₦airaland Forum

yeah sure definitely send me ur SOP. I cannot guarantee feedback until probably around the 12th of october. You have good GRE scores.

Concerning the CV- do you have any awards you won in university, like maybe some short IT (Industrial training) you did, some programming skills you have achieved or maybe short courses or anything- if you can think of anything that you did that might be relevant to petroleum engineering, you could try and include it in your CV. There are lot of CV templates on microsoft word.

Its good to include a CV though its not always required- it gives them an idea of your skill set and experiences. I am sure you ahve probably included some of these in your SOP anyways

yeah i kinda understand the lagos thing though- just pray u get somethin good.

Yeah U are going for batch C NYSC if I am correct?

Good idea to try and get everything in as soon as possible. batch C camp starts on the 26th of october, so maybe when you get your scores, you should just have everything packaged and ready for you to dispatch immediately your toefl scores are received. Early applications are viewed favorably I tell you. I know some people who were already getting offers in december who turned theirs in by november.

However would you not like to know your NYSC placement so to include it on your CV that you send to the school? Or at least to wing it into your SOP?

What type of toefl are u taking- is it the iBT? because when i took the toefl it was the cbt and u got ur score immediately. I think they just recently introduced the ibt so i dont know how long the scores take.

wow, i am impressed you are an early starter.

Are you applying for this fall or this coming january. Submitting it on the third week of october is good. Usually lazy people like me would not start applications until december 15 earliest

I am convinced if you give the best 9ja guys the opportunity you and the asians ve, they wud outperform your bunch, Appreciate and encourage your fellow 9jrians like you did stimes in "Preparing for GRE" thread, and 9ja wud be better off.

True but its going to be hard convincing graduate admission officers about that. Also as I said there are other Nigerians getting 790 who have never left Nigeria b4. Nigeria is a big country and there are people from Unilag, UI, OAU, Nsukka all wanting to go and study abroad to do pet engineering too I am sure. Always think in terms of competition. There are lots of brilliant people around

I grew up and lived in Nigeria for most of my life. Infact I am prolly more Nigerian than the average Nigerian. You should see me catching bus to Oshodi

Anyways, I pointed out that Engineers should be able to get close to a perfect score. The reason is that I assume that all engineers have at least up to differential equations compared to other people from less mathematical backgrounds. Engineers tend to be better at math than the average person. The next group of very quantitative and analytical people would be those with a pure science or economics. The mathematics in GRE should be less difficult for them. Also Nigerians use calculators less frequently than Americans- I can do complex equations in my head without blinking due to my Nigerian upbringing (I no get money to buy calculator in secondary school ), which gives an advantage in the GRE compared to those overdependent on calculators.

davidylan:
i got a 790 and i barely studied for it. The trick is to understand that the QA is less a test of your math skills as much as how fast you can think. Golden rule i was taught - if you find yourself worrying about a ques for more than 1 min or having to conjure serious math eqns then your chances that u're wrong is close to 95%. Remember, even art students take the same QA too.

Yes, its more about how fast you can work through simple arithmetic/algebra. Usually very calm and calculated people do better than nervous jittery people.

Personally, I think schooling in Nigeria prepares you for math exams abroad. However, I understand the environment is just terrible- NEPA/PHCN taking light, reading with candle, lack of adequate materials. I apologize if I came off as condescending. Sometimes I have to be blunt considering how expensive it is to apply to universities abroad. It sucks to get disappointed after putting so much work. However, I do know Nigerians from Unilag who have done quite well. Also, graduate schools expect you to get close to 800 and they sadly do not consider Nigerian factor.

By the way you guys should check: www.thegradcafe.com

You can see the profiles of previous engineers and what they scored on their GRE and what schools they applied to.

I would go as far and say that Chinua Achebe is the greatest African author of all time.

no he is not

LOL, ok sha. Let me not talk

A typical engineer should score a 790 Q at least. thats like a 92%. 8% of the people get a perfect score. Its just simple arithmetic guys for cryiing out loud. Asians sleep and get 790. Even oyibo people study for one day and get 790.

well all of u ur papa and mama shuld have worked had to be rich instead of being jealous of people whose parents worked hard to make their lives comfortable. Yes he/she has the right to lecture people from the social class he comes from. He/She is not talking to the poor/ lower middle class people.

Good article and so true. Lots of spoilt rich Nigerians.

Justwise double supported

Actually that was a rather clever point. There is no need for you to apologize to anyone for it.
What such a thing does is to establish a research tradition and culture within a family. It is no coincidence really that the top international scientific researchers tend to come from families with a very strong academic and research tradition.

there is a difference between a rich elite and a well educated elite. Yes in western nations a significant number of researchers are from elite families in academia. Its even common in Nigeria sef. But if you are expecting the children of babangida to be lab rats in a research lab when they can be yachting about with Nigeria's money then that's not happening.

Old boy, as an undergraduate, dont just generalize, rather make statements based on empirical observations or at least backed up with facts and figures. Shocked Embarrassed
In the first place it shouldn't be forgotten that the Indians are excellent at marketing themselves, and also are very good at networking in and amongst themselves.
Their getting top jobs is not just based on their paper qualifications per se

Erm . . . you are just repeating what I said in just a different way. You need qualifications to market yourself. Success of indians/asians in several industries is based on having the skills that are in demand. Networking does play a role I agree- Indians are always informing each other about everything

Secondly institutional world class research is predicated on funding which enables the university or research institute to attact top quality graduate students and researchers from all over the world and buy the latest equipment. It is this very generous funding which enables institutes like Princeton and Havard to lead the world in scientific research. That is not going to change anytime soon regardless of how much some here may moan about it.

This discussion is about the impact of education on developing Nigerians ability to conduct quality research. FYI, A significant amount of research does not happen in the US. Japan, Israel, South Africa, UK, Australia, China all have produced world leading research. The question is why Nigeria cannot produce such high level research or something innovative. I personally believe it has more to do with our environment and lack of funding (which is a byproduct of the environment). I had previously mentioned that research funding is not available to nigerian professors/researchers in nigeria which impedes any type of top-level research. Another problem is that there are even no ties between research institute/academia and the nigerian industry.

For example despite Nigeria being a major oil producer, its very unlikely that Exxonmobil will commission Nigerian Universities to engage in research which could help reduce oil spills or maybe creating renewable energy. Unilever will not commission the chemical engineering department of the university of ibadan to create an enzyme which could efficiently food production. This is because our institution and the people running them have not focused on driving development through research. A lot of Nigerian professors have lamented the lack of funding in Nigerian institutions. This lends credence to the assertion that some want to do research like their peers abroad but are hindered by funds.

Ogundipe, 19, turned around and confronted the suspects but the suspects began punching him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Thats where the problem started, instead of running as fast as he can to avoid trouble.

PhysicsQED:
lol, I knew this guy (davidif) was a hypocrite,


MBA? Nonsense, those people rarely ever innovate, they merely profit,

You sure?

I was one of the people singing the praises of MBA too. However not because it helps us innovate but its a way for Nigerians to enter top level positions in the United States and participate in the international market abroad. I think davidif tries to make us aware that while Indians and the Chinese are getting access to a significant number of top jobs based on gaining significant skills through attending impressive schools and self-learning, we spend our time doing exactly . . . . nothing. Nigerians are virtually absent in research institutions- the ones who are present did not live in nigeria significantly and most have their PhDs abroad. There are no homegrown innovators- its not about studying at a certain western university but studying at Unilag and crate world class research

see the useless list sef- nigeria has not produced any woman of repute- kedu?

kai na joblessness dey kill me oh, I did not expect u to take it seriously but since I have started derailing the thread- one of my bad habits- i might as well finish it  

[3] socrates was sentenced to death for challenging the norms!!!!! i don't know what you mean by his activities were "heavily encouraged" FAR FAR FROM IT.
[1]even darwin was NOT encouraged. his father wanted him to become a doctor or something like that. but instead he took a vacation to study birds.

[2] the reason socrates  was able to devote time to being a philosopher was because he inherited a lot of money from his father!!!! before he striked it rich, he worked as a mason to support his wife and 3 kids.

plz do your research before posting. thanks

1. I did my research- There is no verified primary source which indicates what socrates did to earn income. Like most of Roman historical figures, the life of Socrates is derived from older classical texts. Most people writing about socrates have never met him before. Same problem with the New testament Gospels day but thats a discussion for another. Consequently statement [2] is not even factually true . Socrates father was a stone mason by the way so if you claim that Socrates inherited a lot of money from his father (who was a stone mason) while claiming Socrates supported his family as a stone mason . . .something here is wrong (I hope you see it)

2. When I said his activity was encouraged, I meant his preoccupation with philosophy. Philosophy was considered a noteworthy field to study in Rome.  So yes his work was encouraged and he was respected. Only when he started to criticize the moral ethos of his society as well as getting involved in politics. So yes he got into trouble for challenging the norms, but challenging the norms wasnt what made him famous and well respected.  

3. With respect to Darwin, the same thing applies- his society encouraged scientific thought and rewarded it accordingly. Because your parents disagree with your choices dont mean that you are being hindered. If Darwin published his book in Nigeria no one will buy one copy. Darwin will have to migrate to America like chiamanda adichie to find someone who appreciates his work.

In short I am t alking of social constraints as opposed to individual or exceptional cases like s that of socrate

Nigerians whining as usual. 

Anyways Olu maintain has a saying  "Awon kan wa aiye wa sise (Chinese/Indians), Awon kan wa aiye wa j'aiye (Nigerians )

Anyhoo davidif they have asked you yourself- where is your own highly cited paper in nature or science. As Gandhi said "Be the change you want to see in this world"

No mind me oo, but seriously I partially agree with davidif in a way- Africans/blacks are so underrepresented in the sciences. Sometimes black history month dey vex me with their make believe inventors but I dont want to say anything so that I dont offend anyone. Next time I see emeagwali's name or that guy that made god almight formula, I will shoot someone.

I also think that slavery in the US must have contributed to the innovation. the americans had slaves doing the labor so they had more free time to pursue their interests etc. many industrial innovations came at around the same time in the 18th century if you notice. this period also had a high number of slaves
if i had a slave who made my living for me, heck i'll have all the spare time in the world to come up with an invention. lol i won't have to worry about food etc.

This is b.u.l.l.Poo. African-Americans always make this claim a lot. Slavery did not contribute to any innovation. Slavery was abolished before the Second industrial age in which America grew its fastest- America just started to show its face significantly in the international era after Great Britain got their arse whipped by their German neighbors. While Britain was busy fighting world war their richest colonies were breeding independence movements. Moreover, the industrial revolution started in the late 18th century in Britain and emerged in the later in the 19th century in America. A more compelling point is that slavery slowed down industrial progress in the United States since slaves were available to do manual labor and their was no need to invent elaborate machinery. Britain had long abolished slavery while their brothers in America were just beginning to enjoy the benefits of slavery.

Infact, a significant amount of nobel laureates were won by eastern Europeans and Ashkenazi jews. Infact if you dig deep into all these nobel laureates affiliated to the US and Western Europe you will find interesting data on the origin of the people.

darwin for example was encouraged by his father to become a professional. instead, he went off to some island to study birds!!!! that would seem very ridiculous and useless to anybody. but the result of his work has changed the world we live in today. darwin came from a rich family. most people in naija don't so the chances of them doing what darwin did is very slim.
Also, did you think  aristotle and socrates or plato were making money from their books? most likely not. although their works eventually became foundation for how many developed countries their governments etc. and contributed to civilization

This is intrinsically flawed on three levels: a nonparallel comparison, inherent anachronism, and cultural differences.  For one social science/humanities ideas are not in the same league as hard science research (Which lets be honest requires more IQ and more research time as well as resources)  . Infact social science/humanities ideas cannot be disproved- who can argue or prove the body of work of any philosopher? Secondly, Darwin's work was basic science research and observation (I admit though quite a feat in his time) and Aristotle/Plato/Socrates might have laid the foundation of philosophy but their work has been consistently challenged by modern philosophers. Current day research is more high-level- Nigeria does not even have the research grants to fund any high level research. Infact Nigeria has no well organized research funding organization that disburses grants to professors in Nigerian Universities. They even have this in Kenya- please and we call ourselves the giant of africa . The third problem is that Socrates, Darwin and co lived in societies where their activities were heavily encouraged. As previously pointed out, except you want to starve in Nigeria- you have to go out and hustle. Rich kids likely do not have the brain power to do some of these research. I can count how many rich Nigerians I know at Imperial College and Oxford for example. Sadly, I do not expect much from them, but more from those poor people who hustled to get abroad.


Carry on though interesting debate. Ajanlekoko always argues his points clearly.

^ He means 80% of Africans in chinese prisons are nigerians. Probably true

Wow all because of poor mr clark

I agree, most Nigerians are not aware of how good TU Delft is. Its one of the best Technical Universities in the world and oil companies would probably be rushing u. Dont forget us when u make that money ooo

What are the requirements for their scholarships? Put it here so that everyone can know. Also how long does it take to get the scholarship

LOL please be serious, u definitely dont think I am those people. I keep saying i dont make fake usernames. Anyways cya, got work to do.

wow all my firends are still here: Ezeuche, dede lol so much temptation

The chick has a fine face sha

At this age she should be partying, and reading love letters

yeah definitely.

This is very true- the best international students would end up in the US and they would trounce the average US student based on having taken the most rigorous course. At undergrad its even more competitive. In my former secondary school, I remembered two of the past best students who got 9A1 (straight As in WAEC) went to Washington University and Notre Dame based on scholarship and got rejected at several top universities. They would be better than the average WUSTl and ND student but they are not representative of the typical Nigerian student are they?

the US typically takes the best international students making sure they are close to top of their class, then take average domestic admits. Infact routinely in programs such as science, engineering and economics- American PhDs routinely lower standards to take domestic students because of a lack of qualified applicants. They are selecting the cream of the crop- not just best chinese but best everything.

I still hate it though that people assume the chinese are the only smart ethnic group.

According to a British-Australian economics Phd candidate that I’ve been talking to at Peking University (China’s equivalent of Oxbridge) all the really top students want to go the US to study. And they wouldn’t be seen dead in the UK.

For the very top Chinese students, who have succeeded in the toughest and most elitist selection programme in the world, to go to a British or Australian university, is she adds damningly, to “throw out the very elitism their genius had helped them attain.”

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peterfoster/100050574/why-british-universities-dont-attract-chinas-best/

And this is not just limited to Peking but several other institutions that u have stated such as Fudan, Dalian e.t.c

manny4life is correct- be careful how you exhibit your homophobic activities and to whom lol

hmm

@ Sefago, et al. What do you guys think about Oklahoma State University, Stillwater? I'm trying to get some sort of funding but it still baffles me I was admitted for a doctoral program without any form of funding.

Most of my knowledge of schools is based on the Northeast and West Coast - remember the US is a huge country, but I know Oklahoma and Louisiana are great places for the oil industry so it would make sense that they would be great for petroleum engineering. However very few state schools offer TA or RA to international students. I havent heard of anyone getting into a doctoral program without funding and I would not encourage anyone to pay for a PhD but . . . if thats what you want to do then . . . but what are your other options?

netotse:
@kommentator
like consultant said, admission isn't based solely on your undergrad CGPA, though it's an important factor(not all of us were serious in uni now ) you personal statement and your GRE scores play a part, also, a bit of work experience in your chosen field should help. . . I'd recommend you apply early, and widen the range of schools you want to go to the top schools can be finicky abt your CGPA, but those aren't the only good schools in the world now are they?. . .

Yeah true. Actually the most important factors has always been recommendations/ how prestigious your undergraduate is (prestige according to professors lol which tends to be weird) and research for people who did their undergrad in the US. For people who studied in the UK or Nigeria they would usually use your GPA/Class and GRE since research is not overly encouraged at the undergraduate level. Their assumption is that high aptitude equals to good research skills.

On the other hand, it makes perfect sense to think that if the school is located in an environment where all the recruitment action is taking place, the graduates will surely benefit because of the networks the school would have built with the industry. This is true for the Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alaska, Oklahoma and Califonia schools. The best is to get a school that has both qualities (UT, Texas A&M and Stanford top the list).

Brilliant and correct. Usually the best engineering schools have always been located in areas where there is significant engineering activity due to ties with industry. Areas like California have the best engineering schools in the world- USC, Caltech, Berkeley and Stanford. Texas has Austin, TAMU and Rice. Michigan which revolutionized the automobile industry has Umich which is great for mechanical.

@ kommentator

Why exactly do you want to do a masters in that subject- like whats your ultimate goal after having a degree in that field?