OPT. On the other hand, the VO may also approve your visa as the cases above have shown. If you do decide to renew, make sure you have your approved OPT STEM extension with the other documents. I also suggest speaking with your DSO before you make any decisions. I lost my dad while I was a student too so I genuinely understand how you must feel. Good luck and I wish you all the best. charliejose: 2 Likes
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| Travel / Re: General USA Student Visa Enquiries-part 17 by JohnZak: 5:09pm On Feb 15 |
Be ready to speak about yourself – educational background, research background, previous internships and work experiences that may tie into your PhD program interest. Talk about previous conference presentations, published papers, previous awards, or papers that garnered media attention (if any of these apply to you). Be ready to talk about how you selected this program, your research interest(s) and how a prospective doctoral training enables you fulfill your research interest and career goals. Clearly articulate your research interest and state how your research interest ties to the work of current faculty. I do not know if you identified a graduate advisor/mentor during your application but if you did, ensure that you state that your work is aligned with that graduate advisor’s work. If you did not, look through the faculty page and state that how your prospective research work will benefit from the similar work done by specific faculty. Also, be prepared to talk about career goals after your PhD - academia or something else. You may be asked about behavioral questions -- things like your strengths, weaknesses, how you handle workplace dispute, and how you work with difficult co-workers. When you respond, respond with examples of previous experiences. Avoid just listing your strengths or weakness, include examples of situations where your strengths were demonstrated. Think about potential weakness and try and turn that into a strength. There are examples of this online. Even if you may not have worked with a difficult coworker, you can let them know how you would handle this if you are ever in a situation like this. If you know the panel members who will be interviewing you, you can google them to have an idea of their research areas. If it is not too late, try emailing current students who work with them to get an idea of who they are and you can even state this during the interview. This will demonstrate some genuine interest in the program. Finally, remember to talk slowly, breathe, smile, and demonstrate enthusiasm about the program and how it fits with your career goals. I do not know if you have any idea of the city where the university is located, but you can state that your interest in the city is another factor behind your interest in the program. Have about 3-4 questions prepared for the panelists. You will likely have an opportunity to ask them questions. Think deeply about the questions and make sure that they are relevant – things like program funding for assistantships, program funding for conference presentations, graduate mentorship, opportunities to publish first-authored papers etc. Don’t forget to send each of them a thank you email after the interview thanking them for their time, how the interview has solidified your interest in their program, and that you are looking forward to starting the doctoral program in Fall 24. If you are in Nigeria, it goes without saying to ensure that you have uninterrupted power and internet supply during your interview. Good luck with your interview!! tellbiodun: 10 Likes 4 Shares |
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