Stanmedix:
My Visa Interview Transcript

GRE 309
WES 3.73/4.00

Deficit on I-20 form is $13k
Assistanship $32k
Uncles SOA $19k

Abuja Embassy, young white lady
Visa approved 16th July
Placed on AP 17th July -7th August
Visa issued 8th August


Me: Good morning

VO: Good morning, pass me your i20, passport
Me: passed them

VO: why are you going to the US?
Me: I'm going for my masters degree in Public Health with concentration in environmental health at ETSU, Johnson City

VO: why ETSU?
Me: the public health program at ETSU is well tailored to environmental health which is my area of concentration. The faculty is also involved in alot of research activities in environmental health including Environmental Exposure Assessment and Risk Analysis of Pathogens which perfectly aligns with my research motives.

VO: what will this course do for you?
Me: This course will give me an indept knowledge into this area of public health and will equip me with recent analytical tools/methodology to be able to coordinate public health researches in environmental health when I come back to Nigeria.

VO: what are your plans after graduation?
Me: I plan to come back to Nigeria and pick up a job in any of the tertiary health institutions as a public heath physician; use the knowledge and experience garnered in ETSU, to contribute my quota in improving the health sector by working with the federal or state ministries of Health, WHO or NGOs in providing comprehensive health care services in Endemic areas and endemic prone areas Such as IDP camps.

VO: who is sponsoring you ?
ME: I have a GA offer which comes with tuition waiver and stipends; my uncle will be assisting me with the deficit.

VO: Alright, I will be approving your visa now( with this warming smile)...other routine talks. Handed me 2 white papers and my I 20
Me: Thank you. I felt like I was dreaming. As I left the embassy I could not contain the joy. The cab I boarded I had to tell him to keep the change imagine!

A day later I received a mail from the embassy asking for supplemental information which I responded to promptly. Since day was placed on AP. Last updated 7th August and issued 8th August.

Appreciation:

This was entirely God's favour and mercy. I had to pray and fast reminding God of His promises upon my life every single day. Even booked mass join with novena to our mother of perpetual help...Catholics can relate!

Scharwarma, Fairheart, PreStan, Dreambound NL and other gurus in the house I cannot thank you guys enough for the transcript reviews and mock interviews. It's only God that can reward you for your selfless services and sacrifice in this thread. Scharwarma one bottle of your brand in Johnson city when we see�

For those still on AP, three words for you guys...Pray, Prepare and Proceed. Pray and go ahead with preparations for your travel plans(except booking for flight). I know it's not easy with the anxiety and depression sometimes but to be honest the only change you can make is through prayer and faith in God. What's the worst thing that can happen!!! Will someone die? Pray and keep faith

For those that were refused, dust up and refire. Don't allow one VO in one window stop you from achieving your sweet dreams. Post your transcript for reviews, disturb the gurus for mock interview and retire. No room for quiters here...saw 9th attempt transcript sometimes here.

For those awaiting interview, in the words of Scharwarma 'just go and get that visa' most importantly don't show desperation in that way you will be more articulate in your response.

For the newbies, we were all once newbies. Just post any queries you have here no matter how stupid it seems. I am sure you must get a valuable response. Be focussed and prepare ahead for your studies abroad.

For the silent observers(I inclusive), try and say hello sometimes. Maybe you might be helping save someone's dream with your little contribution as many are helping save yours.

I will be available to help with any assistance as much as my knowledge and schedule permits.

Thank you everyone.

TheNoble007:

Hello house, please who has scheduled a flight using student universe.... What is their charge naira to dollar?

TheNoble007:

Hello house, please who has scheduled a flight using student universe.... What is their charge naira to dollar?

Yasiin:
Good Morning,
I just finished my interview at the Lagos embassy and unfortunately my application was rejected. I am going to post my transcript and I need the gurus to identify the flaws in my responses. Thanks.

Who stays in Texas?
No One
Who do you know in the United States?
Nobody
How much does your scholarship amount to?
It's a thousand dollars per year for two years
Who is paying for the rest?
My uncle.
What does your uncle do?
He's a medical lab scientist. He runs his own medical lab.
Where does your uncle stay?
He stays in Niger State.
What do your parents do?
My father does human rights work.
Your Mom?
She's late.

**I'm sorry ... Blah blah blah


Sharwama, fairheart,Time2win,brown2green,lagosismyhome,walspring,nahum77,naughtyvirgin....please your help is needed.

Justabama:
Finally am in the US, its a wonderful world here, I entered through New York and then Transited to Minneapolis from there, Please my best advice is that you should eat before taking off cos them no dey get better food for airplane ooo, keep your I-20 with you at all times, learn to say no to those airport guys asking you for money at every point, one of them even said I should give him dollars when I told him I don't have any Naira with me and also don't mind those making POE sound like one Post Visa Interview, its really very simple, I was asked how long I intend staying and where I was going to, they didn't even ask me to present my connecting flight ticket, the whole process was like 30secs and they just let me lose into the streets of New York straight, things are relatively easier than I imagined. Only thig now is that am still afraid to spend Dollars, I always think twice when I convert the prices to Its Naira Equivalent... 15usd for a plate of pasta that wont even make sense at the end of the day, #5400 just imagine..

Justabama:
I did, its okay.. just around 360/$.... WITH SOME KOBO

Brown2Green:



Don't kid yourself with student universe and all the other apps. They were really messed up for me with high rates.
I used Wakanow and I got an awesome price of 488k direct to Chicago.
Student universe and Skyscanner was so annoying.

Keep your mind open.

calculator123:

Why not chill till next year to start the app process. This time you would be better prepared. It won't be nice to waste limited resources.
By the way, have you written the GRE and TOEFL?

TheNoble007:

Hello house, please who has scheduled a flight using student universe.... What is their charge naira to dollar?

Justabama:
I did, its okay.. just around 360/$.... WITH SOME KOBO

Time2win:


I did. they charged me 366/$. I used access bank visa card

TheNoble007:


How long did it take to receive your ticket.. I just booked, paid and I received an invoice number, together with an email saying thanks for booking with student universe... Am I on the right track.... Thanks.

RealBadBoy:


That's the issue... I plan to take gre and toefl by November
I have no publications
Undergrad gpa = 3.76/4
Course = civil engineering

I need some more time to apply and let my recommenders submit their letter. Jan 1 might not be feasible as many uni wants. Please I need schools with deadline in February or late in January

But most schools always say after jan1 an applicant won't be considered for funding

Time2win:


when did you complete the booking? they will send you another mail to snap your card, signed signature an ID to verify that it was your card that you used

RealBadBoy:


That's the issue... I plan to take gre and toefl by November
I have no publications
Undergrad gpa = 3.76/4
Course = civil engineering

I need some more time to apply and let my recommenders submit their letter. Jan 1 might not be feasible as many uni wants. Please I need schools with deadline in February or late in January

But most schools always say after jan1 an applicant won't be considered for funding

Flaame:
Visa denied yesterday at Abuja embassy
Time: 7:30am
Window 9: A white man in his late 30's or so


Vo: Good morning Mr Peter, you're welcome to the United States embassy
Me: Thank you sir
Vo: Can I have your passport and I20?
Mepassed them)
Vo: Have you ever traveled outside of the country?
Me: No Sir, I have never had reason to
Vo: where are you going?
Me: Am going for my undergraduate degree in computer engineering at St Cloud State University
Vo: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: I have a scholarship already but my sponsor would be taking care of the deficit(he looked closely at my I20 to confirm the scholarship)
Vo: What does your sponsor do?
Me: She owns a big school here in Abuja and is also an estate manager
Vo: What about her kids?
Me: (this question is not specific so I answered).... They're all grown up, graduated, mostly married, and independent
Vo: Where did they go to school?
Me: Some went to school here in Nigeria while others went to school abroad (Canada, I didn't want to say this cos one was very unserious with her education so she was brought back to Nigeria, and the VO could search her academic record since is Canada)
Vo: (In a finish him tone) Please can you explain to me why she couldn't sponsor all her kids to study abroad but chose to do that for you?
Me: As at that time, she hasn't been this buoyant as she is now ,and she's someone who believes so much in education and its potential...


I was still explaining and he started talking shit, he wasn't listening again,he didn't want to, he made his decision already, so I stopped talking, I didn't want him to get aggreviated ,cos he wasn't actually typing anything on his system, if I cont'd he could put something terrible there on my record, I realized I had lost it..... My money, sacrifices, efforts dashed away in less than 2 mins, I didn't really feel bad like the last time, but I was sure if I had said they all went to school abroad, the interview would have gone another direction. So this is all that transpired.

Justabama:
Finally am in the US, its a wonderful world here, I entered through New York and then Transited to Minneapolis from there, Please my best advice is that you should eat before taking off cos them no dey get better food for airplane ooo, keep your I-20 with you at all times, learn to say no to those airport guys asking you for money at every point, one of them even said I should give him dollars when I told him I don't have any Naira with me and also don't mind those making POE sound like one Post Visa Interview, its really very simple, I was asked how long I intend staying and where I was going to, they didn't even ask me to present my connecting flight ticket, the whole process was like 30secs and they just let me lose into the streets of New York straight, things are relatively easier than I imagined. Only thig now is that am still afraid to spend Dollars, I always think twice when I convert the prices to Its Naira Equivalent... 15usd for a plate of pasta that wont even make sense at the end of the day, #5400 just imagine..

solihp:


If you're taking GRE and TOEFL by November, then you still have time. This is what you'd do, start selecting schools with priority deadline around December and early January, shortlist them and start the application, put the emails of your recommenders before you even write your exams so that you would know the remaining thing outstanding in your application would be your exam scores, by the time you write and submit your scores to the schools, you should be able to meet up with December deadline; all things being equal.

RealBadBoy:


Thanks. Does it mean that as soon as I put the names and email of my recommenders they will be asked to upload their recommendation? If no, it stand to reason that maybe one of my three recommenders might not upload his LOR on time

solihp:


Yes, as soon as you put their emails, they would be sent an email to upload the recommendation.

Sherlock5577:

This is sad.
Sorry about this. Don't lose hope. Get a little rest and try again.
Yes you can!

Sosao:

AP for 30days

I went to my bank with my sponsor today to fin out what was going on regarding the verification because I felt the embassy must have sent an email for verification.

After so many calls and waiting for hours they said my details, sponsors details were not on their system and no email has been sent for verification.

Chai!!! I felt hopeless �

At least I now know the issue is with the embassy.
My school has given me an extension till month end.

Make I go Dey look for job oooo cos this AP yaff tire me ooo

Sosao:

AP for 30days

I went to my bank with my sponsor today to fin out what was going on regarding the verification because I felt the embassy must have sent an email for verification.

After so many calls and waiting for hours they said my details, sponsors details were not on their system and no email has been sent for verification.

Chai!!! I felt hopeless �

At least I now know the issue is with the embassy.
My school has given me an extension till month end.

Make I go Dey look for job oooo cos this AP yaff tire me ooo

Sosao:

AP for 30days

I went to my bank with my sponsor today to fin out what was going on regarding the verification because I felt the embassy must have sent an email for verification.

After so many calls and waiting for hours they said my details, sponsors details were not on their system and no email has been sent for verification.

Chai!!! I felt hopeless �

At least I now know the issue is with the embassy. Op

Sosao post=81309621:

AP for 30days

I went to my bank with my sponsor today to fin out what was going on regarding the verification because I felt the embassy must have sent an email for verification.

After so many calls and waiting for hours they said my details, sponsors details were not on their system and no email has been sent for verification.

Chai!!! I felt hopeless �

At least I now know the issue is with the embassy.
My school has given me an extension till month end.

Make I go Dey look for job oooo cos this AP yaff tire me ooo

My school has given me an extension till month end.

Make I go Dey look for job oooo cos this AP yaff tire me ooo

Sosao:

AP for 30days

I went to my bank with my sponsor today to fin out what was going on regarding the verification because I felt the embassy must have sent an email for verification.

After so many calls and waiting for hours they said my details, sponsors details were not on their system and no email has been sent for verification.

Chai!!! I felt hopeless �

At least I now know the issue is with the embassy.
My school has given me an extension till month end.

Make I go Dey look for job oooo cos this AP yaff tire me ooo

Mudicua:
I think you should write to the embassy, and explain that it has been 30 days and you are yet to get a response from them. You tell them that your school resumes on so so day and that this delay has affected your travel plans. (I do not think you should mention your going to the bank... so as it would not seem you went to influence the bank... these VO and oyibos fit think anything)

Inasmuch as this may seem like a broken record, I think it is something worth doing and doing until you get a response.

Good luck... and please keep your head up.

Sosao:

AP for 30days

I went to my bank with my sponsor today to fin out what was going on regarding the verification because I felt the embassy must have sent an email for verification.

After so many calls and waiting for hours they said my details, sponsors details were not on their system and no email has been sent for verification.

Chai!!! I felt hopeless �

At least I now know the issue is with the embassy.
My school has given me an extension till month end.

Make I go Dey look for job oooo cos this AP yaff tire me ooo

Sosao:
Done that already
No way
They will tell you to wait there is nothing they can do.

solihp:
Another option is this. This list was provided to me when I was selecting schools too, it might be of help to you.



A. ROLLING ADMISSIONS -
What does "Rolling" mean - Under rolling deadlines there is no fixed application deadline declared by the university. Applications are accepted anytime till the seats for that particular semester are full.
University of Toledo
Wright State University, Dayton
California State University, Long Beach
Oklahoma City University
Rochester Institute of Technology
State University of New York, Binghamton


B. FALL SESSION ADMISSIONS -
(August-December Semester)

US Universities with Deadlines in March -
George Washington University – 15 March
Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn – 15 March
South Dakota School of Mines & Tech – 15 March
University of Colorado, Denver – 15 March
University of Kentucky, Lexington – 15 March
University of North Texas, Denton – 15 March
Stevens Institute of Technology – 15 March
University of Pennsylvania – 15 March
California State University, Northridge – 31 March
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa – March

US Universities with Deadlines in April -
Idaho State University – 1 April
University of Arkansas, Little Rock – 1 April
California State University, Fresno – 1 April
oregon State University, Corvallis – 1 April
University of Houston, University Park – 1 April
University of Michigan, Dearborn – 1 April
University of Texas, San Antonio – 1 April
University of Utah, Salt Lake City – 1 April
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University – 1 April
West Virginia University, Morgantown – 1 April
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo – 1 April
Wichita State University – 1 April
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville – 1 April
University of Houston, Clear Lake – 1 April
University of Oklahoma, Norman – 1 April
University of Memphis – 1 April
Villanova University – 1 April
California State University, Los Angeles – 15 April
Lamar University – 15 April
Old Dominion University, Norfolk – 15 April
South Dakota State University, Brookings – 15 April
University of Georgia – 15 April
University of Iowa, Iowa City – 15 April

US Universities with Deadlines in May -
City University of New York, City College – 1 May
Clarkson University – 1 May
Illinois State University, Normal – 1 May
Mississippi State University – 1 May
Northern Illinois University, Dekalb – 1 May
Oakland University, Rochester – 1 May
University of Idaho, Moscow – 1 May
University of Memphis– 1 May
University of Michigan, Dearborn – 1 May
University of Nevada, Las Vegas – 1 May
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque – 1 May
Wayne State University – 1 May
Western Illinois University – 1 May
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks – 1 May (General)
University of Texas, Dallas – 1 May (General)
Boise State University – 15 May
Southern Methodist University – 15 May
University of Louisiana, Lafayette – 15 May
University of Colorado, Denver – 15 May (Final)
Louisiana State University, Baton Rogue – 15 May (Final)
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks – 15 May (Computer Science)
Montana State University, Bozeman – 15 May (Most of Engineering Departments)
Wright State University, Dayton – 15 May (Early)
Lawrence Technological University – 22 May

US Universities with Deadlines in June -
Louisiana Tech University, Ruston – 1 June
Monmouth University – 1 June
California State University, Fresno – 1 June
Kent State University – 1 June
New York Institute of Technology – 1 June
Syracuse University – 1 June
Texas A & M University, Kingsville – 1 June
Texas State University – 1 June (Final)
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville – 1 June
University of Arkansas, Little Rock – 1 June
University of California, Riverside – 1 June (without Aid)
University of Detroit, Mercy – 1 June
University of Illinois, Springfield – 1 June
Florida Institute of Technology – 8 June
Drexel University – 13 June
Marist College, Poughkeepsie – 15 June
California State University, Northridge – 15 June
George Mason University, Fairfax – 15 June
Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla – 15 June (Final)
Tulane University – 15 June

US Universities with Deadlines in July -
Florida State University – 1 July
Lamar University – 1 July
Minnesota State University, Mankato – 1 July
Arkansas State University – 3 July
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville – 15 July
University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport – 15 July
University of South Alabama, Mobile – 15 July (Computer Science)
University of South Alabama, Mobile – 1 July (Other Engineering Departments).

US Universities with Deadlines in August -
State University of New York, Albany – 1 August (without Aid)
Villanova University – 1 August (Computer Science)
University of North Carolina, Charlotte – 15 August (Final)