₦airaland Forum

Thank you very much bro and to be honest I have been preparing for this interview for some time now I don't even know why I started to fidget I was talking too fast probably that cost me too

kfrosh:
Bro! Don't give up yet, even though I am yet to decide my fate yet, I was once in your shoes and I overcame it the second time. You can do it, all you need is practise. Mine was even worse than yours.

NeverSayNever11:
Allihamdulilah, Visa Approved this morning by the black woman at window 5...will post transcript soon, just got back to office

Congrats seems those black female VOs have been reading the bashing given to them lately on this forum hence they've changed loolzz (my opinion)

Nahum777:
I was put on administrative processing. Transcript on the way.

It would end in praise. God dey.

Nitta08:
VISA Experience

Consulate: Lagos
Date: 17th July 2018
Arrival time: 5:18 AM
Time Slot: 6:30 AM (interviewed at 8:20, second person to be interviewed by the lady)
Counter No: 1
Status: Approved

@Whyqueu
@Walspring
@Imperriox
@Folmus
@Ariesben5

BIG CONGRATULATIONS. GO AND EXCEL

NeverSayNever11:
Allihamdulilah, Visa Approved this morning by the black woman at window 5...will post transcript soon, just got back to office

Waiting for your transcript. CONGRATULATIONS

ghs007:
I just checked my visa application status on the CEAC website and it is showing Administrative Processing and it was updated today. My visa was approved yesterday, the consular officer told me that my visa was approved. She gave me the pickup letter and did not circle any location ( I think she didn't circle the pickup location because I think she was rushing because I was the last person to be interviewed yesterday in Abuja). I hope there is no problem because the status showed Application received earlier today.

Any changes yet. If not, stay hopeful. The visa is yours.

Hello guys. My brother in the US just helped pay for my sevis fee but there's a lil error on the receipt. My date of birth is Nov 20 1998 but on the recept it shows Nov 29 1998. Someone on this thread actually told me it's no issue at all but I just want to be sure

abike12:
when they ask any question please respond with any available document. so when they asked about the balance of your fees you should've responded with mouth and the sponsorship letter/bank statement of your sponsor. don't wait for them to ask you for the document.

family ties - things like documents of landed property, pictures of your family members, proof of the plantation, etc

mentioning friends as the reason for choosing a school suggests you have ties in the US and may not come back. F1 is still a non immigrant visa and you have to prove intent to return at the completion of your studies.

Thanks a lot.

your points are noted.

please, my family plantation is yet to be registered.
should I register it even if I do, the documents may not be ready before my next interview. secondly, will it be sufficient to just take pictures of the farm with my mother in it or with me and my mum.

we just started planting. the plantation in my mother's community so there is no land papers yet. the agreement is :since the project is bringing development and work opportunities to their, we only need to pay the community a certain % from the year of harvest and render assistance to school children and the community at large.
will it be sufficient to just take pictures??

We don't know what we have on Nairaland here. No one should take this thread for granted as nobody will give you a better advice. Everything you are told here is 100% correct, you might not like it but it's 100% correct and helpful. People just go to the embassy to blow their money without preparation and I believe many of them don't have access to nairaland. So take what they tell you here as gospel, period!

So I left my house for Famoss guest house the previous day before my interview, I was very early and I went to the embassy to see the atmosphere (This is important).

I didn't sleep throughout the night. I was already prepared by 5 AM, the hotel people succeeded in wasting 30 minutes of my time, there was nobody to open the gate for me, I thought my village people were after my life at that moment. They finally opened the gate sha after I boiled for 30 minutes, I almost cried.

I found myself at the consulate and those boys at the gate started their usual nonsense. Please don't listen to them when you get to the Embassy, just walk straight inside, don't allow them to frustrate your destiny.

We got in and they gave us some instructions, They checked all our documents, the security was really tight. You needed to pass more than 7 security checks lol.

The 3 people before me were handed the blue paper by the nice guy on window 5 or 6 I don't remember. I was almost taken to the black woman, but thank God, her first interview took like 30 minutes, meanwhile other VOs had already interviewed about 3 people. The guys who got rejected weren't prepared at all and I knew they wouldn't get their visas, I told myself that I must get that white paper today or never.

They asked the first guy to Define Biology and he couldn't answer correctly, they asked how many schools he applied to and he said one, they asked why and he said it's a good school. They asked him about his sponsor and what he does, my guy begin call title oo, he's the chief of here and oil company of there, they handed him the blue paper and the interview was very short.

The second guy said he was a telecommunications engineer. And he was going for his masters, but he couldn't answer the questions asked. For the first time people's denial motivated me because I knew Nairaland had equipped me with everything I needed (truth be told).

My interview 6:30AM Lagos.

Me: Good morning sir.
Vo: Good morning.
Me: Passed my passport and I-20.
Vo: Where are you going to study this course?
Me: I am going to Utah Valley University for a Bachelors degree in Economics.
Vo: Why do you want to study this course?
Me: Nigeria as a developing economy, needs a lot of well versed economists who are in touch with modern economic theories. My study in the US will allow me learn from the best faculty with versed knowledge of their field and in the largest economy in the world.

My study will help me learn from them so I can return to Nigeria and be instrumental in developing and formulating viable economic policies.

As a writer, for news websites and blogs in Nigeria, a well grounded knowledge in economics will broaden my writing abilities and this means more writing jobs will come my way when I return to the country.

I plan on starting.. VO cuts in (I get it).

VO: How many schools did you apply to?
Me: 3 schools. Utah Valley University, University of Wyoming and West Virginia University.

Vo: What do the schools have in common?

They all have low faculty to student ratio, which means faculty members can spend more time working individually with students.

Vo: How did you hear about the school?

I first heard about the school While I was on a mission for my church (Church name), a family we went to visit had a son who just returned from the university and he said great things about the school. After my mission, I went on to do some research on my own. I went on quora to read reviews from past and present students, I went to the school's Facebook page and the school's youtube channel to watch videos and I really liked the school.

Vo: You served on a mission for two years. What did you do within the period of your high school and now ?

Me: I went on to learn a skill, I learnt this to repair flat screen lcd televisions and then I started writing for blogs and news websites.

Vo: What kind of writings do you do and what platforms have your written for?

Me: I write mostly on relationships and studying economics will broaden my. Writing abilities. I plan on starting a YouTube channel where I will be talking about Nigeria's economic policies and I will also be sensitizing Nigerians on Nigeria's foreign policy and trade. I wrote for Naij.com and other platforms that aren't popular.

Vo: Who's sponsoring you and what does he do, do you have his bank statement?

Me: My dad. He owns a security company.

Vo: Okay, I will be putting you on administrative processing. I will be holding your I-20, Passport and Bank statement.

TobigSpice:
Please below is my proposed transcript. I'm sorry it's about it long cos I've trying different possible questions. I'm open to review. Thanks.


Why US:
The USA is a country that is well recognized for its academic excellence and enhanced learning experience, also they have one of the best educational system in the world that offers students flexible educational opportunities across over 4000 institutions.
The US remains the source of most of the world’s ground-breaking developments in technology, business, arts, and beyond.
What av u bn doin after school:
I worked as an Informatin Officer in a Government parastata, Edo State House of Assembly, Benin City during my service year. I was retained to a staff even after Service year ended. I attend all parliamentary sittings, write news and all other duties as assigned.

How many sch :University of Georgia, Atlanta (Franklin College of Art & Science)
The City University of NewYork and

3 schools; University of Georgia, Atlanta (Franklin College of Art & Science)
The City University of NewYork and East Tennessee State University.

VO* How did you hear about the School?
Me: when I was using the search engines, I stumbled to www.studyusa.com, I sign up and request to be given Newsletter. After series of Newsletter, I got a form to fill the criteria for the schools I want, which I did, amongst the schools I applied to was ABC University.Also an alumni of the school who works in my place of work also told me about the school
Tell me about your school
me: this school is a public institution located in Johnson City. That was founded in 1911, with campuses in Johnson City as the main campus and Kingsport Campus.,Listed by The Princeton Review as one of America’s Best Value Colleges ,student-faculty ratio17:1. 11 colleges and 53 Dept.
Why did u choose ETSU:
Etsu gives students the privilege to take courses from their foundational background, which means I'll be taking more courses from English and Communication. I have been speaking with the director of the department, we've built a healthy relationship and she has been of great assistance.
Also, their Daylong writing workshop will help improve my writing and analytical thinking skills and give me the exposure that will be of advantage in my chosen career of taking an academic position in a university here in Nigeria,
Resumption Date: 21st of August.

Tell me bou ur course:
Liberal studies is by nature an interdisciplinary program, generally pulling together course work from various disciplined rangng from social sciences,behavioural sciences and humanities. It gives students the privilege to think critically and contextually about their discipline and various issues. It is a 31- Unit Coursework. I would be taking my core courses in Liberal Studies and my Electives from English Language, Regional and Community Studies, Communication Studies and Sociology. Seminar and Thesis would as well sum up in the coursework.

What is your study plan:
I’ll be studying Liberal Studies at East Tennessee University. It requires me to take:
10 credits hours for Core courses
18 credits hours for electives
and 3 credits hours for my thesis
all which are expected to be completed within 24months. After which I’d return to Nigeria to get an academic position in one of the top universities in Nigeria especially my Almer Mata, EKSU

Wah would ur course do for u:
Me- It will earn me a well rounded education as it is designed to educate on a variety of disciplines, rather than training me on a specific job. Having had a bachelor's degree in English, it will prepare me for a career in journalism, editing, technical writing and academics as intend taking up an academic position in my Alma mater after graduation.
Also, as an aspiring writer, liberal studies wiLil improve my writing,communication,critical thinking and interpersonal skills as I intend venturing into blogging where I'll be concentrating on the female gender and their challenges in the Nigerian society.

COURSES:
foundations in Liberal Studies
Seminar in Liberal Studies
Introduction to Interdisciplinary Study
Seminar in Interdisciplinary Research

V.O- Why did you want to change your Course of Study from what you studied during undergraduate days.
Me- I believe with Interdisciplinary course like Liberal Studies, I would have broad exploration of social and natural sciences couple with my initial knowledge of arts and humanities, with this I would be able to have all round knowledge to be in the academics. I also believe with Liberal Studies, I would learn communication effectively and understand as well as respect variety of cultures. I would also have variety of careers suit of my interests.

VO@@ How did you know about Liberal Studies?
Me- During my penultimate year (Level 300) as an undergraduate, A Professor of Liberal Studies named Prof. (Mrs.) Johnson came to our School for Sabbatical Study Leave. She narrated to us the benefits of studying Liberal Sciences. Her vast experiences, response to issues and way of life made me develop interest in Liberal Studies and she always advice us to follow her trend. She is my role model………


Who z sponsoring you:
I have been offered a Graduate Assistantship which covers my tuition and most fees and provides a stipend per semester of $3700, while my Uncle Mr Raji Lookman will be covering the rest.
How did you get the Scholarship :
The scholarship board was impressed by my profile which included my undergraduate cgpa, GRE, Skype video interview, Statement of purpose and other essays

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ASSISTANTSIP
ME- I get to tutor students a fundamental course during teaching hours, grade scripts and proctor tests which will prepare me for a career in academics.
Wah doz ur Uncle do:
He is an educationist, he owns an elementary school as well.

VO* How many Pupils are in your mother School?
Me: 86 pupils
VO++ Uncle's fund yearly...

VO* Did you do any Entrance examinations?
Me-Though no Entrance examination was required for my course of study, I still did GRE (Graduate Record Examination) to foster my commitment for further learning.
V.O- What are your Scores.
Me- I have 153 in Verbal, 157 in Quantitative and 3.0 in Analytical Writing.
Do you Intend to work in the States?
Do you intend to work in US
Me- I have been given Graduate Assistant Job, this would make me work only in the department for 20hours per week. Aside that, I have no plans of working.
V.O- During Vacation, What would you be doing?
Me- for short vacations, I would rest and prepare for forthcoming Semesters, but for Long Vacations, I would come back home briefly to say hello to my family.

Please gurus, I'm still expecting your review... It's been days now, no response yet.
Thanks.

Judgepelumi:
To confirm your bank statement right? How long does it take?

I don't even know. I am scared to. death.

Nahum777:
We don't know what we have on Nairaland here. No one should take this thread for granted as nobody will give you a better advice. Everything you are told here is 100% correct, you might not like it but it's 100% correct and helpful.

Is he do, do you have his bank statement?

Me: My dad. He owns a security company.

Vo: Okay, I will be putting you on administrative processing. I will be holding your I-20, Passport and Bank statement.

Smart guy, More wins to come

tolatof:
Smart guy, More wins to come

Bro, the kind God wey go bless you Eheen. Thank you so much you truly helped me.

NefT:
Please, can you kindly share your academic profile i.e. CGPA, GRE, any publication, etc. It will be beneficial to folks here.

I have once dropped it on this platform (specifically the GRE thread). Alternatively, you can look through my posts to get it.

Thank you

Nahum777:
We don't know what we have on Nairaland here. No one should take this thread for granted as nobody will give you a better advice. Everything you are told here is 100% correct, you might not like it but it's 100% correct and helpful. People just go to the embassy to blow their money without preparation and I believe many of them don't have access to nairaland. So take what they tell you here as gospel, period!

So I left my house for Famoss guest house the previous day before my interview, I was very early and I went to the embassy to see the atmosphere (This is important).

I didn't sleep throughout the night. I was already prepared by 5 AM, the hotel people succeeded in wasting 30 minutes of my time, there was nobody to open the gate for me, I thought my village people were after my life at that moment. They finally opened the gate sha after I boiled for 30 minutes, I almost cried.

I found myself at the consulate and those boys at the gate started their usual nonsense. Please don't listen to them when you get to the Embassy, just walk straight inside, don't allow them to frustrate your destiny.

We got in and they gave us some instructions, They checked all our documents, the security was really tight. You needed to pass more than 7 security checks lol.

The 3 people before me were handed the blue paper by the nice guy on window 5 or 6 I don't remember. I was almost taken to the black woman, but thank God, her first interview took like 30 minutes, meanwhile other VOs had already interviewed about 3 people. The guys who got rejected weren't prepared at all and I knew they wouldn't get their visas, I told myself that I must get that white paper today or never.

They asked the first guy to Define Biology and he couldn't answer correctly, they asked how many schools he applied to and he said one, they asked why and he said it's a good school. They asked him about his sponsor and what he does, my guy begin call title oo, he's the chief of here and oil company of there, they handed him the blue paper and the interview was very short.

The second guy said he was a telecommunications engineer. And he was going for his masters, but he couldn't answer the questions asked. For the first time people's denial motivated me because I knew Nairaland had equipped me with everything I needed (truth be told).

My interview 6:30AM Lagos.

Me: Good morning sir.
Vo: Good morning.
Me: Passed my passport and I-20.
Vo: Where are you going to study this course?
Me: I am going to Utah Valley University for a Bachelors degree in Economics.
Vo: Why do you want to study this course?
Me: Nigeria as a developing economy, needs a lot of well versed economists who are in touch with modern economic theories. My study in the US will allow me learn from the best faculty with versed knowledge of their field and in the largest economy in the world.

My study will help me learn from them so I can return to Nigeria and be instrumental in developing and formulating viable economic policies.

As a writer, for news websites and blogs in Nigeria, a well grounded knowledge in economics will broaden my writing abilities and this means more writing jobs will come my way when I return to the country.

I plan on starting.. VO cuts in (I get it).

VO: How many schools did you apply to?
Me: 3 schools. Utah Valley University, University of Wyoming and West Virginia University.

Vo: What do the schools have in common?

They all have low faculty to student ratio, which means faculty members can spend more time working individually with students.

Vo: How did you hear about the school?

I first heard about the school While I was on a mission for my church (Church name), a family we went to visit had a son who just returned from the university and he said great things about the school. After my mission, I went on to do some research on my own. I went on quora to read reviews from past and present students, I went to the school's Facebook page and the school's youtube channel to watch videos and I really liked the school.

Vo: You served on a mission for two years. What did you do within the period of your high school and now ?

Me: I went on to learn a skill, I learnt this to repair flat screen lcd televisions and then I started writing for blogs and news websites.

Vo: What kind of writings do you do and what platforms have your written for?

Me: I write mostly on relationships and studying economics will broaden my. Writing abilities. I plan on starting a YouTube channel where I will be talking about Nigeria's economic policies and I will also be sensitizing Nigerians on Nigeria's foreign policy and trade. I wrote for Naij.com and other platforms that aren't popular.

Vo: Who's sponsoring you and what does he do, do you have his bank statement?

Me: My dad. He owns a security company.

Vo: Okay, I will be putting you on administrative processing. I will be holding your I-20, Passport and Bank statement.

Bros don't be scared it's yours already... please when did you graduate from high school ? did the school give you scholarship ?

mayd16:
GOOD MORNING PEOPLE, PLEASE HELP IN REVIEWING MY PROPOSED TRANSCRIPT, MY INTERVIEW IS TOMORROW MORNING, THANKS


VO: Good morning ma'am, pass me you I-20, passport please.
Me: Good morning. Sure, here they are.
VO: What are you going to the US to do?
Me: I am going Jamestown community college for a certificate in network and systems administration
VO: What is your highest degree?
Me: Bachelor of Biochemistry
VO: What year did you graduate?
Me: I graduated in 2013
VO:Why are you going for an associate degree why not a bachelor degree
Me: I want a degree that will take me just two years and considering my sponsors budget, university is way more expensive.
VO: Why are you switching career
Me: My first job in the IT firm was an eye opener for me but jobs were not assigned to me because I do not have a degree related to the IT industry
VO: why this program
Me: My goal is to support organizations by ensuring a smooth running computing infrastructure, so getting a degree in this program will give me the practical and theoretical knowledge to achieve this goal and also it will not limit me to my place of work.
VO: How much school did you applied to
Me: 4 other school, Kansas city CC, Jefferson CC, Metropolitan CC, and Houston CC.
VO:How many gave you admission
Me: 3
VO: Why JCC
Me: Of all the school that gave me admission, Only JCC introduced business as part of the curriculum for my course of interest which was a side catch for me and also the department provides one on one mentoring by major professors like professor Williams and Mr. Jeffery.
VO: What have you been doing since then?
Me: After my NYSC in 2015, I got a worked in an IT firm as a customer support (training and implementing hospital software, then in 2016 I got a job in my current place of work as an IT consultant where I support and monitor the IT operations)
VO: Who is paying for your studies?
Me: My place of work will be sponsoring my studies
VO: Why are they sponsoring you?
Me: I have been able to improve the hospital operations by introduce the use of hospital software to run our operations
VO: Do you have any children?
Me: No ma'am
VO: Are you married?
Me: No ma'am
VO: [/b]You qualify for a Visa[b] ........
Me: Thanks

Are you sure?

Tip Tip Tip Tip Tip....

Avoid generic answers...you can always personalize generic answers.
Personalize your interview if possible...

If you have impressive GRE scores (Above 310), SAT Scores and TOEFL Score (Above 100)...Please try to put it in your answers..

Why this school?
Talk about the ongoing research carried out by a prof, how you have reached out to him, and he has been positive about working with you..
Talk about your funding..
Talk about how the research interests of bla bla aligns with your research interest and career interests..

Do all these before bringing up your generic answers of " faculty ratio and all that"

jolowizzy11:
Bros don't be scared it's yours already... please when did you graduate from high school ? did the school give you scholarship ?

2012 and no scholarship...

Judgepelumi:
Are you sure?

yes

@Nahum777, I think I saw you, the YouTube Guy, u wore a white shirt and you are a bit tall.

Visa approved 7am Lagos July 18

Stayed at Bayland hotel Obalende overnight.
Left for US embassy around 5:30, took me less than 15mins to arrive there via keke Napep. I was advised by the keke napep man to keep my document at the back of the napep so that the police doing stop and search won't extort money off me.
After the routine check at the embassy; the business of the day.

VO: Good morning
Me: Morning
VO: Where are you going?
Me: I will be heading to Texas for my masters degree at Texas A&M university, Kingsville.
VO: how many school did you apply to?
Me: 4 schools
VO: Mention them and How many of them reject your application.
Me: SIUE,Tamuk,Utep,USf. Got a reject from USF
VO: why did you choose Tamuk over the other two?
ME: the department of mechanical engineering offer concentration in renewable energy which aligns with my career goal, I want to be an expatriate in renewable energy as we are short of expatriate in this field in Nigeria. They also offer me a scholarship to offset the cost of attendance.
VO: did you write any test?
Me: Yes
VO: which of the tests?
Me: GRE, TOefl
VO: what's your qualification and what year?
Me: bachelor of engineering in mechanical engineering from University of ilorin 2016.
VO: you went for your NYSC right, what have you been doing?
Me: I was retain as an energy and exergy analyst
VO: what's exergy?
Me: exergy analysis is use in determining the quality of energy use. It's also the amount of energy directed towards useful work.
VO: what's the name of the company and what do they do?
Me: mentioned the name, we produce fertilizers for the IDP.
VO: what's your plan after MSC
Me: I will be taking a job as research engineer at my alma mater where I will also double as a junior lecturer.
VO: You want to go into research?
Me: Yes
VO: are you married?
Me: Nope
VO: kids? He smiled
Me: smiled back No
VO: Have you travelled out of Nigeria ?
Me: No
VO: who is paying for the rest of the fee.
Me: My uncle
VO: are you with the statement of account ?
Me: Yes, should I bring it out? He nods in response while typing. Brought it out from the official enveloped it came in while I flash the envelope to his face.
VO: looked through it and returned the statement of account, my i20 and the white paper with the pick up details. Keep the i20 and other document as you will be need them at the POE.........
Me: with huge smile. Enjoy your day.
VO: you too with smile

I have been following this thread since February 2017: it has been an amazing experience on here. I hope someone have one or two things to learn from this.
Note:
I am not one of the best English speaker but I was able to articulate my point and made them brief since I know my weak point(still working on that).
Dress: brown pant and shirt while I wore a gray lonsdale jacket coz of the rain.
After my non stellar Gre score as a result of stress from work during NYSC I had to settle for the 4schools.
Summon the confidence and make your point brief but ensure it answers the question been ask.

To the gurus on here. Thanks for taking your time to scrutinize transcript on here despite your busy schedules. I fed on this page every day for the last couple of months(after work)

mayd16:
GOOD MORNING PEOPLE, PLEASE HELP IN REVIEWING MY PROPOSED TRANSCRIPT, MY INTERVIEW IS TOMORROW MORNING, THANKS


VO: Good morning ma'am, pass me you I-20, passport please.
Me: Good morning. Sure, here they are.
VO: What are you going to the US to do?
Me: I am going Jamestown community college for a certificate in network and systems administration
VO: What is your highest degree?
Me: Bachelor of Biochemistry
VO: What year did you graduate?
Me: I graduated in 2013
VO:Why are you going for an associate degree why not a bachelor degree
Me: I want a degree that will take me just two years and considering my sponsors budget, university is way more expensive.
VO: Why are you switching career
Me: My first job in the IT firm was an eye opener for me but jobs were not assigned to me because I do not have a degree related to the IT industry
VO: why this program
Me: My goal is to support organizations by ensuring a smooth running computing infrastructure, so getting a degree in this program will give me the practical and theoretical knowledge to achieve this goal and also it will not limit me to my place of work.
VO: How much school did you applied to
Me: 4 other school, Kansas city CC, Jefferson CC, Metropolitan CC, and Houston CC.
VO:How many gave you admission
Me: 3
VO: Why JCC
Me: Of all the school that gave me admission, Only JCC introduced business as part of the curriculum for my course of interest which was a side catch for me and also the department provides one on one mentoring by major professors like professor Williams and Mr. Jeffery.
VO: What have you been doing since then?
Me: After my NYSC in 2015, I got a worked in an IT firm as a customer support (training and implementing hospital software, then in 2016 I got a job in my current place of work as an IT consultant where I support and monitor the IT operations)
VO: Who is paying for your studies?
Me: My place of work will be sponsoring my studies
VO: Why are they sponsoring you?
Me: I have been able to improve the hospital operations by introduce the use of hospital software to run our operations
VO: Do you have any children?
Me: No ma'am
VO: Are you married?
Me: No ma'am
VO: You qualify for a Visa ........
Me: Thanks

You have to be clear about your program of study : you are confusing me, is the program a professional certificate course or another Bachelor's degree?
You have to be explicit about it.
Why career switch? This is one deal - breaker in your interview : you can state that your newly found passion for the field emanates from your first /current job experience.
Elaborate on specific IT programs /applications you utilize at work, professional certificates obtained on the job, other related skills acquired.

There was a lady that switched from Arts to computing here, check her transcript. Also check Nitta08 's transcript.
See it as a job interview and an avenue to sell youself to the VO. Don't panick, be audible and convincing.

I just requested for emergency appointment now. I got 4th of September before while my program start August 11th. I hope I am considered

Glocal1:
You have to be clear about your program of study : you are confusing me, is the program a professional certificate course or another Bachelor's degree?
You have to be explicit about it.
Why career switch? This is one deal - breaker in your interview : you can state that your newly found passion for the field emanates from your first /current job experience.
Elaborate on specific IT programs /applications you utilize at work, professional certificates obtained on the job, other related skills acquired.

There was a lady that switched from Arts to computing here, check her transcript. Also check Nitta08 's transcript.
See it as a job interview and an avenue to sell youself to the VO. Don't panick, be audible and convincing.

thank you for your review, its an associate degree

Thanks bro

wisepluto:
Why wont you qualify with this kind of response.

Congrats!

Thanks. The plan is to start ASAP. I'll look into the access scholarship too. Thank you for the suggestion.

[author=Tunmise100 post=69507420]

Congratulations. I will also say start the CFA asap or u apply for the CFA access scholarship (The price reduced from $1,100 to $150).
Love your transcript. Thanks for given back.[/quote]

YoungTesla:
@Nahum777, I think I saw you, the YouTube Guy, u wore a white shirt and you are a bit tall.

Omo I cut all my beards and I wasn't looking like the normal me, but you are right though. I was the one.

Tohlou:
I have been a silent reader here since January that I started putting in my applications and also wrote the GRE and well didn’t do well that much but regardless I still got admitted into all the schools I applied to.
Thanks to the people I have reached out to here and they attended to me, most in particular Aanexplus’s God bless you brother for all the advice and corrections which all ended in success, you’re much appreciated boss.

Interview was on Friday 13th July 2018, prior to that day I remember the fear and emotional roller coaster the preparation was but few days to the interview proper the confidence came after several coaching from My PFL Ideas people amazing guys really and also fasting and prayer without ceasing.

Got to the embassy for 6am waited till 20mins to 7 for my 7am interview, I was bold,courageous and optimistic that I got my visa approved already and I acted accordingly, no single element of fear that day.
I was interviewed by the nice young white guy at windows 5 no hassle no stress absolute gentleman, even though people that went ahead got blue paper and it was flying left right and center I wasn’t even bothered I just said in my mind today we die here I’m getting my visa from here and grace and faith spoke on my behalf.
Here goes my Transcript

VO: Good morning, how are you doing
Me: Good morning, I’m very well. You?
VO: Answered And goes please pass Me your passport and i20
Me: I did
VO: Thanks he looks at my i20 and asked why study construction management?
Me: I chose construction management because building failure is one of the most challenging problems we have in Nigeria construction industry and me going for this degree will actually give me more knowledge and skill to be a good project manager upon my return to Nigeria to promote safety in the construction industry here in Nigeria. VO was nodding
VO: So why Did you pick this school?
Me: I picked Virginia Tech because they have a mission of becoming nation leader in my area of specialization which is intelligent infrastructure and also they have invested $75m into the research of work of intelligent infrastructure VO just kept nodding.
VO: So how many other schools did you apply to apart from Vtech?
Me: Two others and I named them Florida International University And George mason university
VO: how many admitted you ?
Me: all three, just kept nodding
I was staring at him and kept on praying and saying in my mind Guy you must give Me this visa in Jesus name while he was typing.
VO: what did you study for your first degree?
Me: Quantity surveying
VO: where?
Me: Joseph Ayo BabaLola university
VO: when did you finish your first degree?
Me: 2014
VO: and what have you been doing since then?
Me: during my NYSC I got an opportunity to with an indigenous construction firm and currently I work at XYZ construction firm VO kept typing and nodding
VO: can you mention some of the coursework you will be taking in this program?
Me: I mentioned all the eight courses I will be taking without leaving one out.
VO: did you take any standardized tests?
Me: yes I did, I took the GRE
VO: what’s your score?
Me: I told him, thinking he was going to ask why I scored low he just keep typing and nodding while I was talking.
VO: Are you married?
Me: oh no not yet married
VO: do you have children or a child?
Me: Small smile no no children or child yet
VO: So who is your sponsor?
Me: my biological father
VO: what does he do?
Me; oh he’s into outdoor advertising and commercials for brands
VO: do you have his statement of account with you?
Me: yes I do handed it over to him didn’t look at it just folded it with my i20 and stuck it in between my passport I remained claim and was just observing
VO: So I’d be placing you on administrative processing brought out white paper wrote my name and ticked Administrative processing and handed it over to me
Me: I also have a sponsor letter from my sponsor
In my mind I was like Ha but young man you look impressed since na why AP again
VO: nah I won’t be needing that, and he continued you will be hearing from us after a decision has been reached,have a nice day.

I sha carried all my remaining properties from his front and said thank you, enjoy the rest of your day.

Another set of prayers started and fasting too Lord let my case change before Tuesday o and as the Lord will have it Early Monday morning my case changed from AP to issued I almost ran mad lol. Truly it pays to serve the Lord he is still in the business of men.

My advice to people yet to go for interview is be bold and courageous and prepare very well, have some one listen to your answers and get corrected and take corrections too and above all Let go and Let God put him ahead and behind you and you will be surprised at the success and miracle that will come with it.
Lastly you must not be caught lying to the VO, if you want to lie be smart about it.

pls do you mind sharing your profile

Nahum777:
We don't know what we have on Nairaland here. No one should take this thread for granted as nobody will give you a better advice. Everything you are told here is 100% correct, you might not like it but it's 100% correct and helpful. People just go to the embassy to blow their money without preparation and I believe many of them don't have access to nairaland. So take what they tell you here as gospel, period!

So I left my house for Famoss guest house the previous day before my interview, I was very early and I went to the embassy to see the atmosphere (This is important).

I didn't sleep throughout the night. I was already prepared by 5 AM, the hotel people succeeded in wasting 30 minutes of my time, there was nobody to open the gate for me, I thought my village people were after my life at that moment. They finally opened the gate sha after I boiled for 30 minutes, I almost cried.

I found myself at the consulate and those boys at the gate started their usual nonsense. Please don't listen to them when you get to the Embassy, just walk straight inside, don't allow them to frustrate your destiny.

We got in and they gave us some instructions, They checked all our documents, the security was really tight. You needed to pass more than 7 security checks lol.

The 3 people before me were handed the blue paper by the nice guy on window 5 or 6 I don't remember. I was almost taken to the black woman, but thank God, her first interview took like 30 minutes, meanwhile other VOs had already interviewed about 3 people. The guys who got rejected weren't prepared at all and I knew they wouldn't get their visas, I told myself that I must get that white paper today or never.

They asked the first guy to Define Biology and he couldn't answer correctly, they asked how many schools he applied to and he said one, they asked why and he said it's a good school. They asked him about his sponsor and what he does, my guy begin call title oo, he's the chief of here and oil company of there, they handed him the blue paper and the interview was very short.

The second guy said he was a telecommunications engineer. And he was going for his masters, but he couldn't answer the questions asked. For the first time people's denial motivated me because I knew Nairaland had equipped me with everything I needed (truth be told).

My interview 6:30AM Lagos.

Me: Good morning sir.
Vo: Good morning.
Me: Passed my passport and I-20.
Vo: Where are you going to study this course?
Me: I am going to Utah Valley University for a Bachelors degree in Economics.
Vo: Why do you want to study this course?
Me: Nigeria as a developing economy, needs a lot of well versed economists who are in touch with modern economic theories. My study in the US will allow me learn from the best faculty with versed knowledge of their field and in the largest economy in the world.

My study will help me learn from them so I can return to Nigeria and be instrumental in developing and formulating viable economic policies.

As a writer, for news websites and blogs in Nigeria, a well grounded knowledge in economics will broaden my writing abilities and this means more writing jobs will come my way when I return to the country.

I plan on starting.. VO cuts in (I get it).

VO: How many schools did you apply to?
Me: 3 schools. Utah Valley University, University of Wyoming and West Virginia University.

Vo: What do the schools have in common?

They all have low faculty to student ratio, which means faculty members can spend more time working individually with students.

Vo: How did you hear about the school?

I first heard about the school While I was on a mission for my church (Church name), a family we went to visit had a son who just returned from the university and he said great things about the school. After my mission, I went on to do some research on my own. I went on quora to read reviews from past and present students, I went to the school's Facebook page and the school's youtube channel to watch videos and I really liked the school.

Vo: You served on a mission for two years. What did you do within the period of your high school and now ?

Me: I went on to learn a skill, I learnt this to repair flat screen lcd televisions and then I started writing for blogs and news websites.

Vo: What kind of writings do you do and what platforms have your written for?

Me: I write mostly on relationships and studying economics will broaden my. Writing abilities. I plan on starting a YouTube channel where I will be talking about Nigeria's economic policies and I will also be sensitizing Nigerians on Nigeria's foreign policy and trade. I wrote for Naij.com and other platforms that aren't popular.

Vo: Who's sponsoring you and what does he do, do you have his bank statement?

Me: My dad. He owns a security company.

Vo: Okay, I will be putting you on administrative processing. I will be holding your I-20, Passport and Bank statement.

This is quite an elaborate and interesting interview, considering that you are even an undergraduate. Congratulations.
Excel in your studies and prosper in USA.

mayd16:
thank you for your review, its an associate degree

Are you aware that is like OND degree. Emphasize the practical aspect of your study, practical labs, faculty members of your program.

Longhite01:
Visa approved 7am Lagos July 18

Stayed at Bayland hotel Obalende overnight.
Left for US embassy around 5:30, took me less than 15mins to arrive there via keke Napep. I was advised by the keke napep man to keep my document at the back of the napep so that the police doing stop and search won't extort money off me.
After the routine check at the embassy; the business of the day.

VO: Good morning
Me: Morning
VO: Where are you going?
Me: I will be heading to Texas for my masters degree at Texas A&M university, Kingsville.
VO: how many school did you apply to?
Me: 4 schools
VO: Mention them and How many of them reject your application.
Me: SIUE,Tamuk,Utep,USf. Got a reject from USF
VO: why did you choose Tamuk over the other two?
ME: the department of mechanical engineering offer concentration in renewable energy which aligns with my career goal, I want to be an expatriate in renewable energy as we are short of expatriate in this field in Nigeria. They also offer me a scholarship to offset the cost of attendance.
VO: did you write any test?
Me: Yes
VO: which of the tests?
Me: GRE, TOefl
VO: what's your qualification and what year?
Me: bachelor of engineering in mechanical engineering from University of ilorin 2016.
VO: you went for your NYSC right, what have you been doing?
Me: I was retain as an energy and exergy analyst
VO: what's exergy?
Me: exergy analysis is use in determining the quality of energy use. It's also the amount of energy directed towards useful work.
VO: what's the name of the company and what do they do?
Me: mentioned the name, we produce fertilizers for the IDP.
VO: what's your plan after MSC
Me: I will be taking a job as research engineer at my alma mater where I will also double as a junior lecturer.
VO: You want to go into research?
Me: Yes
VO: are you married?
Me: Nope
VO: kids? He smiled
Me: smiled back No
VO: Have you travelled out of Nigeria ?
Me: No
VO: who is paying for the rest of the fee.
Me: My uncle
VO: are you with the statement of account ?
Me: Yes, should I bring it out? He nods in response while typing. Brought it out from the official enveloped it came in while I flash the envelope to his face.
VO: looked through it and returned the statement of account, my i20 and the white paper with the pick up details. Keep the i20 and other document as you will be need them at the POE.........
Me: with huge smile. Enjoy your day.
VO: you too with smile

I have been following this thread since February 2017: it has been an amazing experience on here. I hope someone have one or two things to learn from this.
Note:
I am not one of the best English speaker but I was able to articulate my point and made them brief since I know my weak point(still working on that).
Dress: brown pant and shirt while I wore a gray lonsdale jacket coz of the rain.
After my non stellar Gre score as a result of stress from work during NYSC I had to settle for the 4schools.
Summon the confidence and make your point brief but ensure it answers the question been ask.

To the gurus on here. Thanks for taking your time to scrutinize transcript on here despite your busy schedules. I fed on this page every day for the last couple of months(after work)

I think I saw you yesterday ....congrats

Dopekidd:
Hello guys. My brother in the US just helped pay for my sevis fee but there's a lil error on the receipt. My date of birth is Nov 20 1998 but on the recept it shows Nov 29 1998. Someone on this thread actually told me it's no issue at all but I just want to be sure

I had a similar case, shoot them a mail @ fmjfee.sevis@ice.dhs.gov and they'll correct it.

See a sample below

Good day,

I just came across a mistake in my Date of Birth on my SEVIS I-901 Payment Confirmation. The Date of Birth on the payment confirmation is 37 may 1900 while my Date of Birth is 36 may 1900.

My name is Methuselah Nwachukwu Oluwagboteminikan and my SEVIS Identification Number is N0000987777. My Date of Birth is 36 May 1900. Please see my International Passport showing my Date of Birth attached for your information and guidance.

Kindly change the Date of Birth on my SEVIS I-901 Payment Confirmation to 36 May 1900.

Thank you.