₦airaland Forum

Time2Smile:
Congratulations.

Thank you sir!!! Your help during GRE prep made all this possible.

learner007:
Wow!!! Congrats baba... Scholastica will be so happy to see this. He's talked about you. Glory to God on your behalf...a sigh of relief

Thanks a bunch, boss.
And congratulations on your UIUC admit! That's a huge one.

mfarad:
Congrats man! Really happy for you... I can totally relate with your experience... Right now, I'm in the Plan B/ Plan A stage... We'll overcome! #Fall2018

My brother, thanks a bunch!
I know you're a fighter, hang in there! In the end, it'll be worth it!

MasterforceII:
Congratulations bro. You have no idea how happy I am for you and the way things turned out. You thought all hope was lost and were already making preparations for plan B but God stuck with plan A and crowned all your effort with success. Make us proud bro. #YesWeCan

Thanks once again bro! Expecting great things from your side.

Quoran:
Congrats RexCheeng

Thanks boss.

triple post

double post

I hope My post inspires/challenges someone out there.

The summary of this post (TLTR)
WES CGPA: 3.45
GRE: 320, 163Q
TOEFL: 107
TA for 6 months.

Schools applied to:
University of Nebraska (MSc)- Reject
Miami University, Ohio (MSc)- Admitted without funding
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (PhD)- Rejected
University of New Haven (MSc)- Accepted with TA position

Full Gist ( Because I enjoyed reading the gist of people like DrHopeful, SirRiddy, MsNas, BigFrancis21, sureb0y, etc.)

I began my grad school journey in 2016, researching schools on thegradcafe.com and MSinUS group on Facebook. My good man, MasterforceII, pointed me in the direction of Nairaland where I met our very own guru, SirRiddy, and bombarded him with questions like "What is the difference between Spring and Fall?"

Fast forward to November 2017, I completed my applications and waited on my professors to help out with LORs. December came and most apps were not complete just because of LOR. I had to eventually use a GA in my school and my employer at work. I actually started about 6 applications during this time but due to obligations at work and some other factors, I couldn't complete it.

In the course of writing my SOPs and CV, I reached out to a host of people on LinkedIn who were all too happy to help. I also contacted our very own happyday here and he gladly helped me vet it. I was so proud of the product and I was certain, to a large extent, that I would snatch a fully funded offer from all the schools I applied to and that my problem would be which to choose. Lol. I remember seeing other schools I could've applied to like UArk, UC Denver, Uni of Utah, All the schools in Dakota, etc. but they either required WES or official transcripts. Before I forget, I also began an application to Georgia Southern Uni but they required an evaluated transcript

Middle of February, I received a reject from Nebraska, and then it dawned on me that I was really just an average Joe. I was competing against geniuses from the USA, China, India, Pakistan, and Nigeria, and this realization just weakened me. Crestfallen didn't do justice to my plight, but I promised to move on. I was to choose between writing GRE again while gaining experience as a researcher here in Nigeria to improve my profile or apply to more schools and hope to cop half funding from any school in particular.

I strengthened my resolve and concluded that there was no assurance of a drastic GRE increase because of time, my place of work is in shambles and definitely, research was all about recycling papers and submitting to new journals.

Early March, I stumbled upon someone's transcript on the USA thread. We had a similar profile and he got a scholarship to University of New Haven. We spoke and I realized that it was just a 50% tuition waiver. I was desperate, I was going to source the rest, let them just give me admission.

Late March, Received admission and 50% funding as expected. I was a bit relieved and then I remembered my initial resolve, "no full funding, no traveling." Low-key, I was still hopeful that Tennessee or Miami would eventually come through.


Early April, Miami came through. Admission, no funding. The prof I maintained correspondence with said he'll accept me but I would need to fund myself. LOL.
I began to assess my chances with Tennessee and I saw that I was hanging on a thread abi rope, abeg, how them dey talk am. I met another UNH hopeful who was stoked to hear my profile. He also got 50% scholarship and felt I deserved more than that. He told me I should press for the Provost's scholarship and I did.
I sent a long mail to the department, expressing my inability to fund my studies and my wealth of experience as a TA. Few days later, my friend (he also requested) and I (along with two other people who we didn't know) were asked to be interviewed for the scholarship via skype.

Two days ago, I got the offer. Unfortunately my friend didn't.

I'm extremely grateful for the guys on this thread, reading stories like this way back then used to keep me awake till 2am while I was prepping for GRE. I'm extremely excited for everyone here also. Quoran, you're a legend, sir! Tizentos, Yildiz, smallsuper, Ridsan, tescoman, Temmitarts, everyone!
Scholastica16, I can't express the joy I felt in my heart every time you joined your faith with mine. God bless you!
P.S: Your rejoinders on the USA thread about MBA or no MBA made me laugh my head off! I itch for your Quora, Twitter, Medium, or any other account detail where you share your views. I'll send a PM.

#Fall2018 has been tortuous, a hell of a ride, but worth it still.
The knowledge that this is the beginning is quite funny. Internships, OPTs, H1-B, PhD. More rejections will come, but above all, we shall rise!

I will end with a famous quote which I do not know verbatim and will not check Google for, "Any fool can learn from his mistakes, it takes a wise man to learn from that of others."

Hello, I've been a silent follower of this thread for a while now and I recently got lucky. Started getting bulk orders and juicy offers. So much that I have been canceling orders and turning down jobs. To meet up with the growing demand, I need a couple of people on my team.

Please, I need freelance writers who meet the following requirements;
1. Have a history of writing (samples)
2. Have a lot of free time on their hands
3. Are teachable and humble.

Please send me an email at rexalexthegreat at gmail dot com.
The subject should be "Freelance Writing Application". Kindly send a few samples and I'll get back to you if you seem like a good fit.
I promise you that there'll always be jobs and the learning curve is incredible.

Regards.

Hello, I've been a silent follower of this thread for a while now and I recently got lucky. Started getting bulk orders and juicy offers. So much that I have been canceling orders and turning down jobs. To meet up with the growing demand, I need a couple of people on my team.

Please, I need freelance writers who meet the following requirements;
1. Have a history of writing (samples)
2. Have a lot of free time on their hands
3. Are teachable and humble.

Please send me an email at rexalexthegreat at gmail dot com.
The subject should be "Freelance Writing Application". Kindly send a few samples and I'll get back to you if you seem like a good fit.
I promise you that there'll always be jobs and the learning curve is incredible.

Regards.

dmajor1:
thanks mhen. Curiosity ehen... If nothing changes, it'd be FSU for many reasons. Advisor choice been the most important. So, out of curiosity...how did you remember my moniker?

I remember that you offered to help someone critique his SOP on the USA student Visa thread. In my head, you became the major with a wealth of SOP review experience. Wanted to contact you eventually but the person who needed help went AWOL.
Congrats once again.

dmajor1:
UG Course: Chemistry
PG Course: Analytical Chemistry
School Applied: Vanderbilt, FSU, Alabama, SIT, Nebraska-Lincoln, Pennsylvania State University.
School Admitted: Florida State University and University of Alabama (both with assistantship)
Schools Rejected: Penn state
Schools Unresponsive: Vanderbilt, Nebraska-Lincoln, Steven's institute of technology.

Hearty cheers to you!!! I remember your moniker.
Just out of curiousity, which are you going for? Alabama or FSU?

Great work, Sevule! Thanks a bunch.

charles7even:
Please does anyone know anything about Colorado state university. Got admission for masters Electrical engineering fall 2018 but absolutely nothing on funding. Not even a hint at it. They are even asking me to provide financial support bank statement.

Colorado State is a good school for EE! If you check this thread well, you'll see some comments on it. More recently, Topiipii (a prominent member here) got admitted ( I believe he is currently a student there).
Most schools (if not all) will require financial support bank statement to process your i20 and all.

Did you contact Profs? I know of one Prof Sid over there, he is one of the well-funded profs always looking for students. Prof. Simoes is also great with requests on RA.

All the best.

cooltony09:
I've a 30-minute Skype Interview scheduled for next week with the department..I applied for PhD in pharmaceutical science..
Please what are the likely questions? How best can I prepare for this interview?
Thanks

From experience, I think you should be prepared to speak about previous research experience you have acquired. You can also go through the POI's research focus, identify future work from his papers and speak about the research opportunities available.
All the best!

Hearty congratulations Jumybecks and TheGrandChemist!
I foresee more fortuitous admission/funding decisions for Fall 2018 applicants!!!
#YesWeCan

rasheedtobi:
What do you guys think. I had a modest application list- 3 schools for MS EE. I was a little disappointed in my GRE scores so I felt applying to many schools would not make much difference. I was wrong actually.

I was accepted in all but nothing on full funding yet. I have a pending application for a direct phD program, recommendation letters delaying things do you think funding could still come through the PhD route given the time constraints for fall 2018..deadline is May BTW.

CSU ft Collins: Accepted
Cleveland state Ohio: Accepted
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville: Accepted+ (partial funding)

UTD - PhD....pending --Application incomplete.





GRE: 311 TOEFL 100
GPA: 3.61/4.00
RESEARCH : NIL
Relevant PROFESSIONAL work: 5years

Cc: masterforce Scholastica16 Dremanuel Yildiz


Shout out to Scholastica16. How are you doing Sir

You have an amazing profile! What's the percentage of tuition covered at SIUE?
Hopefully UTD will come through. However, you can also apply to more schools.
I was browsing through previous threads recently and I saw this post from a moniker (deWav). Hope it helps someone.

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)

smallsuper:
@Masterforce and Rexcheeng, don't worry something is cooking up for you guys. Trumpland needs us.
#Team Fall 2018
#Yes we can

Yes it does. Thanks for the encouragement! It means a lot

MasterforceII:
Just a follow up on this. Wrote to the school to request a change in referees. New referee sent his reference and I got the offer of admission almost immediately sef. Lol. Don't know how the rest of the admission cycle would turn out. Waiting to hear from my US applications. I hope for good news. Imperial College would be like a last resort.
Thanks for the advices.

Congratulations Masterforce!! You are really a master force to be reckoned with. I'm sure your US admissions will pan out too.
#Fall2018
#YesWeCan

MackyNaija:
From a few applications on which I have progressed past submitting my resume, they reply...

'An internship has ths potential to land one a full-time position post graduation' so they don't see any sense in training someone they cannot absorb after graduation.

This part is true, people still get and some here are rumored to have gotten offers from companies they interned with.

I am still optimistic something will come up for me - I'll keep pushing till I clinch one.

Your optimism is contagious! When I despair or get frustrated at the time it's taking to receive admission decisions, I just remind myself that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure something will pan out for you. Definitely!

Thanks for sharing this with us.

mathinips:
Hello pls, what do u meant by SOP? Is it same has Personal Statement? Letter of Intent?
You also mention POI, what does it mean?
Thanks

SOP means Statement of Purpose. In several schools, the term is used interchangeably with Personal Statement.
POI means Professor of Interest i.e., the faculty member who is most likely to take the most interest in your application portfolio and is likely to be your advisor if you were to gain admission.

Hope this helps.

Hope someone finds this useful

This influx of good news is exciting!
Congrats smallsuper, Quoran!

#Fall2018 #YesWeCan

athorello:
Just in.... Admit for Michigan Tech PhD but no financial aid though it is stated that my department provides assistantships. I'm required to upload my certification of finances and bank statements asap. Where money dey? Lol. Let me contact the dept first.

Congratulations!!!
But why Michigan con stingy like this.

If TA is being ruled out, your best bet would be to give your POIs close marking. Mails, LinkedIn, even calls (if you have something worthwhile to say).

Congratulations once again!!!

#Fall2018 #YesWeCan

mfarad:
Just in: Admit from WVU MSc. Industrial Engineering.
#TeamFall2018

Senior man!!!
Congratulations! Funding Fall on you.
#YesWeCan #Fall2018

smallsuper:
Just thought sending it here. Someone might be enlightened.

https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-admissions-committee-process-for-graduate-school-look-like-Do-you-sit-in-a-room-and-all-discuss-the-same-candidate-at-the-same-time-or-is-it-more-of-an-individual-process-with-opinions-aggregated-at-the-end/answer/James-Leland-Harp


Bottom line: Faculty members view applicants differently. They are looking for the best match for their particular research interests, which is why applicants should be familiar with who is doing what and where.

Very insightful read! Thanks for sharing.

KISSABLE0606:
Hello......please I need to know how I can convert a cgpa of 2.83 to that of U.S. standard. Does anyone know how to do that or can someone help me calculate and tell me what its gonna be....thanks!

https://applications.wes.org/degree-equivalency-tool/idp.asp
A simple google search of this query would have brought up the same result on Google's first page too.

marilyn24:
please i really really need your help.
Am planning on taking the gre exam by june
but i just want to start preparing (like reading) for the exam
i don't know where to start from
am not too sure maybe i should register for a class so that i can be tutored
i also need tips on how to ace for the GRE
i would be thankful if you guys can put be through

Marilyn24,
There's a wealth of information available on this thread which will help you easily ace the test. If you search through the archives, you will see detailed tips to glean from many people who took the test before you. Those experiences will be of immense help to you.
To know where to start, I will suggest that you download the Powerprep II app from ETS and take the test to have an idea of your strengths and weaknesses. You can download the ETS GRE guides for verbal and Quant too to have an idea of the pattern of questions. I think there's a diagnostic test available in Princeton's 1014 review and Manhattan 5lb too (These are two very good materials too in my opinion).
A lot of people aced the test without tutorial centres, however, it's best to do what works for you.

Little tip: Being proactive as a grad school applicant will definitely come in handy.

All the best with your test and applications.

Aramind:
Hello, i am Aramind, i applied to FSU for Spring, but i had a poor GRE Score of 288 and so i was denied the admission.... i want to plan for Fall 2018....as it is i don't even know how to start preparing for GRE Again ...i think i need to go for lessons too. The other school i applied to requires Wes, i paid for wes since oct however the process of sending and verifying documents is taking more time than envisaged. Now wes is waiting for my alma mater to verify my documents for d past 3 weeks now......its tiring.
I just pray everything will work out this year.

Aramind,
Your poor GRE might not be the reason for your denial. What was your GPA? How was your SOP? LOR? Many times, schools give the generic GRE yen yen yen to cut off people, making more money for ETS in the process. What am I trying to say? It might help if you take time to strengthen other parts of your application.
As regards acing the GRE, there's a plethora of materials online to help you. Manhattan 5lb, Magoosh videos, princeton review, kmf, etc. Take time to go through this thread https://www.nairaland.com/1832477/how-achieve-high-scores-gre to read people's experience and tips.
Are you STEM or arts? Do you need to focus on quant or verbal? If you dedicate 4 - 8 hours daily for 8 - 4 weeks respectively, you should have a decent GRE score.
You should also consider applying to some other schools apart from FSU if you have the means.

engrlege:
Good morning
My two younger sister will like to study in the USA

The youngest wrote SAT this December and she scored 520 in reading and writing and 560 math, 1080 overall and a good WAEC result, she wants to do either nursing or medicine in the US, please I want to know if she can get scholarships with this SAT score, and which schools can she apply to that will give her scholarship.

My younger sister would have been the operating questions here, but her phone was stolen at NYSC camp. She graduated with a first class (4.56/5.0) in agriculture from OAU, she want to do her masters in plant science, she just registered for GRE with B.Y mafit, please what are the Top USA universities she can apply to that we give her scholarship and why gre score should she be aiming to get full scholarship.

Thanks in anticipation.

I do not have much to say about the undergrad admissions, however, as regards your younger sister who just finished from OAU, she has exciting prospects.
If she has decent research experience, her best bet is to apply for a direct PhD. She needs a compelling SOP and GRE score within the 80% percentile. She can also apply for Master's and get lucky. Check out these profiles Glowrie22, Ndawe.
You will also glean a lot from this thread https://www.nairaland.com/1832477/how-achieve-high-scores-gre

NB: A lot of 'Top' schools have their deadlines coming really soon. She has to get every other application material ready ASAP, and book the earliest appointment for GRE to have a shot at admission and funding.

Allylic:
good morning..can i get samples of LOR...Thanks

It'll be best to Google "sample of LOR 'your department'" and then you'll tweak appropriately.