tosin999999:
Please if you want to join the group chat click link on my signature

Please check I have sent you a mail. I'm interested as well. Thank you.

Please LuchiBianca I would like to speak to you regarding admission for a nursing program...I already sent a mail. Please check. Thank you.



[/quote]

wallmosh:
Kindly share the resources used for your GRE

@scholastica16

Please your suggestion is most welcomed.

Quoran:
I love your area of interest. It attracts funding alot. Which school did you have your BSc? I will give you a list of schools shortly. Note that many applied Maths programs are funded. At PhD level, all are funded. Have you taken any machine learning course before? Are you also good with Algorithms and the use of packages like MATLAB,Python etc. These things are basic entry requirements but these days, everyone in the sciences can code. You will have a lot of choices. I wish you the best in your GRE.

PLEASE I am highly i interested in the list of schools too.

Thank you BOSS.

Campuslink:


You can consider Wright State University, Middle Tennessee State University, and California State University.
If you need further assistance, please visit us at www.mcfedututors.com or whatsapp 08132765285. You can also visit our office at 206, Muri Okunola str, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Thank you.

wallmosh:
Kindly share the resources used for your GRE

read d official GRE both from est And a little of Mahanttan and saw some magoosh videos

Current situation:

GPA: 4.05/5 ( 3.45/4 WES unofficial) wrote GRE in May and scored 301 and a month later scored 303.

GRE: Q:157 V:146 AWA:3.0

No toefl score...I am thinking there are schools that would consider my profile without toefl scores since It's mathematics.

Intending to apply for masters or direct phd (preferred) in Mathematics with Full or with partial funding with TA or GA.

Please kindly advice: what schools would likely accept fit this profile....I would be very grateful.

Thank you all.

Spotlighte:


I didn't see any mail hun. Please resend.

I just resent and it says "You have sent too many anonymous mails. Please wait"

Please kindly send a mail me: pa3rkdphenom@yahoo.com

Thanks.

Mikkyboy:
Hi all,
I'm a silent but ardent follower and reader of this thread.
i'm a very busy person so I didnt have all the time to prepare for my GRE and TOEFL.
GRE:
Preparation time : almost 3 months off and on
Scores:Q :152 V : 152 : AW :3.0\
Materials Used : All materials from nairaland.
Lesson Learnt: I didn't devote time for practice.I did only two PowerPrep tests,(not full tests).In summary my prep was awful.
TOEFL :
Preparation time: 1 week
SCORES :Reading:26 Listening: 28 Speaking : 26 Writing : 28
Materials Used : Notefull Videos
Lesson Learnt : No need to Study too much for TOEFL if you actually graduated from university and earned your degree.Just understand the exam setup.

GPA: UG: 3.3/4.0
PG (Msc): about 3.68/4.0

On Applications:
I cannot over emphasis what I've gained from this forum.It has been said time without number contact Profs that you hope to do research with.
With this in mind I contacted profs,some replied while some didn't. But fortunately for me even before applying, I can say I already have two profs that have accepted me already with funding I hope.(because this is the koko, and we discussed about it already).
On this note I wish all 2019 hopefulls all the best in this application round.

I hope to comment in the future that one of our veterans here came to pick me up at JFK..(winks)

(Make Una no vex oooo, before people go bombard me say i no come post here since..lol...I no get time ni o...and i dont have excuse to give for not posting......so my apologies.Thanks for accepting my apologies in advance)

Thanks to : PonPon,Quoran,Drhopeful,cutemorgan,thegrandchemist,ndawe and all of you who have commented or given useful advise on this thread.
For future readers: if this thread gets to 1000 pages, please and please read all pages and you will never regret you did.You will be in a position to advise others.

Congrats.....


"Like I'll always say TOEFL is JS3 english. Learn question types, as a Nigerian practice speaking and leave like 3-7 days on everything...GRE crumbs can be used to ace the exam."

Thank you.

Epithet:


The GRE approach would be to look critically at the second premise because it's easier to correlate with the initial premise.

Positive integer N divided by 5 with remainder of 1 ends with a 1 or a 6. So 1,6,11,16,21,26...

For the least possible value just test with the first premise N divided by 3 with generated values from the second premise. Looking through the values 1/3 has R =1 and 6/3 has R=0, 11/3 has R = 2. So 11 is the answer.

I think the simple trick is recognizing the importance and simplicity of the second premise as opposed to the first and using the generated values to test a priori the first premise.

Did they really ask for greatest value of N. That's easily infinity because there would always be a value greater than the greatest value you find out some of the few values I could look through are 56,116.

I'm assuming the question had options in finding the greatest value amongst the option just test the initial generated values with the second premise.
If the options were say
a)1
b)6
c)11
d)21
e)26

To test for least possible value start from the smallest option in ascending order. Likewise for the greatest value start from the greatest value in descending order.

So in that case 11 and 26 would be your answers.

Just recognize the pattern that positive integers N divided by 5 with remainder 1 always end with a 1 or a 6, I think that's what you get to take away from the question.

Thanks for the break down.

Mikkyboy:
Hi all,
I'm a silent but ardent follower and reader of this thread.
i'm a very busy person so I didnt have all the time to prepare for my GRE and TOEFL.
GRE:
Preparation time : almost 3 months off and on
Scores:Q :152 V : 152 : AW :3.0\
Materials Used : All materials from nairaland.
Lesson Learnt: I didn't devote time for practice.I did only two PowerPrep tests,(not full tests).In summary my prep was awful.
TOEFL :
Preparation time: 1 week
SCORES :Reading:26 Listening: 28 Speaking : 26 Writing : 28
Materials Used : Notefull Videos
Lesson Learnt : No need to Study too much for TOEFL if you actually graduated from university and earned your degree.Just understand the exam setup.

GPA: UG: 3.3/4.0
PG (Msc): about 3.68/4.0

On Applications:
I cannot over emphasis what I've gained from this forum.It has been said time without number contact Profs that you hope to do research with.
With this in mind I contacted profs,some replied while some didn't. But fortunately for me even before applying, I can say I already have two profs that have accepted me already with funding I hope.(because this is the koko, and we discussed about it already).
On this note I wish all 2019 hopefulls all the best in this application round.

I hope to comment in the future that one of our veterans here came to pick me up at JFK..(winks)

(Make Una no vex oooo, before people go bombard me say i no come post here since..lol...I no get time ni o...and i dont have excuse to give for not posting......so my apologies.Thanks for accepting my apologies in advance)

Thanks to : PonPon,Quoran,Drhopeful,cutemorgan,thegrandchemist,ndawe and all of you who have commented or given useful advise on this thread.
For future readers: if this thread gets to 1000 pages, please and please read all pages and you will never regret you did.You will be in a position to advise others.

Thanks bro.

jamanuka:


Hi People,

So I was waiting to get my official scores to ensure any info I was putting out won’t be incorrect.

I took my GRE on Aug 10th at JKK house and scored a 326 ( V167, Q159), AWA 4/6.

The following materials helped with my study;
Verbal
- Magoosh GRE flashcards ( I used this while in the bus, boring meeting, toilet, intact any free time I had)
- Manhattan 5lb. The RC is really damn good and exposes you to all the tricks you will need on tests day. The RC and TC are good too.
- Official materials. The other books focus on heavily on vocabulary but the official materials helps you learn usage of words. Keep an eye on the tips in the sentences so as to know the right word to use in that context.

Quant
- Manhattan 5lbs. Go through all the questions here. It pays to review thoroughly any question you got wrong.
- Official materials. The questions here are good too.

It will also be good to point out that I was already studying for GMAT before switching to GRE. That helped with the quant and RC in verbal.

Practice tests are quite important. I took the two powerprep tests and also bought Manhattan practice tests (has about 6 tests).

Finally I will love to say something about registration. I know it saves money to register with the guys that do it at a low price but again consider this what if you run into problems with that and your account gets blocked. Between the trouble of having your account blocked which means you might no longer realize your American dream and the extra naira you might pay for registration, which is worth it.

Let’s keep sharing our experiences so others can learn. The things I read on this thread greatly aided with my preparations.

Thank you.

Spotlighte:
Gosh! Finally got to the page 396 of this thread and boy, am I glad I did?

I looked back at the two questions I asked here and it's hard not to feel embarrassed. I mean, all of the answers were just lying everywhere on the thread.

I literally feel like I know most of you already by following your stories from the days of your GRE and TOEFL, your test days, expectations, disappointments, your acceptance in various schools, visa interviews and how you're coping in the country of study. Like I already said, I am very glad for the experience.

I am writing the GRE in October, and I haven't read jack. I will start classes on Monday that'll run six weeks for the GRE and four weeks for the TOEFL (all done together). I already went through the materials I got from B.Y Mafit and I don't know how to feel - confused? scared? worried? I don't know.

Please, I need as much encouragement as possible. If there are other people who are applying for Fall 2019 who haven't written the GRE yet, please say something as I'd need as much motivation as possible. In fact, let's motivate each other.

My profile:
Undergraduate GPA: 4.11/5
Course studied: Mass Communication
Intended course for Fall 2019: Advertising
GRE: -
TOEFL: -


I can't wait to give my testimony on here also.

P.S. If there is anyone going for an Advertising course in any US school, please holler. I'm yet to see anybody who is currently studying or wants to study Adverstising in the US (both here and the USA visa thread). All I see are tons of STEM courses and few communication courses.

Team #fall19

...and at the end Ours' will be a story that brought GLORY to his name�
Let's connect i sent a mail.

shakaz:
I have a link with all the videos on google doc. If you are interested drop your contact and I would share you the link on whatsapp.

Please sir i am also interested. I am sending a mail across. Thank you.

Hisvoice:


That was a very good observation. It is unfortunate that students - undergraduate, M.Sc and even Ph.D - find ourselves in this 'Referee issh'.
From my observation, reference letters, arguably in some situations, carries much weight than GRE itself in application packet. But, some lecturers are either not apt in writing or 'too busy' or don't even understand the implication of the letters. If you see the letters some lecturer writes, uhmmmmm .....It took me days to get a checklist assessed for a sound reference letter (available if you need a copy).

Possible Solution.
1. As an applicant, get a sample copy of a good reference letter and revamp it aptly.
2. Do not just pick Prof. as your referee, ask for their availability to assist before filling their names on your application (some schools may not alter it)
3. After persistent call and no response, take a time and travel down to meet the Prof. (remembering 'if Muhammed story ....) with your laptop, modem or a phone with hotspot.
4. If none works, make a request to the school for a change on your application.

As regards using 'fabricated e-mail account', it may be difficult because those schools might be aware of that possibility and some may even require official e-mail e.g successg@oau.edu. I believe those tips would yield a good response

ciao.

Thank you sir. Please i need a copy.

pronto543:
... when I reported scores, I saw 155 and 160. I already anticipated the former was Verbal and the latter Quant's. On a closer look, my guess was right.

I sent my score to these schools:

1. UMBC
2. NCSU
3. TEMPLE
4. NEU

The other 4 I plan to apply to are

1. Purdue/UMass Amherst
2. Michigan Tech (free application)
3. Colarado Mines
4. USF

Here is a summary of my profile:

B.Eng Agric & Bioresources Engr (4.06/5.00)-Best Graduating Student
M.Sc Environmental.Engr (5.4/7.0)
GRE: 315
AWA: N/A. I expect at least 4/6
TOEFL:101
Publication: 1 (first author in an Int'l Journal). It was my M.Sc thesis together with my project supervisior
Work Experience: 1.5 yrs (teaching) - Not related to Ph.D program.

Intended course of study: Ph.D in Environmental Engineering.

Proposed Entry Term: 2019 Fall

Congrats

pronto543:
Hello friends,

I am sorry I am just posting my GRE experience after a week. I have actually been on the road since then. Besides, on two occasions the anti-spam bot on Nairaland have banned me.I'll just summarize the whole stuff.

The test date was Monday, Aug 6th in JKK, Lagos - the same venue I wrote my TOEFL October last year. By 9:30, I was seated for the exam but niggling network issues prevented us from starting until around 11am. I was almost discombobulated since I was planning to travel back to Ilorin on that same day.

The AWA section was quite straightforward. I was surprised when I got the same question I was responding initially before the network issue for the Issue Task popped up the second time. The Argumentative Essay was a bit tough but I later spotted some flaws and fired on.

The pattern was VQVQ and V. In my opinion, the 2 Quant section were of the same difficulty level. I had to make like 2 guesses in the 1st Quant's. The 2nd Quant's was equally tough with some unfamiliar questions I never came across in all my preparation with Magoosh,Manhattan,Princeton Review and Official Guides. In short, I made like 3-4 guesses in the 2nd guesses. The 3rd Verbal section was very easy and I finished with some few minutes to spare. By the time I was completing it I was just eager to hit the "Report Scores" tab and be on the next bus heading home.

Great.

4gunners:
I eventually wrote the 'almighty' Gre at Galaxy Uniprep today. Got to the venue around 9 :00am , after every, every which took about an hour. I and other test takers were ushered in.

The AWS popped up on the screen like play. I tot I was hallucinating when I read the essay prompt. Na wetin I don practice before. It really calmed my nerves, without having to think much I got over it. The argument essay also popped up, na wetin I don practice too. Down within me, I got excited. These were propitious sign.

To keep my long story short, for the real thing, na VQVQV. At the end of the day, got 313. Verbal-159 Quant.-154. I was surprised cos maths na where my strength lies. I hope it will not ciously affect my applicationsince I'm from Engineering background. My first quant section was bad, had to struggle with some question. I noticed the second quant was quite easy, I already knew it will be difficult to reach 160.
As regard the verbal part, I knew the meaning of almost the words I encountered, some of the RC were even familiar. It was as if I've seen them before.

My advice for future test takers is for them to practice, practice, practice and practice.

Really want to appreciate everyone on this thread. Bosses in the house, Quoran, Ponpon et al. I sent my scores to Tamuc, University of Arizona, Washington and Arkansas. Am I on the right track??

Thank you.

Quoran:
GRE QUANT TIPS
1.In Quantitative Comparison questions, try numbers in this order: 0,1,2,-2,1/2. I learned this from NOVA GRE book. It works just fine.
2.Quantitative Comparison questions are half of a GRE Quant section (10 in number).
3.In Quantitative Comparison questions, before you select an answer, try at least two numbers.
4.Know the rules of divisibility. It will help.
5.Pay special attention to words like ‘the greatest possible’ in quantitative comparison questions. For instance, the greatest possible number of points common to a triangle and a circle is ____? It is more likely than many of us will pick three. Six points is also possible. Just remember that the triangle must not be inscribed in the circle. Six points will pass through the circumference.
6.Do not assume more than what is given especially in Quantitative Comparison questions.
7.Special triangles: 30-60-90 :1:√3:2;45-45-90:1:1:√2 ; The longer the side, the larger the angle opposite it and vice versa.
8.Supplementary angles 180, Complementary angles 90. Parallel lines have the same slope. Perpendicular lines – Negative reciprocal of the original line. (This appeared on my GRE). Know the equation of a line in different forms.
9.Learn all those Mensuration stuff.
10.Once a calculation is going on for too long, check your method again. There might be something wrong.
11.Be careful when multiplying or dividing by a negative number in inequality problems. Never do this in a Quantitative Comparison question.
12. PEMDAS – Parentheses-Exponents-Division-Mulitplication-Addition-Subtraction.
13.Integer 0 is neither positive nor negative.
14. 0 to 9 inclusive is 10 integers.
15. If a is even, b is odd, then a+2b is even, 2a+b is odd, ab is even etc. These kinds of questions are common.
16.P(A or B) =P(A) + P(B) Mutually exclusive ; P(A or B) =P(A) + P(B) –P(A and B) Independent
17.Know Mean, mode and median and how numbers can affect them.
18.In word problems, use 100 for percentages. Do not use a number if the word problem has a fraction. I think Princeton Review covers this.
19.How many multiples of 7 are there between 100 and 150? 7 not 6. 147-105=42. 42/7 =6. 6+1 =7.
20.10 evenly spaced tick marks on a number line is 9 intervals not 10.
21.Any three consecutive integers will always contain a multiple of 3.
22. Rate x Time = Distance. Draw a table and solve all rate questions like this. Manhattan covers this well.
23. Pay attention to units, scales and values along the X and Y axes in graphs.
24. Average degree per side = (180(n-2))/n.
25.0 is a number.
26.How many square pieces can you get from a board of 18 by 30 inches without wasting any of the board? Answer: 15. Greatest divisor of 18 and 30 is 6. 18/6=3; 30/6=5; 3X5 =15. (Simple questions like this can waste your time).
27.Increase something by 250% is 3.5 times the number not 2.5 times the number.
28.Standard deviation questions are not usually difficult. Just know how it affects the mean.
29.Study the Official GRE test guide. You will not go wrong if you follow it strictly. Use other books (Magoosh, Manhattan, Princeton) for more tips , tricks and sample questions.
30.The key to scoring well on the GRE is to do well in the first section. The first section is usually easy (Assuming you prepared really well). This section is easy but tricky. If you practice well enough, you will observe that this is the section were you will finish with time to spare. On your sketch paper, I will advise that you solve your questions sequentially. Peradventure you need to go back to a question or review it, you can easily track your mistakes.
31. Pace well. Do not spend too much time on a particular question. I finished with some minutes to spare. I was able to review up to 10 questions and I can remember changing my mind on two answers I had previously selected. I did score 20/20 in that section.
32.Do not waste time on any question. This is very easy to say really. I made the same mistake in my second section. I wasted time on the first few questions as they were difficult. This affected my score. I noticed the easier questions were at the bottom.
33. The GRE is section adaptive. If you do well in the first section, you get a more difficult second section and vice-versa. This is aimed at making test takers get at least 150 marks. It follows a normal distribution. Those doing well are ‘dragged’ to 150. Those not scoring well are ‘helped’ to 150. (Additional probably unnecessary information lol).
34.From proven research, for you to get a more difficult second section, you need to score at least 14 in the Quant and 12 in the Verbal. The more difficult section carries more weight than a normal section. The more difficult questions you get correctly in the second section, you more points you have.
35.The scoring is not linear. I had 20 in the first section and 15 in the second section yet I had 166. In my Verbal, I had 14/20 in both sections yet I scored 161. Same thing I noticed with my friends and in my first attempt.
36.If you score 10/20 in the first Quant section and 16/20 in the next section, you will score 153. If you score 16/20 in the first section and 10/20 in the section, you will score 156. DO YOUR BEST IN THE FIRST SECTION. Verbal is more difficult than the Quant.
37.Peradventure you do not do well in the first section (You will know because the questions will be easy; It happened to me during my first attempt), you can still blast the second section. Just take it easy and do you best.
38.The on screen calculator can slow you down. Use it only if you really need it.
39.You can learn to back-solve questions. It helps when you are clueless on how to solve certain questions. I think Princeton covers this a lot.
40.I make mistakes more when I rush and do not take time to read the question well. Do not also try to solve questions mentally. Write it down to avoid errors.
41. Do a lot of practice tests. Under normal conditions, we will all score well. A timed practice test is the real deal. PowerPrep, Manhattan, Kaplan are good in this regard.
42. The GRE has a structure: For the Quant, you get 4 easy questions, 12 medium questions and 4 hard questions on your first section. Look at the Official GRE guide for more on question difficulty.
43.Some people are that good that some tips did not work for them. If you are like me that needed to retake the test, you have to pay attention to many things to avoid getting the same poor score.
44.By the way, there is nothing like a bad score. It all depends on what you want to use it for.
All the best folks. Pardon my errors.

Thank you sir.

4gunners:
Verba Prep.

I read almost all the available text books for the verbal prep. I started with Barron moved to Kaplan, Manhattan, Princeton and concluded with ETS textbook. Magoosh also helped with some strategy. Using this variant sources allowed me to get used to the way SC and TC are asked. Understanding the shifting in the sentences became natural after practicing so many question. For example, a sentence which begins with 'Though' tells you that the second part of the sentence is opposite to the first part. You can't build this intuition overnight, it takes practice, practice and practice. Besides, I practiced lot of questions, came across tons of words. During the review of any practice questions I did, my phone was always handy to check the meaning of words. I also made u of magoosh vocabulary app. I became so accustomed with sc and TC that they became my friends. Building ur vocabulary is very Important. Almost all the words I saw on my test were the ones av come across one way or the other.

For the RC, understanding the strategy in Kaplan and Princeton is key. For example, avoiding extreme answers. GRE loves to use that as bait in their answer choices. Pls, practice, practice and practice. The RC are most times abstruse. However, by the time you practice a lot, you become accustomed to the RC.
On the test day, just like my Oga's have said. I think it was Quoran. I quickly attacked the TC and SC part. Because Av gotten so used to them, it took me 10 min even less than to answer all. This gave me ample time to answer the the RC.

The importance of PRACTICE cannot be overemphasized. I used princeton online, Kaplan, magoosh, powerprep for my simulation test.

For the AWs, practice the essay prompt on the ETS website. As many as u could. Who knows, you can be as lucky as me on your test day to be given the essays you've practiced before.

Abeg, pardon my errors

Thank you.

Sheq:





There is this saying that says ''If we don't fight we have failed, but if
we fight we can either fail or succeed''. So forget the tuition part for
now and put in some work. First, you need to decide on the course
you want to study, To save you some stress start from this
website http://graddecision.org/ to know the application process, So
step 1) Decide on the course you want to study 2) Search for schools
using a) www.msinus.com (open this website with a laptop, you
should see a list of school and ranking for some of the most
common courses, you can start from there
b) www.gradschools.com c) www.google.com (you can just type 'msc
in bla bla in the us in google' d) www.usnews.com e) www.4icu.org .
3) check up the website of the schools you find, to see the
requirements. most schools will require GRE and some will require
both gre and toefl . 4) Register for standardize exam and take it. You
can register for gre as soon as you are ready and prepared to take
the exam. Its done online at www.ets.org. You can also get all the
information you need about the exam on the website. You will get
adequate materials to prepare for the exam in this dropbox I
createdhttps://www.dropbox.com/sh/t9ot6d07hp1lkm7/
AADL_dTihjEvNBRCBsmAcoXja?dl=0
TOEFL is an English test required by some US universities. though,
some schools waive due to the fact that Nigeria is an Anglophone
country.
For toefl, all you need are the speaking noteful videos in the link
below, the ets toefl guide is enough to ace the exam for other
sections. Just download the toefl ETS Guide from there website and
the simulation test.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/45tvc3ifi8wh8sh/
AACXR5j6l3nsWK8vZx5P28TVa?dl=0
As for the Tuition, if you have good results (GRE, GPA, Toefl), SOP
and LOR; US schools do offer assistanship to graduate students. This
can either be Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant or
Administrative Assistant. Depending on the school, if you get an
assistantship, your Tuition will be waived and you will also be paid a
monthly stipend that can take care of your living expenses. One
advice, once you shortlist schools, send emails to the grad cord of
the schools and ask specific questions relating to that course and
funding opportunities, be very explicit.
Lastly, there are basically 2 admission session in the US, Spring
(Jan) and Fall (August). Schools admit more students in Fall, so Its
advisable you plan towards Fall 2018. If you plan to resume in fall
2018, make sure you submit all your application documents before
ending of Dec 2017. If you don't give it a trial, you will never know.My
philosophy in life is to always do my part, with that I don't get to
regret later. Above all, if you believe in God,pray to him..if not, good
for you.

Thank you.

Timotee:


I think we should be slow on advising others on half truths. I believe it's best to give the full picture and let the person make an informed decision. Having passed through the system, I will say it is very difficult to survive trying to work and pay your tuition and living expenses without any personal money. First off, getting a scholarship for masters programmes these days in the US is tough. GAs are a more realistic option. Second, even if you have a scholarship or GA, for the 1st month upon arrival, you will need money to pay for an apartment, feed and do other things, as the money from the scholarship or GA will not be available then (unless you have family or friends who are willing to house you for that period). If you get a GA, there are 3 possibilities - (1) it offers no tuition remission (just monthly stipend), (2) it offers partial tuition remission (usually in-state tuition; the most common) + monthly stipend, or (3) it offers full or majority of tuition remission (this type of GA is not too common for masters programmes) + monthly stipend. If you happen to have a GA with full tuition waiver, then it's possible to survive on your monthly stipend from the GA. However, if your GA only covers partial (in-state tuition) or none of your tuition, then it becomes tricky. For in-state tuition, depending on whether it's a public or private school, you're looking at between $3,000 -$7,000 per semester. A GA typically pays on average $1000 per month. After subtracting your rent (which varies depending on location [some cities have higher rents, e.g. New York, Boston, Washington DC], shared accommodation, etc), utilities like electricity and water, and phone bill, the most you can be left with even on a frugal budget is about $400-$500. If you save this over the semester (4-5 months), the money still won't be enough. Some folks take the option of either taking a credit card or loan to offset the balance. For a GA without any tuition remission, it's simply not possible to survive without personal money.

Thanks for this piece.

femi312:
First you need to decide on the course to study based on your future plans. I don't really know much about the prospect of mathematics but I believe data science is booming right now and the prospect of job seem high. Do your own research and check the bureau of labor statistics website to see things for yourself. Graduating with a first class will really make things a little easy for you if you complement it with a good GRE say >315. Please don't go and apply to one nonsense school with your first class, dream big, aim high and do your part. However spread your risk from high ranked schools to mid ranked. Forget about cheapest schools and concentrate on getting a good GRE score. All things being equal, You shouldn't pay a dime for tuition if you get a good GRE score to complement your GPA. All your energy right now should be on researching for good schools and how to get a good GRE score. The post below will give you an insight on the procedure.

Good one. Thanks

Northeastern:


Congratulations on you first and thank you for being proactive.

While the admission session for fall 2019 just commenced or is about to commence for some schools, I think you are still in good shape to beat the general financial aid deadline of December 15th for most US schools.

The following components are considered for your application

1. Your undergraduate GPA
2. Your test scores
3. Your Letters of recommendation
4. Your essay or statement of purpose
5. Your work experience or research work
And six, your interview if you are invited for one.

So the only thing that stands in your way now is the test scores of which you need the GRE. Go to this thread and get all you need to ace the test https://www.nairaland.com/1832477/how-achieve-high-scores-gre

Once you are done. You can now face the application for admission in earnest. Before other contributors come, please make sure you get full scholarship as your first has already put you in good staed. Also, do not shy away from applying for a Phd as plenty money comes with most phd admissions.

You must ace your GRE. PLEASE YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY TO SCHOOL HERE IF YOU SUBMIT A STELLAR APPLICATION. We had our orientation today and I just noticed that almost all the international students got a GA and that is for an MBA with a STEM designation.
See this link for funding https://www.profellow.com/tips/fully-funded-phd-programs-in-mathematics/

See this one: https://www.baylor.edu/math/index.php?id=53575 Baylor will give you $22,500 per year after waiving your tuition with the promise to even earn more.

I have said it before, going to school for free should be your least worries if you can settle down and read. Many people are not aware of the power of the internet of information.

Thanks for this piece.

Gewezzy1:
I shall give my testimony soon���

Amen

sam4jesuseva:
My Transcripts to the glory of God.
My appointment was scheduled on 4th of August. Even getting an appointment was testimony. If I should start sharing all the testimonies from the beginning. I think I will take pages.
When I got to the "strong room" after the serious security checks. I was so nervous having seen many people rejected, even a woman with kids rejected. Of all the minutes I spent there I saw only one lady being approved, all others are refusal blue papers. All I was saying was quoting bible verse and saying the prayer point my pastor gave me.
After finger prints I was directed to window 1.
Two guys ahead of me on the same window were rejected. All I discovered (may be) was that they could not answer properly or convince the VO of their study plan.
Now my turn to cut the long story short.
VO: Greeted good morning sir with smiles
Me: I smiled back good morning sir
VO: can I have your documents?
Me: I gave him my passport with Form I-20, Passport and Sevis Fee and Appointment Confirmation
VO: Why are you going to US?
Me: I am going to US for my master degree in Chemistry (Biochemistry concentration), Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee
VO: How many School did you apply to?
Me: two
VO: which other one?
Me: Middle Tennessee State University
VO: Why the same city?
Me: Thank God for my coach Bro. Omoyeni. He prepared me for this question. My answer: After thorough research, (I don't even know exactly my initial statement). Living expenses or cost of living in Tennessee is quite lower than average American states. I am satisfied with the research done in my area of concentration in the universities and I find the schools affordable
VO: What is your study plan?
Me. I think this was where the people ahead of me failed. Thank God for coach Omoyeni. He encouraged me to research about my study plan, which spurred me to contact my course advisor through email. He gave me my study plan and names of lecturers handling them for the fall semester as requested.
Now my answer: A minimum of 3.0/4.0 is required for my graduation. For fall semester, I will be offering 9 credit hours sometimes I call it credit units.
3 credit units for Advance Organic Chemistry handling by Dr XYZ, he looked at me in awe, I continued another 3 credit hours for Advance Biochemistry taken by Dr ABC and Spectroscopic Methods taken by Dr NPK which is another 3 credit hours.
He was impressed, shaking his head. He did not even allow me to mention my thesis credit hours, then he moved to the next question
VO: Oh you have graduate assistantship, how did you get it?
Me: I submitted my transcripts for evaluation by ECE and official one was sent to the University. I wrote standardized tests (TOEFL and GRE), Recommendation letters were sent by my lecturers to the University.
VO: How will you go about sponsoring?
Me: I was offered graduate assistantship which covers my tuition fee and more than 80% of my living expenses. I have personal saving to cater for the rest
VO: Where do you work?
Me: I work as a class teacher in XYZ and as a private home tutor of A, B, C, D within Lagos axis.
VO: Are you married?
Me: No
VO: Have you traveled out before?
Me: No, I have had no reason to
VO: I will be holding on to your passport. He gave me white paper. He didn't ask for my SOA. I didn't wait to hear anything again. Thank you. The interview was just like 1-2minutes to me.
I picked up my passport today at DHL office and my F1 visa was on it.
I bless God for His favour, His banner of love. I encourage people to trust God and prepare well. Like my pastor W F Kumuyi said in one of his Messages. He said pray and plant, pray and purge, pray and pursue, pray and press on, pray and pour out, pray and persevere.
I am saying in short words pray and plan, pray and prepare.
I want to thank nairaland, the trusted man who paid for my sevis fee Mr walspring on nairaland here. People who posted their transcripts here and my coach Mr Femi Omoyeni, He got his visa ahead of me, God really used him for me and he's still using him. We will both meet at Tennessee by God's grace. Thanks
Who says there is no God, by the time I share the story of my life and how Mighty God is. He/She will surrender to God. Jesus saves!!

He did it before.... He has done it again!!! Congrats bro... Favour all the way.

Ryansplich:
I’m a silent reader but an avid reader, I owe everyone who took out time to post their transcript on this platform. It is only wise and prudent of me to return the favor.
Here’s a few tip from me to every prospective visa seeking student.
1. Put God First.
2. Pray without ceasing at least for the last 7days before the interview.
3. Fast if you can. I did that 3 day to my interview.
4. Leave your battle to God to fight.
5. Dress according to what you depict. The way you dress is the way you’ll be addressed.
6. Forget the respect. Majority of the VO’s and workers at the embassy are not older than you. I didn’t greet anyone. Not even the white guy who registered my fingers. He was forced to greet me. Actually I was waiting for him to greet me first. He’s in my country for Gods sake. He should respect me. Not the other way round.
7. Finally, forget the MA or SIR you use for the VO except in exceptional circumstance when you know he/she is way older than you. The VO greeeted me first. I didn’t and it was deliberate. We are all playing mind games.
8. Lastly, be bold, look at the VO straight in the eye, don’t stutter, know your onions and get your facts straight. A little research on google here and there will go a long way.

Interview was on 3rd Aug 2018 @6:45am
*No bank statement was asked
*No stress. Just simple question and answer.
* I wore my blue suit. (Las las if Na blue paper I go get make I match am with my suit in peace) Na so I reason am �

Forgot my hair brush with me. Had to throw it away as it will not be allowed in but e pain me.

We queued and did the normal check in process. Waited for my turn with the VO. Not long they arrived in their ferry and went straight in for the job of the day.

People were been interviewed and I was looking like mumu, about 25-30 persons before me, all blue paper except one fair guy who had his interview at window 7 got a white paper. One girl was denied at window 3 and she began a scene for a few minute shouting on top of her voice while asking why the VO (a female white lady) denied her after having applied for about 3x or so. She was heartbroken but nothing could be done. She was later ushered out after the VO left her window because she couldn’t engage her further. I felt her pain but hey all man for himself.

I was interviewed at window 6, a white guy in his early thirties. He denied the guy before me. I could tell from the blue line I’m standig on that he’s gonna deny the guy before me because the guys voice was shaking and he’s not composed.

Interview proper.
VO: Good morning
Me: Morning. How are you?

VO: I’m fine. Passport and I20
Me: passed it to him

VO: So you are going to the Ohio State
Me: Yes

VO: What’s your purpose there?
Me: I’m going for my graduate studies in advance legal research.

VO: Great. You are a lawyer?
Me: Yes

VO: Tell me about your educational background.
Me: *He unleashed the dragon* I finished from University of Ilorin in the year 2013, attended the Nigerian Law School from 2013-2014, did my compulsory national youth service program, practiced with 2 law firms and I’m currently at my second job.

VO: hmmm ok. How many schools did you applied too
Me: 3 Schools. Ohio State, university of Arizona and Houston Law center.

VO: What will this degree do for you.
Me: of course it is to build an impressive and attractive profile so that job applications from me to top leading law firm in Nigeria will not be refused when I’m back to seek a better opportunity. *Pls and pls, always link your answers to your home country (Naija). It’s important and a major factor in whether or not you’ll be approved for a visa*
VO: Hummm, nodding in agreement. What’s your major?
Me: Corporate Law

VO: hmm ok. So you said you’ll be applying to firms in Nigeria here?
Me: Yes

VO: Ever travelled out?
Me: Nope I don’t have a reason to until now, as you can see my passport is a Virgin. (Winked at him)

VO: He smiled, Married or any children?
Me: Gave him a grin, nope.

VO: I’ll be approving your Visa. Pick your passport up in 3 Days time
Me: Thank you.

That’s how I collect my white paper and left. Did the normal police sorting at the enterance. Two female officers got 1k from me. Celebration money you dig. �. Did as if nothing happened, kept walking to Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue to get a cab to my hotel (Beni Gold Apartments). The touts dey ask me how far? Dem grant me? I no even answer. I squeeze face like say dem deny me.

God bless everyone and to those who are waiting for their date/hour, those that have applied and have been denied, don’t loose hope. Keep trying, God will put a smile on y’all face soon.
Thank you.

Congrats

AusterHeights:
After two denials, finally got approved by Window 21 today. Thanks to everyone who took out time to respond to my enquiries. This is one of the finest communities on the internet.

My advice to anyone who has been denied in the past:

1. Never give up. Just think of each obstacle as a temporary setback.
2. My average GPA and extra year didn't stop me from getting a partial scholarship - took GRE and TOEFL though.
3. Pay close attention to your financial documentation
4. Don't try to be 'too' perfect. "Too many lies spoils the soup". Not having to lie would probably give you peace of mind to sound confident.
5. F1 interview is just a conversation really. Don't cram stuff. No VO wants to interview a 'robot'.
6. I think there are no rules to this thing, work hard towards what you want and just leave luck to heaven.

Congratulations!!! It will be inspiring to some if you can state your profile I.E Cgpa, TOEFL and GRE scores. Thank you.

Lessons learned:

Tell them what they haven't heard, or at least, something they don't hear very often.
If possible, use objects to explain your points; Jesus Christ always used object lessons to make his teachings meaningful.


Vary the tone of your voice; If I am probably explaining that the unsolved death of my sibling has inspired me to study criminology, i'd say this with a soft, cry-like tone.


I feel the VO only types the strong points we make, not our entire speech and you’re probably making sense, or driving your points home when he raises his head up. I think at this moment(when he raises his head) you need to hit him with more points that supports your case. Don't stop talking when he raises his head!

Finally, I believe we should never listen to advisers that tells us to "be brief and talk less" when facing a Consul.
Well, i'd rather talk a lot and get denied than be brief and after getting denied wish i'd said more!

After all has been said, truth is, we cannot control other people's actions/decisions. We might say and do all things right during our interview with the Vo but still get denied in the end. Remember, most of the time, it is not your fault. It is his fault too-----he was placed with the option of making a wrong and a right decision, and he made the wrong one by denying you![/quote]

Congrats bro.... More wins!!!

sheke01:


Visa approved today 3/08/2018 at Walter Carrington by a white lady at window 3. I was previously denied on 13/06/2018 by the notorious black lady.

My General profile: Am quite young (less than 25), I wrote GRE twice and TOEFL and got good scores, I applied to 4 schools. I was going for masters in information systems. My UG was in Mechanical Engineering


Visa delayed transcript
Interview:
I was the second person she interviewed after denying the first guy.
VO: Pass me your passport and i20
Sheke01: I passed it
VO: How did you know about Cleveland State University?
Sheke01: I got to know about cleveland state university from professor Matos Victor, a professor at CSU. I studied his works during my android programming certification program.
She type for a while and looked up
VO: Did you apply to other schools?
Sheke: Yes, I applied to 3 other schools
VO: Name them
Sheke01: Arizona state University Tempe, University of texas elpaso, University of North Carolina Charlotte.
She didn't ask about admits and rejects. She typed for a while again, looked up and asked
VO: Who's sponsoring you?
Sheke01: My mum
VO: What does she do?
Sheke01: She is a successful business woman. She is a major distributor of Dangote products.
She typed for a while and said am sorry, you are not qualified

Visa approval transcript
VO: Why this course?
Sheke01: I've been an IT professional for close to 3years. This course will consolidate on the knowledge I've gained from online certification courses and on the job trainings that I've had. I'll be receiving advanced knowledge on encryption, handshake protocol, firewalls security, brute force attack, distributed denial of service and also advanced knowledge on object oriented programming like spring framework, reactor, ORMLite, Java JDBC. Also I'll be receiving a CEH certification at the end of this program. All this would make me an all round IT professional so that I'll be able to take up Jobs with IT giants like Interswitch, google, microsoft, Andela and Cisco upon my return to the country.

VO: Did you apply to other schools:
Sheke01: Yes, I applied to three other schools.

VO: Name them?
Sheke01: Arizona state University Tempe, University of texas elpaso, University of North Carolina Charlotte

VO: Why Cleveland State University?
Sheke01: I applied to Cleveland state University because they offer a concentration in Information Security. This is an area of my programming that I really want to improve on. Also at Cleveland state university is will have access to graphic processing units for brute force attack simulations and a wide range of cloud computing infrastructure for cloud computing. Also the program offers interdisciplinary courses like emerging technology, project management and scheduling and lots of other courses that are beneficial to an IT professional.

VO: Did you take any test?
Sheke01: Yes, I took GRE twice and I took TOEFL

VO: What are your scores?
Sheke01: I had 305 the first time and 318 the second time. I had 97 in TOEFL

VO: Who's your sponsor:
Sheke01: My mum

VO: What does she do?
Sheke01: She is a BIG business woman. She is a major distributor of Dangote products.

VO: Do you have her statement of account?
Sheke01: Yes, I have 2 different account statements.....Then I passed them to her

She looked at the one on top for a while. She began to type for a period. Then she said

VO: What's your mum's name?
Sheke01: I told her

She began to type again. Even though the balance on the statement exceeds the required amount on my i20, I had to inform her again that there's a second statement behind that one o. She mumbled that she was not interested in it. I said no problem. After typing for a long while, she said

VO: I can't see your Sevis fee payment
Sheke01: I passed my Sevis fee confirmation along with my passport and i20. It's there with you
VO: I know but it's not coming up on the system

I decided to shut up at this point o. Since she is talking about sevis, she want to approve me o. Let me not use my mouth and talk rubbish at this point o.

She typed and typed and I waited. Next thing I heard was, " I will be approving your visa, pick it up at Isolo in 3 working days time. I just freezed. I couldn't even hide my white paper in my envelope and those military women outside hustled money from me which I happily gave them.

And that was how my dream became a reality.

N/B: It was God all the way. Though I played my own part but God favored me today. I prayed well and i was singing my "oh come to the throne of Grace" on the line today. Am successfully switching to Information systems from Mechanical Engineering without having to answer the dreaded "Why are you switching" question. I wore an Akpuoche like native for my interview today after being delayed wearing a suit. Don't let anybody deter you from achieving your dream. If I can do this, you can too

God all by himself.....congratulations....SUCCEED!!!

shayhune:


Documents he needs:
Original statement of account, scholarship/graduate assistantship letter(if applicable), admission letter, undergrad certificate, GRE and toefl results(if applicable), two passport photographs, i20, SEVIS payment receipt, GTB payment slip, DS160, appointment confirmation slip, international passport.

He shouldn't staple any document. Tell him to also avoid those touts at the gate who will want to convince him otherwise. I wish him all the best.

Please documents like undergrad cert, toefl,gre his he to present originals or photocopies? Thank you.