₦airaland Forum

DereI:
Applied to Camosun College, BC. Awaiting Medicals/ TRV. Submitted App on 28th April.

Okay good. Wish you all the best.
Congrats in advance.

tommee:
ok ma thank you

You welcome sir. Goodluck

abmendozer:
Okay good. Wish you all the best.
Congrats in advance.

Oh Thank you. You're so kind.

Osemigho:
Not compulsory but it's good if you have. Some already have projects they want you to work on, some are willing to develop a proposal with you, while others will enjoy reading a good proposal.

Personally, I didn't have at the beginning(July/August 2016) of my search and emails, got some supervisors, mainly "supervisor A and supervisor C.

Supervisor C had a funding proposal she applied for and was willing to take me in and fund me with it. Her department needed a general and non-proposal kind of sop with the full support of atleast a faculty member. Midway through the application, her proposal was refused and she sent me a "sorry I can't find you again email".

supervisor A school need more than a strong proposal. She supported me in drafting one in September-November 2016. I used the proposal to search for more supervisors in December 2016 (including my current "supervisor B" at University of Calgary).

The full gist supervisor A and B below.

While I was struggling to develop a proposal on infrastructure for supervisor A, after she sent me numerous papers on it, the inspiration for my proposal on waste came during my discussion with my undergraduate thesis supervisor.

I sent an email to supervisor A that "although I am going through the papers she sent, I notice ... about waste and would like to know what she thinks about it". Supervisor A replied that new topic is very interesting and I should focus on that. She sent more papers, I replied with SOP with a proposal paragraph. she commented twice and I edited. third comment was "this is good and should fly".

I adjusted the proposal to remove supervisor A details and school, and I attached it to a "searching for a supervisor for a proposed topic" email to supervisor B. Supervisor B commented "interested, and will like to know what graduate level you are interested in, Master/Phd".

Fastfoward, Supervisor A's school refuse me admission, supervisor B's school accepted me with 2 years scholarship. I am still waiting for visa.

So, If you are going for fall 2018, I will advise you start sending a well drafted personalized email, while developing or if you are finding it difficult to develop a good proposal. Good luck.

Sorry for the long post.

Really? You got supervisors without a proposal? Please how did you do it? What was the content of your mail? I have been hunting for supervisors for a while now. The techinque Ive been using goes thus; I read one of their papers and suggests a way it can be extendes to prove another similar concept. I've been doing that for a while now but to no avail. Did you ask for materials in your mail to supervisor A? I'll like to know the content of the mail to supervisor A, if you don't mind. It's unfortunate that her school rejected you in the end but she helped you develop a strong propsal.

Chill guys!

Submitted on May 2nd, paper route, usask MSc..... Awaiting Medical mail as well...


Let's be hopeful, I'm sure they will soon get to us

[quote author=yemdogg post=54706122]HINTS ON SECURING ADMISSIONS IN CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES

This post is applicable to POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ONLY (PARTICULARLY MASTERS' DEGREE)

First and Foremost, before you start rushing to apply to programs in Canadian Universities, it is best to understand Canadian Grading Scale/System. It will be helpful for you to understand the fact that Nigerian grading scale and Canadian grading scale are radically different from each other. Hence, you may be disappointed to discover that a 3.0/5.0 GPA in Nigeria is not the same as a 3.0/4.0 in Canada so the earlier you know, the better your chances of securing admissions in Canadian Institutions. Typically, most Nigerian Institutions accept a 2:2 (Second Class Lower) for admission into their respective master's program, however, the same cannot be said about their Canadian counterparts.

First step by prospective applicant to Canadian Universities is to ascertain your GPA in Canadian Scale. You can do an unofficial and free evaluation of your GPA by using World Education Services (WES) free GPA Calculator to first determine the Canadian equivalence of your final GPA. Here is the link to calculate your GPA: http://www.wes.org/students/igpacalc.asp Ensure you have your transcript with you before starting the process.

Second thing to do is to Peruse through the program website of your prospective institution to know what the requirements are. Some programs require 3.0/4.0 in the last two years of studies (i.e last four semesters of your undergraduate studies) while some require you to have 2:1 as final GPA. Understanding this will go along way in helping you decide whether to apply to the school or not.

Third thing to consider is to first decide whether you want a course-based program or thesis based program. These two things are very different in nature and operation and it goes along way to determine your chances of admission. Generally, course-based program doesn't require you to submit a research/thesis paper at the end of your program, hence, there's usually no need to secure a graduate research supervisor before you apply. At best, the school will assign you a course advisor who will guild you when you are about registering your courses. Further to the above, course-based program because of its nature does not usually come with funding/fellowship, however, if your undergrad GPA is high enough, you may be able to secure TA (Teaching Assistancship) which may/can reduce your financial burden to an extent.

Thesis-based program on the other hand requires thesis/research paper at the end of your program which must invariably be defended before you can be awarded a masters degree. A prospective applicant for a thesis-based masters is expected to have an original idea/research emphasis, or demonstrate ability to advance or improve current/persistent discourse in his/her area of research interest. Hence, they expect him/her to demonstrate or show his/her ability and capacity to pursue a graduate research /thesis in his/her research proposal and this is why you must work very hard on your research proposal. Ensure to paint yourself as a visionary who is capable of making meaningful contribution to your research area/interest. Reference your research proposal; footnotes,. ( will later on discuss how to write a convincing and compelling research proposal)

Fourth thing to do is to contact potential referees, please and please, your recommendation letter is one of the most important item to accompany your application for admission if not the most important. Therefore, I'd suggest you work hand in hand with your referees, ensure they write you a compelling letter, they should talk about the courses they taught you, the research project they supervised, your performance in their courses, your capacity to pursue an independent research, your adaptability, your commitment to effect given tasks and some other vital information that separates you from other applicants.

If you're pursuing a thesis based program, please and please try to contact potential supervisors even if the school advise you not to. It is very important to understand that the success of an application for thesis based masters is always premised on the readiness of a faculty member to supervise the applicant in question. Hence, study the page of the faculty members and familiarise yourself with their area of research. Read their works, both current and previous work, think about how you can contribute to their current research, how will your background assist their research. When you address all these, then by all means, contact them and indicate interest to work with them.

In your correspondence with them, paint yourself as a confident and independent person who requires little or no supervision, tell them your achievements, your previous works, awards, your gpa (if possible, attach your transcript to show or demonstrate you proficiency in their area of research, if you have low grades in any course that is closely knitted to their area if research, please and please do not send your transcript to them. It might discourage them, unless they requested for your transcript). Do not sound needy, don't make your correspondence with them sound like you're begging them to supervise you. Look for their previous work, if you have the capacity to discuss it, pls do, tie their previous or current work to your area of research.

Tell them the contribution you intend to make. If you have your research proposal ready, pls forward it to them. Pls and pls, while doing these things, avoid obvious or avoidable grammatical mistakes. Read any correspondence with them over and over before finally sending same. Show interest in them by reading their research work from time to time and sending them your thoughts or perspectives on their research work. Demonstrate how their research work applies to your research.

Contact multiple faculty members to determine their readiness and availability to supervise you. While doing this, do not send a generic mail, personalize each email such that it would reflect the profile of each of the faculty member. Sending a generic mail can be counter-productive. My reason for this is not far-fetched. I once contacted a faculty member in the University of Ottawa (LLM), After reading my correspondence/email, he became so motivated to assist me in ensuring admission in their program. At the time, he had 2 graduate students under his mentorship, so he told me he's willing to assist me in contacting his colleagues who are deep-seated in his area of research. Voila, he forwarded my initial mail and my attachment to the other faculty member (A woman). Imagine my surprise, when he told me he forwarded my email to his colleague and further imagine how the other faculty member would have felt upon realizing that i sent a generic mail to both of them. The saving grace was that i sent emails to 3 faculty members, i personalized each mail (The woman was one of them). If i had sent them same generic mail, she probably would lost interest in me from that moment. (Sorry for the story, I needed to buttress my point)

To improve chances of admission, if you're going for a thesis-based masters program, ensure there are enough supervisors in your area of research to avoid story that touches. If the faculty has shortage of supervisors in your area, please try to avoid the school and apply to other schools so as not to limit your chances. The essence of ensuring that the school has enough supervisors in your area of research is to reduce the likelihood of "Your application is one of the best application we have received, however, we regrettably inform you that we are unable to secure a graduate research supervisor for you".

Further to the above, contact current graduate students in the school, and discuss your application with them, they probably have invaluable advise or suggestions for you.

Some programs require your CV,....Please tailor your CV to reflect your academic/professional progression in your area of research. If you're applying for masters in Engineering and your CV keeps screaming Banking/Finance.....Your CV is invariably telling the grad admissions committee that you're better positioned to probably advance your studies in banking/finance (This is applicable to study visa as well). So please and please review your CV, ensure it aligns with your proposed program. This is one of the subtle/background factors to be considered. A faculty member in the University of Manitoba once asked me why i decided to switch to International Business Law when my transcripts and CV demonstrates my academic progression in Intellectual Property Law. (In my mind, I was like, wetin be ur business now LOL.) Of course, it was his business, cos he's interested in where my passion and interest lies so as not to waste his precious time on me.

Your Statement of Interest/Intent also very important, it is usually centered on the following;

Reason for pursuing the program,

Factors that triggered your interest in the said program,

Steps taken so far to advance your position/knowledge in the field of your proposed program,

Career trajectory and Prospects upon conclusion of the program,

How the program would add academic/professional value to you.

Etc.

Please understand that there are no generic required documentations for applying to schools and programs in Canada; some programs/schools require some documents while other don't, e.g some programs only require your RESEARCH PROPOSAL, TRANSCRIPT, CV, RECOMMENDATION LETTERS, while some requires STATEMENT OF INTENT, TRANSCRIPTS, RECOMMENDATION LETTERS, etc. What I am saying in essence is that you'd have to study and digest the program requirements as contained in the program website to fully understand which documents to submit. So please take your time to study the program website before applying. Understand the program requirements such as residency, tuition, duration etc before submitting your application.


FINAL NOTE

Admission into Master's program in Canadian Institutions is not an easy task, you have to be ready to do serious research in order to submit an airtight application. It will benefit you to understand that these Canadian Universities receive thousands of applications from different people from different background. You'd be competing with applicants with almost perfect applications from countries with advance educational system which are by far better than what is obtainable in our country. So the least you could do is to try as much as possible to submit a near perfect application.

I believe this piece should address the concerns of the admission seekers.

God bless y'all !
[I need to know, if your academic referee that will write one of your appraisals did not have an official mail rather the every regular Yahoo mail, will his appraisal be accepted? Or must it be an official(school) email eg;abc@absu.com]

Hello to all gurus,

pls Alqouine college want to give me admission for September 2017, is it possible for me to get student visa before September. pls I need urgent response pls.

olugere:
Hello to all gurus,

pls Alqouine college want to give me admission for September 2017, is it possible for me to get student visa before September. pls I need urgent response pls.

To be on the safe side, write to Algonquin College to give you a winter 2018 admission instead to resume by Jan.

Its the feasible thing to do now. Its July 4th already with a 13weeks processing time.

Ekesbaba1:

Ables,
I need to know, if your academic referee that will write one of your appraisals does not have an official mail rather the every regular Yahoo mail, will his appraisal be accepted? Or must it be an official(school) email eg _abc@absu.com]

Most times, they specify it on their website. So check if they need the ''official'' school email or just a referee email.

Or you could call the school to verify.

Regards
DereI

Sharles:
My application is 9weeks old. I applied on the 28th april. PGD, MUN. Paper route. No medical mail yet. I have not heard "PIM" from cic. There is God oh cic

There are some February applicants that have not heard "P" not to talk of "Pim".

.

DereI:
To be on the safe side, write to Algonquin College to give you a winter 2018 admission instead to resume by Jan.

Its the feasible thing to do now. Its July 4th already with a 13weeks processing time.

Thank you.

But how many week can one get student visa by online application

DereI:
Respond as convincing as you can ever be with the truth. You have actually been refused both USA and Canadian visa previously of which you already ticked Yes.

Did you indicate that you were refused canadian visa only? If not, then explain that the ticked Yes is meant for the US and Canadian visa. Remember to screenshot the application where you ticked Yes alongside your response. But note that if you had knowingly omitted the fact that you were initial denied a US Visa, there's no excuse for that.

Warm Regards.
DereI

Thanks DereI. I have responded as truthful as I can and attached all needed. Hope to have a favourable response.

Thank you.

bbclue:
Since you said yes why not write the reasons for your refusal. .....just to avoid delay

Thanks

Sirmicholo:
State it clearly the reason please, the only reason past refusal can affect you negatively is when it is based on fraud and am sure that ain't your case.

Nogen:
Thanks. I also got the news mine has been given and sent to Visa office. It was a positive response. Will get the rest of my documents ready by tomorrow and then apply online.

Oh, nice. All the best.

I called again anyways to know if they could DHL me another CAQ just in case I don't end up receiving the initial one. The lady suggested they usually do not do that but that I could use a Canadian address (maybe a friend's) to order for the new CAQ. That way, my friend could then scan/send it to me. Since this is the case, I think I might just wait for the scanned copy (which she said will be delivered by friday) before submitting my TRV application

olugere:
Thank you.

But how many week can one get student visa by online application

Student Visa processing time from Nigeria = 13 Weeks (Online and Paper route)

muyem:
Thanks DereI. I have responded as truthful as I can and attached all needed. Hope to have a favourable response.

Wish you all the best....fire some hot prayers tonight before you sleep. Its gonna end in Praise

willyboss:
@OluwaCanny, you aren't updating the list of TRV hopefuls

WAS busy today.. will update in the morning

CanadianNurse:
Abeg who has used Ethiopian Air for here before?.??

I've never used lagos airport for international trip only abuja


I'm considering using lagos now... How is it in lagos? Stressful?

Congrats CanadianNurse Engineer ,

ethiopian airline has a good reputation for an african airline(cost effective too and somewhat reliable). but bear in mind that you might fly from abuja to addis ababa before you begin your transatlantic flight(waiting @ ethiopia for hours b4 your connecting flight). luftanza would be a sure bet(more expensive though but you would enjoy the german hospitality). egyptair is cost effective(your might wait 4-5hours in cairo before proceeding to canada with your heart pounding ).

my tots...congrats once again

use abuja airport ....lagos airport na wa(stressfulllll)...

jasondavidz1:
Congrats CanadianNurse Engineer ,

ethiopian airline has a good reputation for an african airline(cost effective too and somewhat reliable). but bear in mind that you might fly from abuja to addis ababa before you begin your transatlantic flight(waiting @ ethiopia for hours for your connecting flight). luftanza would be a sure bet(more expensive though but you would enjoy the german hospitality). egyptair is cost effective(your might wait 4-5hours in cairo before proceeding to canada with your heart pounding ).

my tots...congrats once again

use abuja airport ....lagos airport na wa(stressfulllll)...

Hey Emmane, I'll be at Loyalist too! Cool!

Emmane:
UPDATE:
Emmane, June 9, PGC, Loyalist College, Paper route, upfront medicals.


It's a success already for all TRV hopefuls.
Thank you Lord.

thesoj:
I don't agree with the black-and-white nature of this post. No candidate is the same. It is possible to convince the VO of a career change if the candidate has a compelling reasons to do so, particularly if said reasons are corroborated with a lot of evidence (e.g. volunteer activities, or unpaid freelance work, or credible personal research with citations showing deep knowledge about the new field, etc).

Having said that, I agree that a change in career should not be taken lightly when it comes to applying for a TRV. If you read back to Parts 5-12, you will see that several candidates have done so successfully. Having said this, I would suggest that only applicants with well thought-out reasons (with corroborating evidence) for changing career paths to do so.

I am so glad someone is here who doing some good thinking. Kudos to you bro. Your analysis is on the money!

CanadianNurse:
That's the point... They don't conform to the Nigerian system

For you to study in their County you have to meet their standards


It is clearly stated that ENTRY TO CANADA IS A PRIVILEDGE AND NOT YOUR RIGHT

I have been trying to respond to this post all day yesterday and it won't let me. Finally! The error in this statement in my opinion, is that it supposes that career change is endemic to Nigeria alone. As they say, in the local lingua franca, haba bros, dem no dey change careers too in Canada? Which one be sey dem no dey conform to Nigerian standard of career change? I think TheSoj has said it in better ways than I could. The issue has been belabored and we should proceed to other things. Thanks.

cuspy:
1: You got supervisors without a proposal?

2: Please how did you do it?

3:What was the content of your mail?

4: Did you ask for materials in your mail to supervisor A?

5: I'll like to know the content of the mail to supervisor A.

6: It's unfortunate that her school rejected you in the end but she helped you develop a strong propsal.

1: Yes. I got multiple supervisors.

2 & 3: emailed many. The format is here. Check my post.

4: No. she told me read some papers and textbooks during our Skype. I searched and realise downloading they are not free. I informed her that I don't have access to it. She used her institutional email to download them all and attached it to an email for me.

5: same answer as 2.

6: some are sent to direct you and not walk the path together with you at the beginning of or throughout the journey.

Shalom.

Visa application, tracking ID No.xxxxxxxxx Your processed passport has been dispatched from the Canada Visa Office ACCRA , on 04/07/2017 to the Canada Visa Application Centre.To know more, please call VAC helpline number or visit VAC website

Applied on the 18th of April out curiosity I checked my application online and found this

Please I need your advice and comments
Has it been approved thanks

Please, I just received my rejection letter, the reason ticked was travel history and purpose of visit. I plan to reapply but for jan 2018 intake. Please need your opinion on how to go about the reapplication?
Also will I need to resubmit the pervious documents submitted before?
Thanks

klexycole:
Thank you bro. Can we talk on WhatsApp?

Eé sir, just tag me I'll respond if i can, i no be guru sir

Finestme1:
Visa application, tracking ID No.xxxxxxxxx Your processed passport has been dispatched from the Canada Visa Office ACCRA , on 04/07/2017 to the Canada Visa Application Centre.To know more, please call VAC helpline number or visit VAC website

Applied on the 18th of April out curiosity I checked my application online and found this

Please I need your advice and comments
Has it been approved thanks

Did you link your application to your online account? If you did, a detailed message should be there which will give you an insight into what you should be expecting, a corresponding mail also should be sent to the mail address you submitted... Hope for the best bro

Good Morning TRV Hopefuls,
Where can now do the police check in Lagos? Alagbon or Lion building? Does anyone have any particular police officer to use? Please a kind hearted Police officer . Thanks

babalasiri:
Please, I just received my rejection letter, the reason ticked was travel history and purpose of visit. I plan to reapply but for jan 2018 intake. Please need your opinion on how to go about the reapplication?
Also will I need to resubmit the pervious documents submitted before?
Thanks

Sorry for delay bro, apply for your gcms file to know the VOs specific reasons.

You can still submit those documents except for those that are directly link to the reasons of your denial, you may want to upgrade before reapplying. It is well bro