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Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 11:31pm On Apr 19, 2018 |
Thanks Bro. Please don't give up. Try the PTDF scholarship for Imperial college. With that, you can do your PhD in the USA later.All will work out for good. MasterforceII: |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 7:10pm On Apr 19, 2018 |
Yes, I will advice you retake the GRE. Mathematics programs are usually funded in most top/medium schools I have seen. You have a good GPA and that's a strong point already. Just improve your scores. I guess you're going for Spring /Fall 2019? kacey007: 2 Likes |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 6:03pm On Apr 19, 2018 |
The Mechanical Engineering department of the University of Maine has some MS and PhD positions. https://umaine.edu/mecheng/opportunities-researchers-graduate-students/ |
Travel / Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 13 by Quoran: 6:15am On Apr 19, 2018 |
That's something positive. For the Zoom/Skype interview, check the Professor's recent research papers and his or her profile on either his/her past school's website or Linkedlin. He or she won't ask anything extremely technical. Just check out the methods and research tools he has used to conduct research. He or she will most likely be asking you questions to see if you are a conversant with all you will need to work with him/her. You should be fine. Put in your best in the interview as he/she will also be interviewing others and trying to pick the very best. He or she will be keen to find out if you're a good fit for his/her research group. Possible questions 1) Introduce yourself. (You should speak more of your academic and related work experiences. Don't start singing about which school you attended and why you choose that school. Professors don't have time for that. Go straight to the point.) 2) What are your research experiences? (Talk about your lab experiences , thesis etc. Even your practicals in university counts. Study them and make out something from it. 3) Have you done any work on _______ ? ( He is already asking you something on his research interest. Go through his or her recent papers. Check the keywords , Study the abstract and conclusion. Then look at the methodology briefly. You should be fine. 4) Check out specific methods. It is very important. 5) He will ask questions based on your SOP and CV as I presume he already has your application. Study what you have written there. 6) Any questions? Ask questions at the end of the interview. For example, Ask him or her , the projects he would soon start to work on.Don't jump the gun and ask about funding. Ask about the direction of his research and so on. From the e-mail, he is likely an assistant Professor , who just got a faculty position. Sometimes they are more difficult to please as they are just starting and they need to recruit the best to have a good start. I assume if he was an associate or full time Professor, he will most likely have moved his students from his former school or continue to supervisor them by proxy. Reply him ASAP and pick a time slot for the interview. I hope this helps. Cheers. . Card5: 20 Likes 6 Shares |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 4:27pm On Apr 17, 2018 |
Thanks boss Scholastica16: |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 3:32pm On Apr 17, 2018 |
That's a good one. Being a lab instructor should be a part of teaching assistantship duties. Your research will involve experimental work right ? Then you can do the work. Have no fears. In my opinion, a research assistant is not so different from a lab instructor. STENON: 2 Likes |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 8:53am On Apr 17, 2018 |
Clarkson University still has some funded PhD positions majorly in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics. There might be some in Physics, Energy(C02 Capture ) and Computer science too. Simply contact the Professors in the link I have shared below. Search for their official pages and contact them. Make sure your research interest tallies with theirs and there is a good fit. Their application fee is waived at the moment. You need to fill the application form and upload your documents. English Language will be waived for Nigerians if you request for it and put in a good written application. Their average GRE scores are 159 for Quant and 148 for Verbal. 80 for TOEFL and 6.5 for IELTS. To get a waiver for your application, simply enter the code 'CUSpring18' on the program of study page on your application. I hope this helps someone. Cheers. https://www.clarkson.edu/news/pilot-grant-program-clarkson-ignite-research-fellowship-competition-winners 5 Likes 2 Shares |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 8:25am On Apr 17, 2018 |
Contact the school before you apply. I don't think it will be a problem for majority of the schools. I know some do insist that your English language test scores must have at least a year validity. Make enquiries and even ask for a waiver. doziej84: |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 9:06pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
You have a good point here.However, I do not advice anyone to tackle the Comprehension questions first. It could waste your time and you may not finish the rest. I think if you can finish the SE and TC quickly, you can have more time to tackle the comprehension questions.That is my opinion though. You are right. GRE is not about intelligence. It is putting one's mental stamina to test. Tackling three abtruse verbal sections within 3.5 hours is not easy. Maverick18: |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 8:57pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
Thank you very much. 1) Honestly, anytime simply because Some Professors have their own research grant and they determine when to choose their students. Fall entry is popular though. I think you can mail them from August/September in preparation for next year's Fall. You will always learn something from their reply. Many will ask you to apply first. Others can interview you first before you apply. It all depends. Some won't even answer you. Funding is limited in Spring. May/June might be too early but there is no harm in trying. Professors try to get research grant and once they do that, they start looking for students. Many usually say they will keep your file and let you know when their funding situation changes. Some will bluntly tell you they cannot fund you. Some Professors will not reply your mail or answer you until you have formally applied to the school and have been accepted. Some will and tell you their situation. For PhDs, funding is key so most of them will tell you their funding situation immediately. 2) I got this from quora.com and I have used it till this date. Just adjust it to suit your own purpose. Dear Professor XXXX, I am a XXXX graduate from the University of XXXXX. I have a Second class, upper division from my undergraduate degree and a distinction from my Master’s degree. My research interests are XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I am contacting you because I am interested in working with you and your research group. I did my thesis in Bleep and I enjoyed it a great deal. I have also spent quality time working as a research assistant in the Thermo-fluids and Thermal energy systems research groups.I have X publications . I have gone through your research profile and your publications on your website. My interests are in line with the calibre of research you have been doing. I am interested in building upon my degree experience and expanding my research understanding. I have attached a copy of my Curriculum Vitae and transcripts for your review. I wish to begin my PhD soon and I am interested in researching under your supervision. I would appreciate if you could review my curriculum Vitae and let me know what the possibilities might be. Yours Sincerely, XXXXXXXX 3) I did not get any strong commitment though the Professor from Stanford looked more determined to have me. When I mailed him during the admission process, he told me my application is good but that he has stronger applicants in the pool lol. I felt betrayed. Many do not like to assure you of anything prior to your application. If you have been accepted, it is easier and more productive for them to answer you. Some will even contact you on their own. 4) I learned this from some Indians on Quora. Create a pdf of some of the research work you have done and attach it as a supplementary document. It should not be too long but it should be like a powerpoint presentation. It should contain your UG and PG research work. Also add any poster or even lab experiences you have. It should help. If you have submitted a paper, state it. I learned that some Chinese deliberately submit a paper they know won't be accepted. They do it so that they will have something to boost their application. A Professor of CMU talked about it on Quora. Professors know this tricks I think. Many have what they are looking for. Submitting a paper is not easy and many Professors know this. EXTRA STUFF The general admission process looks like this. When you apply, the graduate school checks if you meet the general requirement. They also convert your CGPA to the 4.0 scale. When they are done, they forward them to the department. The department then sorts the applications according to the different research group and interest. The Professors review them according to their research interest. They make their decisions based on their own criteria. Some select based on the research funding they have. Some select students and also recommend the department to fund you. Some admissions come with funding decisions. Some do not. TAMU,RPI, Stanford, UCLA come with funding decisions but they are usually in the minority. RPI only funds their top applicants. The rest have to 'hustle' funding . The more the research labs in a department, chances are that they fund many students. Experts in their fields have more funds too. Those with rolling admission will most likely give you admission. The graduate school will review your application and then pass it to the department. Then you need to contact lecturers for funding. Maverick18: 19 Likes 6 Shares |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 8:03pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
Kindly read a lot of posts here.It will help you with more tips. For me, I used this strategy. I answered the Sentence completion and sentence equivalence questions first on the test day. I tried to understand how it works. I really do not think learning loads of words works much. It is more about looking for clues in the sentence. For the essay, I cannot really say much to be honest. Manhanttan essay questions are really close to what you see on the test day. Practice alot. Also look at the Kaplan free online test. They have really improved and they are also close to the real test questions. All the best. alex5050: 3 Likes 1 Share |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 7:23pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
Predstan, target 170 and you will get it. It is possible. Check smallsuper posts here. You cannot fault his advice because he scored 170 and 167 in his two attempts. All the best. 1 Like |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 7:17pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
Thank you Madam. You are one of the reasons I actually applied to the school. I saw your post on the school here,fancied my chances and I decided to apply. The school was also very clear about funding on their website. As I did not hear from them, the money I paid for application fee is now paining me lol. drhopeful: 1 Like |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 3:29pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
Thanks man. You're spot-on. I remember mailing one Professor at UNM. He told me not to send any e-mail to him again, that it will crash his mailbox lol.The tone of the email was frightening. I was even afraid that If I apply, he will deliberately overlook it. I didnt apply eventually. I later found out on ratemyprofessors.com that they guy was irrational. I quietly kept my application fee in my pocket.Lol. Nevertheless, I didn't stop. For the GRE , I wrote my first Test during my MSc. The quant was simple but I didnt do well. This thread helped me alot. Nothing special about the test. It is just tricky. Then I took as many practice test as possible. The quant is not hard but It can embarrass a Professor who doesn't practice. Nothing special. For the verbal, just keep practicing. I have no strategies to give. Lol. A good test taker will nail the GRE. Just know the strategies. Cheers bro. happyday: 2 Likes |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 2:42pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
Thank you very much.I appreciate reDazey: 1 Like |
Travel / Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 13 by Quoran: 12:56pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
lol And if you do not score 300+? TravelDrim: 3 Likes |
Sports / Re: Nigeria Ends Commonwealth Games With 24 Medals by Quoran: 12:46pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
Good Outing by Team Nigeria. With more support from the government and private bodies, Nigerian athletes can win more medals in subsequent games.Now is the time to start preparing for the Olympic games. 1 Like |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 12:28pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
Thanks Nwabu007: |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 12:07pm On Apr 15, 2018 |
So I think it is the right time to share my complete testimony I have been following this thread since 2015 though as a guest. I had a lot of misconceptions about getting PhD admissions. I thought you must get a supervisor before you apply. I also did not know that it was possible to get funding for one's research as an international student. It is all about getting the right information and taking time to research on different schools. I also learned that the key is to start really early and mail professors. I sent mails to more than 100 Professors!( I kid you not!). Finally I took the bull by the horn and applied to many schools. This is my profile: 1)Mechanical Engineering B.Eng 3.3/4 (Top Nigerian University) 2)Masters degree Top UK Mechanical Engineering (3.6/4 Unofficial WES evaluation. Two Professors from different schools told me during the skype interview that my CGPA was 3.58 and 3.7 respectively. What that means is that different schools have their own ways of evaluation but the different is not so significant.) 3)No publications but I showed evidence of work in progress. 4)GRE scores -First Attempt 303, Maths 153 ,Verbal 150 , AW -3.5. GRE scores -Second Attempt 327, Maths 166,Verbal 161,A.W -4.0. 5)My work experience is mostly research based .I do not know if that helped in anyway. Schools I applied to: Texas A and M, College station- Accepted with Funding Stanford University- Rejected nicely University of California, Berkeley- Waitlisted since 1920 Michigan Tech- accepted with research assistantship University of Alabama - Accepted RPI- Accepted with Teaching assistantship. Oregon State- Accepted in both Mechanical and Industrial Engineering programs. George Washington- Pending;No decision yet. University of Virginia- Pending;No decision yet.I suspect my application is on the waitlist. Washington State University- Accepted; Teaching Assistantship is assured after the 1st semester. Most schools have a deadline of April 15th to accept offers. I have opted for TAMU, College Station. My GPA is not spectacular but from what I understand, my Masters degree thesis is a strong area of research that attract alot of funding. The reputation of my masters degree supervisor helped me alot. He is a well known expert in my field.He has over 200 publications and some patents.He wrote superb letters of recommendation for me also. Then, I put in my best in the skype interviews I had. I also spent time drafting my statement of purpose. Then God did the rest- Crowned my effort with success. Tips and advice 1)Use Quora and Linkedin well. On Quora,I met alot of Professors there. They answer questions on what goes on among the graduate committee. I found students on Quora and Linkedin who told me about admission and funding. I follow a Nigerian guy on Quora who is an expert in graduate admissions. He helped me a great deal. He also told me of this forum. I initially thought he was the same scholastica16 here lol. 2)From my own observation, apply early. Some Professors pick their students early and try to extract some form of commitment especially if they will fund you. 3)If a school has rolling admissions, the probability that you will be funded is low. Beware of schools that offer free applications. 4)Different schools have their own ways of admitting students. Some will not admit you if they do not have funds. Some wont admit you when there is no supervisor. Just find out. 5)Contacting Professors on time helps. One told me that he will look for my application when they start screening. When I mailed him later, He told me that my application is good but that there were stronger applicants in the pool 6)When you mail a Professor, do not write an episode. They will most likely not read it. Be brief. I have tested this many times. 7)Try as much as possible to use official email addresses or even your school email. It helps kind off. Professors receive loads of emails. Network and search different school forums. You can attend webinars and you will get classic information. Use gradcafe also. 9) For PhD, read and at least know the basics and various research areas. Also try and be flexible. I hope this helps someone. You are free to ask me questions here. Unfortunately, I have limited access to my nairaland email. Unto the next level- Visa pursuance. Special thanks to everyone who has posted here from time immemorial. I read all the pages of this thread. Scholastica16, you are a blessing. DreManuel, thanks for the GRE materials. Dream.Believe.Achieve. (Pardon my errors). 39 Likes 9 Shares |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 12:12pm On Apr 14, 2018 |
If you have really good grades, try the Knight Hennessy Scholarship Program. With good test scores, good application essays and supporting documents, you can get it. Someone from Unilag made the list last year. The funding is generous also. happyday: 2 Likes |
Politics / Re: Adeyanju Regains Freedom As Police Ban Protest At Unity Fountain by Quoran: 5:16pm On Apr 13, 2018 |
This government cannot even pretend not to be dictatorial in nature. Smh 14 Likes 1 Share |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 9:42am On Apr 13, 2018 |
Masters degree funding is hard. From what I see on Gradcafe, it is really hard. PhD is the sure way to go but then , don't do a PhD if you don't have interest in research. Have you considered Canada? They fund their masters degree students though it is usually competitive. BiggyB242: |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 6:17am On Apr 12, 2018 |
Hello bro. Honestly, you need to do more of the work yourself. Applying for a PhD isn't broadly about the school. It is more of looking at the department and potential supervisors, their funding situation etc. From my own understanding, only the very top schools fund automatically. Many give you admission first before they make funding decisions. In most cases, you need to contact them. From your profile, you should also be open to go for industrial engineering since your masters is in Production engineering. With a good GPA in your masters, good test scores and supporting documents you stand a good chance. Just that you need to do the search yourself. Also, you need to find out your specific area of interest. Mail potential supervisors. Sometimes , they won't give you the reply you desire but you tend to learn a thing or two about the admission processs. By the way, what's your research interest or area? BiggyB242: 1 Like |
Travel / Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 13 by Quoran: 9:29am On Apr 11, 2018 |
Cheers bro. Lakesyd32: |
Travel / Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 13 by Quoran: 7:00am On Apr 11, 2018 |
Lakesyd32,From my findings, Ordinarily, you don't need a statement of account for a student visa. It is assumed that the school has done their homework and checked the document before issuing an I-20. It just depends on what they have written on the I-20. However, some VOs ask for it (Not so many , going by the transcripts posted here). I guess some just ask when they are trying to convince themselves that you are a genuine student. So, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I am in the same situation. I will just go with the statement I have though. |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 6:20pm On Apr 06, 2018 |
Please do your research well. Michigan tech and Washington state are not straight forward in terms of funding. WSU usually require their engineering students resume first before they can be funded via TA. I got an RA after a long e-mail correspondence. I had to decline the offer for a better one. Michigan Tech is a stingy school. You can apply if their application is still free. You can also apply to George Washington University. They waived their application fee for some of us who attended their webinar in December. They usually require some form of programming skills for engineering students. Focus on getting a good GRE Quant score and you will be admitted. They have scholarship for masters degree students and funding for PhD students too. TAMUC is a good choice. I think they fund almost everyone admitted. I don't know about civil engineering but For Mechanical Engineering, those of us who have been admitted were funded. Make sure you contact the departments/schools about funding. Many don't fund as they claim. By the way, funding is becoming hard to get. The more schools you apply to, the better your chances. Cheers 4gunners: 3 Likes 1 Share |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 3:55pm On Apr 04, 2018 |
Congrats reDazey. 1 Like |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 2:59pm On Apr 03, 2018 |
It is always worth it to publish your findings especially if you're planning for a PhD. It could also enhance your application though sometimes grad admissions team look at things differently. I encourage you to do so. Don't neglect any part of your application.It is good you have started early. Cheers. MonsieurCoder: 1 Like |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 10:11am On Apr 03, 2018 |
You need to improve your GRE scores by retaking the test. Also, spread your risk; apply to more medium ranked schools. knoph2007: |
Travel / Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 13 by Quoran: 8:58am On Apr 03, 2018 |
Thanks Brother. TheGrandChemist: 1 Like |
Education / Re: How To Achieve High Scores On The GRE by Quoran: 8:10am On Apr 03, 2018 |
95% of the PhD students are funded at RPI. The first two years as teaching assistants and the subsequent years as graduate research assistants. Time2Smile: |
Travel / Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 13 by Quoran: 5:44am On Apr 03, 2018 |
Thanks man paulbets: |
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