₦airaland Forum

monsieur2016:
Sup guys? For the interview,do you need a copy of that printout (not receipt) used to pay the form i-901?

To the best of my knowledge, I think you will be needing your i20, GTB payment, DS 160 confirmation, international passport and (5cm x 5cm passport photograph). It doesn't hurt to bring additional documents.

Fortissimo:
Guys with full funding please confirm that the relationship between you and your school (entity paying for your trip) on the DS-160 is Employer...

Hi bro. I think so, I cannot even remember what I filled.

Slimmy2005 please help here

bc2015:
hello guys, good morning. M a newcomer on this thread. pls I need your assistance
1. can I get a cheap uni doing a masters in public health without GMAT or GRE?
2. My sponsor wants to know the relative cost of MPH buh really don't know how tuition fee is calculated, can somebody just give me a range for school fees and other departmental fees and health insurance?
3. how long does it take b4 u get a response about ur admission offer?

Thanks

I assume you don't intend to write the GRE, I would really advice you give it a shot (even if it's for the sake of securing visa). Get some nice materials, study and do well in the exam. You will be glad you did. To your question, 1) like how much do you consider 'a cheap university'? You need to give us a range 2) I think every school has estimated cost of attendance on their websites 3) It varies. Some schools have rolling admission policy

Tods:
Please I need an answer asap. Can I interview with a particular i20, get my visa and then decide to enroll in another school when I get to the us? Does the student visa carry the name of the school I interviewed with?

Yes, don't fret. You can transfer your SEVIS when you get to the US. Just go to the Office of International Services at the University on your Visa when you get to the US. Yes, your student visa will have the name of the school you interviewed with.

Tods:
Hello peeps, Are there other ways one can seek for funding from a university, apart from the merit-based funding especially as a prospective MSC student. Can an. international student apply for on-campus jobs or off-campus along with pursuing the degree? Please what are the likely jobs to be given if one applies for them? What if my school doesn't offer one any funding, what other ways can one support myself through school. please guru answer.

.

Funding! Funding!! Funding!!! The reality mostly dawn on most of us when we are on ground. I personally think its better to secure funding before coming to the US (if you no wan enter one chance ) 'cos some professors go give you story That said, some schools have international student award (I guess it is merit based but 3.0+ GPA and decent profile should get you the award). Yes, you can apply for on-campus jobs. You will be eligible to work for at most 20 hours per week. You can also get assistantship from another department in some schools. You are only eligible to do off-campus jobs after one academic year in the US (with F1 status). If your school doesn't offer any funding , sincerely this is a difficult part for me to answer 'cos it is in two ways. If you are very proactive and you have some skills that a particular professor can leverage on and he has funding, you might be lucky. The last thing you would want to happen to you is to lose your status (the hustle will become real once you are at that crossroad). Don't worry, you will be fine

pappyyanky:
House pls how do i pay for my SAT fee online .my mastercard and paypal arent working.

Maybe you should contact someone abroad to help you with the payment

KELVIN086:
Goodday house, pls I would like to know how long it takes to receive an admission decision from a school , I intend applying for my msc for the spring semester.
I heard it's always a month after application dealine, but im not sure about it since most schools have very late application deadlines i.e October to November for spring admission. Does this mean if I apply now for my msc for spring 2017(the program starts in january) i would have to wait till november before I get an admission decision.

.

It varies from school to school. I would advice you start the application process as early as you can. BTW, why spring? LOL *Don't mind me* I just prefer fall to spring.

baodium:
.

It varies from school to school. I would advice you start the application process as early as you can. BTW, why spring? LOL *Don't mind me* I just prefer fall to spring.

Hello are you schooling in Arkansas?

MsNas:
@Topic:

Like I always say, America is what you make it out to be. Some people chose to see a glass half full, while some prefer to see it as half empty. It is what you make it to be. I know some of the issues I am gonna raise is over-flogged... but irrespective. I am gonna use myself as an example, therefore I will refer to myself a lot in this post.

1. Nobody said its easy. This is the same reasons why I tell people I know (on and off NL) to remove their rose colored glasses before entering America. Trust me, you will have it very very rough at the beginning. Make up your mind to start from the barest bottom of the food chain here and don't expect to be living the high life 1-2 years after getting here. I got here with no funding, cos I had conditional offer as I was switching from a Physics undergrad major to an IT graduate major. I was not supposed to get funding until I did my prerequisite courses and that should take me 1 and a half years. I paid my first semester fees no hassles, but because I knew getting funding for the next semester is gonna make my educational pursuits easier, I got good grades, pressed my graduate advisor, and while that one ran me around in circles, I pressed the graduate school. Point is I never gave up, I eventually got funding (almost 100% and I had just completed 1/4 of my prerequisite course) and my life became simpler. All these while, I never longed to buy a car (my friends were buying), never longed for vacations to Puerto Rico (people around me were going), I was simply focused on getting up the food chain. I have survived on $500 a month before (housing, bills, and to do fine girl o ). Be prepared to manage for at least the duration of your grad school or education. I rarely ate out when I was in Arkansas and when I do, its $8 Chinese takeout. The people there know me and my friends. Lmao. Anybody who knows me on this thread knows I am an advocate of "Bring plenty food from Nigeria".

The food I brought saved me most of the time cos I barely spent $70 on groceries every month. I never used to eat at fancy restaurants then, unless I go visit my Oga at the top . I learned how to live within my means. I learned to hunt for bargains and sales. I learnt how to look good but not live beyond my means and run into credit card debt. Where to buy a Micheal Kors coat that retails for $350 for $70 brand new, where to shop for the cheapest groceries, how to cut my utility bills and not have too much to pay at the end of the month, where to buy designer apparel for 1/10 of the original retail price. I learned and learned and those practices got me through the days when I have little or nothing and is also helping me with my savings.

2. I know this has been said before, but I would repeat it. People in certain majors have it easy, but they certainly don't get things handed to them on a platter of gold. This is no fiction, but I applied to more than 150 jobs before landing one. I would mention some monikers at this point ..... people like vivvysparkles, FideliaJohn and co that I came here with had it tough, but they eventually got great paying jobs with superb benefits after months of looking hard. They didn't relent and they were rewarded. even if you are not majoring in the so called hot majors, make yourself employable. I have seen some Nigerians on F-1 visa applying to jobs here with the Nigerian style of resume (date or birth, state of origin, religion. etc) Who does that? Which employer will take a second look at those kind of resumes?

3. Don't be stuck in your comfort zone. Most people that I know here went to school in one state and got jobs in another state. They looked for jobs outside of the state they studied in. They didn't get too comfortable. Do not concentrate your job search in one state and do not be afraid of change. Change might be what you need to get what you want.

4. Prepare to cry, prepare to be frustrated but prepare not to give up. I have been frustrated and angry after I kept getting reject upon rejects from jobs I applied to, I had wanted to give up but I could not afford to. One tip I always give to people is "Until you get what you want, you can afford to give up" When I was applying to those jobs, I would get as much as 8 "We are sorry" emails in a day. At some point, I even got angry and decided to stop applying. But I came here to win, I came here to survive and that is exactly what I am gonna do.

5. Ask for opinions. Ask people who know more than you and they can give you pointers. No man is an island of their own and some people know way more than we do. One of the things I am most grateful to is having someone who always was ready to go the extra mile for me with advise, counselling, resume help, interview pointers.... anything! You name it. Find someone to be your sounding board. Someone to bounce ideas off of and you will gain a lot. I never knew one could have a full time job(not internship), be a full time F-1 student, hold a full time graduate assistantship and not even be in the same state your school is located. I am doing that right now and I wouldn't be able to do that if I had not sought advice from people who knew better than me and could offer concrete advises on the way to go.

6. I saw someone complaining about racism. Lmao. You must be joking. We are NIGERIANS!. Racism is a small thing compared to tribalism and we are the grandmasters of tribalism. I went to school in the bible belt of Southern US (google it) where racism is at its peak, but I refuse to be daunted. I don't even think I pay any mind to it. There has been issues where people have been racist to me, I simply call them out on it, refused to acknowledge it or simply cannot be bothered. Who cares? I have other things to think of than to be thinking of racism. Someone even complained about the cold, lmao. We call one of my friends masquerade because of the way she dresses in the winter. Bundle up oga or madam, you're complaining about cold, people in Naija are complaining about excess heat. Be content.

7. Pray like never before. You sure do need it. Prayers bring good luck and we sure do need that to survive in America. If I tell you the story of one of my friends who also happens to be a Nairalander, you will marvel at the glory of the Almighty!! The person is doing so great now, you will not believe that's his/her story. Prayers have saved me many times.

8. Set realistic goals for yourself and don't "look face" so to speak. When I came here, I walk everywhere I went, my school city had no public transport and I had no car. What would I do? Make good use of my God given car aka my legs! If you see me walking around in the crazy Arkansas sleet, snow or rain, you will pity me. I even used that to keep my weight in check. Lol. I had friends who had cars, bought cars months after we entered America. I know people that got cars from car dealers and were paying monthly, but I am not here to keep up with the Jones, I won't put myself in financial distress just so I could belong. Let the people at home know your condition, don't pretend. If you pretend to be rich and having a ball in America, they will keep asking you for stuff and how many people you wan explain to for Nigeria that all those your Facebook pictures is just packaging? Infact, I deleted more than 400 people off my Facebook when I moved here. I don't need unnecessary stress or demands in my life

One problem with Nigerians is that they expect to enter America and magically things will start to fall into place. Wrong. even natural born citizens have it worse. You can't walk if you don't crawl. You have to fight double or even triple hard to get your foot in the door and trust me, you will forget the days o. Also, cultivate the habit of saving, even if it's $50 a month while a student. That way, it will be easy to save and not get caught up with the good life after you graduate, get a job and start earning them big bucks. That way, you won't end up like those people who have spent decades in the USofA with nothing to show for it. If you are lucky to have trusted people in Nigeria, invest some of those savings back home, real estate is easy money in Nigeria. I'd even advise on taking advantage of the current naira/dollar price in Nigeria and invest back home. $1K will fecth you nothing less than 300K in Naija right now, think about it. You will have something to fall back on if at all there is need to relocate after a while.

I bless the day I decided to quit my job and made the decision to move here, my life is much better, if I had stayed back in Nigeria, I will also be in the same rat race. I am not a millionaire neither do I have a fat bank account but my quality of life is much better. I was in Nigeria in December and I saw things first hand. If you don't have someone to get you in the door in Nigeria, OYO is your case. How many people are making it big and hammering millions on a day to day basis back home? Less than 5%. Majority are living paycheck to paycheck, and that's the fact. If you don't have someone to give you a job, or give you a contract, 80% are gonna end up with a job that pays less than 150K a month. That's even if you get the job sef. I graduated college in 2009 and I know a lot of my former classmates who are working extremely low paying jobs or even with no jobs at all.

Sorry for the long epistle.

This is brilliant. Thank you very much

Fortissimo:
Hello are you schooling in Arkansas?

Hi, I am schooling in Arkansas

baodium:
Hi, I am schooling in Arkansas

Ah nice. What school and program? I think MsNas was there too. How's life in the south.

sirRiddy:
Hi bro. I think so, I cannot even remember what I filled.

Slimmy2005 please help here

Thanks man. You've booked your interview date already, right?

Fortissimo:
Ah nice. What school and program? I think MsNas was there too. How's life in the south.

I am in the Integrated Computing program at UALR (PhD in Computer science). I think MsNas was at Fayetteville . Sincerely speaking, I think the people around here are really nice and the quality of life (relative to the cost of living) is okay.

Fortissimo:
Thanks man. You've booked your interview date already, right?

Yes, I have.

Hello house, pls if I am to send some money to the USA via Western Union, at what rate will I be charged? What other thing do I need to know so as to make d transaction go through asap. Tx

baodium:
.

It varies from school to school. I would advice you start the application process as early as you can. BTW, why spring? LOL *Don't mind me* I just prefer fall to spring.

Deadline for fall to most schools has passed.

baodium:
I am in the Integrated Computing program at UALR (PhD in Computer science). I think MsNas was at Fayetteville . Sincerely speaking, I think the people around here are really nice and the quality of life (relative to the cost of living) is okay.

Oh nice. You should have an assistantship, then.

KELVIN086:
Deadline for fall to most schools has passed.

Admission and funding prospects are better for fall.

Fortissimo:
Oh nice. You should have an assistantship, then.

Yes but it is very competitive.

What's the name of your school? Check your school website, ''student employment'' or graduate assistantships, apply to vacancies & be sure to check the requirements & ensure you fit & also call your department and ask if GA/RA/TA opportunities are available in the dept

Tods:
Hello peeps, Are there other ways one can seek for funding from a university, apart from the merit-based funding especially as a prospective MSC student. Can an. international student apply for on-campus jobs or off-campus along with pursuing the degree? Please what are the likely jobs to be given if one applies for them? What if my school doesn't offer one any funding, what other ways can one support myself through school. please guru answer.

baodium:
Yes but it is very competitive.

Really? I thought it's automatic for PhD students.

Fortissimo:
Really? I thought it's automatic for PhD students.

Lol. There are unfunded PhDs too.

Fortissimo:
Really? I thought it's automatic for PhD students.

Some schools may not even admit you for a PhD program if funding is not available. Different strokes for different folks. I didn't even get the funding before coming over *risky plan * The idea is to never be too shy to ask questions. You will be surprised at the level of firsthand information you can get from folks around here. QUESTIONS are the source to KNOWLEDGE!

sirRiddy:
Lol. There are unfunded PhDs too.

Mehn that one is gangster oo

baodium:
Some schools may not even admit you for a PhD program if funding is not available. Different strokes for different folks. I didn't even get the funding before coming over *risky plan * The idea is to never be too shy to ask questions. You will be surprised at the level of firsthand information you can get from folks around here. QUESTIONS are the source to KNOWLEDGE!

big risk. Great that it paid off

baodium:
. QUESTIONS are the source to KNOWLEDGE!

That is true, but it is good if people do some reading and research so they can ask relevant questions.

It gets difficult when new posters come with " Tell me everything about USA visa, ticket, school and passport."

purplesummer:
Hello dear, while you are planning your finance pls bear in mind that there may be other charges aside your tuition such as the fees you pay per semester and the medical insurance.
You may want to put those into consideration too. So, don't work with 5k dollars as you are likely to be underestimating.

Ok thanks Alot... noted!

Thanks a lot baodium.. I appreciate ur response.
You said if one has some skills. By skills you mean what? Can you give some examples?

baodium:
.

Funding! Funding!! Funding!!! The reality mostly dawn on most of us when we are on ground. I personally think its better to secure funding before coming to the US (if you no wan enter one chance ) 'cos some professors go give you story That said, some schools have international student award (I guess it is merit based but 3.0+ GPA and decent profile should get you the award). Yes, you can apply for on-campus jobs. You will be eligible to work for at most 20 hours per week. You can also get assistantship from another department in some schools. You are only eligible to do off-campus jobs after one academic year in the US (with F1 status). If your school doesn't offer any funding , sincerely this is a difficult part for me to answer 'cos it is in two ways. If you are very proactive and you have some skills that a particular professor can leverage on and he has funding, you might be lucky. The last thing you would want to happen to you is to lose your status (the hustle will become real once you are at that crossroad). Don't worry, you will be fine

Thanks

Mekurexx:
What's the name of your school? Check your school website, ''student employment'' or graduate assistantships, apply to vacancies & be sure to check the requirements & ensure you fit & also call your department and ask if GA/RA/TA opportunities are available in the dept

Tods:
Thanks a lot baodium.. I appreciate ur response.
You said if one has some skills. By skills you mean what? Can you give some examples?

It depends on your area of specialisation. In my case, it is computer science - I possess some computer programming and networking skills. I was told to learn liferay within a week (Almost impossible but I did out of desperation). Eventually I got an RA position but I am currently teaching software engineering.

If you are in IT, you can learn the following:
- Hadoop
- R programming
- Android programming
- Linux
- OpenStack
- C++
- Java (design patterns, analysis of algorithm, etc.)
- JavaScript
- MySQL

If you are not in IT, just make sure you know your onions in your field of specialisation.

Fortissimo:
Really? I thought it's automatic for PhD students.

Bros, they plenty wey no dey get funding o. Those Indians won't mind sha

hello,

anyone got a internship offer or interview in the just concluded NSBE at Boston ?

1. what are your advice on the best followup method ?

2. what are the possible things HR will ask when the interviewer says '' you"ll hear from HR soon'' ?

Thanks