₦airaland Forum

tizentos:
Visa transcript, Aug 10 2018, 7am slot.
Approved, no document asked. Everything happened so fast, the conversation lasted for around 4min in addition to the VO spent typing. its just God all along.


I got to the venue around 6.55am, I hastingly joined the queue, did the usual clearance( Please come with your GTB receipt and make sure you did not alter your DS-160 less than 72 hours to your interview date). After clearance, we were directed to the main building, we went through series of checks, they took our biometrics, then I joined the queue of people to be interviewed. The CGI guy then directed me to window 2, the VO is a guy probably in his late 20s or early 30s. The guy and lady that was interviewed before me were denied. Then my turn,


VO: Good morning , how are you?
Me: Morning, am fine and you (no response)
VO: Pass your passport and i20
Me : Passed. (VO types for like a minute)
VO: Where are you going to?
Me:. I’m going to the University of Texas at Austin for my masters in electrical and computer engineering with specialization in integrated circuit and systems.
VO: (makes a funny face) masters? (Doctorate was actually indicated on my i20)
Me: Yes, but it’s PhD bound which means I would be automatically enrolled in their PhD program after my masters.
VO: Okay (smiles). So what’s your research interest and why?
Me: The graduate program of the electrical and computer engineering is divided into 9 different academic tracks, so I would be specializing in integrated circuit and systems (paused, no response from him). Actually people don’t really talk about it. (VO cuts in)
VO: Really, people don’t talk about it?
Me: Yes, compared to software development, AI and ML( VO nods his head). But the thing is, as we produce more software and improve on its capability to run more complex algorithms, we need to produce more hardware and scale it up to execute those tasks. With my experience in embedded systems and software development, I believe it’s the next thing for me to study.
VO: Okay, What’s your research interest he insisted.
Me: Am a masters students, I don’t really have a research interest. (VO still insisted) . Okay, I’m interested in embedded system.
VO: what’s embedded system(he gave a wicked look)
Me: Hmmm(Had a lot definitions, I just went blank for 2s). Well, we see embedded systems around from our smartphones, consumer electronics. For example, these devices have programmable chips in them that can be programmed to perform different task.
VO: (not satisfied, he points under his table). What processor does this computer use, is it an embedded system?
Me: Yeah kind of, it actually uses a microprocessor which are programmed from the factory. Unlike the ones we use for real embedded system project which are programmable. (VO smiles)
VO: Who’s your sponsor.
Me: I actually got a student loan from prodigy finance that covers tuition and living expenses. Also, my cousin will be supporting me with $4k ( I was about bringing out supporting docs thinking he would request for it).
VO: Are you married?
Me: No am single.
VO: Do you have kids?
Me: I said am single, so no kids. (I was like , o boy, no home ties, bad omen)
VO types for like 15 seconds. Then he circles an address on a white paper and said, You will have to pick up your visa at this address, you will receive an email or SMS. He passes my docs and white paper.
Me: Wanted to ask a question, before I came back do my senses, o boy your visa has been approved. Pick race.

Here is my verdict, just be yourself, and be natural. Don’t just be articulate, I saw people that were very articulate but I could detect that their response isn't convincing enough. Let your response make sense. What I mean by that is, let your story add up, we all have a unique story about ourselves, use it to your advantage to answering these personal questions such as why you want to study the course, how you got to know about it and your plan after graduate school. Be sincere in your response as well. In all, God’s grace is paramount and shouldn’t be underestimated.

I really appreciate those that took time to drop their transcripts, it really helped a lot. Thanks to the big guys that always make sure we don't get misinformed. God bless you all.

mayort12:
Good day everyone, please I've been searching for the link to the magoosh videos effortlessly to no avail. Please, could anyone direct me to the page,
Thanks in anticipation.

Olalekank:
I'd like to ask a question please. Is it possible for me to pay for GRE with BY Mafit and write the exam in November?

Predstan:
Good evening house
I have a very few questions that I want someone to help dissect and give an answer to. The questions are listed chronologically as thus:
1. I am currently preparing for GRE and will be writing in July. I have tested myself with the ETS powerprep and my average score for both timed 1 and 2 were good compared to my program requirement (Q160 V154) but I have tested myself on Magoosh prep and got a very low score in average ( Q157, V145), I even got as low as 155 and 143. Verbal been giving headache. Now my question "which of these two emulates the real test" Or do I just start reading from start and assume I have not read anything?

2. I have been searching and searching for schools to apply and one deficiency I have is that I am limited to only schools that accept WES evaluation because I have HND in Electrical and electronics engineering and evaluated to be 3.6 of 4 but came up with this list of schools.
I. Florida institute of tech: A tier 1 school but ranked 601 in the world, I don't understand why it is like this but if someone can just help explain why a tier 1 research institute is ranked so low or am I getting it wrong? Because I thought a tier 1 university should be ranked as high as 1-200
Ii. Florida state university.
c. Georgia tech: requiring a competitive GRE score and that's why I need to ace that thing
III. North Dakota state university. Although I can circumvent the GRE according to the requirement.
IV. Illinois institute of tech: GRE score as high as 312

Thanks, please ignore any grammatical error because nobody in infallible

engrola00001:
I was given the same conditional admission in civil engineering, I was told to complete the outstanding bachelor courses before registering for master thesis.

MaroCruz:
You mean Electrical Power Engineering? It means the program's requirements couldn't be fulfilled in each single area by your transcript, hence the conditional offer.

About the Bsc courses in German, contact the international office for more clarification, but hope you were aware that your program normally requires you take A1 to B1 language courses along your studies

Amahjosh:
Telecommunication Engineering / Network Engineering..Am a Certified Network Engineer. CCNA to be precise

Amahjosh:
Can throw more light on this question

kaydp:
Hi gurus in the house. Pls what's the best way to have a grasp of these vocabs? I'm currently using the magoosh vocab app. The issue is that those words haven't stuck yet.
I will be taking the exam in Sept. Thanks

akatovic1:
I don show againoo, just before I say make I go watch Bayern vs Real Madrid na im I see wan obonge mail..........
sorry Queen's English
I am back again so let me share an update: just as I was preparing to watch Bayern vs Real Madrid , I checked my mail and saw the letter of award of Research Assistant with full funding and stipend for a direct PhD at the Department of Mechanical, Aeronautic and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.I will be working under an assistant professor who inteviewed (sha na just discussion) me via skype. Thank you Jesus and everyone on this forum, your encouragement is well appreciated.
Details may come up soon.

RexCheeng:
I hope My post inspires/challenges someone out there.

The summary of this post (TLTR)
WES CGPA: 3.45
GRE: 320, 163Q
TOEFL: 107
TA for 6 months.

Schools applied to:
University of Nebraska (MSc)- Reject
Miami University, Ohio (MSc)- Admitted without funding
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (PhD)- Rejected
University of New Haven (MSc)- Accepted with TA position

doziej84:
who has this much talked about 2014 Princeton review?


i checked the google drive and it ain't there.

kacey007:
I did my GRE today at JKK and had a score of 295.
Would you advice I re-write it for Msc Mathematics?
Verbal: 143
Quant.: 152
CGPA : 4.24/5
Cc time2smile

Thanks once again walspring for d GRE discount.

Sherlock5577:
Hello everyone !!!

The great news of admission + funding so far from hopefuls is really exhilarating!!! Congrats!! Best wishes to other hopefuls waiting for admission and funding decisions.

Please, I require some help.
My profile which I posted some time back is:
BSc Geology and Mining
GPA: 4.59/5.00
Prospective Course: MSc/PhD Petroleum Geoscience
GRE: 2nd May ; TOEFL: 2nd June

The schools I have collated to carry out my desired research include:

Preferred choices - UTexas Austin, TAMUC, West Virginia University, Oklahoma State University (These are the schools I intend to report my scores to)

Others - University of Louisiana Lafayette, University of Wyoming and University of Mississippi.

I have found some info on these schools from gradcafe.

Please, I require guidance with regards to the schools I've chosen and other schools I should consider.

Cc: pennstate sirRuddy

Thanks for your help!!!

Scholastica16:
Congrats Quoran. Not surprised. The way you went about things I knew you were a serious person. I like TAMU CS but they did not like me. Ba$tards rejected my MS app but in their defence it was for Spring.

I am waiting for great news from Yildiz, Epithet, MasterforceII, Rexcheeng and anyone else I am forgetting.

As per the guy you met on Quora, I think I know who he is. Over-sound Dey worry the guy.

Congratulations once again.

Quoran:
So I think it is the right time to share my complete testimony

I have been following this thread since 2015 though as a guest. I had a lot of misconceptions about getting PhD admissions. I thought you must get a supervisor before you apply. I also did not know that it was possible to get funding for one's research as an international student. It is all about getting the right information and taking time to research on different schools. I also learned that the key is to start really early and mail professors. I sent mails to more than 100 Professors!( I kid you not!). Finally I took the bull by the horn and applied to many schools.

This is my profile:
1)Mechanical Engineering B.Eng 3.3/4 (Top Nigerian University)
2)Masters degree Top UK Mechanical Engineering (3.6/4 Unofficial WES evaluation. Two Professors from different schools told me during the skype interview that my CGPA was 3.58 and 3.7 respectively. What that means is that different schools have their own ways of evaluation but the different is not so significant.)
3)No publications but I showed evidence of work in progress.
4)GRE scores -First Attempt 303, Maths 153 ,Verbal 150 , AW -3.5.
GRE scores -Second Attempt 327, Maths 166,Verbal 161,A.W -4.0.

5)My work experience is mostly research based .I do not know if that helped in anyway.

Schools I applied to:
Texas A and M, College station- Accepted with Funding
Stanford University- Rejected nicely
University of California, Berkeley- Waitlisted since 1920
Michigan Tech- accepted with research assistantship
University of Alabama - Accepted
RPI- Accepted with Teaching assistantship.
Oregon State- Accepted in both Mechanical and Industrial Engineering programs.
George Washington- Pending;No decision yet.
University of Virginia- Pending;No decision yet.I suspect my application is on the waitlist.
Washington State University- Accepted; Teaching Assistantship is assured after the 1st semester.

Most schools have a deadline of April 15th to accept offers. I have opted for TAMU, College Station.


My GPA is not spectacular but from what I understand, my Masters degree thesis is a strong area of research that attract alot of funding. The reputation of my masters degree supervisor helped me alot. He is a well known expert in my field.He has over 200 publications and some patents.He wrote superb letters of recommendation for me also. Then, I put in my best in the skype interviews I had. I also spent time drafting my statement of purpose. Then God did the rest- Crowned my effort with success.

Tips and advice

1)Use Quora and Linkedin well. On Quora,I met alot of Professors there. They answer questions on what goes on among the graduate committee. I found students on Quora and Linkedin who told me about admission and funding. I follow a Nigerian guy on Quora who is an expert in graduate admissions. He helped me a great deal. He also told me of this forum. I initially thought he was the same scholastica16 here lol.

2)From my own observation, apply early. Some Professors pick their students early and try to extract some form of commitment especially if they will fund you.

3)If a school has rolling admissions, the probability that you will be funded is low. Beware of schools that offer free applications.

4)Different schools have their own ways of admitting students. Some will not admit you if they do not have funds. Some wont admit you when there is no supervisor. Just find out.
5)Contacting Professors on time helps. One told me that he will look for my application when they start screening. When I mailed him later, He told me that my application is good but that there were stronger applicants in the pool
6)When you mail a Professor, do not write an episode. They will most likely not read it. Be brief. I have tested this many times.
7)Try as much as possible to use official email addresses or even your school email. It helps kind off. Professors receive loads of emails.
Network and search different school forums. You can attend webinars and you will get classic information. Use gradcafe also.
9) For PhD, read and at least know the basics and various research areas. Also try and be flexible.

I hope this helps someone. You are free to ask me questions here. Unfortunately, I have limited access to my nairaland email. Unto the next level- Visa pursuance.

Special thanks to everyone who has posted here from time immemorial. I read all the pages of this thread. Scholastica16, you are a blessing.
DreManuel, thanks for the GRE materials.

Dream.Believe.Achieve.

(Pardon my errors).

sammybtc:
Please I have 2 questions here. Is it possible that ETS could schedule Sunday for GRE test because I got june 3 here with me. Second, how can I get the POWERPREP II software.

toofit007:
which country did you apply to?

otoboson:
I think they are 'allowed to' but 'ADVISED not to', I didn't ask for the reason behind the statement. But you can call them to confirm.
Scholarship Portal Help Desk
Email: flexisaf@ptdf.gov.ng
Phone (9AM - 5PM): 070-6941-4970, 081-0509-0295

otoboson:
I just called flexisaf (those in charge of the PTDF scholarship), they said the portal is not online yet, but it will be live this evening. However, the guy said *'those who applied for France/Germany/China are ADVISED NOT TO APPLY for this one)'.*

justwise:
[/b]

The UK certificate is widely respected around the world so it will give an added advantage especially if your certificate is from one of the top universities in the UK.

justwise:
Then you will have a blast in the UK, great student experience and you will make good friends

Jumybecks:
Just in.......
School: University of Arkansas
Status: Accepted
Program: PhD Cell and Molecular Biology
Funding: Yes (GA)

I have been on this admission of a thing since 2015. Wrote GRE in 2016 but did not apply to any school due to finance. I sat for another GRE in Nov 2017 and I applied to four schools: U of Arkansas, University of Delaware, New Mexico State University, and MTU. Got a regret mail for U of Delaware already but nothing yet from NMSU and MTU. It's really been God and the encouragement I tap from people on this forum.

Profile:
UG course: Microbiology
GPA: 3.7/4.0
GRE: 307
Toefl: 105
Publication: 1 (but it was after I had already completed all my applications so it did not count really)

May those expecting admit and funding get it by His grace.... AMEN!!!

RexCheeng:
Congratulations Masterforce!! You are really a master force to be reckoned with. I'm sure your US admissions will pan out too.
#Fall2018
#YesWeCan

MasterforceII:
Hello Guys,
So I'm worried about something. I applied to a school and was only able to send one reference (out of 2). The other referee had been prevaricative although he showed support prior to my sending the application. I was invited for an interview that happened last week. I didn't even think i'ld be invited seeing that I had just one reference. The interview I believe went well and the professor intimated that I would be admitted. Fast forward to today and I'm yet to receive any notification from the school even though I had been seeing admits from the school on gradcafe. So I go back to the application portal and I see this:
"We do not generally make our decision on an application until we have received all transcripts and references".
Now my questions are: Has anyone secured admission with incomplete references? does my being interviewed mean that they've waived this for me and I'm worrying over nothing?
All efforts to contact the referee so far have proven futile.
P. S. The school is Imperial College, London. I don't know if i'ld go here eventually as funding might be an issue but I just need some good news to keep me going. My US applications have had little headway so far.
I appreciate your feedback.

trillville:
Can you get another person to write a reference letter for you? If so Pls do this quickly. Also send an email to the grad school informing them that you need to change a referee. It should not count against you since other aspects of your application are good. Good luck

Quoran:
I thought all applications are reviewed at once especially for schools with a deadline ? I'm seeing on Gradcafe a lot of admission decisions from some of the schools I applied to. Though it appears some of them applied before me.