zizytd:

Pls did u write gre to gain d admission, dis computer science tin don tire me

I did not. It depends on the school. One of the first steps of my application process was to go through the admission requirements of the computer science department of the "top 30" schools. I filtered out those that do not need GRE. Off the top of my head, as at when I was doing my research, the notable schools that needed GRE for MSc Comp Sci were Toronto, Waterloo, York, Alberta and Queens just to mention a few. I did a matrix comparative analysis on each of the schools in terms of Fees, Scholarship, Cost of Living etc to know which ones I should "bombard" their professors with mails.
Just do your due diligence and you would find out the process is easy.

realone01:
@pchax @Tsola6, I had 3.87/5.00 n also studied computer science, I got an msc. Computer sci admission at UofR without going through the stress of getting a supervisor. I also kno of a friend(we finished frm d same dept) with 3.65 cgpa, he got an msc. Computer sci admission(not thesis based tho) at concordia uni, montreal. I think it depends on individual school and the applicants that are applying during the period in which u applied cause their admission competitive.

Pchax I dey always lik ur post bro Keep up the good work

Yeah... not everyone should go through the stress of finding a supervisor. I decided to go through all that stress of getting a supervisor before sending my application because I wanted to apply to ONLY ONE SCHOOL. I didn't want to go through the stress and cost of applying for multiple transcripts from my school (10K each), sending and tracking the multiple applications and playing multiple application fees. Good to know there are quite a number of Nigerian computer scientists in Canada.

Glad you like my post because sometimes I feel I talk too much on this forum. Thanks!

Tsola6:

I tot it was healthy up until i got refused msc in both sfu n ubc.
I applied for msc in computer sci, dats wat i did in my undergrad, wanted to go into Networks and systems but i was offered d diploma. Tz a graduate diploma for 2 terms (8months) and after dat i wud go for d msc, my chances of gettin in den wud b way higher.
I think those people feel our education is sub standard tho. My frnd with a first class in Economics, applied for Msc and got offerd d same PBD in uni of ottawa, after bin rejected by Mcgill n Uni of Illinois in America she had to settle, shes dere now. So my dear, Odikwa very difficult!

Oh.. interesting. I guess that piece of advice would help someone here who is considering MSc in Computer Science.
Comp. Sci is also my first degree and I was tragetting "top 10 schools" except Toronto. The likes of UBC, Waterloo, McGill, SFU, Alberta, York, Calgary etc. But when I was not able to grab the attention of any of the professors there, I decided to expand my scope to "top 30" as I did not want to "blindly" apply to schools and keep fingers crossed whether I would be accepted or not. Luckily for me, I saw a Prof interested in working with me and the rest is history. From my convos with them, it seems that they do not really reckon with our grades here. Can you imagine a grad secretary in USacks telling me to "consider other options" because I did not make a first class from my Nigerian University. They think first class is beans.

Of a truth, Odikwa pretty difficult because we have to compete with them crazy Indians and Chinese whose parents have been grooming since when they were toddlers years old to get admission into UBC or Toronto (especially in computer science). I see the GRE scores of some of those dudes and their undergrad projects and I wonder if it is the same MSc we are applying for. Nevertheless, I know naija doesn't carry last and I trust you would show them fire in that PBD that they would even given you PhD admission straight ahead.

Tsola6:

Lol @ beer aint cheap there"
Cool,deir shakara nor b here, with my 4.02/5.00 gpa dint get msc, waz offered pbd at sfu, ubc rejected me,lol!
My main issue with dat place is dat the blck population dere is abt 2% so u cud go deys without seein ny blck person, dat scares me.

Loool... even black indians? Cos I learnt that apart from the Chinese, the indians have a heavy presence there. I guess that makes you unique and I trust your enjoying the place. Vancouver was once an Olympic city so I guess there would be lots of recreational parks and great out door activity areas. Enjoy the uniqueness while it lasts cos now that you have mentioned on NL that UBC and SFU school fees no reach 1M, naija peeps go dey run go there.

On a more serious note, which course did you apply for? What is the PBD like and for how many months is it run? That your GPA is pretty healthy ooo....

blemon44:
This is a Forum for learning and sharing ideas and not for some stupid topic

You want to learn in a "Jokes" section? You need to spice up your life with a little bit of humour or else you would keep sounding as childish as you displayed above.

badtyres:
Thank a lot, i really appreciate. Nice mail.

You welcome bro. Please do not be discouraged because most the times, these professors do not reply. It is not that your mail is bad or out of place it is just that some of them get dozens of these things EVERYDAY. I sent about 50 mails to different Profs all over Canada. Less than 7 replied (5 to be specific if i remember correctly). A tip is to make the subject of your mail very descriptive. E.g. "PROSPECTIVE MASTERS STUDENT IN DATABASE WAREHOUSING".

For general enquiries about the programs, mail the graduate secretaries. Those ones have your time.

Wishing you the best bro.

Tsola6:

Dunno sha, chcked 4 houses n seems to b abt d same price with most places in canada, dnt knw ow dey get deir lists tho.... 400- 450 -500 n u wud get a very comfy house, n dats like d same 4 most major cities i think... n ubc is also quite cheap, atleast compared to many others with evn lower ratings...

I looked at UBC. Great funding, low fees. Same with SFU too. The first thing that scared me was that my GPA (3.56/5.00) was kinda pretty low for this "geeky schools". I know that my work and research experience MIGHT compensate for it but I did not want to take a chance. Moreover, the professors there did not definitely offer me a position on their team. I still love those schools though! <3

As for cost of living, check out the price of foodstuff there, transportation and the likes. Also, you say houses range between 400-500 but in Ontario (Windsor to be specific) I am seeing 300 and I know I can even beat it down with my igbo man negotiations. Those couple of hundreds saved every month would add up to something tangible at the end of the year.

Once again, I did not say the schools are terrible ooo... Infact I respect/envy you for going to that school. But mehn, beer aren't that cheap there.

badtyres:
Databases & Computational Geometry. Thanks for your help. Please can you pm me to guild me on how to write a good motivational letter?

My mails used to take this format generally. 3 paragraphs. 1st one is introduction. Second is about research. Third is toasting the professor. A sample is below. Btw, your area of research is gangstar. I would really love to see some of your work in 5 years time

Dear Professor PotentialSupervisor,

My name is pchax and I am a recent graduate of Computer Science with Mathematics from XYZ University, Nigeria.

I intend starting my Masters in 2015 with the ultimate goal of getting a Ph.D in Canada and I came across your Natural Language Processing research group. The projects done in the research group are fascinating and I find them interesting. I have some background on NLP from my undergraduate days using NLTK and currently, I work with some Machine Learning algorithms (Linear and Logistic Regression, Classifiers - K- Nearest Neighbours) using python.

I see the NLP goup in PotentialSupervisors University has the ideal place for me to hone my skills and learn while collaborating with other people under an experienced guide. Does your lab have any open position for Masters students? Would avail myself to any form of interview or screening you dim fit to give me.

Thanks.
Pchax.

luvly3:


Ya it is expensive and I am not too sure of the job prospects there..... Every province pretty much has its advantages and disadvantages.

I don't know much about Canada. Never left Nigeria but from the small research I have done, there are lots of Chinese in Vancouver. So I guess ICT jobs are on the rise in that province. Wouldn't mind relocating after a while

lilspiceyy:

Any travel history @pchax?

No travel history ooo.... Virgin passport.

Tsola6:
Btw, no1 here seems to b goin my way , BC, burnaby, yyyy? Simon fraser university has one of d cheapest masters fee ive seen, $5k annualy, dats not evn up to a million naira + tz a metropolitan city. Im surprised people arent rushing dere... im doin a PBD becos i dint get offered a Masters even plus my 4.02 Cgpa.

High cost of living in Vancouver. That dissuaded me. I have a soft spot for SFU and UBC and the rivalry breeding between those two but Vancouver is one of the most expensive places in North America. Would have loved to quote a source for that last bit of info. But tiredness...

badtyres:
Hello House anybody currently applying or already studying Master's in Computer science at the University of Lethbridge?

Please i need your help to explain something to me about contacting the supervisor's and the format and the write up, Other's gurus in the house can help me as well with the format to use for contacting the supervisor for Master program admission.

Anybody applying or currently doing his/her master program in Computer Science, Please i need your advice. I don't know how to go about the admission process, and the format to use for contacting the supervisor. Please help a brother

Thanks

Hello, what area(s) in Computer Science.

Just go to the departmental website. Read about the Professors there and their specializations and do a mail to them. The mail shouldn't be long. Introduce yourself, show that you know about the research area, tell them you like to be their student.

vicarsenal:
@pchax
Yeah its scary o, rising like a Rocket. God will help us all. Cos budget must be up'd a bit now...
Ur SOA was like how much?

Sponsor 12M (fixed deposit)
Co-Sponsor (5M)

vicarsenal:
@pchax
Congrats Bro.
No qualms Bro u've already promised to post ur docs when u get ur TRV, i'll wait thats wat i wanna ask u b4.
Btw did u pay part or full tuition fee?

I have not paid one kobo of school fees yet and I am kinda regretting it with the way the Canadian Dollar is rising

@ promise2, vicarsenal, Odinwa

I can see that you sent PMs to me but I do not have access to my NL mail. Please kindly reply to a very old thread of mine that I created in another forum (not this one) and include your email address there so I can reply.

Or better still, ask the question here directly if it is not personal so everyone can benefit.

I would be posting all the documents I submitted. I would also post the links to the samples of all letters I submitted starting from my application to Uni and I would heavily redact the letters by removing all personal details. I don't see this done much on this thread so I hope I am not flaunting any rules (@Oga Siga).

Thanks for all the inputs. Looking forward to more medical call ups cos I don't like to walk alone.

Alhamdulillah! Alhamdulillah!

Jst got off the phone with my agent and he told me I have been scheduled for Medicals
Applied on the 2nd of Oct.

Wud post my documents when i finally get the real thing, Inshaa' Allah.

Cancity234:
My windsor team!!!!Congrat!!!!

Yeah let's go Windsor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once again, congrats my friend!!!!

vanrichie4u:


It takes awhile before the mail requesting for your passport would come in to your MyCiC actn, or better still use a PC to access ur actn...relax and sip some juice,same thing happened to me..lol. Congratulation

Na PC i dey everly use browse ooo... i dey sip my juice when the mail entered this afternoon. It was as if teh VO read my complaint on this thread and decided to answer me. Thanks bro!

oghos2k:
send them an email ASAP.. mine took 5 days which i was just waiting but as soon as i sent an email, they replied with the request for passport the next day

Seems teh VO is on Nairaland and he reads our complaints cos I didn't send a mail and the mail entered this afternoon. Rushing there first thing monday morning. Thanks!

Optimall:
Congratulations Pchax... Al glory to Jah.

The mail finally came... all glory to jah oooo!!!!!

Good morning people!

I just logged into my CIC account and my application has been closed. In the part of final decision, they said it has been approved. And under the medicals section, I see i passed. But.... but... I have not received any mail or call from CIC nor is there any message in my CIC account prompting me to drop my passport

Abeg, how do these people contact people to drop passport? Do I need to mail them to remind them to send me a mail ni? I did my medicals last week Thursday btw. Thanks.

Ornaments:


Thank you sir. But how can someone who is still single, who neither has any kid yet nor any landed properties have strong hone ties? How can this gap be breached? Thanks

I bridged the gap in my SOP. My short term goals and long term goals were focused on Nigeria. Canada is just a pit stop to achieve those goals.

Amefrica:


Any coat you buy in Naija is gonna be like a singlet here. Come here and get the real coat you want.. Ranges from $150-250

O boi! Just did the rough calculation in my head. That's around 40K. Canny must to have bend-down-select ooo...

Thanks for the heads up though.

mesh2003:

Differs for most people. Am leaving early cos I have an assessment to write and to get a house b4 school starts. I got baaad ass coats and winter stuffs from a market towards badagry in lagos. Its called VESPAR market

Oh cool... Thanks. For housing, I have been scouting on kijiji. Seen some cool ones but not yet contacted the owners. They seem to be plenty available at the same cost so I'm not that bothered about that it that much though. I know I am missing something about settling in Canada but I can not just place a finger on it.

I have noticed many people who are resuming in January are travelling before Christmas. Is there any particular reason why? I'm thinking of leaving a day or two before new year so as spend the holidays with family. I'm to resume Jan 8 and I guess I can use those few days to settle down. I stand to be corrected though. Please can someone explain the rush to travel out?

Also, I've been monitoring Toronto weather for the past few days and it is not smiling. Abeg, where in Lagos can someone find coat to buy. I mean real COAT. Thanks.

toecyne:
Hi NL, please is a sponsor's statement of account of 4 million naira enough to apply for a 1 year study visa after i have paid d full school fees? Nd can i use an in law as co-sponsor if 4 million naira is enough?

Yes! 4 million is enough. Just present your application well and write a good SOP.

Yes! You can use your in-law. I used mine too as a co-sponsor.

Now the difference is what are the responsibilities of sponsor and co-sponsor and how are they different. I do not know much. But the way mine was done is that my sponsor (my dad) took responsibility of tuition, accomodation, feeding, health and everything. My co-sponsor (my brother in-law) said he is ready to give me 2M per year for each year is spend to help with some necessities. You can draft your own in a different way but just know PRESENTATION MATTERS. Don't present a cliche format or document that the VO has possibly read 200 times in the past month.

nekkii:
Now I know y USAK didn't give me admission when I applied earlier this year I wasn't given the admission I sent a mail to the school to find out why??and they told me they had people with higher CGPA and I had a 2:1 dint know they only wanted people with 1st class but on the school profile if your grade is above 3.0 you can apply and I had 3.70. Na wa ooo

Happy you now have closure
But on a more serious note that is bad of them. I even linked the page to where they said a 2"1 from Nigeria can apply but the grad secretary gave me her personal opinion to "consider other options".

With my 2'1, Concordia denied me for a 2nd ug with 3.6gp then masters? Hmmm

MrArams:
My dear, I kept my peace in order not to appear as antagonist. You know we believe in miracles

That's why I advice mailing the graduate office first. For example, on USak websites, they said a 2"1 can apply for Msc. I mailed teh grad office of the department and the grad secretary told me explicitly that if I am from Nigeria and I did not make a 1st class, I should not bother applying.

Different Schools; Different Rules. Different Departments within the same school; Different Rules. But everything looks cool on paper or on the website.

mrnilobrawn:

Abeg oo
Naija ppl don go speak pigin for MUN and now dey are demanding for IELTS/TOEFL from nigerians saying we hv complicated languages...

loool... We need to colonize them with pidgin.

lassky:
Tuquote author=pchax post=28366417]
if person come get 5.8/7.0 nko cos my dey use 7.0 cgpa scale though I used Wes to calculate my cgpa and I got 3.58/4.0. Is dat a 1st class ?

Is that a first class or 2"1 in your uni? When it comes to CGPA for admission, different schools look for different things. Let me take my course as an example (Computer Science). When I was communicating with my potential supervisor, she asked for some specific courses like Principles of Compilers, Data Structures and Algorithms, Object Oriented Programming and 2 or 3 other courses. Luckily for me I got Bs and As in those course regardless of my 3.56/5.0.

Also, some people look at last 2 years of study and see how your grades were. The thinking behind this is that your last two years is more of a specialized version of your course. For example, using my course again, in Level 100, I did Physics, Chemistry and some other basic courses that don't look like computer. As I got to Level 400 and 500 all my courses were basically focused on my degree. So some universities just focus on your last two years cos the foundation years do not speak much about your particular degree.

Some Universities just look at all the countries in the world and their degree classes and look for broad equivalent. For example, a degree classified by Sehr Gut in the German educational system is equivalent to a 2"1 in the UK (or Nigeria)

Below is a kind of degree equivalences that different schools use:

❖ University of Alberta
❖ University of Calgary (You would notice for Nigeria they said a 2"1 or 4.0/5.0. That should answer your question if you want to apply to calgary).
❖University of Dalhousie
❖UBC (my favourite school in Canada. Only if Vancouver is not crazily expensive to live in)

Best bet, kindly mail their graduate secretaries. THEY WOULD RESPOND.

MrArams:



I knew you will come back to clarify things...You're the most misquoted fellow on this thread 3rd time and counting

I guess I need to improve on my communication skills niyen. Na to dey talk for pidgin be the way forward...

Shyee:


I read somewhere that Naija cgpa tend to weigh more than Canadian's

I earlier said :

pchax:

Baba it is not as direct as that ooo... Of course, that is a simple way to convert but grading systems are different. They have the A+, A, A-, B+ and what have you and each of those grades carry different weights. While in Nigeria it is just the plain A, B,C,D etc. A professor there once told me that a Nigerian 3.50/5.00 is roughly equivalent to their own 3.2/4.0. But if we do the maths normally a Nigerian 3.50/5.00 is equivalent to 2.80/4.00.
So my advise to the OP is to check the departmental site of all his interested Uni's. Some have different countries and their grade point conversion scales. Some just look at your last 2 years course and check out the number of As and Bs.
In summary, grade point conversion is not as easy as it seems. Cheers!

Just for the records, Naija cgpa doesn't weigh more than Canada's own. I guess it was the bolded part above that confused my brother shyee. To put it more in context, during my search for admission I met a Nigerian Professor that teaches in a North American school. I told him I graduated with a 3.56/5.00 and I think my chances are slim. He said I shouldn't worry, that it is still a second class upper and a second class upper is equivalent to a 3.10 - 3.40 on their own scale.
My the main intention of my earlier post was just to say that grade conversion is not simple arithmetic. Infact there is no global formula for grade conversions. Having said that, I wouldn't advice someone with a 3rd class to apply for MSc straight.

Cheers!

lovesavvi:
Pls house is it possible for online application to submit another document afta a week submission, if it is possible pls giv me d email I can send it to. I requested for a letter of support frm my school to explain d duration of my course to tackle d length of proposed stay in canada nd d school did nt reply me in time nd I just got d letter now and am thinking of how I will send it to d embassy.

From what I learned in the FAQ of CIC, once you submit, you have submitted. They can request some documents from you if needed though.