₦airaland Forum

Topiipii:
That's quite cheap, may be I should come and learn some bargaining skills from you. I called a friend and he told me he spent about 10k to have his notarized at Ikeja in 2014, I promptly called it off; I always thought it shouldn't be that expensive.

LOL, I experienced beginner's luck.

They usually charge based on eye-evaluation but it is harder for them at Igbosere because many others will be clamouring for you just like it is done in rowdy markets. I think the cost could get so high based on the price you agree on per page. Some may initially tell you N1000 per page but as long as they start there then any other thing will just be based on your own stubborness.

andradaeze:
Please, I have a question for the house.

Events that have occurred...

I got a mail from a faculty some days back. I was informed that I can be admitted into the graduate program but might not be funded.
Then, I inquired if there was funding for fall 2017 applicants and I was told there was funding. Hence, I replied that I was interested in being funded. Since then, no reply...

Next, I got a mail from the same school asking for Affidavit of Financial Support form and official transcript. They asked for WES and I have sent that since last year, so why ask for an official transcript? And I was hoping for funding.

How do I reply that mail because I have no one kobo to sponsor myself. And I am not ready to send any official transcript.

In fact, I do not want to regret applying to that school .

1. The school has admitted you for the session you initially asked for which is not Fall based on what you said.

2. Your second proposition to be moved to fall because of funding might or might not be relayed to the relevant authorities because that's one way we could interpret their silence. But it doesn't mean the door is shut completely.

3. For the school to ask for an affidavit of Financial support that will be like a precondition to obtaining the I-20 which is why I felt they have already given you the admission but without funding. They want to prove you can afford the expenses for the first semester or year pending when funding becomes available in fall or after it.

4. I don't think schools use WES in lieu of the official transcript. I think WES is a lazy way of school's interpreting your transcript in the US-scale. Some schools do the evaluations themselves these days because they may still need to look at certain individual courses that are prerequisites to partaking in your program.

Personally, I think you can tell them you would only be willing to pay for the official transcript to be sent to them when you see a concrete letter of admission and/or funding (depending on how bold you are) because from what I can tell, they want to offer you the admission without funding and it makes no sense that you would send your official transcript to them when the likelihood exists that you would not take the offer.

ponpon:
That's very true sir. But some people die trying tho. The person that got admitted had a 311 gre.

Wow, we need your resource here to be encouraging people. Tuffpuff has a great profile and his GRE is a mark away from the score above. I personally think some rejections are inexplicable. I Have seen schools where profiles having 169-Q scores were rejected whilst one with 151-Q was accepted for the same program.

Aig84:
Thank you, just calculated and it's a 2.91/4 scale

That's a rough estimate. I wager it could be higher if the real evaluation is done but that will only be necessary if your schools asks for it as WES evaluations are on the high side cost wise ($212).

I have noticed that 3.0/5 in Nigerian schools usually still comes close to or is above 3.0/4 and besides, the schools you apply to may only take note of your final 2 years (as that is when the core courses were done). So fret not.

Tunjasko:
pls hw nd wie can i d materials.... i need dem for preparation

First page.

Time2Smile:
I agree with you on discussing the state of our applications. I am quite miffed right now because I have not submitted any of my applications. I am yet to get my undergraduate transcript that I requested almost 2 months ago. I have put so much into this and I won't let any sloppy school be my obstacle. I have mailed grad coordinator at UH to inform her about the delay and inquire if I can submit the transcript after the application deadline. The other deadline at LSU health centre is March 1, although I want to submit much earlier than the deadline.

@Scholastica16 , Yes, I am applying to only 2 US schools, I didn't start my application process early enough so I wasn't able to meet most deadlines coupled with the cost of applying to different schools. I am cautiously optimistic of getting in to the two schools if only I can be able to submit this damn application. In addition, both guarantee funding for all admitted PhD students in my course. (I Would never apply to a school that's equivocal about funding)

N.B: I would really appreciate anyone willing to help me go through and critique my SOP before I submit. Thanks.

If you have an unofficial copy use it. Most schools are flexible about the transcripts because international students have complained about it a lot. In fact, I have been using the unofficial version of my transcript for all schools that I have applied to and will only pay for an official copy to be sent if/when I am admitted.

Your schools are great schools and you would most likely get it as you are a strong Applicant. Only late applications may affect you.

Take note that UofH does not do rolling admissions so they take all the applications together and review them at a certain time. Thus, you do not need to panic. If you live in the same state as your alma mater I'd recommend you went there yourself or else they would waste your time.

Perotti:
Please guys, has anyone here applied to the University of Texas @Dallas? Are Texas schools generous with funding?
The way men here apply to 5,6 schools here is frightening, considering the costs and the crazy exchange rates. Kudos tho! May God provide for us.

Depends on the course. For instance, some Economic Grads for PhD get fully funded offers while some don't.

LOL @ 5,6 Schools.

Topiipii:
How much did you pay to have your documents notarized and where? I wanted to do this last month, but later decided to forgo the idea.

Igbosere in Lagos. N200 per page but it is all about bargaining. There are alot of Notary Publics there so it helped. I am saying this because some guy in VI wanted to charge me 5k for 2 documents and I thought he was doing me a favor till someone recommended Igbosere to me

Topiipii:
Most of them will require you to send official test scores no matter what, some will even insist on official transcript and will not process your application until you provide it; some of them might allow soft copies though after you mail them. I saw about two or three schools that allow soft copies of test scores during my search, UWyoming is the only school that accepts soft copies of all documents though.

Mississippi State Uni wanted official documents of everything but I sent them an email asking for concession to use notarized copies and they accepted. You are right though, that some will not evaluate the application without the official documents sent. I am even happy you said this because I was starting to feel bad that I spent all that money sending the documents, for what I thought was nothing.

Topiipii:
MS, I no get liver

LOL. Funding is all I could think of. If e tire me I go abscond after the MS Larry Page style.

Topiipii:
I'm hoping so too and I expect same from your end and others here. I see that we both applied to U of Utah And K-State, I think I made the deadline though, the last item was submitted on Dec. 29 but my status wasn't updated till the new year because of the holidays.

I did for K-state but not for Utah. PhD too?

If you don't get both let me know why!

Cephas0009:
Have u been reaching out to faculties n vice versa?

1. Most are so busy they won't reply.

2. My schools told me not to reach out to them but to mention their name (s) in the SOP and the committee will relay your profile to them.

DSSHQ:
Hello Guys. Please can someone tell me of a reputable agency to register for the GRE in Port Harcourt? I contacted one, unique consults and they told me it is 60k. I am skeptical because the price is 205 dollars and 60k is below that considering the black market rate. Thanks

B.Y MAFIT. Look them up.

Cephas0009:
Yes oo. A friend of mine got admitted for masters this spring, got no funding initially but on getting to the state, he was given GA with tuition waiver

If it was only application fee, I would av managed, but money to send each of the results (transcript, GRE, IELTS)

I was just thinking about something as I got home today: Did I really need to send all my official documents until the admission decision was out? Musing on it, maybe I didn't.

What I am trying to say is, don't you think just uploading transcript, GRE and IELTS would have sufficed till the admission decision was out? Then if you consider going to the school you only pay for the official copy to be sent to the school.

Cephas0009:
Wow! Top schools... Have u been contacting faculties n have u been getting response? Cc: Scholastica16

Good schools. Funding depends on the program though. I don't think Pittsburgh will give you funding for MSc. I really don't know.

Cephas0009:
Yeah, I applied for phd too. I would've love to apply to LSU, ULL, Michigan State University but for the cost implications.

You for just close eye do am oh. ULL is @ Lafayette? Do they have good funding?

ponpon:
I know someone on here who got into a health related field there here on nairaland.

There would always be outliers with certain aspects of their applications that only the admission committee will know for example, having a very strong financial statement or undergoing the first degree over there. The point I was making to him is, the school is too notorious for not accepting international students. Some Indians with stellar GREs, 4.0GPAs and 2 years of cognate research experience were still reporting rejections on grad cafe. In such situations, I always advice people to steer clear. UCB to me, has just about the same reputation.

drthiery:
Nice One....

Please can you help me with Schools in the USA with application waiver?

Thank You

I don't know much about this. Perhaps, Google?

Aig84:
Hello, please can you help me with this issue, I have an undergrad CGPA of 3.0/5, I know it isn't competitive but I expect to write the GRE and hopefully get a very competitive score, I do not have a masters yet also but how realistic is it for me with a competitive GRE score and this undergrad CGPA to qualify for a PhD program. Also note that I have no research experience save for the undergraduate project

I haven't gained any admission yet so what I know is mainly through word of mouth or just studied trends across many other fora.

Your 3.0/5 will most likely still be around 3/4 by any of the conversions and it could be better if the final 2 years were substantialy better than the former. That's on the one hand.

On the other hand, strong GRE and TOEFL scores could help an application but you have to realize that nobody can stake any claims as to the degree that it can.

However it is possible to apply directly for a PhD as the minimum requirements for most schools is 3.0/4 and a composite GRE score of 300 while TOEFL might be 80. Personally, I feel that one's research experience contributes more to his being accepted than the afore but since you said you don't have much of it, you have to find creative ways to "package" your application. For example, ones voluntary work and generally, work experiences could still make you out to look fit for graduate work.

This not withstanding, it would be wise to know the right schools to apply to that match your profile. To that end, I would recommend you used msinus.com to check for B tier schools with just above average GRE requirements so that your competitive GRE score could in a way offset your GPA or want of research experience. I.e if you scored say 325+ it would be safer to apply to =300 < 310 schools because your strong GRE could be an advantage there. If you are not looking at fall 2017 then I would also recommend you took on some voluntary teaching jobs for the sake of the resumé, as teaching is in some way connected with research work. Alternatively, you can take up some independent research work or start attending conferences just so you can list it on your CV.

Cephas0009:
I applied to UofH n KSU for fall 2017. I completed both applications last year. I had admission for MS Mech Engr Fall 2016 in SDSM&T and SIT last year but I didn't pursue further since neither came with funding option, I deferred SDSM&T to fall 2017 n m still hopeful of securing the service of a faculty for a potential GA. The few times I have gotten replies to my email is when they want to explain that they r not taking new research students.

How is it going from ur end Sirs & Mas?
Cc: Scholastica16, drhopeful, Time2smile, the whole house.

SirRiddy, thanks 4 d support always ... God bless bro

All my applications are against Fall 2017 as well. PhD for Chemical Engineering (as funding was a priority) but I don't have a Master's degree. I applied to a couple A- and the rest B+ and B- rated schools.

1. Michigan State Uni (11% Acceptance rate )
2. UofUtah
3. UofH
4. LSU
5. UNM
6. Mississippi State Uni
7. KSU
8. USF

Except Utah, I was able to meet the priority deadlines for the rest of the schools. Don't really know what to expect so I am hoping I spread my risks well because I changed my list alot.

Time2Smile:
Not yet done, putting finishing touches. Deadline is February 1 for my course and 15th for yours. Documents can be submitted up to 2 weeks after the deadline in both cases. How many schools did you apply to 7, 8? I envisage a situation where you will have a hard time selecting where to attend when they all bombard you with admission and funding.

I applied to 8 schools. Thought I was done with everything (including official score reports) but BY Mafit let me down and forgot to send my GRE since last year until a few days ago. Not like it hurts my chances as most schools let me know I could be evaluated without the official scores.

UofH were quite stern with me and refused to consider my application complete until the TOEFL score was reported. I didn't break a sweat though, as it is still fully ahead of the February deadline.

You seem to be applying to only 2 schools in the US? Correct me if I am wrong.

Topiipii:
I can live with the AW score, but that 20 in speaking is too low; I'm hoping the other sections count in my favour.
Major is EE applied to different schools this time around.

Sorry, just seeing this.

Except a school wants to be finicky, I don't see how they can ignore a composite of 108 and zero in on the fact that the speaking was rated "fair" to a candidate ETS treats as non-native.

Nice @ EE. I expect big testimonies from your end mate. Cheers.

Will respond to my mentions in a wee bit.

Just saw your post and thought to chime in.

tuffpuff:
Good morning Friends,
I checked my email this morning and was greeted with a rejection from Emory University.
I scored more than the minimum TOEFL and GRE requirements.
I'm wondering if its my 3.5 AWA score or SOP or LORs.
To be candid, I didn't choose schools wisely, never considered that it was a private school with acceptance rate of about 25%. I saw all these after my applications. Unfortunately, of the remaining two schools, one is also private. Looks like am missing Fall'17 already.
Wish I was on this great thread even prior to taking my tests and subsequently making my applications. Its hurting!
I'll ever remain thankful to all members of the thread. I've learnt a lot from you all. I shall keep the house abreast of the rest.
#GodBeWithYou#

Emory has a history of not accepting international students. If I had known you were applying there I would have told you point blank not to waste your time. I guess the application fee waiver was an incentive.

If it would act as a form of consolation for you, most applicants on grad cafe forum for Emory University are reporting rejections and the consensus is that Emory generally has a reputation for preferring American citizens never mind the low acceptance rate. In other words, it is not your AWA or SOPs and so on that limited you.

uzolexis:
My brother don't let inferiority complex kill you o. Have you heard an Italian speaking English? Or a French person speaking English? Or even a hungarian? Their English is heavily accented with their native tongue as a result they don't pronounce some of the words well. Yet they write TOEFL and they pass and they don't laugh at each other cos of their accent. There is nothing wrong in having an accent, everybody has an accent.

I think I agree with SirRiddy. There is obviously a bias in the scoring of the TOEFL for non-native speakers whether they admit it or not. It is like an unwritten rule.

ETS pretends they are fair in the marking but they are probably just better prepared or more receptive to accents of some other countries than some others. For example, because an ETS instructor can predict how a french man will pronounce the world "Foible" (foy-ab) as against (foy-e-bul) that English demands, he would be understood and still scored well compared to an African (in this case Nigerian) who might say (foy-e-blay).

Their excuse will be that the word was borrowed from French but the reality is it should have made no difference.

tuffpuff:
Wowwwww!!! Congratulations Scholar! Great Scores! Get ready for better testimonies because God is planting your feet on higher grounds. Wish you greater heights dear.

Thanks mate. AMEN. Wish you the same.

goodemma20:
OGreene is simply ashamed of his scores

No need to revisit the issue. We have moved on from it. I can understand if someone is "ashamed" of his score. I was ashamed of my first score and I did not post until I wrote my second. In hindsight, if I had posted, people would have advised me to start my applications then and it could have been vital. I wanted to apply to the University of Florida for example but the application deadline happened to be on the very same day I rewrote the GRE.

If I had any issues with the afore-mentioned it was his defensive attitude. If he had simply said "guys, I am not proud of my scores so I don't feel comfy posting it....but here is how Q went and V went etc. I advise anyone trying to write the GRE to wait for X, Y and so on" I am sure it would have come out better.

Anyways, moving on....

seeker88:
You're welcome boss! In my next word, I want to sabi book like u
Thanks for asking. Yea, I got a response from the grad coordinator few hours after sending him d email. Here's his response:

Dear Seeker88,
You can upload your transcript as unofficial copy. This will allow the process to go forward and you may be admitted conditionally if you satisfy GPA and GRE requirements. The condition will be removed when the University receives your official transcript at a later, - reasonable time.

However, I still got another mail yesterday from the Office of Graduate Admission saying that my application is incomplete and cannot be forwarded to my graduate department. So I'm still confused

Maybe I should show d grad coordinator a copy of d email from d office of graduate admission

Actually, you should instead show the office of graduate admissions the Graduate Coordinator's email to you. That's what I mean.

seeker88:
Big thanks to scholastica16, happyday, sirRiddy, electronic, et al for ur suggestions with regards to my application at SDSU.

I emailed the grad coordinator stating those constraints discussed, and he reverted with a response that I can upload an unofficial copy of my transcript to make d process go forward. He further stated that I may be conditionally admitted if I satisfy their admission criteria, and d condition will be removed when d university receives the official copy at a later reasonable date.

Still, I got a mail from d Office of Grad Admission (after his response) stating that my application is incomplete and can't be forwarded to d department. Maybe I should inform d grad coordinator about d mail from admission office??

Yes you should forward his mail to them and still explain why he came up with that idea. Trust me, I did exactly this to one of the schools I applied to.

andradaeze:
Really, about making a good teacher? Thanks for the compliment. That is kind of you. As for my TOEFL, I scored 109(R28 W28 L29 S24). I was a bit disappointed with my speaking score because I had to change some schools who required higher speaking scores. Lol. I was not about to take chances with obtaining GA positions.

That your 26 score makes too much sense. All the best in your application.

Only a difference of 3 (composite wise) and besides your Speaking score is good. I would have still applied to the 26-minimum schools if I were you. But I understand how you did not want to take any risks. Hopefully the hardest part will be selecting which school's offer is the best of the lot.

drhopeful:
You go dey pose, you go dey denge denge, no nwa. Hmmmmmm.... After all the complaints ehn.... you just go murder GRE and TOEFL. Dia ris God oh. In my next world, I go sabi book like you. Congrats man! The patient dog surely eats the fattest bone!

My head is swelling. But the same argument can be made about you . Thanks Dr.

Ndawe:
Massive congratulations to you. I sincerely pray it all works out in the end. All the best!!!!!!

Thanks dear. I pray so for your too. I hope the recommendations that guy gave you look promising.

iCool:
@Scholastica16. Congrats! The wait is finally over. Nice scores you got. I can smell some grants coming your way.

@Toakins. You did well too! Congratulations.


Glad success stories are coming in.

Amen @ emboldened oh. I pray that for us all, with you in particular.