₦airaland Forum

seunnuga:
Hello house, please do I need to liquidate my Stanbic mutual funds before using it as a POF OR I can just get a letter from the bank stating i have access to the funds anytime i need it...

If it happens I have to liquidate, does that have to be 6 months before I apply for the visa?

Thanks in advance.

If that fund would be needed as a proof of funding for whatever school you're admitted to, then you would need to liquidate it.

However, if you need it as a proof/source of funding when going for your visa interview, then you need to liquidate it few months (1 -2) before your interview.

By the way, this name sounds familiar. Did you attend Unilag (class of 2013/2014)?

kfrosh:
But wait O, the ranking of CMU I just checked on Google now is a top ranked school if I'm not mistaken. Let's be careful of the advise we give out here.

Lol.... Looking at his previous post, he is referring to California Miramar University. I'm sorry I wasn't explicit enough. The other CMU - Carnegie Mellon University is a top ranked school

fabyom:
My in law visa was delayed, August 9
According to him. Here is the transcript.

V.o is a young guy in his late 20's

V o: good morning
Him: morning, so nervous because all the 4 guys in front of him were rejected by the v.o.

Before he left I told him that he should take charge and draw the v.o to his strong points.
Which was that he did is undergraduate study in Malaysia.

V.o: tell me about your program.
Him. My program is abt MBA in Intl. Biz at Cmu which is a continuation of my undergraduate degree in Malaysia.

Knock out punch
V.o: looked up, you schooled in Malaysia
Him: yes I did.

V.o: which school
Him: mentioned it

V.o: is it in the largest city in Malaysia
Him: No, it is not. The place is called Perlis

V.o: proofing to be smart. Kuala Lumpur, you said?
Him: No, it is in Perlis.

V.o: when did you graduated.
Him: last year

V o: what year
Him : Oct 29 2017

V.o: when did you come back
Him: April 2018.

all this while the v.o was nodding to his answers and typing vigorously.

V.o: is it a private or state government university
Him: a state owned

V.o; alright! Who is your sponsor.
Him: my mum

V.o: what does she do
Him: An entrepreneur she deals in real estate and.

V.o: cut him and next was blue paper.

Reason. It was written that he has no ties in Nigeria 241b or smtn. But he was not asked any question along that line. His school will resume on the 13 October. Will he need to defer or what.

Your inlaw got rejected because of the school he applied to. The rate at which applicants who apply to such one storey schools like CMU, VIU etc get rejected is high. Tell your inlaw to apply to a better school if his intent is to study.

Orlaboday:
I have been a silent follower of this great platform and I had my interview on Saturday 4th August, 2018. I believe it’s only right for me to give back to prospective students/F1 visa applicants.

I got to Walter Carlington at 7:30am, interview time was meant to be for 9:30am (I had to arrive that early because I get paranoid when I’m running late or have to rush).
My siblings had to park far away from the embassy and as I had to wait another 2hrs+ before the interview time, I felt tensed because of the long wait and as I sensed it was about to get to me, I had to walk around the parking area and squat a bit just to get the tension off me and to also get myself ready and confident.
Left the park for the embassy at 9:00am and on getting to the embassy, to my surprise applicants for 9:30am have been passed in. My head was about to spin again but fortunately the man who was in charge came out and said all those with appointment time 7:30am to 10:30am should line up and we were gradually passed in.

We had to do the normal documentation and verification process and then the long wait again under the pavilion. Eventually, we got going and it was time to go to the main building for the interview proper.

It was a big crowd as the hall was crowded to its brim. I was passed to a black lady who requested for my I-20 and Passport, returned it back after some minutes and I was directed to go for the fingerprint.
Afterwards, I had to join a waiting queue to be directed to the different VOs/windows.

I was eventually directed to window 6, a white young lady.

VO - Good morning
Me - Good morning!
VO - Pass your passport and your I-20
Me - I did as told
VO - Where are you going to?
Me - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a Masters in History and a major in African History
VO - How many schools did you apply to?
Me - 4 schools. In addition to SIUe, I applied to Illinois State University, Cleveland State University and Wright State University
VO - How many admits?
Me - I got admitted to all except Wright State University
VO - So tell me what you know about SIUe
Me - This kind of caught me by surprise but I responded quickly by saying SIUe is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and it was established in 1957 as a sister University to Southern Illinois University Carbondale
VO - That’s okay! So why did you choose SIUe?
Me - I chose SIUe because the History Department has done more research on the civilizations in Africa than the other schools and this is also my area of research interest. In addition, I was offered a full tuition waiver and a graduate assistantship
VO - What would your research be about?
Me - The influence of the Bantu civilization and migration on other African states
VO - Oh interesting! I know a little about the Bantu civilization. So how much research have you done on it?
Me - I haven’t done much research on it, I however have the advantage of working with professors who have done extensive research on the civilizations in Africa
VO - I see you have an assistantship as well. What will you be doing as a GA?
Me - I will assist a professor in taking an undergraduate class. I will also be in charge of grading papers and assignments and some other office duties that will be assigned to me when I get to Edwardsville
VO - You said you worked as a research assistant in Helsinki. What was it about?
Me - It was a EU-funded project aimed at understanding the difficulties highly educated immigrants face in getting jobs in their expertise in Finland
VO - Did you study in Finland as well?
Me - Yes (wrong answer - so I corrected myself) I told her no I didn’t study in Finland. I however studied in a neighboring country to Finland
VO - So who paid for your education there?
Me - My Dad but (I said something worthless afterwards)
VO - Are you married?
Me - No, I am not!
VO - Kids?
Me - No, I don’t have any kids
VO - Okay (while stretching her hand to get the white paper) So you will get your passport at this location (she circled it) in 3/4 working days. Ensure you take your I-20 with you as you’ll be requested to show it at the POE
Me - Thank you
VO - Do have a nice day!

Profile:
BA - History & International Studies (2:1)
MA - International Relations & European-Asian Studies
IELTS - 7.5
I got full funding to SIUe and partial funding to Illinois State University
Travel History - I have lived in Europe for the past 5yrs and still have a valid residence permit. I have also traveled to Egypt, the UK, Ireland, Sweden (I am not sure how much of this counted)

I had a 14hr flight from Helsinki to Lagos on the 2nd-3rd August, a day to my interview and I didn’t get a proper sleep (anxiety coupled with the jetlag)

Big shout out and thanks to @Shayhune✌��� and to everyone who has contributed positively on this page!

Patrick2go:
Please documents like undergrad cert, toefl,gre his he to present originals or photocopies? Thank you.

Everything must be original

Patrick2go:
Hello good people,
Please treat as urgent.
My buddy is scheduled for an F1 interview tomorrow...please advice.... what documents should be carried along? Also, he wants to staple his documents...should he go ahead considering the issue against being in possession of metallic objects?
Thanks.

Documents he needs:
Original statement of account, scholarship/graduate assistantship letter(if applicable), admission letter, undergrad certificate, GRE and toefl results(if applicable), two passport photographs, i20, SEVIS payment receipt, GTB payment slip, DS160, appointment confirmation slip, international passport.

He shouldn't staple any document. Tell him to also avoid those touts at the gate who will want to convince him otherwise. I wish him all the best.

Francolisa65:
I tried to highlight the needed info. The things I wrote 'told him' are personal and not necessary.
Thanks

I'm sorry but this is absolute nonsense. Why post your transcript when you know you have personal stuffs which you deem not necessary for others. Is it by force to post your interview transcript? If everyone stated "told him" as their responses, do you think this thread would still be active till date. Now, tell me who your cryptic transcript helped. Nonsense

bee17:
hello my people in the house, got denied on 13th June 7am interview.
transcript goes thus;.
(tried to greet her first, but she did before I could do DAT)
VO: Good morning
me: Good morning ma(with a great smile)
VO: ur passport and i20 pls?
me: I gave it to her
VO: (typed for some minutes) why accounting?
me: accounting has been my dream course, and also d act of keeping record of transactions, with this I can work in any organizations profit or non profit making organization.
VO: why NAU?
me: i chose NAU because the school teaches more deeply in accounting and also its like a home for every international students because it offers some self support services like scholarship opportunities, sport facilities and also the climatic condition is good enough to adapt to the system easily.
VO: (typed for some minutes again, later handed the d blue paper) sorry, but you can reapply.

kindly point out my errors here, I need to know what went wrong in my transcript, cos I want to know if I should refire or not.(confused)

thanks and God bless you all.

@bolded. Your responses sounded shallow. You need to work on them. A lot of schools in the US offer financial support to international students, so that response does not add up. You need to align your responses to what makes the school and your major distinct. Go to your school's website as well as your dept's page and read up what makes them peculiar.

Also, which school is NAU? Is it Nnamdi Azikiwe University ...Just kidding but your school's profile also matters.

OluDare01:
You can check progressive too

Okay, thank you!

imperiouxx:
I live in an accident prone city and Geico seems cheap for me. Where you live, your age, martial status, age of license, driving record, how much you drive, car safety system, all determine what you pay.

It's Bowling Green, Ohio. It's a small college town and it's not accident prone. I'll check Geico. Thank you!

Bosses in this house, please which car insurance is the cheapest to get here in the US as a student?

cc imperiouxx, walspring, twoods, femi312, oludare01, lagosismyhome, theamerican, folmus and other bosses .

femi312:
You might be asked for SOA and you might not be asked. However,If you are planning to do what I am thinking, DONT!

reDazey:
My Visa was approved today at Abuja Embassy.
My transcript goes like this:
VO: Good morning, can I have your passport and I-20?
Me: Good morning(with a smile). I gave her.
VO: You are going for a Ph.D. at the College of William and Mary?
Me: Yes
VO: What course?
Me: Computer Science
VO: Are you married? Do you have kids?
Me: No, I am not married. I have no kids.
VO: Do you have any relative in the US?
Me: No
VO: What do you do?
Me: I am a network security administrator at bleep company.
VO: Your visa has been approved. She gave me my I-20, a white A4 paper with all information on where to pick my passport. And another small white paper with reminders I should note before I travel to the US. I walked out cheerfully.

Thanks to all my fam on the GRE thread, you guys are terrific. And to those helping folks with information here, thank you so much. I learned so much searching for answers from past threads.

To all those going with VIU, please reconsider. I witnessed a guy being queried with his VIU admission. He answered all questions confidently. However, if you were there, you would observe that the VO would not give the VIU guy the visa. Please be wise. If you like, you can contradict my opinion, I won't reply. Thank you all.

Congrats reDazey

theamerican:
This thread was created to help prospective students who want to come to the U.S., and I believe questions should be asked here. Stop sending me PMs if you know what you wanna discuss is something that can be asked here or if you just wanna waste my time.

I have been getting requests for financial assistance. It's now from more than 3 people. Please STOP! If you need help with money, and you already know you can't post it here, don't ask me.

If you want to know the true meaning of plus-size/obese ladies, come to the US of A. In particular, come to the Midwest region



Modified: OP/Mod, you simply deceived us to read this article by using a different captivating title. Indeed, you're the true emblem of this Buhari-led government.

Daslimo:
How will I know I've been banned? Will i get a mail?
Any clues?

Why are you so concerned about this ban ? As long as you didn't use 'Oluwole', then you shouldn't be asking such question. However, if you have some 'cockroaches in your cupboard', you'll definitely be notified by mail to come pick up your passport/love letter. Hopefully, you don't get arrested(if and only if you used a fake SOA).

reDazey:
My Second Experience
I will start by congratulating everyone who has an admission. It is truly an arduous journey. More congratulations to those with funding and all the best to those still awaiting funding. I must add that it is not over till you hear from all your schools. Last year, I can recall a close friend who got an admit with full funding in May. Hope still dey!

I want to encourage someone here today with my story. Never give up on yourself and your dreams. When you plan to retry, find out the actions that failed you and learn to change your strategy for success. Finally, keep trying if you believe so much in a vision till you achieve it.

This is the period where most of us sit and wait with bated breath, hoping and praying that our admission with some sort of financial funding drops into our mailbox. I pray everyone gets their heart desires.

Last year, I was in a similar position. I felt dejected, some of us can relate to this emotion. Lots of admissions with no funding. I applied to combinations of (MSc and Ph.D.) in Statistics/Maths. Got some rejections and some acceptances( without funding). It was a terrible blow because I felt I had a good profile. (GPA 3.6/4(WES), GRE 318, TOEFL 109). However, I learned some important lessons. It is not always about one aspect of your profile. LORs and SOPs are very important.

Having been out of school for a while and working in an IT-intensive organization; I overlooked my IT skills which were going to be advantageous. I got some advice from several persons, I selected the ones I felt will work for me and dropped the rest. So for Fall 2018, I restrategized, applied to CS programs. Also, I realized I did not take some risk on my former school list (Sirriddy and Scholastica16 encouraged me to aim higher).

So this year, I reapplied to 5 Ph.D. programs
1. The University of Massachusetts, Amherst (pending)
2. The University of Utah (rejected)
3. Kansas State University(accepted with full funding)
4. The University of Alabama (accepted, no funding. I did not bother to ask for any.)
5. College of William and Mary(accepted with full funding, being considered for fellowship)

Also, to "avoid stories that touch", I applied to Georgia Southern (MSc Mathematics and I was accepted with a funded GTA position)

I thank God for the courage to try one more time and I pray that everyone finds a reason to believe in themselves and keep pushing.

Special thanks to the extraordinary persons that supported me throughout this journey; Sirriddy(you are just too much), divabiola, jaybiz007, Scholastica16, MsNas, dramaka). Thank you guys for being more than friends.

Congrats reDazey. I'm so excited to read this.

Sliding into your DM....

Nairaland house of commotion. Such a nice way to laugh off the stress that comes with studying in the US. LMAO

Scholastica16, i dey feel your "very comprehensible" English. Ride on bro.

reDazey:
Oga femi321, why deactivate your account? With all the priceless information attached to your moniker, how do I find them now ?

I think his new moniker is femi312; not sure though.

reDazey:
Cc jaybiz007

reDazey, I sight you

Hi folks,

Is there anyone up at the University of Cincinnati. A friend of mine who just admitted there needs help with getting accommodation. Kindly signify by quoting me or shoot me a pm if you can be of help. Thanks

smltemitope89:
Please what about faculty of Engineering Technology?

I really can't say much about the College of Engineering Technology but generally, STEM programs are well funded than non-STEM programs but it's always competitive because of these Indians and co. with terrific grades.

damzy88:
Are there opportunities for funding for Masters in Business Analytics?

The College of Business at BGSU (Masters in Business Analytics inclusive) is generally stingy with funding. They mostly give partial scholarships and GAs to international students (I'll call it crumbs because it's really small and can't offset your huge bills)

smltemitope89:
Please is there anyone here who is presently studying at Bowling Green State University or knows someone i can contact there who is a student. Your response is Will be highly appreciated. Thanks

What do you want to know? Please don't send me a pm, I may not be able to respond in time. Kindly ask your questions here and I'll respond adequately.

Please is there anyone in need of naira? I have some naira and need to exchange them for dollars ASAP (preferably anyone in the US). Thanks.

LagosismyHome:
Justwise ..... the post by Remily is resulting in a ban once you reply and then the comments are hidden . ... is there a reason why

though I enjoyed my double ban

Don't mind Justwise. Someone said he don die when VO said his school is on a stripper's club and I gave a comment that his exclamation to that remark from the VO got me laughing (in fact, I'm presently laughing out loud as I'm typing sef ). Remily asked for the next shot and I told him that the next shot is to apply to a better school, not one on stripper's club. Next thing, I can't find my comment again.

Remily:
A silent follower on this platform. Visa denied at 6:30am, 6 February, 2018.

V.O -Good morning
Me-Good morning
V.o-pass me your passport and i-20
V.o- where are you going in the US
Me- Stanton University, Garden Grove, CARLIFORNIA
V.o-How is it possible that the school's tuition will be below 3k dols.
Me- That's the tuition the school charges and I believe it's because its non-for profit institution.
V.o- Are you sure this is a real school?
Me- Yes I am. The school is Authorized by the BPPE.
V.o - She killed my moral. The school is situated on a strippers club!
me- Ewo! I don die.
V.o- Started typing and prolly searching for information about
V.o- Did you apply to any other school
Me- Yes. Lincoln University
V.o- And you picked Stanton over Lincoln?
Me- Yes. I had a first recommendation about Stanton.
v.o- sorry, i cant approve your visa.
Me- Choi! Thank you o


So gurus, what should be my next shot abeg? I just fall a victim sha

I'm sorry I don't have much to say but @bolded really got me laughing.

Your next shot should be: apply to a better school, not one on a stripper's club

Adeish:
Hello here .... I'm confused if i can pay the school tution fees before interview is there a chance of getting the white paper after paying the full tuition fee to the school

Paying the school's tuition before the interview isn't a factor in getting the white paper. In fact, I won't advise you to try that because it's not a wise move. What if you get delayed? Rather, prepare well for your interview and go get the white paper.

Ishilove:
So life in Nigeria doesn't get busy, abi?

Lol. Na body go tell you when you come in. Sometimes, I wish I had more than 24hrs in a day

@HOYINDARMORLAR. Kunle(akins2016) said you should resend him a PM. I guess it's related to your inquiries about BGSU.

cabayes:
Dead zone. Do not go there unless you are financially capable.

And where in the US must you not be financially capable

Dead zone: Is it the same Ohio that I'm in?

Abimmbolar:
Hello house,So I reached USA on sunday morning and I thought to share my travel/POE experience.
Left nigeria on 29th on Qatar airways with a 2hrs stopover at Doha.Qatar was great with the flight hospitality and there was soooo much to eat and movies too.At a point,I skipped my meal pack and just said I was fine...make I no go constipate.
Fast forward to JFK POE ....it was a smooth experience,especially after I have read of somany scary experience on here.Got to the officer and he asked wat course I studied in ug..told him.and mentioned wat I will be studying for msc too.He was like cool,looked thru my i-20 probably for my sevis and then took fingerprints and then I got stamped.Customs was so smooth too,my box was not opened and the officers were all nice,although I declared all I had in the form.
My stay at Ny was mind blowing...stayed at queens and visited brooklyn and few days later,I left for missouri(sch).
My advice..pls dont pack toomuch load like me ooo.I escaped paying for extra luggage on qatar but for local flight here,luggage is damn expensive. I paid an extra $60 for extra luggage at the airport after paying $94 for bags when booking my flight,seat fare gaan was only $84.Dont be like me,pack just wats needed.
So far,U.S has been an awesome experience for me since I neva travelled out of the country before.I'm thrilled with the level of advancement,security and quality of life.I wee not say anything abt Murtala mohammed international airport until you people sees Hammad airport(Doha) and luguardia airport that is supposed to be a local airport here.
To all others coming on this journey...Safe trip and best of luck.

I had to pay $75 because my luggage weighed beyond 50lb(SouthWest Airlines). This was after I had purchased a new luggage for $70 at Laguardia Airport because the previous one got destroyed while in transit. I couldn't cry .