babisho:




Dear Chidinho10,

First, I commend you for the many good works you are doing on this thread. You take time to answer questions and clarify issues. Well done.

I would suggest however that you be a little more weary before you make assertions as they may sometimes be misleading.

Let us look at the case in question. How can u confidently tell the poster not to reapply to schools that rejected him as some schools view rejected applicants somehow. How can you have that information? Are you privy to the admission process of the schools that he applied to? Do you categorically know why he was rejected? (Perhaps they thought his GRE quants score wasn't competitive enough? Or his PhD proposal wasn't good/clear enough? Or his letters of recommendation weren't glowing enough? Or maybe they couldn't find any faculty with interest in his proposed area of research? Or they were looking for someone with a bit more research experience? Or maybe this year was just particularly competitive and in other years he would have gotten in but the competition was just stiff for limited spaces available? Or any other reason you can come up with). If he finds out why they rejected him and he is able to improve his profile, isn't it possible that he may get in if he reapplies ?

I know you have also said in the past that admissions may not be as holistic as schools say. Again, one would wonder how you came about that? How can you have that information?

My advise to prospective students is that they should contact schools on school-specific questions. Each school has an admission office willing to answer questions. The same breath it takes to post such questions here on nairaland is what it takes to mail the schools. Of course, you may find answers here but you won't really know if it is information you can bank on. If you get answers from the school you're applying to however, at least, you know you can take the info as legit.

Oh. By the way, I applied to Harvard for my masters last year and was rejected (strangely I was surprised). So I sent a mail to the admission office to thank them for considering my application and to say that I was dissapointed because I was very keen on the program. Then I said I thought my application was good and I wondered if they could tell me how I could have had a more competitive application. Well, the office scheduled me for an interview with the director of admissions who made me realize that my statement of purpose wasn't as "bad ass" as I thought and that my letters of recommendation could have been stronger. I worked on these and reapplied and prayed some more, and hoped some more and to cut the long story short, I got admitted in this cycle and now I am on my way.

Still, kudos to you for your responses. Just remember to always separate opinions from facts.

Cheers man!

@bold... Gbam... you said it all and you said it well

Chidinho10:



GMAT is the most preferred test for MBA (forget the story those schools tell you that they have no preference). GMAT has always been the gold standard for MBA employers and MBA schools. I don't know if the trend will change but na so e be now.

The problem with GMAT is that it is more difficult (especially in Quant) and can only be used for business schools. So people with lesser Quant ability and those still eyeing graduate schools find GRE to be safer. However, a lot of elite MBA employers prefer GMAT scores for their MBA hires.

My own point is, it is unwise to buy the 2019 OG when you can get the 2018, 2017 and 2016 OGs for free from people who have previously bought them. The difference between OG 2019 and OG 2018 may be just a few new questions since almost all questions are repeated. When I used OG 2017, I found out that almost all questions on OG 2016 are repeated.

So instead of someone paying for this offer one can just get any of the older OGs for free from past users and then invest that money for official tests and GMATclub subscription.

Thanks for this tip, bro.

I understand i shouldn't have made that post as it gave people a wrong impression, despite my having genuine intentions. I apologize to the house and thank Justwise for listening to my plea and unbanning my account. I wont try such again.

Boss, please can you assist me with any of the current versions? The ones i have are as far back as 2009 and 2012. A lot of changes would have occurred in the system from that time till now and i dont want to take chances at all.

I look forward to getting to your feedback.

Thanks

CC:Winterstorm

Hello Gurus in the house, kindly criticize my proposed transcript because i will be going for my interview very soon as am preparing my self for the D-DAY...Thanks and God bless you all.

ME: Good morning and how was your night?
VO: it was ok and urs and i replied

VO: Why are you going to the U.S?
ME: to study at the Northern Arizona University

VO: What course do you intend to study?
ME: Marketing

VO: Why this course?
ME: Studying Marketing will help me in building a relationship between customers and businesses as i will be able to work in different sectors on my arrival be it profit or non profit making organizations in order to promote our locally made products within and outside the country so that Nigerian economy can be developed.

VO: Aside from NAU how many schools did you apply to?
ME: 2

VO: Mention them
ME: Hult Business School(u.k) and New Jersey City University(u.s)

VO: How many schools gave you admission?
ME: NAU gave me a quick response, so i decided to follow up with the admission since i preferred to study at NAU.

VO: why NAU?
ME: I chose NAU because they offer opportunities to develop every students potentials and there marketing department is well known for teaching students more deeply and studying from NAU will set me apart from my rivals.

VO: How did you know about the school?
ME: My Senior colleague at work who is an alumni of the university told me about the great experience he had during his school days and i also made a further research and i discovered that the school offers opportunities to develop every students potentials.

VO: When did you finish your High School?
ME: 2012

VO: What have you been doing since when ?
ME: I went for my National Diploma which i graduated in 2015, since then i have been working with learn Africa Plc.

VO: Who is sponsoring you?
ME: My uncle

VO: What does he do?
ME: He works as a real estate agent and also owns a construction company

VO: Why is he sponsoring you?
ME: He has been sponsoring my studies since i was young because i stay with him ever since i lost my Dad.

VO: May i see his statement of account?
ME: passed it (he checked for some mins and returned it back to me)

VO: are you married?
ME: NO

VO: any children?
ME: NO

VO: i will be approving your Visa, (gave me a white paper and returned my i20, bank statement of account) pick up your passport at the circled area.
ME:Thanks and best regards.

i don't know the names of some gurus here in the house, but i urge you all to scrutinize my proposed transcript and please help me make some corrections on it...God bless you all and we shall all succeed in all our endeavors. Amen

Thanks in anticipation.

LagosismyHome:


@bold... Gbam... you said it all and you said it well

Been waiting for your advice on the question I asked. I don't want to raise any point that might harm my chances or omit something that might help.

If VO asks what changed. Do I have to mention that I was placed on administrative processing last time. but I have brought more supporting financial document. I'm planning to add his business account too with a letter from bank.

please help

jandedfelloh:


Been waiting for your advice on the question I asked. I don't want to raise any point that might harm my chances or omit something that might help.

If VO asks what changed. Do I have to mention that I was placed on administrative processing last time. but I have brought more supporting financial document. I'm planning to add his business account too with a letter from bank.

please help

Your whole details is on the system so all this explanation I don't think it is needed before you go give information that is not asked

Just be calm and answer the questions asked .... don't be answering what not asked. If asked then yes you can explain but the Vo can see that and can see what you cannot see , which is the real reason why you were denied. What you have is speculative reason and might not be the real reason so just be calm and positive

femi312:
First don't be too hard on yourself, life happens. Do you have a masters degree? Do you have research experience? Did you have any contact with any faculty prior to applying? The sad truth is, even with a GRE score of 320, you can still be rejected from Top 10 schools if you apply to all. PhD admission is extremely competitive and I admire your ambition for choosing those schools but you need to have a good spread of schools up to top 60 in your field. However, you cant be applying for PhD a day to deadlines, you need to apply way before deadline preferably ending of Nov. Applying very early helps in some cases.

As regards your SOP, you need more than 'ok' SOP to stand a better chance, you should send your SOP to people to help you review. You need to have a great SOP coupled with great LOR.

For fall 2019, look at University of Kansas, Kansas state University, University of Maryland college park, University of Pittsburgh,Northwestern (There is a young Nigerian prof in the Mechanical department, you can talk to him) and others. By the way if you have the luxury of time and money, you can consider re-writing the GRE to get >320. However if not, just apply to schools between 20 - 60 in the mechanical engineering ranking (If you don't have the ranking, I can send it to you). You need to understand that some crazy Chinese and Indians are applying to those same top 10 schools with near perfect GRE scores, research papers and experience. Try to apply to at least 6 schools (2 Top 20, 3 between 20 and 60) and 1 in the last range and not just 3 schools). Do an extensive research on each school you decide to apply to, go on LinkedIn, connect with international students in the school and ask questions about funding and prospect of getting a direct PhD offer. Make the graduate coordinator your friend, ask questions and be explicit. Search Nairaland to see people who have gotten PhD admission with funding and look up such schools. Getting Phd admission and funding is like looking for a job, you have to give it all

Revealing info!

Nrosemary:
No I didn't get any funding

Thank you very much for your helpful response. God bless you a 100%. You just dismissed all the fears I have been having.

At Danielaz5- I have already booked for my F1 visa. What I was asking about was how to change my appointment date to a later date.
Any ideas pls?

odimbannamdi:


Thanks for this tip, bro.

I understand i shouldn't have made that post as it gave people a wrong impression, despite my having genuine intentions. I apologize to the house and thank Justwise for listening to my plea and unbanning my account. I wont try such again.

Boss, please can you assist me with any of the current versions? The ones i have are as far back as 2009 and 2012. A lot of changes would have occurred in the system from that time till now and i dont want to take chances at all.

I look forward to getting to your feedback.

Thanks

CC:Winterstorm

Sorry bro, I lost the laptop I had those materials just last week. I'll check my email from the ones I sent to people. Send me a PM

Make sure you prep hard and take GMATclub Quant tests.

LagosismyHome:


Your whole details is on the system so all this explanation I don't think it is needed before you go give information that is not asked

Just be calm and answer the questions asked .... don't be answering what not asked. If asked then yes you can explain but the Vo can see that and can see what you cannot see , which is the real reason why you were denied. What you have is speculative reason and might not be the real reason so just be calm and positive

Thank you very much

LagosismyHome:


@bold... Gbam... you said it all and you said it well

Yes ooo, well analyzed.

Hello Gurus in the house, kindly criticize my proposed transcript because i will be going for my interview next week.. Thanks will be waiting on you guys

ME: Good morning and how was your night?
VO: it was ok thanks for asking

VO: Why are you going to the U.S?
ME: to study at the Texas Southern University

VO: What course do you intend to study?
ME: Computer Science

VO: Why this course?
ME: I am so passionate with this course and i want to gain more knowledge in it.. I want to be an expert and knowledgeable in this course which i will be able to provide solutions in any kind of computer problem.I will be able write theories on modelling and design on computer based system. I wish to own my own IT company here in my country after my program so my company will enhance Nigerian computer science student who are not opportuned to travel out of the country to learn the practical aspect from my company

VO: Aside from TSU how many schools did you apply to?
ME: 2

VO: Mention them
ME: Kansas State Uni and California state uni

VO: How many schools gave you admission?
ME: TSU gave me a quick response, so i decided to follow up with the admission. which my admission with CSU is on pending

VO: why NAU?
ME: Aside from being one of the best HBCU in the nation, i am so impressed by their timely response on enquiries, got a good relation with Dr Lila Ghemri the Interim Chair of CS department she told me about the small class size and the ratio of student to instructor is 20:1 which will give me the opportunity to study in a more conducive environment, they offer less theory more practical classes and experienced professor who are ready to render necessary assistance to student


VO: How did you know about the school?
ME:I discovered this school by extensive online research via google.com and academic search engines such as internationalstudent.com, usnews.com and i narrow my research to the school that has my research interest

VO: When did you finish your High School?
ME: 2011

VO: What have you been doing since when ?
ME: I went for my National Diploma at Yaba college of technology, which i did a course of 2 years for 4 years due to Indefinite General strike and Internal strike during my years in school

VO: Who is sponsoring you?
ME: My Dad

VO: What does he do?
ME: Estate management , he sells, buys and develop houses, he his also one of Dangote Cement Distributor, he sells sands and gravels to constructions companies too.

VO: May i see his statement of account?
ME: passed it (he checked for some mins and returned it back to me)

VO: are you married?
ME: NO

VO: any children?
ME: NO

VO: i will be approving your Visa, (gave me a white paper and returned my i20, bank statement of account) pick up your passport at the circled area.
ME:Thanks and best regards.

Tolatof
Chidinho10
Abromeo
Jerrevie
And others

Please need your comment. Thanks

Thanks in anticipation.

babisho:




Dear Chidinho10,

First, I commend you for the many good works you are doing on this thread. You take time to answer questions and clarify issues. Well done.

I would suggest however that you be a little more weary before you make assertions as they may sometimes be misleading.

Let us look at the case in question. How can u confidently tell the poster not to reapply to schools that rejected him as some schools view rejected applicants somehow. How can you have that information? Are you privy to the admission process of the schools that he applied to? Do you categorically know why he was rejected? (Perhaps they thought his GRE quants score wasn't competitive enough? Or his PhD proposal wasn't good/clear enough? Or his letters of recommendation weren't glowing enough? Or maybe they couldn't find any faculty with interest in his proposed area of research? Or they were looking for someone with a bit more research experience? Or maybe this year was just particularly competitive and in other years he would have gotten in but the competition was just stiff for limited spaces available? Or any other reason you can come up with). If he finds out why they rejected him and he is able to improve his profile, isn't it possible that he may get in if he reapplies ?

I know you have also said in the past that admissions may not be as holistic as schools say. Again, one would wonder how you came about that? How can you have that information?

My advise to prospective students is that they should contact schools on school-specific questions. Each school has an admission office willing to answer questions. The same breath it takes to post such questions here on nairaland is what it takes to mail the schools. Of course, you may find answers here but you won't really know if it is information you can bank on. If you get answers from the school you're applying to however, at least, you know you can take the info as legit.

Oh. By the way, I applied to Harvard for my masters last year and was rejected (strangely I was surprised). So I sent a mail to the admission office to thank them for considering my application and to say that I was dissapointed because I was very keen on the program. Then I said I thought my application was good and I wondered if they could tell me how I could have had a more competitive application. Well, the office scheduled me for an interview with the director of admissions who made me realize that my statement of purpose wasn't as "bad ass" as I thought and that my letters of recommendation could have been stronger. I worked on these and reapplied and prayed some more, and hoped some more and to cut the long story short, I got admitted in this cycle and now I am on my way.

Still, kudos to you for your responses. Just remember to always separate opinions from facts.

Cheers man!

Dear Babisho,

Congratulations on your admit to Harvard. Wish you the very best. Regarding your criticisms, which I find to be very constructive, I will list my points to make my claims very clear.

1. My advise to him not to apply to schools he was previously rejected was an opinion, not a fact. If you clearly understood my assertion, which I doubt you did, you will see where I stated that SOME (not all) schools, view re-applicants somehow. I'm totally correct and will give you some links to refresh your knowledge about it.

SOME (not all) schools place enormous demands on their re-applicants and expect them to show improvements from their previous applications before they are admitted. They expect to see improvement in tests scores, extra-curricular or even promotions at work. Have you asked yourself why most schools have the "is this your first time of applying here" question on their application portal? Well, I guess you've seen that but haven't bothered to know why it's there. If your response to that question is positive, they go back to your records and check if you've made improvements since your last application.

So, if he is to undergo such a process, don't you think it's safer for him to apply to new schools where he won't be subjected to such scrutiny?

You can refresh your knowledge with information on these links. Mind you, these opinions are given by people who previously had worked in admissions offices for many schools.

https://www.accepted.com/mba/mba-admissions-application-advice-for-reapplicants

https://www.princetonreview.com/med-school-advice/reapplying-to-medical-school

I don't have all the time in the world to start digging up links. You can do that yourself and get the idea behind my opinion.

In summary, MOST (again, not all) schools view re-applicants somehow. They scrutinize you very well and want you to exceed the standard you set in your previous application. That's a difficult thing to do and if you don't really have the guts to meet their expectations, its safer to apply to schools that will view you with no scrutiny.

Again, experiences may differ, just as in your case, but that's why it's an opinion, not a fact.

2. Regarding your criticism on holistic review, I will sound it again!!! Only a very few schools do holistic review. Every school have specific things they seek for in a candidate and if you don't meet their expectations, you won't be admitted!!

You sound surprised how I knew about it. Well, I'll tell you.

During my application journey, I did an EXTENSIVE (keyword is extensive) research on schools I wanted to apply. I had an initial list of 44 schools, I spoke extensively with admissions officers of every school (exchanged over 100 email conversations with almost all of them) and I attended over 30 webinars organized by the schools (and other parties) to know what they actually seek in their applicants.

I was told by some admissions officers that they only wanted to see my GRE quant score - they don't give a flying fvck about my work experience, undergraduate GPA or anything else. And this school stated on their website that they do holistic review (hahaha)

I was told by some admissions officers that they only wanted to see my technical proficiency. According to the admissions officer, that was the most important part of the application because their curriculum only suits people with such a background. This same school wrote on their website that they do holistic review (hahaha)

I can go on and on, but that will be a stressful process. Someone that did not do such a research will be fooled by the holistic statement. That's why I encourage every applicant to always ask the "what do you seek for in an applicant" question to admissions officers. You will know what to work on and avoid wasting your time on irrelevant stuffs.

Out of these 44 schools, only 3 of them had a real holistic review process. You can do the math and get the percentage. And even if you round the percentage up to 7%, it doesn't represent a good number (hahaha)

At the end of my research, I was able to reduce my schools to eight and worked only on those areas they were concerned with. I took lots of extracurricular for schools that wanted to see extracurricular. I took some Computational courses for schools that wanted to see my computational skills.

At the end of the day, I was admitted to six out of the eight schools with a very average profile compared to their class stats. They include:

- Three top 20 schools (2 with partial financial aid)
- Two top 50 schools (one with GA + $16k stipends... Initial offer was lower but it got reviewed and increased twice to that value)
- One top 80 school

So, I will reiterate my point again. Very very few schools do the holistic review. It's always good to ask questions from grad coordinators to know exactly what they seek in their applicants.

The fact that schools are beginning to remove GRE from their application requirements should give you an idea that schools are beginning to target only things they seek in their applicants.

So, I guess I've answered you well. If you have further criticisms, you can still say them.

Yours Sincerely,

Chidinho10.

U wlcm. If u have anyone that can give a mock interview just for u to know if u can Handle d fear and f pressure.

Nahum777:
Thank you very much for your helpful response. God bless you a 100%. You just dismissed all the fears I have been having.

Nrosemary:
U wlcm. If u have anyone that can give a mock interview just for u to know if u can Handle d fear and f pressure.

I don't have anyone for now. I plan on doing mock interviews with a few friends.

hello ma,sir, i new to this platform. i applied for student usa visa just got rejected at usa embassy due to fake dubai vendor stamp on my passport. needs your help what should i do?? the consular told me this is what denied you of your visa.i intend to go back, help me out please

Chidinho10:



Sorry bro, I lost the laptop I had those materials just last week. I'll check my email from the ones I sent to people. Send me a PM

Make sure you prep hard and take GMATclub Quant tests.

Alright bro. i sent you a PM

Jerrevie:
Everything was just God’s grace and favor. I saw the notorious black lady doing what she does best. s in chemical engineering (lol I was too nervous to abbreviate anything)
Vtatement
Me: *gives it to him*
VO:checked it for a while then gave it back to me saying the magic words...I wanted to concentrate on the words he said afterwards but I just couldn’t. I was too happy.

This platform was incredibly helpful and I need to thank tolatof for taking time out of work to help, for the mock interviews, the corrections and for giving me that SAT trick

haha, more wins bro...
Thank God for divine favour

Not bad, it helps alot but I had mock interview with the school representative and it helped me kill the fear.

Nahum777:
I don't have anyone for now. I plan on doing mock interviews with a few friends.

They have come...by their message, they are known...smh

Nrosemary:
Not bad, it helps alot but I had mock interview with the school representative and it helped me kill the fear.

You mean people from your school? I contacted the school and they said they don't know the legality of helping me with tips as regards the interview. They gave me an email to contact, but I didn't contact the person. Maybe I should send that person a message immediately.

Nahum777:
You mean people from your school? I contacted the school and they said they don't know the legality of helping me with tips as regards the interview. They gave me an email to contact, but I didn't contact the person. Maybe I should send that person a message immediately.

Yup, some schools help...it’s mostly the ISS office (international office)...some don’t...some will even be the one to reach out for a mock...I think you should contact the person too...mock is mock...if you scroll to old thread here, u will find thousands of questions which is same they will (ISS) will discuss with u.

My proposed transcript

Me: Good morning sir/ma
V.O: Good morning,pass me your i20 and passport
Me: Hand them over to her
V.O: Why/what r u going to the US for?
Me: I am going for my masters degree in business administration (MBA) at Cleveland State University,Cleveland Ohio.
V.O: How did you get to know about the school?
Me: One of my lecturers during my undergraduate studies is an alumni of the school and recommended their MBA program to me. I went through the school website and checked about their MBA program and was satisfied with the program curriculum and courses offered.
V:O: How many schools did you apply to?
Me: I applied to Arkansas Tech university, University of Texas at El-Paso and Cleveland State University.
V.O: How many gave you admission?
Me: Arkansas Tech University and Cleveland State university, that of University of Texas El-Paso was still pending.
V.O: Why did you choose Cleveland State University over others?
Me: Cleveland State University was the first to admit me,also, I did some enquiries about the MBA program and was satisfied with the courses they teach in the MBA program like International business, team dynamics, Entrepreneurship and environment of business as as it aligns with my future career plans and pursuits. Again,I noticed they have a large number of international students of which Nigeria is well represented as it will make me feel at home,and learn about other students culture outside that of the United States.
V.O: What is your post study plans?
Me: I plan to come back to Nigeria and work because an MBA degree will give me an edge in my place of work and also increase my earnings. I equally have a plan of going into my own private business,and it will give me all the ideas I will need to establish my own business and properly manage it.
V.O: Who will be sponsoring you?
Me: My Uncle will be sponsoring me.
V.O:Why your Uncle?
Me: He has been the one sponsoring my education since I was a kid.
V:O: What does he do?
Me: He is an importer of building materials and automobiles.
V:O: Can I see his statement of account?
Me: Pass it to him/her.
V.O: Look at it and pass it back to me.
Hopefully he will tell me I will be approving your visa.
Please gurus in the house,scrutinize it for me and make the necessary corrections for me as I typed this transcript hastily.

justwise:
No GRE 50% discount will be allowed here again like i said months ago because i'm not sure who pays the other 50% and how legitimate is the source of that.

I guess somebody have access to a stolen credit card or buying bank account details from the dark web :

. We call it Sakamanje!!

ProfOjah1234:

. We call it Sakamanje!!

Asin ehhh some folks don't get it in here.. someone just joined the thread and offering mouthwatering offer that is too cheap to be true.. shey the guy named father Ets ni??

ponpon:
SMH atlanta didn't even change you. Akoka behavior still dey your body.. You still be axelord?

Cutlass-Lord!!

Who noticed Chidinho10 has deactivated his account?
Is that a goodbye from nairaland?

I wish I knew about this thread earlier.

I was referred here by a friend in May, I have been a guest reader not until now. I read from page 1 of Part 12 to this page of Part 13, and I have learnt so much. You guys have been so wonderful, you have assisted and put so many people through the process of getting their Visa approved, and I am hopeful that you all will help analyse my case.

I was at the Lagos consulate twice in December last year for Spring 2018 entry and my visa was not approved on the two occasions. I am making another attempt next month. I have some modifications in my profile. I would like to share my proposed interview transcript for you all to help me analyse it. I AM OPEN FOR YOUR CORRECTION, OPINION AND ADVICE. Before I share my proposed transcript, here are the transcript from the previous interviews

1st Interview
V.O - Good morning, pass your passport and i20
Me: good morning, I passed what he requested
VO- Where are you going in the US?
Me- I'm going to Muncie Indiana for my MPA program at Ball State University
VO- how did you hear about the school?
Me- it was recommended for me by my undergraduate prof who is also my mentor, and I researched about the school and other schools using US news world report.
VO- how many schools did you applied to
Me- 2 schools, University of Missouri Kansas City and Ball State University.
VO- how many admits
Me- the two schools
VO- why Ball State?
Me- the MPA curriculum at BSU is such that is designed to equip students with the theoretical understanding of public policies and of the principles of management and administration of the public sector; this is quite in-line with my career plans. More so, Dr Brandon Waite will be having a research on A Policy Perspective of the Development of Indiana Counties. This research matches my area of interest.
VO: Why MPA?
Me: I want to study this course in order to acquire the knowledge of the modern principles and practice of public policy formulation, implementation and administration of the public sector which will broaden my knowledge with the modern strategies for developing communities and ensuring social equality with global best practices that can be modeled for use in Nigeria.
VO: What's your highest degree and when?
Me: BSc Secretarial Administration, 2013
VO: What have you been doing since you graduated?
Me: I completed the compulsory 1 year NYSC program in May 2014 and started work as an Administrative Officer at XYZ Local Government Council in June 2014
V:O: What do you do where you work?
Me: I am responsible for coordinating the implementation of the council's decisions and circulating the reports to those who are affected by it. I am a key coordinator of program of activities within the local government area (he cuts in)
VO: Did you write any test?
Me: No. The GRE was not required for applicant with an undergraduate CGPA of 3.5 and above.
VO: Who is your sponsor and what does he/she do?
Me: My mom, (told him what she does)
VO: Are you married?
Me: No
VO: Do you have a child?
Me: No
VO: Sorry, (then gave me a blue paper)

2nd Interview
Me: Good morning
VO: Pass me your passport. ( I passed passport with i20)
VO: What are you going to do in the US?
Me: I am going to pursue a Masters Degree in Public Administration with concentration in Community and Economic Development at Ball State University, Muncie Indiana.
VO: How will this degree benefit you?
Me: This degree will adequately prepare me for a senior role at my current place of work where I will be able to determine the best and most effective strategies and processes for sustainable development. Also it will equip me with the valuable skills and knowledge to establish a consulting firm where I will be consulting for government at all levels and other organizations in the areas of public policy analysis, and the design, monitoring and evaluation of developmental programs
VO: how many schools did you applied to
Me- 2 schools, University of Missouri Kansas City and Ball State University.
VO- how did you hear about the school?
Me- my undergraduate prof who is also my mentor told mW about the school, I also researched about the school and other schools using US news world report.
VO- how many schools did you applied to
Me- 2
VO- Are you married?
Me: No
VO: Do you have a child?
Me: No
VO: Sorry, I can't approve your visa, you may apply later. Gave the blue paper.

Now, what has change in me profile:
New School- George Washington University (currently ranked 56 in National University by USnews, MPA program is ranked 13th in US)
GRE: I wrote the GRE ( I had 282, very poor score. I barely had time to prepare because of work schedule).
I have $20,000 fellowship award.

Proposed transcript:

VO: Where/Why are you going in (to) the USA?
Me: I’m going to Washington DC for my MPA program with concentration in Politics, Policy and Administration at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, of the George Washington University.

VO: I can see you were here last year, what has changed in your application?
Me: I didn’t have a standardized test in my previous application but now I have the GRE, and my application is now for another school; George Washington University.

VO: How did you hear about this School?
Me: The George Washington University is one of the three (3) schools recommended for me by my undergraduate Professor after my last application. I used US News, Times Higher Education, Webometrics and the website of Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Public Administration (NASPAA) research about the schools and other schools.

VO: How many schools did you applied to?
Me: I applied to three (3) Schools: University of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, University of Georgia Athens, and The George Washington University

VO: How many admits?
Me: Two (2) Universities: University of Pittsburgh and the George Washington University offered me admission, while University of Georgia’s decision has not come through

VO: Why George Washington University?
Me: The MPA program of The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration of George Washington University is well ranked (13th) in the US. It has a small class size and the curriculum is in line with my career goals. Also, I am fascinated by Prof Elizabeth Rigby's research on the Interplay of Politics, Policy, and Social Inequality; her research matches my area of interest. I was also offered tuition fellowship award of $20,000 which is renewable for one (1) additional year.

VO: Tell me how you got the tuition fellowship award?
Me: I wrote an essay describing how this program will help achieve my career goals. This essay and the quality of my application profile got me this tuition fellowship award.

VO: What will this degree do for you?
Me: This MPA will give me the theoretical and practical knowledge of the intersection of Politics, Policy and Administration which will adequately prepare me for a senior role at one of the Federal Ministries here, where the analytical skills, administrative/leadership skills would be of great use in addressing policy management issues. Also this MPA will set my feet on the road to achieving my long term goal of holding a high political office in Nigeria.

VO: Why USA?
Me: The United State is well known for her tremendous academic structure. Studying in the US particularly in a prestigious university in the US capital would give me the much need international exposure and acquaintance to the modern principles and practices of politics and policy management, which will make me stand out when I return.

VO: Tell me about this program?
Me: This MPA focuses on the intersection of politics, policy and administration. It is a 40 credit hour program comprising of 25 core credits, 12 credit hour of concentration courses and 3 credit hour of elective courses, which I am meant to complete in 24 months and maintain a CGPA of not lesser than 3.00 through the 4 semester duration.

VO: Tell me some of the courses you would be taking?
Me: I would take courses like Economics for public decision making, Leadership in public Administration and public policy, Policy Analysis, Public and Nonprofit program evaluation, Policy formulation and administration, Federal government regulation of society, political data analytics, current topics in public policy, Introduction to public service and administration, Perspective on public value, Introduction to project management, Law and public administrator, Public budgeting, revenue and expenditure analysis, Financial management in public sector and a Capstone Seminar in the final semester.

VO: What’s your highest qualification and what year?
Me: I have BSc. Secretarial Administration, 2013

VO: What have you been doing since you graduated? I completed my NYSC program in June 2014 and I have been working as an Administrative Officer at XYZ local government council, ABC state since that time

VO: Have you traveled out of the country before?
Me: No
VO: Are you married? No
Me: Do you have a child? No
VO: Who is your sponsor? Me: My Mom
VO: What does she do? She deals in sales of imported building materials and she is a major distributor of Dangote Cement in Osogbo, Akure and Ibadan

I beg you all to help me analyse and critique my case and my proposed transcript. Thank you in anticipation.

Cc:
@LagosismyHome
@theamerican
@Childinho10
@Walspring
@Femi312
@bigfrancis21
@folmus
@OluDare01
@imperiouxx
@Twoods
@Ijebuboy525

jamoyakz:
Asin ehhh some folks don't get it in here.. someone just joined the thread and offering mouthwatering offer that is too cheap to be true.. shey the guy named father Ets ni??

Na Ode and awoof naija like pass na.. O ti ye e?.. This has been preached for years on this thread, yet people refuse to be wise..


@ponpon, you wan do GRE?.. 50% discount for you, make dem scam you sef