Wfsholla90:
Good evening elders in the House. Please review my statement of interest that I'd like to send to a PROGRMME coordinator. Thank you.
P.s: please do assist me anywhere I need to make correction.

Respected Professor BOLA IGE(Not the real name), MD, I would like to congratulate you on your recent appointment as DEAN at UAR School of Medicine.
My name is Sodiq, from Africa. I'd like to apply to study Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as an international student; though I have no funding.
I've a Higher National Diploma in Science Laboratory Technology with CGPA of 3.59/4.00
I know you're passionate about guiding medical student through the course of their studies and helping the less privilege gain quality education in the Medical field.
I'd like to seek your motherly assistance in helping me gain admissions and financial aid to study in your prestigious institution as I promise to live up to your expectations.
I look forward to a favorable reply from you ma.
congratulations once again.
Thank you and God bless you ma.
Please � do review and correct me wherever I'm wrong. May the Good Lord assist us all in our quest to get educated

Can somebody review this letter for me pls.
Thank you

Ok thanks

beejhay69:
just write out your job description. 4 or 5 lines is good enough.

Bro I sent you a mail

Thank you so much for this info. Please I would like to ask about the number (copies) and size of passport photograph to take along to the Abuja embassy. Or if it is not required since I uploaded it on my DS160.

chibertha:
Yes at the entrance you can drop your bad and phone and will be given a number tag.
It is free.

Prexy1999:


Oga mentor tell us the school you are presently if at all you Dey school . I can see you have been sensible, remorseful and morally upright to some extent in your post now as your mentee don talk to your brain .

I don’t deny the facts you don’t help people here we all know you to be like that to some extent mentor but just tell me your school

Oga what's all this na? We know you have a Nobel Prize; Oya allow the rest of us to learn biko.

Hyfeseyi:
yes and it was approved within 24 hours. i now have a date first week in August

Great! Congratulations. Celebrate grace

You mind sharing a sample of the message you sent, please?
I mean the actual request
I understand one needs to upload receipts of both payments along.


This is for the benefit of others looking to get closer dates
Thank you

Wfsholla90:
Good evening elders in the House. Please review my statement of interest that I'd like to send to a PROGRMME coordinator. Thank you.
P.s: please do assist me anywhere I need to make correction.

Respected Professor BOLA IGE(Not the real name), MD, I would like to congratulate you on your recent appointment as DEAN at UAR School of Medicine.
My name is Sodiq, from Africa. I'd like to apply to study Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as an international student; though I have no funding.
I've a Higher National Diploma in Science Laboratory Technology with CGPA of 3.59/4.00
I know you're passionate about guiding medical student through the course of their studies and helping the less privilege gain quality education in the Medical field.
I'd like to seek your motherly assistance in helping me gain admissions and financial aid to study in your prestigious institution as I promise to live up to your expectations.
I look forward to a favorable reply from you ma.
congratulations once again.
Thank you and God bless you ma.
Please � do review and correct me wherever I'm wrong. May the Good Lord assist us all in our quest to get educated

Are you writing this to an African / Nigerian? I'm not even sure it would fly for a Nigerian professor.

It might just be me, but the intro comes off as very patronizing. The body also sounds like you're desperate. Even if you are, it shouldn't show in your writing voice.

If you were not African, and you had funds, what are the standout things about you that would make you a desirable advisee?

What have you done in the past that is in line with what your prospective advisor is doing?

What do you intend to do (in specific, technical language) that is in line with your potential advisor?

Then you can ask if the potential advisor is accepting students. If they are not, it would be a waste of time to apply, because even if you're accepted, you won't get funding. Note that you're not begging for funding. Rather, you're asking if they are accepting students. If they say "yes" and the first two questions are properly answered, there's a 90% chance that you'd get the funding (given that you meet other admission requirements like GRE, statement of purpose, etc)

Wfsholla90:
Good evening elders in the House. Please review my statement of interest that I'd like to send to a PROGRMME coordinator. Thank you.
P.s: please do assist me anywhere I need to make correction.

Respected Professor BOLA IGE(Not the real name), MD, I would like to congratulate you on your recent appointment as DEAN at UAR School of Medicine.
My name is Sodiq, from Africa. I'd like to apply to study Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as an international student; though I have no funding.
I've a Higher National Diploma in Science Laboratory Technology with CGPA of 3.59/4.00
I know you're passionate about guiding medical student through the course of their studies and helping the less privilege gain quality education in the Medical field.
I'd like to seek your motherly assistance in helping me gain admissions and financial aid to study in your prestigious institution as I promise to live up to your expectations.
I look forward to a favorable reply from you ma.
congratulations once again.
Thank you and God bless you ma.
Please � do review and correct me wherever I'm wrong. May the Good Lord assist us all in our quest to get educated

Please just put Nigeria instead of “Africa”. Are you sending her this mail for her to be your supervisor? If yes, please just go straight to the point. Try and read her articles/publications and if it interests you, tell her so and how yours is also related. Ask her if she’s still accepting students. Don’t sound like you desperate for funding.

*please remove that motherly* You working with a professor be professional.

“In helping you gain admission” How? A professor will only speak in support of your application to the admission committee if he/she likes your research work/interest.

Personal Advice: Go back to the faculty website and read about this graduate cordinator. If you like her achievements so far, then you’ll be able to write up something good.

Your above work, still needs more workings.

Good luck �

Good day guys, my I-20 just arrived two days ago and with the news that there isn't interview date this year anymore... what can I do?

mikael11:
Good day guys, my I-20 just arrived two days ago and with the news that there isn't interview date this year anymore... what can I do?

They will still open more dates especially in July.

A thousand miles they say start with a step!

The journey started in 2014/2015 during my service year (National Youth Service Corps) in Abuja Nigeria when I met my mentor. I call him Abu Umar meaning Umar's father. He advised I should consider going to the US to further my studies because he could see a lot of potentials in me as a fresh graduate who is so passionate about IT specifically in the field of Computer Networking. One thing I could remember was he always laid emphasis on taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), reiterating that the GRE could strengthen the profile of the prospective student in getting scholarships (Full Tuition waiver+ Monthly Stipends) which can either be in form of Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Graduate Research Assistantship. I thought about it and decided to do my research on studying abroad specifically in the US since it is the hub of Information Technology (IT) in the world.

As one who thirsts for knowledge, I Google searched “How to study in the US as a Nigerian Student”, I stumbled on an article written by Dr. Farooq Kperogi a professor, Journalist, newspaper Columnist, Author and a blogger based in Greater Atlanta Georgia, USA titled “Studying in America: What you need to know” and also an article on his blog titled “From HND in Nigeria to Ph.D. in America” this story specifically galvanized my graduate school journey and this was the turning point of my life. I also stumbled on a Nairaland thread titled “General U.S.A Student visa Enquiries” while searching the internet.

I studied the process of applying to US graduate schools; the application documents required to apply such as standardized Exams (GRE&TOEFL), Transcript (GPA), Letters Of Recommendation, Statement Of Purpose, Resume and other supporting documents that can boost my profile, classifications of schools in-terms of Ambitious, Moderate and Safe schools based on my entire profile. I learned about these processes the best I could.

All through 2015/2016, I learned about the entire process coupled with learning how to convert Nigerian CGPA (/4.0/5.0/7.0) standard to American standard (/4.0) called transcript evaluation using evaluation bodies such as WES, ECE, FIS, GCE, SPAN TRAN, etc. (N.B make sure you use evaluation bodies that belong to NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services).

In 2017, I started preparing my documents, requested my undergraduate transcript from Lagos State University (LASU) which I sent to my place of work so that I could have an unofficial transcript handy to apply to various schools of my choice. During this period, I started preparing for Graduate Record Exam (GRE). I met some amazing people during this period; people like OLOLADE OKANLAWON and ALEXANDER SHERIFF. These guys took me like a brother, introduced me to several WhatsApp groups such as NEW GRE GROUP, BDGI, etc in order to aid my GRE study preparation. Thanks to them and I will forever be grateful for impacting me positively.

I prepared for the GRE for several months, though my preparation was epileptic because I was combining work with my study and it was really stressful for me. After several months of prep, I had the shock of my entire life. I had a score below 300. I was almost knocked down by a car when I came out of the exam center because I was depressed. I was advised to make another attempt for the test of which I decided against after much thinking and meditation.

In September 2017, I stumbled at the University of Maryland College Park (UMD) during my research on schools that matched my profile. I applied to the Master of Engineering (MENG) in Cyber Security program without my "low" GRE score because GRE was not a requirement for admission into the program. Prior to that, I intended to go to a certain school in Europe (The Netherlands) because they had a particular scholarship for international students of which one of my cousins benefited from.

I intended to do MSc in Bioinformatics in the Netherlands using the scholarship, however, I was not awarded the scholarship even after being admitted into the program. The scholarship was going to take care of my flight to and fro from Nigeria to the Netherlands and from the Netherlands back to Nigeria, my accommodation, feeding, health insurance, and Full Tuition waiver. I had to concentrate and channel all my energy on my UMD application. I got admitted to MENG in Cyber Security at UMD, I was so happy because I never believed my profile could fetch me an admission in such a well-ranked school like UMD.

I started learning about the alternative ways of sponsoring one’s tuition in US schools so I found myself in some WhatsApp groups about graduate school journey. This was the period I learned that prodigy finance and N-Power gives loan to international students who want to study abroad. My Cybersecurity program at UMD would have to be sponsored by Prodigy Finance. I had an uneasy feeling that it was a big risk and I was really nervous about taking a loan. Though, I understood the entire process and how students will pay back their loans after their program at their respective graduate schools abroad.

After my admission at UMD which was the first phase of the entire graduate school process, came the second phase which involved paying SEVIS Fee, Visa Fee, booking of visa interview date, and preparation for the visa interview. I prepared for about 2 weeks and my visa appointment date was for December 2017. The D-day for my visa interview came, prayed to God for divine favor before hitting the embassy at Walter Carrington Lagos, Nigeria. On getting to the embassy at about 6:30 AM Nigerian Time, I did all the pre-screening such as fingerprint, checking of visa fee receipt, SEVIS fee, etc. During the interview, the Visa officer asked me some questions which I believed my answers were too technical for the Visa officer to comprehend.

The interview lasted for just 2 minutes and I was denied, unfortunately. (N.B: Make sure you don’t use technical jargon when answering during the visa interview. Try to answer questions using simple English Language). I was depressed but I shared my experience with some knowledgeable people who told me what went wrong during my interview and they also encouraged me to give it a second shot. This time, I was broke to the extent that one of those who encouraged me to give it another shot paid half of my visa fee.

I booked another visa appointment dated the first week of January 2018. Again the interview was at the USA embassy, Walter Carrington, Lagos, I was interviewed by a tall white American guy who drilled me with so many questions. The Interview lasted for about 6 minutes and unfortunately, I was denied again making it my second attempt at the embassy.

After my second interview was a rough period in my life. Depression set in and I was broke like never before. During this period, I met this beautiful and soft-hearted young lady and some other people who always assured me that everything will be all right. I was always unhappy at work, thinking about my life and my rent was also due. Also, my flatmate left the flat we were staying in because he got another job on the Island and he had to move closer to the Island.

I was left to saddle the responsibility alone along with the graduate school journey because fall 2018 application period was around the corner. I spoke to Emmanuel Ogunkunle my wonderful scholar who encouraged me and also made mention of Austin Peay State University (APSU). I had never come across such a school during my school search. I told him I’ll put the school on the list of schools for fall 2018 application cycle.

Fall 2018 application cycle began, I applied to Eastern Illinois University (EIU), Austin Peay State University(APSU), University of Cincinnati (UC) and Gannon University (GU) got admitted to all the four schools. This brought a lot of smiles again to my face after several weeks of depression and unhappy moments in my life. I started seeking Graduate Assistant positions at UC and APSU because the other schools told me there were no available funds for my program.

I applied to Graduate Assistant (GA) positions in 6 departments at APSU and in the school of Information Technology at UC. I got a GA interview at UC from a Chinese Professor in the School of Information Technology, but I lost the GA position because I had no experience in Machine Learning and Data Science. My last hope was APSU waited for several weeks after which I received four rejections emails from four different departments I applied to. All I wanted was just one department to turn the table around for me.

During my application at APSU, I met 6 Nigerians who were so instrumental during my application process because I was guided by virtually all of them during the entire application. I remembered one of them asking about my GA application of which I told him I was expecting good news, but I already had 4 rejections from other departments I applied to. One day, he contacted me on LinkedIn and advised me to change my concentration from Information Assurance & Security to either Math Finance or Predictive Analytics which are also in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

I said to myself Math Finance is not a good area for me because IT is my life anything outside IT in graduate school won’t make me happy. I researched Predictive Analytics which was my best option because it is an emerging Technology under Data Science which is also an emerging technology in the IT field. I changed my concentration and also updated him that I had changed it to predictive Analytics.

He then told me to apply for the GA position again because he overheard in the department of Mathematics and Computer Science that there are still available positions for GA and some students just graduated during that period. I did as he advised, composed a nice e-mail, and attached my application documents; resume, transcript, and my professional certifications so that I could have a better chance at securing the GA position.

I waited for several weeks without even an acknowledgment e-mail from the department. I almost gave up because I already paid for another GRE to start prep for fall 2019 Ph.D. program in either Computer science or Information Technology. I had already made up my mind about Ph.D. for fall 2019 when I received a congratulatory message from the chair of the department about the GA position I applied to.

I wept, with tears of joy streaming down my eyes for it was the happiest day of my entire life. In-fact, I paid for people’s transport fare from my office to their destinations because I was coming back from the office at night after working a 12 Hours (8 AM - 8 PM) shift. I requested for my I-20 from APSU and it got to my place of residence within a week.

Exactly July 2018, I booked my visa interview dated July 30th 2018 which was later postponed to August 4th 2018 (Saturday morning). Prior to the D-Day, I prepared extensively did up to 5 mock interviews with some guys already in graduate school in the US and some in Nigeria. I also fasted for 9 days. On the D-day of my visa interview, I did all the usual screening such as fingerprint, checking of visa fee receipt, SEVIS fee, etc.

I was instructed to stay on a line which was the counter of the visa officer who previously denied me during my second attempt and I knew he could not interview me again based on their rules. On getting to him, he asked for my passport and I-20 which I obliged, but he returned my passport and I-20 saying he was sorry and that he already interviewed me. I was instructed to go to the second line where they had this young and pretty visa officer who already approved two people before me.

During the interview, the visa officer asked me several questions. She referred me back to the last 6 months with the previous visa officer which was my 2nd interview at the embassy. She stood up from her seat and went straight to the previous visa officer asking him something about my profile. When she came back, she asked me another set of questions which I responded to the best of my ability. She stood up twice again to talk to the previous visa officer.

At this moment, I was really scared, my heart was beating very fast, but tried to compose myself and never stop chanting my prayers and also tried to look into her eyes when answering her questions. In the end, I was given a white paper but placed on the administrative process for 4 days and got my Visa approved on the 5th day.

I left Nigeria for the US on August 20th, 2018, I flew from Lagos Nigeria to DOHA then DOHA to Miami and Miami to Nashville then Nashville to Clarksville (Austin Peay State University, Clarksville Tennessee USA).On getting to Miami which was my POE (Point of Entry), I was delayed for several hours because I got to Miami at about 5 PM in the evening and my connecting flight to Nashville was 8 PM in the evening.

I was taken to a private room for interrogations by 3 Armed men. I must confess I was scared, but I just had to display confidence since I did not have any skeleton inside my cupboard. I was asked series of questions such as Why I decided to attend APSU, my parent's Date of Birth, How I got my GA, where I worked in Nigeria before coming to the USA, did I informed my school I was coming at that particular date? They went as far as calling my school DSO to confirm if I was a genuine student, also asked what are my job roles where I worked last before coming to the US? Are my religious? Did I belong to any political party? I was referred back to what transpired last 6 months at the American Embassy in Nigeria that why didn’t I pursue MENG at UMD again and why did I change my choice of school and program? I answered all their questions diligently and confidently.

Lastly requested for my phone and PIN wrote down the serial number of my phone and searched my phone thoroughly, but they did not find anything implicating. I was asked to go out of the room to wait outside. After 15 minutes, the man who requested my phone came out of the interrogation room and handed over my phone and international passport to me and gave me a resounding welcome saying “WELCOME TO AMERICA AND ALWAYS TAKE SMART DECISIONS”.

I carried my bags to board my connecting flight to Nashville and then took a Taxi from Nashville to Clarksville. I got to my place of residence at about 2 AM in the morning. This was my graduate school retrospect which I believe you can learn a thing or two from my story.

Fast forward to April 2019, I was in the library with a friend where I received a LinkedIn message from a Network Engineering Director at Dell EMC who happens to be my manager. He contacted me because the summary on my LinkedIn profile indicated I was actively seeking an Internship position in Computer Networking and Cloud Computing domains for summer 2019. He scheduled an interview the same day, conducted an interview the second day and I was given an offer that very day at Dell EMC in their Network Infrastructure Solution team.

Words on marble: “Always believe in your struggle and let your faith be bigger than your fear”. I wish everyone who wish to pursue graduate education abroad all the very best. You can connect with me via LinkedIn Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn


Credit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafiz-matti-bbb3a490/


SOME USEFUL RESOURCES to start your GRADUATE SCHOOL Journey:

https://www.4icu.org/us/a-z/ - A-Z Universities in US

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2016/09/ibrahim-waziri-from-hnd-in-nigeria-to.html - From HND in Nigeria to Ph.D. in America

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2011/11/studying-in-america-what-you-need-to.html- Studying in America: What you need to know

https://www.nairaland.com/6354180/general-usa-student-visa-enquiries-part- This Great Thread

https://www.naces.org/NACES_Members_by_membership.pdf- National Association of Credential Evaluation Service Members

https://www.scholaro.com/gpa-calculator/- Foreign Credits CGPA Calculator

https://applications.wes.org/igpa-calculator/- WES IGPA CALCULATOR

https://gregurublog.com/free-gre-practice-test/- https://gregurublog.com/free-gre-practice-test/

Wishing you all starting out the best!

ayotycoon:
Hi everyone , thanks for the continuous tips and updates y’all drop every day. I had my interview today and I got the visa. Here is my transcript.


VO. What are you going to do in the US?
ME. I’m going for business ( VO looks at me )…. Oh sorry. I’m going to study business information systems and analysis at the university of arkansas Little Rock.

VO. I can see you have a fully funded graduate assistantship.
ME. Yeah and I would be getting a monthly stipend of 1500$ while I work as a software engineer at cosmos the universi…. (He no allow me complete )
VO. I’ll be issuing your visa.

I got into UALR too, I sent you a DM. Thank you.

Hello friends, for the sake of knowledge I would like to know if my school would also send a copy of my I-20 to the US Consulate in Nigeria prior to my appointment/interview date. Thanks for your response in advance.

Tega1986:
Hello friends, for the sake of knowledge I would like to know if my school would also send a copy of my I-20 to the US Consulate in Nigeria prior to my appointment/interview date. Thanks for your response in advance.

no

Tega1986:
Hello friends, for the sake of knowledge I would like to know if my school would also send a copy of my I-20 to the US Consulate in Nigeria prior to my appointment/interview date. Thanks for your response in advance.

NO! That is why there is SEVIS Record. The purpose of SEVIS is to ensure proper record keeping and reporting by schools and exchange visitor programs while non-immigrant participants are in the US.

All your records is with them(embassy) and it is very easy to verify easily via your form I-20. I wish you success in your interview!

Fxsacramento:
Hello nairalanders,

Please I need your help. I got my i20, and my uncle happens to be my sponsor; but it wasn't indicated on the i20. I want to know what that means, hope it won't be an issue for the VO? Thanks.

No mentioning the name of your sponsor on your i-20 is what many even prayed for, so you are SAFE as it doesn’t portend any danger at all.

GODOD MORNING MY BOSSES IN THE HOUSE, PLEASE ID LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY DAYS IT TAKES WES TO DELIVER AN EVALUATE REPORT TO AN INSTITUTION WITHIN USA...ITS 5 DAYS SINCE I GOT A NOTIFICATION HAS BEEN SENT TO MY RECIEPIENT BUT THE SCHOOL PORTAL SAYS NOT RECEIVED...PLEASE PARDON ANY TYPO, MY SCREEN IS SERIOUSLY FAULTY

I need assistance with direction to Demilis Hotel & Bayland Hotel. I am coming from Delta State and hitting the embassy in the morning.
Thank you.

NigPatriot:


Most of the schools in the US don't require any payment of tuition fee before issuing you i20.

Thanks for the reply, but pls can you tell me some cheap universities in the US that I can apply to?

KemLaughs:
A thousand miles they say start with a step!

The journey started in 2014/2015 during my service year (National Youth Service Corps) in Abuja Nigeria when I met my mentor. I call him Abu Umar meaning Umar's father. He advised I should consider going to the US to further my studies because he could see a lot of potentials in me as a fresh graduate who is so passionate about IT specifically in the field of Computer Networking. One thing I could remember was he always laid emphasis on taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), reiterating that the GRE could strengthen the profile of the prospective student in getting scholarships (Full Tuition waiver+ Monthly Stipends) which can either be in form of Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Graduate Research Assistantship. I thought about it and decided to do my research on studying abroad specifically in the US since it is the hub of Information Technology (IT) in the world.

As one who thirsts for knowledge, I Google searched “How to study in the US as a Nigerian Student”, I stumbled on an article written by Dr. Farooq Kperogi a professor, Journalist, newspaper Columnist, Author and a blogger based in Greater Atlanta Georgia, USA titled “Studying in America: What you need to know” and also an article on his blog titled “From HND in Nigeria to Ph.D. in America” this story specifically galvanized my graduate school journey and this was the turning point of my life. I also stumbled on a Nairaland thread titled “General U.S.A Student visa Enquiries” while searching the internet.

I studied the process of applying to US graduate schools; the application documents required to apply such as standardized Exams (GRE&TOEFL), Transcript (GPA), Letters Of Recommendation, Statement Of Purpose, Resume and other supporting documents that can boost my profile, classifications of schools in-terms of Ambitious, Moderate and Safe schools based on my entire profile. I learned about these processes the best I could.

All through 2015/2016, I learned about the entire process coupled with learning how to convert Nigerian CGPA (/4.0/5.0/7.0) standard to American standard (/4.0) called transcript evaluation using evaluation bodies such as WES, ECE, FIS, GCE, SPAN TRAN, etc. (N.B make sure you use evaluation bodies that belong to NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services).

In 2017, I started preparing my documents, requested my undergraduate transcript from Lagos State University (LASU) which I sent to my place of work so that I could have an unofficial transcript handy to apply to various schools of my choice. During this period, I started preparing for Graduate Record Exam (GRE). I met some amazing people during this period; people like OLOLADE OKANLAWON and ALEXANDER SHERIFF. These guys took me like a brother, introduced me to several WhatsApp groups such as NEW GRE GROUP, BDGI, etc in order to aid my GRE study preparation. Thanks to them and I will forever be grateful for impacting me positively.

I prepared for the GRE for several months, though my preparation was epileptic because I was combining work with my study and it was really stressful for me. After several months of prep, I had the shock of my entire life. I had a score below 300. I was almost knocked down by a car when I came out of the exam center because I was depressed. I was advised to make another attempt for the test of which I decided against after much thinking and meditation.

In September 2017, I stumbled at the University of Maryland College Park (UMD) during my research on schools that matched my profile. I applied to the Master of Engineering (MENG) in Cyber Security program without my "low" GRE score because GRE was not a requirement for admission into the program. Prior to that, I intended to go to a certain school in Europe (The Netherlands) because they had a particular scholarship for international students of which one of my cousins benefited from.

I intended to do MSc in Bioinformatics in the Netherlands using the scholarship, however, I was not awarded the scholarship even after being admitted into the program. The scholarship was going to take care of my flight to and fro from Nigeria to the Netherlands and from the Netherlands back to Nigeria, my accommodation, feeding, health insurance, and Full Tuition waiver. I had to concentrate and channel all my energy on my UMD application. I got admitted to MENG in Cyber Security at UMD, I was so happy because I never believed my profile could fetch me an admission in such a well-ranked school like UMD.

I started learning about the alternative ways of sponsoring one’s tuition in US schools so I found myself in some WhatsApp groups about graduate school journey. This was the period I learned that prodigy finance and N-Power gives loan to international students who want to study abroad. My Cybersecurity program at UMD would have to be sponsored by Prodigy Finance. I had an uneasy feeling that it was a big risk and I was really nervous about taking a loan. Though, I understood the entire process and how students will pay back their loans after their program at their respective graduate schools abroad.

After my admission at UMD which was the first phase of the entire graduate school process, came the second phase which involved paying SEVIS Fee, Visa Fee, booking of visa interview date, and preparation for the visa interview. I prepared for about 2 weeks and my visa appointment date was for December 2017. The D-day for my visa interview came, prayed to God for divine favor before hitting the embassy at Walter Carrington Lagos, Nigeria. On getting to the embassy at about 6:30 AM Nigerian Time, I did all the pre-screening such as fingerprint, checking of visa fee receipt, SEVIS fee, etc. During the interview, the Visa officer asked me some questions which I believed my answers were too technical for the Visa officer to comprehend.

The interview lasted for just 2 minutes and I was denied, unfortunately. (N.B: Make sure you don’t use technical jargon when answering during the visa interview. Try to answer questions using simple English Language). I was depressed but I shared my experience with some knowledgeable people who told me what went wrong during my interview and they also encouraged me to give it a second shot. This time, I was broke to the extent that one of those who encouraged me to give it another shot paid half of my visa fee.

I booked another visa appointment dated the first week of January 2018. Again the interview was at the USA embassy, Walter Carrington, Lagos, I was interviewed by a tall white American guy who drilled me with so many questions. The Interview lasted for about 6 minutes and unfortunately, I was denied again making it my second attempt at the embassy.

After my second interview was a rough period in my life. Depression set in and I was broke like never before. During this period, I met this beautiful and soft-hearted young lady and some other people who always assured me that everything will be all right. I was always unhappy at work, thinking about my life and my rent was also due. Also, my flatmate left the flat we were staying in because he got another job on the Island and he had to move closer to the Island.

I was left to saddle the responsibility alone along with the graduate school journey because fall 2018 application period was around the corner. I spoke to Emmanuel Ogunkunle my wonderful scholar who encouraged me and also made mention of Austin Peay State University (APSU). I had never come across such a school during my school search. I told him I’ll put the school on the list of schools for fall 2018 application cycle.

Fall 2018 application cycle began, I applied to Eastern Illinois University (EIU), Austin Peay State University(APSU), University of Cincinnati (UC) and Gannon University (GU) got admitted to all the four schools. This brought a lot of smiles again to my face after several weeks of depression and unhappy moments in my life. I started seeking Graduate Assistant positions at UC and APSU because the other schools told me there were no available funds for my program.

I applied to Graduate Assistant (GA) positions in 6 departments at APSU and in the school of Information Technology at UC. I got a GA interview at UC from a Chinese Professor in the School of Information Technology, but I lost the GA position because I had no experience in Machine Learning and Data Science. My last hope was APSU waited for several weeks after which I received four rejections emails from four different departments I applied to. All I wanted was just one department to turn the table around for me.

During my application at APSU, I met 6 Nigerians who were so instrumental during my application process because I was guided by virtually all of them during the entire application. I remembered one of them asking about my GA application of which I told him I was expecting good news, but I already had 4 rejections from other departments I applied to. One day, he contacted me on LinkedIn and advised me to change my concentration from Information Assurance & Security to either Math Finance or Predictive Analytics which are also in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

I said to myself Math Finance is not a good area for me because IT is my life anything outside IT in graduate school won’t make me happy. I researched Predictive Analytics which was my best option because it is an emerging Technology under Data Science which is also an emerging technology in the IT field. I changed my concentration and also updated him that I had changed it to predictive Analytics.

He then told me to apply for the GA position again because he overheard in the department of Mathematics and Computer Science that there are still available positions for GA and some students just graduated during that period. I did as he advised, composed a nice e-mail, and attached my application documents; resume, transcript, and my professional certifications so that I could have a better chance at securing the GA position.

I waited for several weeks without even an acknowledgment e-mail from the department. I almost gave up because I already paid for another GRE to start prep for fall 2019 Ph.D. program in either Computer science or Information Technology. I had already made up my mind about Ph.D. for fall 2019 when I received a congratulatory message from the chair of the department about the GA position I applied to.

I wept, with tears of joy streaming down my eyes for it was the happiest day of my entire life. In-fact, I paid for people’s transport fare from my office to their destinations because I was coming back from the office at night after working a 12 Hours (8 AM - 8 PM) shift. I requested for my I-20 from APSU and it got to my place of residence within a week.

Exactly July 2018, I booked my visa interview dated July 30th 2018 which was later postponed to August 4th 2018 (Saturday morning). Prior to the D-Day, I prepared extensively did up to 5 mock interviews with some guys already in graduate school in the US and some in Nigeria. I also fasted for 9 days. On the D-day of my visa interview, I did all the usual screening such as fingerprint, checking of visa fee receipt, SEVIS fee, etc.

I was instructed to stay on a line which was the counter of the visa officer who previously denied me during my second attempt and I knew he could not interview me again based on their rules. On getting to him, he asked for my passport and I-20 which I obliged, but he returned my passport and I-20 saying he was sorry and that he already interviewed me. I was instructed to go to the second line where they had this young and pretty visa officer who already approved two people before me.

During the interview, the visa officer asked me several questions. She referred me back to the last 6 months with the previous visa officer which was my 2nd interview at the embassy. She stood up from her seat and went straight to the previous visa officer asking him something about my profile. When she came back, she asked me another set of questions which I responded to the best of my ability. She stood up twice again to talk to the previous visa officer.

At this moment, I was really scared, my heart was beating very fast, but tried to compose myself and never stop chanting my prayers and also tried to look into her eyes when answering her questions. In the end, I was given a white paper but placed on the administrative process for 4 days and got my Visa approved on the 5th day.

I left Nigeria for the US on August 20th, 2018, I flew from Lagos Nigeria to DOHA then DOHA to Miami and Miami to Nashville then Nashville to Clarksville (Austin Peay State University, Clarksville Tennessee USA).On getting to Miami which was my POE (Point of Entry), I was delayed for several hours because I got to Miami at about 5 PM in the evening and my connecting flight to Nashville was 8 PM in the evening.

I was taken to a private room for interrogations by 3 Armed men. I must confess I was scared, but I just had to display confidence since I did not have any skeleton inside my cupboard. I was asked series of questions such as Why I decided to attend APSU, my parent's Date of Birth, How I got my GA, where I worked in Nigeria before coming to the USA, did I informed my school I was coming at that particular date? They went as far as calling my school DSO to confirm if I was a genuine student, also asked what are my job roles where I worked last before coming to the US? Are my religious? Did I belong to any political party? I was referred back to what transpired last 6 months at the American Embassy in Nigeria that why didn’t I pursue MENG at UMD again and why did I change my choice of school and program? I answered all their questions diligently and confidently.

Lastly requested for my phone and PIN wrote down the serial number of my phone and searched my phone thoroughly, but they did not find anything implicating. I was asked to go out of the room to wait outside. After 15 minutes, the man who requested my phone came out of the interrogation room and handed over my phone and international passport to me and gave me a resounding welcome saying “WELCOME TO AMERICA AND ALWAYS TAKE SMART DECISIONS”.

I carried my bags to board my connecting flight to Nashville and then took a Taxi from Nashville to Clarksville. I got to my place of residence at about 2 AM in the morning. This was my graduate school retrospect which I believe you can learn a thing or two from my story.

Fast forward to April 2019, I was in the library with a friend where I received a LinkedIn message from a Network Engineering Director at Dell EMC who happens to be my manager. He contacted me because the summary on my LinkedIn profile indicated I was actively seeking an Internship position in Computer Networking and Cloud Computing domains for summer 2019. He scheduled an interview the same day, conducted an interview the second day and I was given an offer that very day at Dell EMC in their Network Infrastructure Solution team.

Words on marble: “Always believe in your struggle and let your faith be bigger than your fear”. I wish everyone who wish to pursue graduate education abroad all the very best. You can connect with me via LinkedIn Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn


Credit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafiz-matti-bbb3a490/


SOME USEFUL RESOURCES to start your GRADUATE SCHOOL Journey:

https://www.4icu.org/us/a-z/ - A-Z Universities in US

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2016/09/ibrahim-waziri-from-hnd-in-nigeria-to.html - From HND in Nigeria to Ph.D. in America

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2011/11/studying-in-america-what-you-need-to.html- Studying in America: What you need to know

https://www.nairaland.com/6354180/general-usa-student-visa-enquiries-part- This Great Thread

https://www.naces.org/NACES_Members_by_membership.pdf- National Association of Credential Evaluation Service Members

https://www.scholaro.com/gpa-calculator/- Foreign Credits CGPA Calculator

https://applications.wes.org/igpa-calculator/- WES IGPA CALCULATOR

https://gregurublog.com/free-gre-practice-test/- https://gregurublog.com/free-gre-practice-test/

Wishing you all starting out the best!

Thumbs up, Kemi!

revenant:
I need assistance with direction to Demilis Hotel & Bayland Hotel. I am coming from Delta State and hitting the embassy in the morning.
Thank you.

Demlis Hotel (#9500)

Find your way to obalende. Take a bike #200 to Federal civil service club, Ikoyi. The hotel is inside the building. It's within a trekkable distance to the embassy

Congratulations again Kem!!! This was an inspiring read. I hope to drop my story some day too....

KemLaughs:
A thousand miles they say start with a step!

The journey started in 2014/2015 during my service year (National Youth Service Corps) in Abuja Nigeria when I met my mentor. I call him Abu Umar meaning Umar's father. He advised I should consider going to the US to further my studies because he could see a lot of potentials in me as a fresh graduate who is so passionate about IT specifically in the field of Computer Networking. One thing I could remember was he always laid emphasis on taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), reiterating that the GRE could strengthen the profile of the prospective student in getting scholarships (Full Tuition waiver+ Monthly Stipends) which can either be in form of Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Graduate Research Assistantship. I thought about it and decided to do my research on studying abroad specifically in the US since it is the hub of Information Technology (IT) in the world.

As one who thirsts for knowledge, I Google searched “How to study in the US as a Nigerian Student”, I stumbled on an article written by Dr. Farooq Kperogi a professor, Journalist, newspaper Columnist, Author and a blogger based in Greater Atlanta Georgia, USA titled “Studying in America: What you need to know” and also an article on his blog titled “From HND in Nigeria to Ph.D. in America” this story specifically galvanized my graduate school journey and this was the turning point of my life. I also stumbled on a Nairaland thread titled “General U.S.A Student visa Enquiries” while searching the internet.

I studied the process of applying to US graduate schools; the application documents required to apply such as standardized Exams (GRE&TOEFL), Transcript (GPA), Letters Of Recommendation, Statement Of Purpose, Resume and other supporting documents that can boost my profile, classifications of schools in-terms of Ambitious, Moderate and Safe schools based on my entire profile. I learned about these processes the best I could.

All through 2015/2016, I learned about the entire process coupled with learning how to convert Nigerian CGPA (/4.0/5.0/7.0) standard to American standard (/4.0) called transcript evaluation using evaluation bodies such as WES, ECE, FIS, GCE, SPAN TRAN, etc. (N.B make sure you use evaluation bodies that belong to NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services).

In 2017, I started preparing my documents, requested my undergraduate transcript from Lagos State University (LASU) which I sent to my place of work so that I could have an unofficial transcript handy to apply to various schools of my choice. During this period, I started preparing for Graduate Record Exam (GRE). I met some amazing people during this period; people like OLOLADE OKANLAWON and ALEXANDER SHERIFF. These guys took me like a brother, introduced me to several WhatsApp groups such as NEW GRE GROUP, BDGI, etc in order to aid my GRE study preparation. Thanks to them and I will forever be grateful for impacting me positively.

I prepared for the GRE for several months, though my preparation was epileptic because I was combining work with my study and it was really stressful for me. After several months of prep, I had the shock of my entire life. I had a score below 300. I was almost knocked down by a car when I came out of the exam center because I was depressed. I was advised to make another attempt for the test of which I decided against after much thinking and meditation.

In September 2017, I stumbled at the University of Maryland College Park (UMD) during my research on schools that matched my profile. I applied to the Master of Engineering (MENG) in Cyber Security program without my "low" GRE score because GRE was not a requirement for admission into the program. Prior to that, I intended to go to a certain school in Europe (The Netherlands) because they had a particular scholarship for international students of which one of my cousins benefited from.

I intended to do MSc in Bioinformatics in the Netherlands using the scholarship, however, I was not awarded the scholarship even after being admitted into the program. The scholarship was going to take care of my flight to and fro from Nigeria to the Netherlands and from the Netherlands back to Nigeria, my accommodation, feeding, health insurance, and Full Tuition waiver. I had to concentrate and channel all my energy on my UMD application. I got admitted to MENG in Cyber Security at UMD, I was so happy because I never believed my profile could fetch me an admission in such a well-ranked school like UMD.

I started learning about the alternative ways of sponsoring one’s tuition in US schools so I found myself in some WhatsApp groups about graduate school journey. This was the period I learned that prodigy finance and N-Power gives loan to international students who want to study abroad. My Cybersecurity program at UMD would have to be sponsored by Prodigy Finance. I had an uneasy feeling that it was a big risk and I was really nervous about taking a loan. Though, I understood the entire process and how students will pay back their loans after their program at their respective graduate schools abroad.

After my admission at UMD which was the first phase of the entire graduate school process, came the second phase which involved paying SEVIS Fee, Visa Fee, booking of visa interview date, and preparation for the visa interview. I prepared for about 2 weeks and my visa appointment date was for December 2017. The D-day for my visa interview came, prayed to God for divine favor before hitting the embassy at Walter Carrington Lagos, Nigeria. On getting to the embassy at about 6:30 AM Nigerian Time, I did all the pre-screening such as fingerprint, checking of visa fee receipt, SEVIS fee, etc. During the interview, the Visa officer asked me some questions which I believed my answers were too technical for the Visa officer to comprehend.

The interview lasted for just 2 minutes and I was denied, unfortunately. (N.B: Make sure you don’t use technical jargon when answering during the visa interview. Try to answer questions using simple English Language). I was depressed but I shared my experience with some knowledgeable people who told me what went wrong during my interview and they also encouraged me to give it a second shot. This time, I was broke to the extent that one of those who encouraged me to give it another shot paid half of my visa fee.

I booked another visa appointment dated the first week of January 2018. Again the interview was at the USA embassy, Walter Carrington, Lagos, I was interviewed by a tall white American guy who drilled me with so many questions. The Interview lasted for about 6 minutes and unfortunately, I was denied again making it my second attempt at the embassy.

After my second interview was a rough period in my life. Depression set in and I was broke like never before. During this period, I met this beautiful and soft-hearted young lady and some other people who always assured me that everything will be all right. I was always unhappy at work, thinking about my life and my rent was also due. Also, my flatmate left the flat we were staying in because he got another job on the Island and he had to move closer to the Island.

I was left to saddle the responsibility alone along with the graduate school journey because fall 2018 application period was around the corner. I spoke to Emmanuel Ogunkunle my wonderful scholar who encouraged me and also made mention of Austin Peay State University (APSU). I had never come across such a school during my school search. I told him I’ll put the school on the list of schools for fall 2018 application cycle.

Fall 2018 application cycle began, I applied to Eastern Illinois University (EIU), Austin Peay State University(APSU), University of Cincinnati (UC) and Gannon University (GU) got admitted to all the four schools. This brought a lot of smiles again to my face after several weeks of depression and unhappy moments in my life. I started seeking Graduate Assistant positions at UC and APSU because the other schools told me there were no available funds for my program.

I applied to Graduate Assistant (GA) positions in 6 departments at APSU and in the school of Information Technology at UC. I got a GA interview at UC from a Chinese Professor in the School of Information Technology, but I lost the GA position because I had no experience in Machine Learning and Data Science. My last hope was APSU waited for several weeks after which I received four rejections emails from four different departments I applied to. All I wanted was just one department to turn the table around for me.

During my application at APSU, I met 6 Nigerians who were so instrumental during my application process because I was guided by virtually all of them during the entire application. I remembered one of them asking about my GA application of which I told him I was expecting good news, but I already had 4 rejections from other departments I applied to. One day, he contacted me on LinkedIn and advised me to change my concentration from Information Assurance & Security to either Math Finance or Predictive Analytics which are also in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

I said to myself Math Finance is not a good area for me because IT is my life anything outside IT in graduate school won’t make me happy. I researched Predictive Analytics which was my best option because it is an emerging Technology under Data Science which is also an emerging technology in the IT field. I changed my concentration and also updated him that I had changed it to predictive Analytics.

He then told me to apply for the GA position again because he overheard in the department of Mathematics and Computer Science that there are still available positions for GA and some students just graduated during that period. I did as he advised, composed a nice e-mail, and attached my application documents; resume, transcript, and my professional certifications so that I could have a better chance at securing the GA position.

I waited for several weeks without even an acknowledgment e-mail from the department. I almost gave up because I already paid for another GRE to start prep for fall 2019 Ph.D. program in either Computer science or Information Technology. I had already made up my mind about Ph.D. for fall 2019 when I received a congratulatory message from the chair of the department about the GA position I applied to.

I wept, with tears of joy streaming down my eyes for it was the happiest day of my entire life. In-fact, I paid for people’s transport fare from my office to their destinations because I was coming back from the office at night after working a 12 Hours (8 AM - 8 PM) shift. I requested for my I-20 from APSU and it got to my place of residence within a week.

Exactly July 2018, I booked my visa interview dated July 30th 2018 which was later postponed to August 4th 2018 (Saturday morning). Prior to the D-Day, I prepared extensively did up to 5 mock interviews with some guys already in graduate school in the US and some in Nigeria. I also fasted for 9 days. On the D-day of my visa interview, I did all the usual screening such as fingerprint, checking of visa fee receipt, SEVIS fee, etc.

I was instructed to stay on a line which was the counter of the visa officer who previously denied me during my second attempt and I knew he could not interview me again based on their rules. On getting to him, he asked for my passport and I-20 which I obliged, but he returned my passport and I-20 saying he was sorry and that he already interviewed me. I was instructed to go to the second line where they had this young and pretty visa officer who already approved two people before me.

During the interview, the visa officer asked me several questions. She referred me back to the last 6 months with the previous visa officer which was my 2nd interview at the embassy. She stood up from her seat and went straight to the previous visa officer asking him something about my profile. When she came back, she asked me another set of questions which I responded to the best of my ability. She stood up twice again to talk to the previous visa officer.

At this moment, I was really scared, my heart was beating very fast, but tried to compose myself and never stop chanting my prayers and also tried to look into her eyes when answering her questions. In the end, I was given a white paper but placed on the administrative process for 4 days and got my Visa approved on the 5th day.

I left Nigeria for the US on August 20th, 2018, I flew from Lagos Nigeria to DOHA then DOHA to Miami and Miami to Nashville then Nashville to Clarksville (Austin Peay State University, Clarksville Tennessee USA).On getting to Miami which was my POE (Point of Entry), I was delayed for several hours because I got to Miami at about 5 PM in the evening and my connecting flight to Nashville was 8 PM in the evening.

I was taken to a private room for interrogations by 3 Armed men. I must confess I was scared, but I just had to display confidence since I did not have any skeleton inside my cupboard. I was asked series of questions such as Why I decided to attend APSU, my parent's Date of Birth, How I got my GA, where I worked in Nigeria before coming to the USA, did I informed my school I was coming at that particular date? They went as far as calling my school DSO to confirm if I was a genuine student, also asked what are my job roles where I worked last before coming to the US? Are my religious? Did I belong to any political party? I was referred back to what transpired last 6 months at the American Embassy in Nigeria that why didn’t I pursue MENG at UMD again and why did I change my choice of school and program? I answered all their questions diligently and confidently.

Lastly requested for my phone and PIN wrote down the serial number of my phone and searched my phone thoroughly, but they did not find anything implicating. I was asked to go out of the room to wait outside. After 15 minutes, the man who requested my phone came out of the interrogation room and handed over my phone and international passport to me and gave me a resounding welcome saying “WELCOME TO AMERICA AND ALWAYS TAKE SMART DECISIONS”.

I carried my bags to board my connecting flight to Nashville and then took a Taxi from Nashville to Clarksville. I got to my place of residence at about 2 AM in the morning. This was my graduate school retrospect which I believe you can learn a thing or two from my story.

Fast forward to April 2019, I was in the library with a friend where I received a LinkedIn message from a Network Engineering Director at Dell EMC who happens to be my manager. He contacted me because the summary on my LinkedIn profile indicated I was actively seeking an Internship position in Computer Networking and Cloud Computing domains for summer 2019. He scheduled an interview the same day, conducted an interview the second day and I was given an offer that very day at Dell EMC in their Network Infrastructure Solution team.

Words on marble: “Always believe in your struggle and let your faith be bigger than your fear”. I wish everyone who wish to pursue graduate education abroad all the very best. You can connect with me via LinkedIn Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn


Credit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafiz-matti-bbb3a490/


SOME USEFUL RESOURCES to start your GRADUATE SCHOOL Journey:

https://www.4icu.org/us/a-z/ - A-Z Universities in US

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2016/09/ibrahim-waziri-from-hnd-in-nigeria-to.html - From HND in Nigeria to Ph.D. in America

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2011/11/studying-in-america-what-you-need-to.html- Studying in America: What you need to know

https://www.nairaland.com/6354180/general-usa-student-visa-enquiries-part- This Great Thread

https://www.naces.org/NACES_Members_by_membership.pdf- National Association of Credential Evaluation Service Members

https://www.scholaro.com/gpa-calculator/- Foreign Credits CGPA Calculator

https://applications.wes.org/igpa-calculator/- WES IGPA CALCULATOR

https://gregurublog.com/free-gre-practice-test/- https://gregurublog.com/free-gre-practice-test/

Wishing you all starting out the best!

Hello house...Good morning. My friend has an issue with her siwess payment coupon. She omitted her first name when filling it, it only shows her last name and her middle name. Can she go ahead with the payment or she has to look for a way to rectify it?

Thanks

Sandrahopes:
Hello house...Good morning. My friend has an issue with her siwess payment coupon. She omitted her first name when filling it, it only shows her last name and her middle name. Can she go ahead with the payment or she has to look for a way to rectify it?

Thanks

Let her generate another coupon

Duisburg:


Can I have your number, man?

Just seeing this. I sent you a PM.

Amen!!! I pray you do.

N.B: It's not my story. I gave credits at the end.

Girlbestfriend:
Congratulations again Kem!!! This was an inspiring read. I hope to drop my story some day too....

Hello
Has anyone been able to book emergency appointment for July

Bros, you need only 1 passport photo but to be on safe side go with 2 or as much copy as you have, anything can happen. If you have old travel passport pls. go with it very important. I was just issued B1/2 2nd of June some denied because they don't bring thier old passport.

Jesunikanloba:
Thank you so much for this info. Please I would like to ask about the number (copies) and size of passport photograph to take along to the Abuja embassy. Or if it is not required since I uploaded it on my DS160.

Good day all the guru in the house.
I want to confirm some information and how visible it is , whether my past record will affect me or not?
I went to us embassy in the year 2011,2012 and 2013 and was denied for my bachelor degree, but now I want to go again but this time for my master degree. I have change my first and middle name because it's my father's name so I have change it to my other names but is different from the other name I have in the previous record with us embassy before. For example Surname: Aderibigbe first name: Samson middle name: ifamuyiwa (which I used to apply previously in the year 2011,2012 and 2013) but now change my name to Surname: Aderibigbe First name: Michael Middle name: Gbenga. Won't this new name affect me during the interview because they may be wondering why I change the name, though I have documents to back it up but being the fact that us are strict with data monitoring, won't it reduce my chance of getting visa?

Please kindly assist with advice so that I can know the way forward either to proceed or go to other country .
Thanks in advance

Please has anyone successfully used prodigy finance and gotten visa?

KemLaughs:
A thousand miles they say start with a step!

The journey started in 2014/2015 during my service year (National Youth Service Corps) in Abuja Nigeria when I met my mentor. I call him Abu Umar meaning Umar's father. He advised I should consider going to the US to further my studies because he could see a lot of potentials in me as a fresh graduate who is so passionate about IT specifically in the field of Computer Networking. One thing I could remember was he always laid emphasis on taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), reiterating that the GRE could strengthen the profile of the prospective student in getting scholarships (Full Tuition waiver+ Monthly Stipends) which can either be in form of Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Graduate Research Assistantship. I thought about it and decided to do my research on studying abroad specifically in the US since it is the hub of Information Technology (IT) in the world.

As one who thirsts for knowledge, I Google searched “How to study in the US as a Nigerian Student”, I stumbled on an article written by Dr. Farooq Kperogi a professor, Journalist, newspaper Columnist, Author and a blogger based in Greater Atlanta Georgia, USA titled “Studying in America: What you need to know” and also an article on his blog titled “From HND in Nigeria to Ph.D. in America” this story specifically galvanized my graduate school journey and this was the turning point of my life. I also stumbled on a Nairaland thread titled “General U.S.A Student visa Enquiries” while searching the internet.

I studied the process of applying to US graduate schools; the application documents required to apply such as standardized Exams (GRE&TOEFL), Transcript (GPA), Letters Of Recommendation, Statement Of Purpose, Resume and other supporting documents that can boost my profile, classifications of schools in-terms of Ambitious, Moderate and Safe schools based on my entire profile. I learned about these processes the best I could.

All through 2015/2016, I learned about the entire process coupled with learning how to convert Nigerian CGPA (/4.0/5.0/7.0) standard to American standard (/4.0) called transcript evaluation using evaluation bodies such as WES, ECE, FIS, GCE, SPAN TRAN, etc. (N.B make sure you use evaluation bodies that belong to NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services).

In 2017, I started preparing my documents, requested my undergraduate transcript from Lagos State University (LASU) which I sent to my place of work so that I could have an unofficial transcript handy to apply to various schools of my choice. During this period, I started preparing for Graduate Record Exam (GRE). I met some amazing people during this period; people like OLOLADE OKANLAWON and ALEXANDER SHERIFF. These guys took me like a brother, introduced me to several WhatsApp groups such as NEW GRE GROUP, BDGI, etc in order to aid my GRE study preparation. Thanks to them and I will forever be grateful for impacting me positively.

I prepared for the GRE for several months, though my preparation was epileptic because I was combining work with my study and it was really stressful for me. After several months of prep, I had the shock of my entire life. I had a score below 300. I was almost knocked down by a car when I came out of the exam center because I was depressed. I was advised to make another attempt for the test of which I decided against after much thinking and meditation.

In September 2017, I stumbled at the University of Maryland College Park (UMD) during my research on schools that matched my profile. I applied to the Master of Engineering (MENG) in Cyber Security program without my "low" GRE score because GRE was not a requirement for admission into the program. Prior to that, I intended to go to a certain school in Europe (The Netherlands) because they had a particular scholarship for international students of which one of my cousins benefited from.

I intended to do MSc in Bioinformatics in the Netherlands using the scholarship, however, I was not awarded the scholarship even after being admitted into the program. The scholarship was going to take care of my flight to and fro from Nigeria to the Netherlands and from the Netherlands back to Nigeria, my accommodation, feeding, health insurance, and Full Tuition waiver. I had to concentrate and channel all my energy on my UMD application. I got admitted to MENG in Cyber Security at UMD, I was so happy because I never believed my profile could fetch me an admission in such a well-ranked school like UMD.

I started learning about the alternative ways of sponsoring one’s tuition in US schools so I found myself in some WhatsApp groups about graduate school journey. This was the period I learned that prodigy finance and N-Power gives loan to international students who want to study abroad. My Cybersecurity program at UMD would have to be sponsored by Prodigy Finance. I had an uneasy feeling that it was a big risk and I was really nervous about taking a loan. Though, I understood the entire process and how students will pay back their loans after their program at their respective graduate schools abroad.

After my admission at UMD which was the first phase of the entire graduate school process, came the second phase which involved paying SEVIS Fee, Visa Fee, booking of visa interview date, and preparation for the visa interview. I prepared for about 2 weeks and my visa appointment date was for December 2017. The D-day for my visa interview came, prayed to God for divine favor before hitting the embassy at Walter Carrington Lagos, Nigeria. On getting to the embassy at about 6:30 AM Nigerian Time, I did all the pre-screening such as fingerprint, checking of visa fee receipt, SEVIS fee, etc. During the interview, the Visa officer asked me some questions which I believed my answers were too technical for the Visa officer to comprehend.

The interview lasted for just 2 minutes and I was denied, unfortunately. (N.B: Make sure you don’t use technical jargon when answering during the visa interview. Try to answer questions using simple English Language). I was depressed but I shared my experience with some knowledgeable people who told me what went wrong during my interview and they also encouraged me to give it a second shot. This time, I was broke to the extent that one of those who encouraged me to give it another shot paid half of my visa fee.

I booked another visa appointment dated the first week of January 2018. Again the interview was at the USA embassy, Walter Carrington, Lagos, I was interviewed by a tall white American guy who drilled me with so many questions. The Interview lasted for about 6 minutes and unfortunately, I was denied again making it my second attempt at the embassy.

After my second interview was a rough period in my life. Depression set in and I was broke like never before. During this period, I met this beautiful and soft-hearted young lady and some other people who always assured me that everything will be all right. I was always unhappy at work, thinking about my life and my rent was also due. Also, my flatmate left the flat we were staying in because he got another job on the Island and he had to move closer to the Island.

I was left to saddle the responsibility alone along with the graduate school journey because fall 2018 application period was around the corner. I spoke to Emmanuel Ogunkunle my wonderful scholar who encouraged me and also made mention of Austin Peay State University (APSU). I had never come across such a school during my school search. I told him I’ll put the school on the list of schools for fall 2018 application cycle.

Fall 2018 application cycle began, I applied to Eastern Illinois University (EIU), Austin Peay State University(APSU), University of Cincinnati (UC) and Gannon University (GU) got admitted to all the four schools. This brought a lot of smiles again to my face after several weeks of depression and unhappy moments in my life. I started seeking Graduate Assistant positions at UC and APSU because the other schools told me there were no available funds for my program.

I applied to Graduate Assistant (GA) positions in 6 departments at APSU and in the school of Information Technology at UC. I got a GA interview at UC from a Chinese Professor in the School of Information Technology, but I lost the GA position because I had no experience in Machine Learning and Data Science. My last hope was APSU waited for several weeks after which I received four rejections emails from four different departments I applied to. All I wanted was just one department to turn the table around for me.

During my application at APSU, I met 6 Nigerians who were so instrumental during my application process because I was guided by virtually all of them during the entire application. I remembered one of them asking about my GA application of which I told him I was expecting good news, but I already had 4 rejections from other departments I applied to. One day, he contacted me on LinkedIn and advised me to change my concentration from Information Assurance & Security to either Math Finance or Predictive Analytics which are also in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

I said to myself Math Finance is not a good area for me because IT is my life anything outside IT in graduate school won’t make me happy. I researched Predictive Analytics which was my best option because it is an emerging Technology under Data Science which is also an emerging technology in the IT field. I changed my concentration and also updated him that I had changed it to predictive Analytics.

He then told me to apply for the GA position again because he overheard in the department of Mathematics and Computer Science that there are still available positions for GA and some students just graduated during that period. I did as he advised, composed a nice e-mail, and attached my application documents; resume, transcript, and my professional certifications so that I could have a better chance at securing the GA position.

I waited for several weeks without even an acknowledgment e-mail from the department. I almost gave up because I already paid for another GRE to start prep for fall 2019 Ph.D. program in either Computer science or Information Technology. I had already made up my mind about Ph.D. for fall 2019 when I received a congratulatory message from the chair of the department about the GA position I applied to.

I wept, with tears of joy streaming down my eyes for it was the happiest day of my entire life. In-fact, I paid for people’s transport fare from my office to their destinations because I was coming back from the office at night after working a 12 Hours (8 AM - 8 PM) shift. I requested for my I-20 from APSU and it got to my place of residence within a week.

Exactly July 2018, I booked my visa interview dated July 30th 2018 which was later postponed to August 4th 2018 (Saturday morning). Prior to the D-Day, I prepared extensively did up to 5 mock interviews with some guys already in graduate school in the US and some in Nigeria. I also fasted for 9 days. On the D-day of my visa interview, I did all the usual screening such as fingerprint, checking of visa fee receipt, SEVIS fee, etc.

I was instructed to stay on a line which was the counter of the visa officer who previously denied me during my second attempt and I knew he could not interview me again based on their rules. On getting to him, he asked for my passport and I-20 which I obliged, but he returned my passport and I-20 saying he was sorry and that he already interviewed me. I was instructed to go to the second line where they had this young and pretty visa officer who already approved two people before me.

During the interview, the visa officer asked me several questions. She referred me back to the last 6 months with the previous visa officer which was my 2nd interview at the embassy. She stood up from her seat and went straight to the previous visa officer asking him something about my profile. When she came back, she asked me another set of questions which I responded to the best of my ability. She stood up twice again to talk to the previous visa officer.

At this moment, I was really scared, my heart was beating very fast, but tried to compose myself and never stop chanting my prayers and also tried to look into her eyes when answering her questions. In the end, I was given a white paper but placed on the administrative process for 4 days and got my Visa approved on the 5th day.

I left Nigeria for the US on August 20th, 2018, I flew from Lagos Nigeria to DOHA then DOHA to Miami and Miami to Nashville then Nashville to Clarksville (Austin Peay State University, Clarksville Tennessee USA).On getting to Miami which was my POE (Point of Entry), I was delayed for several hours because I got to Miami at about 5 PM in the evening and my connecting flight to Nashville was 8 PM in the evening.

I was taken to a private room for interrogations by 3 Armed men. I must confess I was scared, but I just had to display confidence since I did not have any skeleton inside my cupboard. I was asked series of questions such as Why I decided to attend APSU, my parent's Date of Birth, How I got my GA, where I worked in Nigeria before coming to the USA, did I informed my school I was coming at that particular date? They went as far as calling my school DSO to confirm if I was a genuine student, also asked what are my job roles where I worked last before coming to the US? Are my religious? Did I belong to any political party? I was referred back to what transpired last 6 months at the American Embassy in Nigeria that why didn’t I pursue MENG at UMD again and why did I change my choice of school and program? I answered all their questions diligently and confidently.

Lastly requested for my phone and PIN wrote down the serial number of my phone and searched my phone thoroughly, but they did not find anything implicating. I was asked to go out of the room to wait outside. After 15 minutes, the man who requested my phone came out of the interrogation room and handed over my phone and international passport to me and gave me a resounding welcome saying “WELCOME TO AMERICA AND ALWAYS TAKE SMART DECISIONS”.

I carried my bags to board my connecting flight to Nashville and then took a Taxi from Nashville to Clarksville. I got to my place of residence at about 2 AM in the morning. This was my graduate school retrospect which I believe you can learn a thing or two from my story.

Fast forward to April 2019, I was in the library with a friend where I received a LinkedIn message from a Network Engineering Director at Dell EMC who happens to be my manager. He contacted me because the summary on my LinkedIn profile indicated I was actively seeking an Internship position in Computer Networking and Cloud Computing domains for summer 2019. He scheduled an interview the same day, conducted an interview the second day and I was given an offer that very day at Dell EMC in their Network Infrastructure Solution team.

Words on marble: “Always believe in your struggle and let your faith be bigger than your fear”. I wish everyone who wish to pursue graduate education abroad all the very best. You can connect with me via LinkedIn Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn


Credit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafiz-matti-bbb3a490/


SOME USEFUL RESOURCES to start your GRADUATE SCHOOL Journey:

https://www.4icu.org/us/a-z/ - A-Z Universities in US

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2016/09/ibrahim-waziri-from-hnd-in-nigeria-to.html - From HND in Nigeria to Ph.D. in America

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2011/11/studying-in-america-what-you-need-to.html- Studying in America: What you need to know

https://www.nairaland.com/6354180/general-usa-student-visa-enquiries-part- This Great Thread

https://www.naces.org/NACES_Members_by_membership.pdf- National Association of Credential Evaluation Service Members

https://www.scholaro.com/gpa-calculator/- Foreign Credits CGPA Calculator

https://applications.wes.org/igpa-calculator/- WES IGPA CALCULATOR

https://gregurublog.com/free-gre-practice-test/- https://gregurublog.com/free-gre-practice-test/

Wishing you all starting out the best!

This is so inspiring. I am so sure he would have forgotten those days in Nigeria when he was depressed and anytime he looks back he will surely smile.

shawnmich:
Good day all the guru in the house.
I want to confirm some information and how visible it is , whether my past record will affect me or not?
I went to us embassy in the year 2011,2012 and 2013 and was denied for my bachelor degree, but now I want to go again but this time for my master degree. I have change my first and middle name because it's my father's name so I have change it to my other names but is different from the other name I have in the previous record with us embassy before. For example Surname: Aderibigbe first name: Samson middle name: ifamuyiwa (which I used to apply previously in the year 2011,2012 and 2013) but now change my name to Surname: Aderibigbe First name: Michael Middle name: Gbenga. Won't this new name affect me during the interview because they may be wondering why I change the name, though I have documents to back it up but being the fact that us are strict with data monitoring, won't it reduce my chance of getting visa?

Please kindly assist with advice so that I can know the way forward either to proceed or go to other country .
Thanks in advance

Fingerprint alone will reveal that you are the same person that came in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Sebi you sha know the reason why you change your name? Tell them.