₦airaland Forum

adetola007:
Thanks. Baba I dey envy your profile o. I've already accepted the kfupm offer but waiting to see if I can get a better one. Yeah, it's university of Utah and I realised we applied to the same schools when you posted about it. But since you can't go to all 3 schools at once, I'll gladly accept anyone you reject. Our prayer is to get admission and funding, that's all that matters.

Humble guy and I think you completed your apps before me. Abeg, reject any one you don't want sharp sharp so it won't affect my own decision.

andradaeze:
This waiting for admission decision is like waiting for fuel during Nigeria fuel scarcity oh.
Am tired of refreshing gradcafe....

Undergrad: Mathematics and Computer science
GPA 3.6/4.0(WES)
GRE-318
TOEFL-109

Schools
Ohio State University Ph.D. Statistics
Kansas State University Ph.D. Statistics
Texas AM Ph.D. Statistics
University of Memphis Ph.D. Mathematics with Statistics concentration(with regrets,check my earlier posts)
Auburn University Ph.D. Mathematics
University of Arkansas Ph.D. Mathematics
Bowling Green State University Msc Mathematics
Ohio University Msc Mathematics

Another strong Applicant.

1. KSU is very promising.
2. Infamous Memphis
3. OSU is a biggie with a low acceptance rate I pray you get it.
4. Texas A& M is it Kingsville or College station?
5. Auburn too is great. SirRiddy must hate them for chopping his $90 (for a different program though)

Don't know much about the last 3 but will look them up now. I think Arkansas has fully funded someone I know but I am not sure. Your list is great BTW.

aanexplus:
I applied for notre dame. Msc tho. I hope it's good news

Since they contacted you themselves through search service and waived the app fee for you there is a high probability you would get it with funding too.

adetola007:
LSU applicant here.
So far so good, I've gotten admission into King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mineral Studies (MSc in Chemical Engineering) with full sponsorship and Imperial College, London (MSc in Petroleum Engineering) no funding whatsoever, hoping on PTDF scholarship. I applied to LSU, KSU, Utah, Notre Dam. I just got a rejection email this morning from Notre Dam. I applied for PhD program in all USA schools as funding is most important. My profile: Bsc chemical Engineering, GPA 4.58 (3.74 WES conversion), toefl 98 and GRE 312.

You are a strong Applicant.

Since you already have KFUPMS why you dey find Imperial ni?

Sorry about the Notre Dame, these things could go either ways. I don't know much about their Chemical engineering program but the school is perhaps a public Ivy (unsure).

E be like we go compete for LSU, Utah (State or Uni?) and KSU that's why I am asking you to go to KFUPMS

goodemma20:
Pls house I have a question.....My gpa is 3.583/5, is that gpa bad to consider doing a direct phd in electrical engineering?.....many thanks for the work you're doing

My guy said 3.583. Why not 3.583388946 lol.

Answering this question is difficult because overall it is just there. Just there, meaning above average but not stellar. Do not be crestfallen however. Several things go into GPAs.

1. Your final 2 years in which you did core courses.
2. General improvement in the GPA from year 1- final.
3. Consistency
4. Core courses related to the PhD or MSc you are considering.

For instance, someone with a 3.5 who hopes to do some research in Interfacial Fluid Mechanics and got As in Transport Phenomena and Basic fluid mechanics courses while in Undegrad may appear to have a better transcript than a 4-Pter who perhaps got Cs there. Also, someone who had say 1.5 from years 1-3 but had 5.0 in 4 & 5 (thus landing on a 3.5) may appeal more to the evaluation committee than someone who blitzed through year 1-3 and wobbled at the final 2 years thus landing at 4.0. As you can see, a lot of things go into it that's why higher GPAs seem to be favored (as it guarantees more As in core courses than other wise).

I feel the need to add at this juncture that other parts of one's application could be the deciding factor even ahead of a GPA. If a renowned Prof in your field recommends you to a school whose committee members are well-known to him, his LOR would be weightier than an unknown Prof saying you are the best thing since sliced bread. Additionally, having cognate research experience like publishing papers in peer-reviewed journals and making presentations in conferences appear to be the best bet towards gaining admission into graduate school.

In a nutshell, don't bother about the GPA as you cannot change it (even if it is not bad). Just work on the other aspects of your application.

jaybiz007:
Weldone chief, you are doing a great job here.
K-State offered me MSc admission in civil engineering and were silent about funding. I have emailed my faculty advisor today, but still awaiting his response.

Hopefully they "shake body" which I feel they would do but perhaps only after they have sorted out the PhD applicants. SirRiddy informed us that K-state's engineering programs have funding so I am optimistic for you.

babyfaceafrica:
Good afternoon, nice job from you guys...may God bless you.straight to the point...I am planning on doin masters in the us or Canada I'm linguistics or English language... My questions are do I need to do GRE?... I have 110 in TOEFL already.am saying this because someone said GRE is only for people in sciences and engineering. I just want to be sure any other qualifying exams I will do part from TOEFL. Thanks

Congrats on your TOEFL.

Cutting straight to the chase, YES for most schools in USA you would need to take the GRE General test and in some cases the Literature in English Subject test.

It is advisable you emailed the grad coordinator of schools you were considering so they would give you more specific information but generally they would expect you have great Verbal and Analytical writing scores in the GRE. They would most likely give you a pass if your Quantitative scores are subpar.

Time2Smile:
A number of people have taken tests recently and have not given any feedback on their scores and experience, not nice at all. Please let us learn to give back.

It's unfortunate but I had noticed it too. Weeks have gone by and nobody has given any report to the house even when the views keep doubling and GRE slots keep getting filled.

It might just be a hunch but I know the universe has a way of rewarding people who make up their minds to help others. In fact, it is more than a hunch: I have studied the trends even in this thread from inception to now, and people who made it a personal ambition to help others got sorted out even sometimes miraculously.

PS: not blackmailing anybody to post anything o. I just have plenty free time.

I know why Guitarlife is a bit worried and rightly so. Most schools in US expect the transcript to have not just the score equivalent but the accompanying grade because it helps in their evaluation. If the transcript is left in numbers and without the explanations for each range it could hurt the Applicant and I would explain how. In most Nigerian schools for example, a B is between 60-69. If I got all Bs during the masters my GPA would be 4/5 which is good. But flip it and consider that I got all 60s (with no explanation as to what grade such a score would be). My average percentage would be 60% (which they may interpret as 3/5). If someone else had all 69s which too would have been 4/5 in GPA form. He/She's percentage would be 69% which the US school could interpret as 3.45/5 which is substantially better than 3/5.

To avoid these discrepancies the evaluation committee like to see what each score translates to in grades. In their system, I believe 60% is a D and even if most Federal schools in Nig. rate 60-69 as a B, I am sure some other schools (maybe private schools) have a B slightly higher. I did not attend AUN but I have a strong feeling their B would be higher than the 60-69 of Federal schools. Thus, presenting a dilemma that would have worried me a bit, if I was in his shoes.

aanexplus:
Still in vexation mode, Illinois Institute of Technology is a scam. They evaluated my app without reference letter. I mailed them twice complaining about this issue but they never send those letters and they evaluated me. Imagine.
# money wasted

Most private schools are. Relax bro. I almost fell victim to them and Syracuse. Lucky I didn't.

Guitarlife:
Do you suppose that WES classification might count ? because WES has the regular grade classification on thier site with respect to Nigerian education and GPA system.

At this point, you can try anything. The issue is, did WES evaluate the MSc transcript? If they did not, it might not be binding to your school. After all, an A that might be 70 and above might be 75 and above in some schools and WES still requires the grade and degree classification to be on the transcript because it helped them in their evaluation.

ponpon:
you're doing a wonderful job sir, very wonderful. God bless you bros. But these gre classifications sef get as he be, when one would see 310-315 entering Boston, UC Berkley and the rest.. Above all you can ask for gre requirements from grad coordinator or average of the last admitted class and all.. We fear too much and some we lose some good chances...

To me, some of those GRE score minimums are even wrong. I know someone in UCLA with 315 yet most sites give them that 325+ range. Even grad coordinators won't give you anything definite. They would always give the basic 300+ or in some cases state the minimum Q and V scores.

Just like everyone else has said, GRE scores are not a reliable way to determine ones admission chances. Someone with 1580 was rejected by MIT whereas another person with 1520 was accepted for the same program even though both of them went to the same University, had the same course and graduated with the same degree classification. One of the recommenders for the 1520 guy said "I have recommended other students who went on to CALTECH and Stanford but I can tell you without mincing words that (student with 1520) is the most intelligent person I have ever taught".

Till date, that 1520 guy believes that is what gave him the edge in the admission process. What I am trying to say is, research experience, SOPs even LORs could be the clinchers in getting accepted into top programs and so on way over the GRE or even GPA.

Guitarlife:
Its federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta. And yes thats the official transcript cos I had it sent to my office so I know thats what they will send abroad too.

I still dont know what to do now. Am just confused and kinda disturbed.

And what of the other angle of using the grade classification of my undergrad ?

Tho I had my BSc in a differwnt school but the transcript carries grade classification.

If it is a different school the intended school might fear it will be different too WRT grades and commensurate scores. That's why I would not recommend it. And even if you told them what it was unofficially they may still not honor it. That's why the clarification has to come from the school of issuance instead.

I understand how you feel because I thought every school already knew these basic things but it is not your fault. Just upload it that way and wait. If they have issues with it they might relay it to you or your alma mater.

Sbrainy:
You guys are doing a great job.
Matching up on all the info tho.

Thanks scholastica16 , andradeze et al.
Everyone,
Pls I need help on Personal statement
1. Question of Submit a Personal Statement (a short essay about your long and short range goals and how you think our graduate program would help you meet these goals).
Pls can anyone forward a template/sample to me foopinspire@gmail.com so that I can be acquainted on how to go about writing a good one.

I need help on this.

2. I have surfed the web of Oklahoma state searching for a minimum GRE requirement. I find none.
Pls does anyone have an idea of their GRE requirement?

Thanks

Use msinus.com to see the GRE classification that is attributed to OkSU. If my memory serves me well I believe they were in the 309-314 region but please don't take my word for it.

As for the sample essay. I think Google will help.

aanexplus:
I got a mail this afternoon from IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology). I mentioned earlier that this school gave me admission to non degree M. Eng structural engineering. They removed the decision last week. When I got the mail with subject Your application has been decided, I was scared to the bone.

I was disappointed. IIT gave me admission to the same M.Eng structural engineering with no funding. This admission is so useless. This is a very bad news. Feel like crying tho

Sad for you but this seems to be the stock-in-trade of private schools Stanford included. They barely ever fund one and in the event that one receives some financial aid, it will be in the form of student loans which are mostly available to citizens of the country.

I initially placed IIT on my list but when I did some research and realized how stingy they are with funding, I backed off.

Guitarlife:
Good day people. I need help with some clarifications. I got my MSC transcript few days ago and I was faced with some issues.

My weighted average os 63.89% which is normally equivalent to a B.

WES evaluation returned 3.47/4.0 however, the transcript does not have grade classification(quite strange).

Even the grades do not bear grade letters they are just grades e.g 50%, 75% e.t.c.

I have an undergrad transcript from another uni that carries letter grade and grade classification.

Here are my worries, how are the schools supposed to know the schools grade classification since it is not indicated on the transcript ?

Should I put a notw forward and refer the schools to my undergrad transcript that bears grade classification ?

I am afraid my CGPA may be erroneously computed.

Kindly help with your inputs.

Thanks.

Puzzling.

If you are certain that the transcript issued to you is the same version that will be sent to the school (if you are asked to enroll) then I think you should upload/send it like that to the school. If they have any reservations they would contact the school themselves to explain the discrepancies.

Sometimes those scores without grades would just mean that the school would work on the individual scores as against grades. Of course, that in itself poses another problem because the intended school could view the average as less than it actually should.

If the school you are applying to before has evaluated a lot of transcripts from the school in which you did your MSc, it may help them understand what each score represents gradewise.

BTW, what school is that? It is really strange that a school would omit the grades and classification of the degree. I think you should apply more pressure on that end than on the side of the school you are applying to because any school worth it's salt should know the things that are sacrosanct as far as transcripts go.

I'm rambling because I am as shocked as you. Sorry.

fredoricko:
Thanks a lot. I appreciate your inputs. There is really not much I can do even if I wanted. I guess it's time I joined the lot of you waiting for admission decision. I am not really a sucker for highly ranked school as the quagmire of admittance is too much for me to deal. I made good research before I chose those four schools, and I guess all I need right now is for someone to reinforce the conviction that necessitated my choice.
In the end, I hope we all get our heart desire.

Your schools are good and hopefully we get the right decisions we desire because that's all that matters.

fredoricko:
Thanks for your response. I would've considered a PhD but I was unsure of how competitive my profile would be. I hope I get funded too, cos that is the ultimate dream of all grad applicant.

Well, I personally think a strong profile would entail more of research experience and paper publications than any other thing. Be that as it may, your GPA and standardized test scores are up there and good enough for most Top 50-100 programs.

Don't cringe as well, except your career plan is fully in academia, I don't think the top 25 schools give you any special advantages jobwise. I am saying this again based on information people over there have said.

dossylvanus:
Sorry if I was vague.

I was referring to their Geography or natural resources PhD programs .

Well the schools A.R would be anything between 29% (Law school and lowest of it's faculty Acceptance rate), 33% (Business school) or 41% (Engineering school) or 55.7% (Undergrad and Highest of it's A.Rs). I did not find the exact one for Geology/Geosciences but that's because I was cursorily looking for it.

fredoricko:
Hi

How competitive is this profile for the following schools?

GPA 3.47/4
GRE- 315
TOEFL- 107
R28 L26 S26 W27
Ms. Electrical Engineering

University of Nebraska Lincoln
Southern Illinois university Carbondale
Cleveland state university
University of Massachusetts Lowell

Thanks

This is a good profile and the schools are well dispersed. I am certain UofM Lowell has a high acceptance rate so I am guessing it is a safe school. Don't be bugged by the Q scores that some websites claim is the average though, applications are considered based on the pool of applicants received.

I just hope you get funding before you leave as that may be the challenge since most schools reserve funding for PhD applicants.

dossylvanus:
Hello people.


Has anyone applied to the university of Georgia, Athens before?

What is their acceptance rate for international students?

It is hard to tell but startclass might be of help. You should try to be more specific though: what faculty are you considering? Generally, I think UofG Athens has a 55% acceptance rate but that could be undergrad admissions. If you are more specific one could find the A.R for grad school.

Did you recently write GRE or TOEFL? Come and share your experience with us telling us your study tips, mistakes, lessons etc. It would go a long way in helping someone else who would visit this thread in future.

Did you recently apply to schools in the USA? Come and share your application experiences with us. Of your own volition, you may tell us your profile and the schools you are aiming for etc. If you have gotten any feedback please let us know as it could guide someone else who may be considering applying to said school at a later time maybe a few years ahead.

Okusi:
Are letters of recommendation meant to be sent through email?

Schools always State how the LORs should be related to them even if one was considering them post-submission. They always have either a column on the portal for the recommenders or they directly email the recommenders and ask that it be sent as an attachment. So if you are considering sending it yourself they would not honor it.

towbaynah:
Yeah it was listed but it wasn't mandatory. Here's how it appeared on their website;

"College Graduation Certificate/Diploma if already issued (Certified English translation and original language)"

I felt my transcript would cover for it. Not so much, apparently. It's going to be a fairly long shot seeking to get a letter from my registrar. I actually intend calling them at Kent in about an hour from now. Then, I'll explain to them, along the lines of what you suggested, the exact situation of things. Thanks, mate.

At this day and age a school is asking for certificate over the transcript? That is new and so far, I have no respect for such schools.

I agree with Time2Smile and I think you should be more resolute in your email. The official transcript is always better than the certificate because it has the individual courses written on it, grades, CGPA and the class of degree- virtually all and more than you could get in the certificate and that should be communicated to them.

Time2Smile:
Hello, How were you able to pay University of Houston application fee? I read post about your difficulties paying last time around
cc Scholastica16

I transferred funds to friends that had GTB accounts and were not using the $100 a month limit that their bank let them have. They were gracious enough to not turn it into a business transaction so they let me use the bank's rate of N320 to $1. I believe my UofH app fee was $75 which came out as N24000 but I transferred N24,500. Some of them gave me the card details i.e card number and expiry date, billing address and name of card owner while some others requested the links and paid it for me.

At the end of the day it was relatively cheaper that way and it saved me from asking family members over there for help.

[quote author=ayotho post=53271269][/quote]I thought this was already responded to.

If the person in question was considering UK then the GRE would be unnecessary. If that was a typo and the person was referring to USA then he may need to retake the GRE for the sake of the intended course he is applying to which is Quantitative dependent. I believe SirRiddy said that the mathematics dept of K.S.U fully funds all the MSc and PhD applicants.

abid4akin:
Thanks bro, but I don't have any..I think I'm officially screwed now

Hmmmm. The problem here is that they would not act on your application until they are certain it is complete. You need to go to your school to see who you can talk to. If your department has a form or document showing your results that would work.

Incase of next time always endeavor to get a copy of your transcript one way or another.

aanexplus:
I think the problem is my SOP, I focused on structure and that is because they want me to be specific on the branch of civil I want. But it was boldly stated that I want to go for research based course. Although when I called the admission coord, she said the non-degree is just added because I qualified for it. I stated in my SOP that I need funding.

As long as it is added then it is fine. It appears they may very well give you the MSc Civil engineering as well and hopefully with the scholarship.

abid4akin:
Your application has been successfully submitted to the University Graduate School.

Please note that although your application form has been received, your application packet is not considered complete and will not be reviewed until all required materials (e.g. application fee, letters of recommendations, transcripts) have been received by the Graduate School.


Sincerely,

Graduate Admissions

THIS IS THE LAST MESSAGE I RECEIVED FROM THE SCHOOL

Your application is not complete because ONLY your Transcript has not been submitted. I feel sorry for you WRT to NASU as I heard about the strike and subsequent issues that emanate from it.

What I think you should do is: Ask the program coordinator if you could submit an unofficial version of the transcript pending when the official one is available so that it could expedite the evaluation/review process. They usually grant you that concession even if they would add that you would not be allowed to enroll in their school without the official one.

The question I should ask you now is if you have an unofficial copy of the transcript.

aanexplus:
Guys. How are you doing? I applied to Illinois Institute of Technology civil engineering. The admission officer created another application for me which is non-degree msc structural engineering. Does this means I won't be admitted to the normal app I want?
PS: I already mailed grad coord and admission office but there reply is kinda awkward.

It means they want you to enroll for the non-degree program instead, which is absolute rubbish by the way.

Non-degree means that you would not get a degree at the end of the program and are just doing it to gain knowledge in structural engineering.

The reason they did this could be 2-pronged:

1. You stated in your SOP that gaining knowledge on structures is of utmost importance to you or

2. That you have a hefty bank statement and are willing to splurge.

I am saying this because non-degree students get zero financial aid or scholarship and when one juxtaposes it with the fact that IIT are pretty stingy with funding, you can see that the whole thing seems to be a dead-end.

My advice? Tell them expressly in your email that you want a degree program which you applied for except this non-degree program is an addendum to the one you applied to and would come at no extra cost.

andradaeze:
I have typed a reply already. But, I needed suggestions from family here. So now, I would do two things right now. Send an email to the graduate coordinator requesting for funding. Then send another mail to the Graduate school notifying them that I would only send the aforementioned documents when I see an admission with funding.(I have no money ). Well, whatever the outcome, 1 out.

That is the only time it makes sense to pay a dime to send official transcripts to them. Like I said, it depends on how bold you are. I won't hesitate to send that mail in the same position because after graduate work, everything you contribute to the school will be owned by the school including patents. In the same vein, the school should be willing to invest their money in me till that time comes (I will put a period here)

andradaeze:
Thanks for the reply. But I applied for fall 2017.

Then they have no reason not to fund you just like SirRiddy said. I think it is criminal for anyone to do graduate work, let alone a PhD without funding from the school.