₦airaland Forum

OjaP:
Scholastica:

I see you are eager to get into a fully funded PhD program. If you don't mind; would you be willing to tell which program it is? Is it Petroleum Engineering?

Yes I am sir.

I vied for a chemical engineering PhD but the snag is, I did so without having an MSc already and my GPA is not in the >4.5 category. I don't know how much the latter matters but I guess already having an MSc helps those of us who got our first degrees from Nigerian schools.

It seems to be the trend.

hirschfelder:
Lmao, I wish. Still heading to Kansas. I was outrightly rejected or waitlisted then ultimately rejected from the other schools (Upenn, UVa, Notre Dame, Rensselear and Utah). So, yeah mixed application season!
Good luck to those waiting for positive news!!!

They missed out. It appears South Carolina and Auburn would have taken you had you applied there. A friend of mine got fully funded by the latter and his profile is slightly less than yours.

All the same, you are in a great program and I am happy to know you bounced me from it. Good looking out. Cheers.

LadunaI:
Congratulations!!! Its one good news many in this thread have been waiting all this long to hear. Thank God for that.

He who laugh last laugh indeed BEST. Don't fret your full funding package is on the way from Michigan State, and we will all have cause to rejoice with you once more.

You've been really helpful to many here, and your contributions has been AWE inspiring. Wishing you and other f17 hopeful an hitch free successful crossing of remaining hurdles.

Hopefully we f18 we have similar story to tell in no distance time. @hirschfelder congrat on your visa approval, we are waiting for Time2smile and others.

All the best!

hirschfelder:
First, congrats on your Michigan State acceptance. Well deserved and I'm positive funding info will be sent soon.
Admissions get increasingly more competitive each year (I heard) and I think any negative feedback reflects more on the quality of applicants than on your abilities. Hopefully, your final schools will come through also. Your contingency plans (hopefully not needed) also sound very solid.
Yes, I got my visa...
All in all, congrats and wish you all the best. You have been quite inspirational here!!!

Thanks to you both and congrats Hirschfelder, on the visa. Still heading to Kansas or did MIT finally come around to begging you to attend their institution?

MrChillz:
Wow.

It is disheartening to know you've not got a fully funded offer yet. I was a follower of yours on my old account. In my estimation, you deserve to have gotten something good out of all your applications. But rest assured that the best is yet to come. I've missed your inspiring posts.
Glad to have you back.

Glad to be back as well. Will be administering help as much as possible.

The rejects are inexplicable but they will pass.

How is your end?

happyday:
My thoughts are with you at this time. I'm sure the best is on its way. You got into Michigan for MS?

Thank you brother.

PhD actually.

Mississippi just struck out as well an hour after I made my last post. I am blessed!

johnsnows:
Noone replied this message not fair

Check well.

johnsnows:
pls where can we register for GRE in Nigera ?

ETS.org and with a PayPal account linked to your Master card or better still, use B.Y MAFIT and pay 50k instead.

I implore you to create your account on ETS.org before consulting the services of B.Y MAFIT.

SenseiVoyles:
Thanks boss.
Compared to the ones I listed, What relatively safe petroleum engineering graduate program would you suggest?
Auburn doesn't offer Petroleum Engineering except I switch to Chemical which I really doubt they'll allow since I don't have a Masters in Chemical?

Look at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Montana Tech. Also look at University of Oklahoma and Tulsa. Lastly, University of Alaska at Fair Banks and University of Houston. Since you are considering Petroleum engineering.

SenseiVoyles:
This thread has been so enlightening and insightful.
Graduated earlier this year, Petroleum Engineering (4.56/5 and top of my graduating class).Scheduled to take GRE in late August. Looking at USC, UT Austin, Penn State, LSU and my dream but probably unlikely choice Stanford(Energy Resources Engineering).
How realistic are my chances of getting a fully funded masters. Had a good undergraduate thesis and worked under a Prof' s research group. Is applying to USC's Petroleum Engineering PhD program realistic without an Msc? Are there any other schools I should be looking at?

Consider Direct PhD to most if not all of the schools you are considering but be smart to add one relatively safe school as no school is truly safe these days.

Some of the schools you are considering are topnotch but if you apply early enough (Oct/November) you stand a very good chance.

Stanford barely funds anyone. So consider them only if you have a govt scholarship like PTDF or PRESSID (if it is ever revived).

Look at Auburn as well. On grad cafe, they funded everyone (or virtually everyone) that applied for a direct PhD. They are a top school in Alabama.

mfarad:
Hi folks, trust we're all in good state. Please has anyone heard from scholastica16 of recent?
His absence from the thread is unlike him and is increasingly disturbing.

I am well bro. Congrats on your GRE. Hope you are considering PhD over and above anything else as it could be your route to securing the funding you want. You could dump the PhD after you are done with the MSc but for now, securing funding via MSc is very daunting.

PS: Congrats iCool. Forgot to metion you earlier.

ekiee:
Mine is verbal and analytical writing. Im horrible in verbal..abeg I need help

Practice practice practice. Use the ETS guide.

Go to ETS.org and take note of all 200 of the possible topics on both the Argumentative and the issue based aspects of the AWA. Randomly google the topics and you would see a trove of well-written essays that you could glean and learn from.

The more you read essays of the sort, the more your mind is programmed to write and analyze components of the essay in the standard that the test makers desire.

nibrainengine:
hello friends, I had a chat with an American who told me that GRE exams is regularly being revised; hence he advised me to get 'Manhattan Prep GRE Set of 8 Strategy Guides, 4th Edition'. please, what can you guys say about this? who has/or is currently using this preparatory guide?
Because it's not about how much you read/study, but it's about how much right study tools that you use.
Thanks

Manhattan books and guides are really good for the quants. It is not surprising to know that a few people have seen questions lifted from these books/guides and reported in the exams verbatim.

The Manhattan online tests are equally good as well even though nothing trumps the GRE guides and the PowerPrep II software.

NOVA is also a good study material for the quants and the Kaplan online test software is a good resource for taking practice tests that mirror the very GRE format.

Fran6ik:
Good day all,
once more i have a question, please, Between Canada and U.S, which do you advice me to choose in terms of EASE OF ADMISSION, EASE OF VISA, EASE OF WORK while schooling and funding for the program. I am going for a masters degree in Chemical Engineering.


Thanks all.

Canadian MSc acceptance is as difficult if not more than US'. However it is easier to acquire a US visa and it is less time-consuming.

Ease of work is basically the same but Canada might be more accommodating in that regard. But without a doubt US has far more funding opportunities than Canada especially if one considers the direct PhD route.

johnsnows:
hi all pls cld you help me send videos of magosh and 1. I wanted to know how much GRE costs and also which centeres one could register with plus 2. how do I get Manhattan 5lbs and 8 ior if anyone has soft copy kindly help send to my box tofet.femi@gmail.com Thank u

Google BY MAFIT.

Check the first page of this thread to find the email addresses you are to send blank emails to.

dicapino:
Hey guys how much is the GRE fee in dollars now? Thanks

$205

As most know, I applied to 8 schools. Michigan State and Uni of Houston were my preferred destinations in that order and for obvious reasons: Michigan state was the highest rated of the schools I applied to whilst Uni of Houston posed (In my opinion) the best connections to the oil and gas industry based on its location and proximity to the oil Hub.

5 schools rejected me in this order: LSU, UNM, KSU (which reminds me, has Hirschfelder gotten his visa ?) UUtah, and then UH. UH came in April or May but I would hazard a guess and say mid April. It shook me to my bones especially because some Iranian with this profile (GRE 307 AWA 3.5, TOEFL 94, GPA 3.27/4, no publications) posted on grad cafe that he was accepted and fully funded for the same PhD program I opted for.

I tried to do a bit of research as to why most of my apps had fallen through but a few of the feedbacks I got centered on not finding an advisor or the acceptance process being more holistic than stats. (Absolute hogwash if you ask me) and I would say why.

So a friend of mine in Houston (MSc Chemical Engineering) told me his supervisor is Iranian and those who can count their teeth with their tongues know what I am trying to imply. I am not alone; someone ranted about UCBerkeley and pretty much said nothing thorough was done in selecting the PhDs for a particular program he applied for. So people are advised not to get disillusioned when some schools inexplicably reject their apps.

Anyways, moving on to something more positive. Michigan State accepted me on the 22nd of May but as I type this, they have proferred no word on funding. I had hoped to post here as soon as it was made available but I missed this thread and felt the need to keep you guys in the loop.

My final 2 schools- Mississippi State and USF have said nothing either. No reports on grad cafe as well and historically they respond in July i.e for my program (I figured it out when push came to shove).

Moving forward, I might (and it is a big might) consider a detour to the U.K. and then re-fire to the US with bigger schools in mind just to see if heaven will fall. Since I feel it is not financially expedient to use one's personal resources to go to the U.K., this my plan is hinged on securing a federal govt scholarship I applied and wrote for (PTDF). I am very optimistic about my chances because I am a man of the spirit + I wrote well.

Conversely, I could secure the same scholarship and stall till Spring- armed with the scholarship letter, I would apply to a top 15 program in the US for MSc seeing that I could secure it readily because of the letter. The trend in MSc acceptances gives credence to this plan but I am having fits about it because it negates my #TeamFall2017 Mantra.

God will direct my steps.

Thanks to Tescoman90 and a few others. He knows why I am thanking him.

So I just thought to update the house on my applications thus far. I tried with much difficulty to stay off Nairaland for a bit and after the first 21 days it got easy.

Thank you to those who kept asking about my progress and wishing me well. I scoured through this and the Visa thread(s) to see the mentions and I was teary-eyed afterwards.

Congratulations to DrHopeful (Now DrInView), Time2Smile, TowBayNah, Mfarad, Ndawe, Amofum...uhm...Seeker88, Ridsan....Ad infinitum. I know I am missing out a lot of important names but I am constrained by think-typing or type-thinking as the case may be.

I am surprised we are yet to hear from ChemEngr01, Topiipii and ReDazey...PonPon and a host of others. I had a lot of pages to cover so maybe I must have missed out on their updates. Has Nastydamus been issued his visa as well? I am rambling because I don't want to forget any thing or one.

Anyways, I don't yet have a story to encourage anyone with but it does not mean it still won't come. #TeamFall2017 is not a myth. I would use a separate post to explain my journey thus far and also my expectations going forward. I would try to answer as many queries as time can afford and will make it a habit (again) to visit the thread more often than I have in the last few months.

aanexplus:
This is very annoying. I don't know what to type. 2 turn down in a day.

Stat - 0/3

Illinois Institute of Technology - no funding
Notre dame- declined
Western Michigan - academic background too low for PhD. I can apply for msc. Of which a prof told me to apply for PhD. It's not funny

All this happened on my bday (5/5)

Shame!!!!

Academic background too low? Is the PhD not going to be direct I.e won't you get the MSc enroute to getting the PhD? What are they on about?

I think they don't know how to assess your first degree that is all. I mean, you are a first class graduate with reasonable standardized test scores and they say your background is too low? That is tommyrot.

drhopeful:
Hey man! Still waiting for your good news. What's up?

Good looking out Madam. I know that news is very close by I can taste it. But I am yet to see it. When I do, this e-family will be amongst the first to know.

I remain optimistic. I am guessing you are waiting for your visa interview which should be a breeze.

#TeamFall2017

tescoman90:
hello, house!

done with the exam but the outcome wasnt good at all

157V and 142Q total 299

Since your field is science based you would be judged more on the V than the Q. Your V is in the 70+ percentile which is great so congrats.

I recommend you sent emails to prospective advisors before applying to schools and come up with a suitable tale as to why the Q is low (apart from the fact that it is not a major determinant). Every other thing others said WRT your score may still hold sway.

Perotti:
Hello big bosses. Please i want to request additional GRE score report and i have been trying to use my Accessbank Visa card all to no avail. Please is anyone aware of any other alternative?
Thank you very much

What rate is your bank charging you? BY MAFIT did additional score reports at N8000 per school. Get their numbers through their website and give them a call. I know the dollar requirement by ETS is $27 per school which makes BY MAFIT cheaper than the naira equivalent of $27 which should be 27* 305 (can't process it at the moment).

Topiipii:
Not yet o, we still dey hope.

It will come. I believe in your government.

tensazangetsu20:
That guy must be a God men. I will give anything to attend MIT but its impossible for the level I am right now.

Quite a brilliant chap I agree. Most of us will give anything to attend MIT but my point is, that one should be more interested in what you would get out of it than just focusing on the name of the school, ranking or reputation.

udi2111:
Hello if someone have a only c in his Waec result and have a score of 2000/2400 ,what is the probability of obtaining a scholarship in any of the top schools in US or even low ranked school. is the scholarship based on only the Sat or Sat combined with Waec?

I don't know much about this but I guess the strength of the whole application is what determines getting a scholarship. 2000/2400 is a good score and having only one C in the WASSCE is equally stellar. I know you would need to evaluate the WASSCE by WES (which will improve its overall quality points) and with your strong SAT the sky will be the starting point.

What I think people need to focus on is applying to the right schools and in that case if you aimed for top 100-200 schools you could get admitted on a full ride as I have heard of people who enjoyed same with lesser profiles than what you have above.

ChemEngr01 Nothing?

Topiipii, funding don show?

nastydamus:
I got the official offer (Tuition waiver + monthly stipends + 79% health insurance) from UNL yesterday but I'll be turning it down.

Already decided to go with Drexel and UNL's tardiness only strengthened my decision.

Didn't bring this up to make other expectant applicants feel bad. On the contrary, brought it up to show that schools are still typing and sending out admission offers so just hang in there guys, yours will reach you.

Congrats Nastydamus.

Your last paragraph is encouraging.

tensazangetsu20:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-of-oklahoma#ranking-dataset/589595
Not worth it to me in my opinion, I rather go to japan or any other top Asian country.

Kinematicguy is actually right. The ranking of schools on whatever list is skewed and depends on alot of things- one of which is propaganda. I think the rankings may be right to some degree at Undergraduate level, but I am 90% sure it is wrong at higher academic levels. Understanding modules, writing tests and making reports are just a fraction of graduate work and having to compress it into less than 9 months makes the UK system look questionable. There is also a very evident paucity of research culture or environment in their educational system but that may be my bias talking.

Also, some schools are ranked lower than others in their entirety but may be stronger in individual or specific programs than others. Let me use Harvard for example, their engineering programs are not vaunted or highly recommended but they would always top most rankings due to their history, endowments as well as the strength of their business and law school programs. So one would not be amiss to opt for a petroleum engineering program in Oklahoma or Tulsa University over Harvard for the reasons above.

I ran across a moniker on this platform who had 2330/2400 in his SATs and was offered admission to CALTECH, MIT and Georgia Tech (if I am not mistaken). I believe he attended Loyola Jesuit and got either full-funding or something substantial to attend either of those schools. His parents recommended MIT (Reputation and top ranked at the time) but he disagreed and went to CALTECH. Few years passed and after he had graduated, he came back here to say he had no regrets whatsoever for attending CALTECH and would continue to recommend them over MIT.

It sounded incredible at the time, but Sheldon Cooper (Jimmy Parson's character on "The Big Bang Theory" seems to assert that alot on the show.

I am just passing by sha... hope everyone is ok.

I am expecting my offer this week unfailingly.

KeLcHeE:
Great house it is! I have been following this thread silently and ardently. Please let me take centre stage.

I will be as objective as possible. My profile goes thus:

Course of study in Undergrad school (in one of the Federal Universities in the South-South): Electrical/Electronic Engineering
CGPA: 4.488

GRE score: *In God's able hands*. Lol

Work Expeience: 5year+, in one of the major GSM service provider companies

I am currently a 2nd/final year MBA student in one of the State Universities. Dunno if CGPA here would count towards increasing the strength of my application tho. For records sake, I had a 4.500 in my first year.

I have some certifications, most relevant to my field would be the famous but recondite CCNA and CCNP-route certifications.

As it stands, all I want is to get admitted into some engineering school in the US, REGARDLESS of its ranking. Oh yeah. Lol
1st CHALLENGE (FINANCIAL AID): I need a school (preferably in Texas) where I could study and work on campus if possible; also where I would be offered Graduate assistantship, plus any other financial aids available. I do not really know much about studying abroad as virtually 70% of my knowledge-base on this subject has come from this thread.

2ND CHALLENGE (COURSE VS SCHOOL OF STUDY): Choosing the right major has been a very serious challege. A friend in the US gave me an inside scoop as to a certain 'safe school' with a high acceptance rate (especially of int'l students) I could apply to. The only shortfall is that Computer Science is the only major I could go for in this school. I intend to apply to UT Dallas as well, since they offer Masters in Telecommunications Engineering which I crave for, judging by the hands-on experience I have bagged from my current job already. Computer Science is very cool to me but I have no rudimentary programming skill or knowledge whatsoever.

My target is spring 2018 - dunno how feasible this is. I intend to start intense preparations for the GRE in July (my MBA final exams would have been over by then), sit for it in August so as to beat the application deadline of September 30 stipulated by most schools.

Special regards to all folks who scored 150 and above in the Verbal section. That section of the exam no easy at all oh. God help us

Any sort of reply is most welcome. Please help a brother's plight...

With the right amount of practice you would definitely do better than a 150. That and having a clear head on the test day is all you would need.

Your profile is quite strong and with the right GRE scores you would be on course to actualizing your said ambitions. One thing you may put over and above even your standardized test scores will be your communication with potential advisors. If they do not reply (which seems to be the prevalent thing) then you may have to make do.

Don't limit your options to just Texas considering your desire for funding sources. There are a lot of Universities with reasonable profiles that more than handle your desired research interest and that should be your focus.

Spring is not exactly auspicious for funding opportunities but the professors you may be talking to may let you know more. Either them or the respective grad coordinators of the considered schools. As a result, you may need to take into cognizance the reality that fall might be your best bet.

I gleaned your post and may need to read it all over to understand if you are aiming for a PhD or an Msc. A PhD might be your surest bet to obtaining any form of assistantships as most schools reserve their funding for doctoral students. Of course, some Msc applicants have celebrated such feat(s) even on here but they are usually few and far between.

Pray; it works.

Cheers.

shayhune:
Scholastica16, I tried to code it but you figured it out . You don burst my bubbles. Yea. He's in UT Austin. In fact, he even got a good offer from Georgia Tech(full funding for Phd) but rejected it for UT Austin. What got me perturbed was why MIT, Princeton and co would bounce such strong profile even with a very good GRE score, SOP and LORs.

By the way, are you an Akokite

I figured it out through the GPA and course. I did not go to Unilag but I stumbled unto his profile on LinkedIn. Weird.

What was his GRE like?

And as per those schools rejecting him, it is a function of luck. The guy on NL who got into Princeton did not have 4.9 but his standardized test scores were stellar - 334 (Q168 V166 A5) and 115 (TOEFL).

babyfaceafrica:
some people are actually lucky..so it is not impossible for MIT Yale or Princeton to give a Nigerian graduate admission.. It is just difficult.. ...don't let's us discourage people who want to have a shot at US top schools.....they should just make sure they have back-up plans(safe schools)

There are a couple of people even on NL that are in these schools listed above. I personally know 2 people currently doing their PhD in MIT and neither hard cognate research experience.

By every ramifications 4.96/5 is stellar. In WES it would come out as a 4/4. He had a ton of awards within his University and was an Olympiad scholar even before getting in. I believe he had 8A1s and a B3 in his WASSCE which at the time was the best result at least in Lagos.

Like I said, if who Shayune is referring to is this person then he is doing a PhD fully funded at the University of Texas in Austin.

tensazangetsu20:
That your friend was way in over his head. How can he apply to MIT and Princeton without any research experience or outstanding achievements.

He was not. Besides, he is on a direct PhD now in Austin which came with a hefty fellowship. Speaking about awards, he had a ton of them even before he got into the 'top 5' Nigerian school. I have learnt a lot about US admissions in this application cycle and in due time I would delineate my findings on this thread.

shayhune:
@bolded. Very true. I have a friend who graduated with 4.96 in Chem Eng from one of the top 5 schools in Naija. He applied to MIT, Princeton, Stanford. They all bounced him. So, no one sends your first class without research experience and our degrees don't even carry weight when placed beside degrees from foreign schools.

I am guessing this your friend is in UT Austin at the moment which is also a top 4 school engineering wise. The point is admission decisions could go either ways. Nobody truly has it figured out but a lot of the opinions here are spot on. The school of graduation can throw some weight.