₦airaland Forum

Good evening friends. I want to appreciate every member of this great platform. I’ve benefited immensely. I wish to share my Visa interview transcript (approved)
Me: Good morning
VO: Good morning. Pass your Passport and I-20
VO: Why are you going to the US?
Me: I’m going to the US to pursue a Doctorate degree in Computer Science at the Manhattan Campus of Kansas State University
VO: Why KSU?
Me: From my findings, KSU has a very high research activity status. In fact, the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland and Security have designated the Centre for information of the University as a National Centre of Academic excellence in cyber defense research. The computer science three-pronged motto of world class faculty, world class education and world class research, coupled with the presence of three robust data science laboratories makes KSU a great platform for me to… (VO cuts in)
VO: Tell me about your background
Me: I hold a Bachelors of Science degree and majored in Statistics and Computer Science with a first class honors. I went further to study for Master of Science in Statistics
VO: So why are you going for a PhD in Computer Science?
Me: The world today is marked with an explosion of large volume of data, data that are potentially useful and informative but structurally complex and requires algorithms and techniques to determine the patterns/trends so as to aid effective decision making. I’d like to be a part of the research team that would develop novel techniques to unfold these complexities. I intend to achieve this by integrating my knowledge of statistics and computer programming
VO: Are you married?
Me: (Smiles) No, I’m not yet married
VO: Okaaaay, your Visa is approved. {She passed me a white paper and my from I-20}
Me: (Wider Smiles) Thank you
{Got an email the following day to pick up my passport at the address I chose on the visa application which also reflected on the white paper she gave me}

Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! I hope to read success stories in torrents. May God grant you uncommon favor in your interviews. Cheers!

mtope:
Congratulations again. How do I get access to the volume 2 for maths and Quantitative. I have just vol 1 for the two.

Send me a prompt so I could get it across to you. I attempted attaching it here but it failed because the file is larger than 250KB limit of attachment.

Mikkyboy:
Sorry bro, may the Lord comfort you and your family. Also congrats on your admission + funding.

Amen. Thank you Sir @Mikkyboy.

iamblisz:
Congratulations.
Sorry for your lose. May God give you the strength to bear the lose.

You didn't include your actual GRE score. Lastly, how many times did study the ETS guide.

Amen. Thank you sir. I had Q160, V150 and AWA 4.0. I studied volumes 1 and 2 repeatedly (at least twice each), together with the ETS Maths Review.

mtope:
Congratulations

Thank you Sir

Sherlock5577:
May God comfort you and your entire family.
Thanks for sharing! It must have been really hard on you.
I wish you the best!!

Amen! Thank you Sir.

Scholastica16:
So touching, NoelJunior. It is well.

Thank you Sir Scholastica16. Your contributions on this thread amidst your tight schedules will not go unrewarded. God bless you, and bless you exponentially.

CuteRedd:
wow congratulations � go and make him proud... So sorry for your loss. What was your final score for GRE and toefl?

Thank you very much. My final scores were:
GRE: 310 (Quant:160, Verbal:150, AWA: 4.0)
TOEFL: 97 (Reading:21, Listening:21, Speaking:25, Writing:30)

Sorry I didn't mention it. Its because I earlier posted my full profile with the score details. Wishing you successful results in your applications.

MasterforceII:
Sending love. You're so strong and tenacious. God bless you and may his soul rest in peace.

Thank you Sir.

Good evening Scholars,

The last couple of months have been traumatic for me, following the shock loss of my foster-father, hence my inability to respond and make contributions on this wonderful thread. Thank you CptCharlesVane, Instinct20, fame12k for your prompt and encouraging responses to my earlier post.
I got an offer from K-State with funding as a GTA (full tuition + stipend), it is the first decision out of two.

MY GRE AND TOEFL

I prepared for the GRE for 3 weeks and used only the ETS official guides. After two weeks I took the first powerprep and had Q157, V152. A couple of days before the actual test I took the second powerprep and had Q162, V153. I do not intend to make other materials lose relevance but for prospective test takers, please endeavor to also use the official prep materials (if possible begin with them) and take simulated tests prior to the exam.
In a like manner, I practiced for the TOEFL using the ETS guide. I practiced listening using VOA, TedTalks, documentaries and CNN. For the speaking, I would not recommend going in with “templates” as the questions may not fit well with them. I suggest you speak freely and flow naturally but on-point.
For those applying to study STEM courses, please endeavor to learn R and MATLAB/GNU Octave software. A friend who got into the Geophysics program of a top Canadian School is really finding it challenging without proficiency in the software. There are free tutorials in form of books and videos online but if they are difficult to access, please feel free to contact me.

SOP

Please make effort to spend good time in writing your SOP. I used, on the average, 4 days per paragraph in drafting my SOP. Whatever exposure you’ve had that will be beneficial to your application, if documented or reported on the internet (such as magazines or national dailies), please include the url in your SOP. For example, undergraduate awards/scholarships, publications, presentations etc.
I’m sorry if my write up isn’t detailed enough, still trying to pull myself together, seeing that the one who single-handedly invested in my life and education is no more to see his efforts yielding fruits and prayers for me being answered.
Lastly, I'd like to urge you NEVER TO GIVE UP. If you’ve not succeeded, it doesn’t mean you will not. Failure is never final and success is never ending. Trust God and He will make all thing beautiful in His time. You will get there!

I love you all!!!

Good evening geniuses,
Please kindly help evaluate my chances for PhD Computer Science (with funding). My profile is:
B.Sc Statistics with Computer (4.54/5)
M.Sc Statistics (4.87/5)
GRE: 310 (Quant-160, Verbal-150), AWA-4.0
TOEFL: 97 (Reading 21; Listening 21; Speaking 25; Writing 30)
Research Experience: 8 publications (4 Lead authored and 4 co-authored)
Skills: Python, Cinema 4D, Java, R, Machine Learning, Data Mining and Web development (with PHP & MySQL)
I’m worried that my TOEFL didn’t aggregate to 100 and my GRE Verbal is too low. Please are there chances of landing a TA or any kind of financial assistantship? Do I retake any or both of the tests? Meanwhile I chose FSU, OSU and WMU but yet to submit any application. Just got my TOEFL results.
God bless you.