₦airaland Forum

Next2Bezee:
Good Evening, House

I have a quick question: is it advisable to pay a deposit to the uni before visa interview? I am still in the application process, and my university has informed me that it has no issues receiving deposit before resumption (and it's refund system is okay).

I have no issues with finances, and my mother is my sponsor, but I do not have a GA or Scholarship offer. I am worried that this will put the V.O off.; that's why I am thinking of paying a deposit, to show my intention to really study.

Hello,

Paying deposit towards your tuition won't increase your chances of getting visa so in my opinion there's no need for you to pay

Second if you don't get the visa and you request for refund, you won't get all your money back as some of it will be used as administrative costs to process the refund. A Canadian school did it to my brother

Deegayes:
I recently changed my look, i cut my hair for some reasons while i had really long hair when i filled my DS 160 form. Do i take another set of passport photographs with my current look when going to the embassy for my interview or use the old passport and wear a wig for the interview. i'm confused. The old passport doesn't really look like me though, i think i was really stressed out that day.

There is no problem getting new passport photographs if it won't cost you much. During my time, I used a 3 year old picture for my DS160 so I don't think new look or old look really matters.
I've seen people that don't resemble the picture on their international passport, yet they still travel everywhere with the passport

adurajoseph:
Hello everyone, Please I would appreciate your opinions on my query.

I plan on doing my master’s in Business Analytics in America or Canada next year and I need some advice on schools or advice in general.

I have not been so good at school as I came out with a second class lower in economics, Statistics is not really a problem for me and I have some passion for programming as I am self-taught in python and JavaScript which is why I looked towards data science majorly because of the machine learning and some attractive things that are taught with the program that I am personally interested in.

I also do not have a lot of working experience, after graduation, I have just done my NYSC and currently working on my business, I would need some advice on some schools to look at, what I should have before applying and the rest. Please be brutally honest with your replies.

I have done some searching on my own and, I have found a moderate school (M.S. in Business Analytics at Oklahoma State University) their requirements are not too high and based on their courses, its something I am very interested in learning.
funding isn't really a problem although anything around 10-15k a year would be good. Thank you

cc sheke01, bracelum, BigFrancis21, shayhune, lagosismyhome, fairheart, and any other person that has insides into this. Thank you.

Firstly, am against doing the stand alone business analytics program. It's better as an international student to do a jack of all trades "management information systems with concentration in business analytics" or "information systems with similar concentration", than to do a stand alone business analytics. Business analytics is all about providing solution to business by analysing data. One, you are foreign and employers know you barely know the business terrain, so why limit your career options.

Secondly, forget about your prior grades as it would only count as much as you want it to. My mechanical engineering degree has no bearing on what I do now, so whatever grades I had then, means nothing. Good a thing you have passion in statistics, programming etc. If you don't know SQL, go and learn it too. It would come in handy as you step into the data world.

I doubt if your 10k - 15k a year budget is realistic o, as business schools pay higher tuition compared to other faculties. And funding is hard to come by too as this field is seen as a "cash cow" which school use to make money. They are all taking advantage of the hype surrounding data and analytics and are creating all sorts of courses with data, analytics.

I don't know any school to recommend for you as I don't know your pocket. Trust me, you would want to do this school search yourself.

Forget about your non existent job experience. You can always start from scratch. Look onto the bright side. On the other hand, you have a lot of work ahead of you and thousand of dollars to spend on tuition. Be prepared.

blacbard:
Folks planning to apply towards 2020 may find this useful

University of Texas-Austin Greatly Expands Its Free Tuition Program Assisting Low and Middle-Income Students

via TIME https://ift.tt/2S64VjN

It's only for Texas residents which I believe no prospective applicant on this thread will qualify for

juliouze:
This is my proposed transcript, please help a brother out, interview is on Monday ejor ooo.
Any form of correction or abuse is highly needed lol ( PS pardon my grammatical semantics, they're not good enough and possibly typographical errors as well ) plus any form of mock interview will be highly appreciated. Please I'm begging ni oo.
• Why are you going to the US?
==>I’M GOING TO THE U.S FOR MY MASTER’S DEGREE IN STATISTICS

• What will you specialize in for your degree?
==>BUSNINESS ANAYSIS

• What will be your major?
==>STATISTICS

• Who is your current employer? What do you do?
==>I CURRENTLY WORK with U.B.A AS JUNIOR DATA ANALYST; I INTERPRETE DATA WITH DATA VISUALIZATION USING VARIOUS TOOLS LIKE EXCEL, POWERBI, TABLEAU AND GIVE REPORTS FOR DECISION MAKING.

• Why are you planning to continue your education?
==>I’VE ALWAYS LOVE TO WORK WITH DATA, WHICH MADE ME TO OBTAIN MY BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN STATISTICS, TO BE THE BEST DATA ANALYST, ONE HAVE TO IMPROVE HIS KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ON Latest TECHNOLOGIES AROUND THE WORLD, THIS DEGREE IN THE U.S WILL GIVE ME SUCH OPPORTUNITY.

• Can you not continue your education in your home country? WHY U.S?
==>THE UNITED STATES IS KNOWN TO BE THE TOP COUNTRY IN TECHNOLOGY AND DATA, BIG TECH COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE, FACEBOOK AND MICROSOFT RELIES HEAVILY ON DATA, THESE MAKE STUDYING THIS COURSE IN THE U.S AHEAD OF ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, I WOULD BE EXPOSED TO MORE ADVANCE SKILLS IN DATA analysis AND I WOULD BE HAVING AN INTERNSHIP DURING MY PROGRAM, WHICH WOULD ALSO GIVE ME OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE.

• How will this study program relate to your past work or studies?
==>WORKING AS DATA ANALYST,THIS PROGRAM WILL IMPROVE MY SKILLS AND EXPOSURE TO DATA SCIENCE, I WILL BE ABLE TO LEARN MORE ON LATEST SOFTWARES THAT ARE BEING USED IN THIS FIELD. IT WILL MAKE ME BE A BETTER DATA Scientist AND I'll BE ABLE TO WORK IN ONE OF THE BIG TECH COMPANIES IN THE WORLD.

• Why this school?
==>When I tried looking up for schools that matched my profile and desired career pursuit, university of Idaho was a perfect match
• How did you know about this school?
==> I used usnews.com and Princeton review and my brother recommended the school as well

• How many Schools did you apply to
==> 3 schools, Eastern Michigan University, university of Idaho and middle state Tennessee university
• When did you graduate from University?
==> I graduated 2016
• What have you been doing?
==>I went for my compulsory Nysc program and been working with United Bank of Africa for some months now
• What do you understand by data analysis?
==>It's a process of inspecting, cleansing ,transforming and modeling data with the primary aim of discovering useful information ,making conclusion and decision making .
• Why Statistics?
==>I've had a huge zeal for problem solving for a long time,coupled with my passion for mathematics and understand how real life problems can be solved, mathematics wouldn't have given me adequate exposure to real life problems so I chose statistics instead
• What do you plan to do with this degree?
==> I intend to come back to my country and continue my job in United Bank of Africa as a senior data analyst
• How many schools did you get admitted to?
==> 2 schools
• How many schools rejected you?
==> One school
• Have you been to the US before?
==>No
• Do you know your professors at that university? What are their names?
==> Professor **** in the department of mathematics and ********
• What city is your school located in?
==> Moscow
• Did you write any standardized test?
==>Yes I wrote TOEFL,GRE wasn't required
• What was your previous GPA?
==> 3.83
• How will you manage the cultural and educational differences in the US?
==> I've been introduced to some educational and cultural groups already and I won't have problem enjoying them
• Why do you want to pursue a degree in the US?
==> Aside the exposure to practical work that I'll get, I get to see and work with great minds like professor ***** who is a Don in the use of powerbi and other tools for data analysis, I believe a degree under such great minds will give me Alot of knowledge in my career field

• Can I see your high school/college diploma?
==>Yes, there it is
• What is your monthly income?
==>******
• What is your sponsor’s annual income?
==> I don't know precisely
• How do you plan to fund the entire duration of your education?
==>mother and my uncle will be sponsoring me
• How much does your school cost?
==>About $44k
• How will you meet these expenses?
==>I've been promised a ga upon my arrival once the vacancy is open and my mother and uncle will foot the bill till I get the GA
• Who is going to sponsor your education?
==>My mother and uncle
• What is your sponsor's occupation?
==>My mother owns a private hospital (medical doctor ) and my uncle owns an IT firm in Lagos here
• How else will you cover the rest of your costs?
==>My mother,uncle and brother will assist with those
• Do you have a copy of your bank statements?
==>Yes my uncle's.
• Did you get offered a scholarship at your school?
==>I was promised schorlaship upon arrival
• Do you have relatives or friends currently in the US?
==>Yes, I have a brother
• What are your plans post-graduation?
==>I'll come back to continue my job as a senior data analyst
• Do you have a job or career in mind after you graduate
==>Yes my previous job is a good place to continue
• Do you plan on returning back to your home country?
==>Yes definitely
• What are your plans after graduation?
==>Return back to my country to continue my job
• Will you continue to work for your current employer after you graduate?
==>Definitely I will.

Just so you know, am having a hard time believing your "a promise of GA" statement. A VO would likely not believe it too and this might cast that tiny bit of doubt on your sponsor financial capacity to sponsor you. This tiny bit of doubt might lead to denial.

Questions like "why weren't you given the GA instead of being promised"? "What if the GA doesn't come, what would you do then"? will play in the mind of the VO.
You don't want to be seen as a potential "out of status" material if the GA doesn't come as planned

I'll suggest you don't mention that promise except you have adequate documentation to back up your claim.

You having multiple sponsors already cast some doubt on their sponsorship capacity

Just my opinion, am not a VO and would never be

segunbolawole:
Thanks Brov, Honestly I tot I would go into depression when I got a deny... Instead I feel rekindled.. Thanks. A lot to this thread, I will definitely go thru the link you shared.
I think my course will get funding more than pursuing masters related to my work experience.

BTW.. What do you alll think about MS Business Analytics

co

If you are after funding then MS business analytics is not a highly funded discipline. It might not even be STEM. I'll give you the advice I was given here, shoot for MS information systems in a business school. My program is IS and I'll will be doing the business analytics option and I will be receiving an extra certification in Business analytics along with my MS information systems.

The beauty about MS information systems from a business school is that it disguises as an IT degree, enveloped under STEM and fools people into thinking you have a business degree (it's a business degree per say because it's done in a business school). What better way to be a jack of all trades.

MS information systems and MS business analytics is the new cash cow for US schools. You may have to pay your full tuition. Unlike traditional MBA you will get admits into almost all schools you apply to once you meet the basic requirements, so if top 10 or ivy is your target, go for it but don't underestimate the costs or the accrued interest if you decide to tow the loan path

Hope this helps you

naijatisumi:
I'm so down right now...House please forgive my typo error

Dear All,

Please i need sincere clarification and response

Two years (2017) ago my wife travel to the STATE with an F1 visa, but when she got there she realized she was 2 month pregnant tho she was menstruating and all. Anyway she got registered in the school and became the best in her department even with the pregnancy and all school fees payment was duly paid.

In between she registered for Insurance and medicare as a student through the school to deliver our baby,doing this period she has to chill out a semester so as to have the baby as such she has a semester left but her VISA will expired next week.

Anyway i advise her to come back to Nigeria so as to renew her VISA then go back to finish the last semester and make the family proud. She schedule her interview and eventually got the white paper after enough drilling and all but the VO requested for the medical invoice which she replied she's not with the invoice. She was then told to mail it over to there office at ISOLO.

Since there was no payment made as the insurance covered for the payment we sent a mail to the hospital from Nigeria and they provided the medical invoice but stated it was all covered by ALAMEDA medical and we submitted same at DHL, to my surprise today when i went to DHL for the passport i saw a blue paper. sincerely i almost POO on my body, i read through and realised she has been denied. Sincerely i need advise as am blank right now. I advise her to come over to renew her VISA in Nigeria while she insist i should allow her finish her MSC programme before. Sincerely i'm so sad and sick right now.

Please house what can be done, we got another detailed invoice from the hospital today with the amount the insurance company paid for the medicare. I dont know if another VISA fee should be paid and she should go for another interview or is there a way we can go pay the medical fee and then reschedule another interview as i just want her to finish her MSC and come back home. Please note we paid all school fees totaling over 35000$

I'm so sad and down right now...I just need advise please house

I don't know the details on how your situation can be salvaged but I believe it can be salvaged. I heard story of a fellow Nigerian in my city that had similar issue. She gave birth in the states and went for xmas break only to be deported at JFK on her way back. She fought the case and is currently in the states. Have faith, she can fight this. Let her mail her school international office, I think they can help

This is an eye opener to everyone. Try to renew your F1 visa in Canada or Mexico before it expires. Incase it's fails, you can remain in the US with your updated i20 till you complete your program. To avoid stories that touches.

Predstan:
Bro Calm down. Stop dishing out advice that you know nothing much about. Please stop misleading people. He/She came back home so he was never out of status. Let people that have deep knowledge about these things advice him/her properly.

To Fellow Nairalanders, please scrutinize people that you take advice from. Some people have not visited the embassy talkless of studying or applying for H1B. No experience whatsoever yet they come here to dish out advice to critical situations.

I've had reports from people Brown2Green was charging 20k to conduct mock interviews and "package" up their propose transcripts. People really need to be careful on here

LagosismyHome:
Style of writing is different..

One is a proud jjc that think he knows it all despite been a jjc .

The other Twood is Experience but thinks the worst of Nigerians. Can't blame him though, a lot of our people have issues

You got it spot on. Our generation of nairalanders are gradually coming to see things the way Twoods sees it.

Thanks to the few of your generation that still come here

Philtos:
Are you advising her to still stick to No or she should say yes since her mum is legally in the US now?

In my opinion, tell your friend (which I think is you) to be mindful of misrepresentation. She must have filled in her previous DS160 that she has no relative in the US. It would be flagged as misrepresentation if she changes the story now.

On the other side of the coin, she risks falling into the pit of "bad" family record if her mum was once "illegal" in the US. Am guessing her mum was illegal before getting her papers and that prompted her to deny the mum in previous applications. She is likely to fall into the same situation as the lady whose (ex) husband US presence is now a stumbling block, preventing her from getting her F1 visa.

Am not encouraging her to stick to her previous lies but any attempt to say the truth right now will not hold water. Once a liar, always a liar.

toluene1234:
Good morning guys, my visa was denied day before yesterday June 3 at Lagos 6.45am appointment .

Here is my transcript
Me: Good morning madam
VO (A young white lady): did not even answer. (She had denied a lot of people before my turn)
VO: your passport and I20
ME: I passed it.
VO: why are you going to the US?
ME: I am going to the US to pursue my master degree in information security and Assurance, I paused a while, before I added at Johnson and Wales university Providence Rhode Island
VO: what will this course do for you?
ME: there are efforts made by government and private institutions to combat the cybercrimes that are prevalent in our economy, there are limited security experts to join fight this menace. I felt she wasn't even listening or not feeling what I was saying. She cuts me off.
VO: how did you hear about the school?
ME: in 2017, Bcie organised an edu fair in ikeja, that was where I heard about the schools, and also some of their representatives were on ground for the edu fair
VO: did you apply to other school?
ME: yes I did
Vo: mention them.
Me: I did
Vo: did you write any entrance exams?
Me: yes GRE
Vo: who is paying for this
Me: my uncle, he's more or less like a father
Vo: what does he do?
Me: he has a printing press company In Lagos Ekitu and kwara. She cuts me again, (I wanted to add that his company is responsible for printing state government materials and all educational materials for primary sec and tertiary institutions and also into property and estate management.
Vo: are you married,?
Me: I said yes.
Vo: pass me my docs and a pink paper.
Me: I left devastated.

Sincerely this happened within 3mins. She didn't allow me express myself. The way she asked the questions as if let me ask you and give u pink paper and go. She doesn't feel concern at all.

Cost of attendance on i20 is $34000

I do not have any funding, I can only get it during second semester, I was expecting her to ask me questions about why d school, your plans after school and others I have prepared for.

What can I do better? Please advise before I take the next line of action. I don't want to rush to reapply, what should I do please?

Cgpa: 2.93 GRE: 279.

Sorry for your denial but your responses did not cut it at all.

What will this course do for you?
Personalize your response. Forget about Nigerian government and talk about the skills you will get and how it will be relevant when you return. Be specific. The VO wants to hear progression and wants to see that you know what you want to get out of the degree. You are going for information security, you can talk about penetration testing, threats hunting, white hat hacking, brute force attacks, encryption, hashing with salt, cyber security pyramid of pain and various cloud computing security concepts. Do your research and show that you know what you getting from your program.

Apply same styles to your other possible interview questions and you might get it on your next attempt.

You can nail this, don't give up

Kay100:
Pls i'm confuse here, is it the email address attached to our facebook profile we have to fill in or facebook display name?

Facebook username should look like this: facebook.com/kay100

beejhay96:
Thanks for the headsup bro.
What about chats that were deleted(like on Fb mssgr)...can that also be sniffed out?

I don't think they will be able to access deleted items except Facebook, Twitter etc hands them those data. Depending on their policy, Facebook, Twitter etc might not even keep record of deleted posts

CaptainMarvell:
Hello everyone! This thread has been awesome and really helpful. Thanks y'all. I've been granted admission for my undergraduate program for fall 2019, and I'm currently awaiting my I-20. Concerning this new social media scrutiny policy for visa applicants, what exactly could they be looking for on one's social media and how effective could it be? Because one could easily delete everything implicating on their accounts before the interview�

As part of a training am undergoing, am part of a social media threat hunting team on a crowdWatch program affiliated with ISAO, homeland security, state department OSAC and homeland security Information network (HSIN) and this is what I can say:

The social media threat hunting tools available currently is top notch. Once you submit your usernames, please go and scrub your accounts very very well. Use Facebook security measures to prevent posts you were tagged from appearing on your profile so you don't get tagged in something you are not involved in

These tools will reveal every damn thing about your account. Every post you've ever liked, every comment you've made, all the groups you in, all the pages you've created. On Twitter the tools will display impressions your tweets create, word cloud, hash tag clouds etc

To get an idea of what am saying, play with "socialBearing" a twitter analysis tool and see the wonders it will reveal about the username you are hunting.

Let me stop here before I breach the non disclosure I signed.

Amyfid12:
Good morning lovely people. It's been a week i was denied visa at the US embassy in Abuja. To say i was devastated is an understatement. I thank God for the support system i have in terms of family and friends that encouraged me that all things will work together for my good. I had to come out here to get advice on how i went wrong. I applied to 6 schools, 5 admits and all for Masters in Public health. They offered me admission without funding. I reached out to them but there was no assurance i will be given a GA position. I decided to go for West Chester University, Pennsylvania and the total amount on my I-20 is $29,525. My aunt who resides in US is my sponsor. I prepared well for my interview and ensured my documents were complete. Below is my interview transcript on 24th May:

ME: Good morning
VO: Good morning, pass me your passport and I-20
ME: Sure
VO: Why did you choose this school?
ME: I chose this school because i'm interested in an ongoing research by Prof xxxx on xxxxxxx. Also, the school mandates it's MPH students to complete a 6 credits, 300 hours community service course called Bleep. ( The VO cuts in)
VO: What do you do?
ME: I'm a pharmacist working with xxxxxxxxx
VO: Who is your sponsor?
ME: My aunt by name xxxxxxxxx
VO: types for some seconds and handed a green paper to me, that it will explain my denial of Visa.

All these, didn't last up to 5 minutes. I was shocked because i expected questions on Why US? Why MPH? What are your plans after the MS program? Can i see your SOA? which she didn't ask me.
Please, where did i go wrong? Mind you, i didn't stutter cos i prepared well for this interview. My school starts in August and i don't know what to do.

This sounds familiar to my case last year. I was denied after just 2-3 questions. My first interview didn't last up to 2mins before I received the dreaded blue paper. Most peeps will come here and tell you this and that is the reason why you were denied but most times its not.

I almost didn't want to apply for another interview until friends and family asked me to and I got it easily on the second attempt, then I realised something afterwards. The US is all about money, even their embassy. Sometimes they just refuse people visa just to see if they will spend money and apply again. They are as much interested in generating money as much as any other business venture.

So I will give you the same advice I received last year. If you have dotted your I's and crossed your T's, dust yourself and apply again. This is another opportunity to get it. Write test even if it's for embassy sake.

Pray as if it depends on prayer. I prayed for a test inclined VO or an IT course inclined VO and i got interviewed by a test inclined VO. That was favor (some peeps may say otherwise). I wasn't the best candidate on the day I got my visa but I got it because the VO was impressed that I wrote GRE twice. That's what prayer can do for you.

All in all, don't listen to peeps that say your refusal was due to your sponsor living in the US. That was how they told me my denial was because I was switching my course of studies. My second VO didn't even ask about it.

Give it another try and put in all you've got, it is worth it or at least the fact that am about to watch the UEFA champions league final without the noise of generator makes it seems like all the stress i went through for this journey was worth it

kinibd:
do you happen to be at st. Clouds? Tell me something about the indians lol.

Nope, am at Cleveland state. These Indians are everywhere here. My classes are predominately Indians about 85-90%. Most times am the only black or one of the two or three blacks in a class of 50.

St Cloud State won't be any different because I reviewed an article some group of Indian students from SCSU wrote last semester.

Even the statistics for Green card through H1B tells the sad Indian story. The have to wait for 10-15 years before they get green card via H1B route

If you have a masters in biological sciences and seeking schools for a research based Phd, you can check out Case Western Reserve university. This school partners with Cleveland clinic (among the best 5 hospitals in the US), for cutting edge researches in cardiovascular disease, cancer etc. It's a private school and very expensive so don't go near if you are not funded

hwfwl:
I have observed something on this thread just like every social medium online, and this is the urge to argue.
Especially because it is a faceless forum, the urge to hurl insults increases, a shameful tendency indeed.

A lot of persons here who find it easy to subtly insult others and aggressively shut them down while neglecting the basic rules of faceless discussions which is to tackle the issue at hand objectively do not and cannot do the same thing if they were to see these persons in real life, and this is simply because it immediately becomes unnecessary and this person might either be bigger than you, older than you or you just find out they are not in your social bracket to have discussions with, talkless of throwing insultive and derogatory remarks at them. Ask yourself; do I talk this recklessly at work? with colleagues? Getting aggressive and bitter at every difference in opinions?

For all nairalanders who comment regularly and are determined to help others with the best information possible, you must know this, the secret to effective communication is to be assertive, presenting proofs when need be and also letting others know when a particular statement is your opinion and not necessarily a rule or fact. And I know this is what most of you do but with one very important quality lacking in your conversations and this is the ability to ignore distractions. Noises and baits that comes regularly from those that will distract you from offering your advices to those that needs them really and urgently.

In less than two lines you can detect one whose aim is just to argue and call for attention rather than tackling an issue that's important, and to those persons why can't you just ignore them? Do you think you can change the mind of a person who lives on the strengthening of his/her ego and attention gotten from arguments on a platform such as this? Even if you can, is this the right place for that?

By all means just ignore, focus especially on the person who has asked a question and answer them to your best knowledge and then ignore the rest. Once it is not an objective question or a call for clarifications of what you have said , then ignore. This takes the power out of the tempter and his or her calls for attention.

This is the cultivation of detachment, patience and non resistance.

Be focused, identify the major reasons for this forum and once an argument derails from these, especially when it is useless and leads nowhere just stop. Don't be too much attached to your own opinions and then feel obliged to defend it anytime someone else attacks the opinion, your opinion is not you.

Let him continue to struggle with the opinions, even if you are wrong no need to defend yourself, just watch as ego rules the lives of many. A lot are looking for people to fight, argue with and oppose, you don't have to nominate yourself for his or her cause. Those people are also easily recognisable either through their constant seeking for attention, talking without really offering a solution to the question at hand or the use of insultive words when passing information or opinions and this is done as soon as they find a target/victim of their egoic pursuits.

Read my questions
Consider my specific case
Ask me for clarifications of certain points
Answer me to the best of your knowledge
Give me the supporting facts if required
And the relevant opinions from your rich experience
Answer further questions and clarifications of your points
Ignore the pig!
Ignore the pig!
Learn to ignore the pig !!

I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.
George Bernard Shaw

Baba, Three cartons of Origin and Alomo bitters for your head this children's plus Memorial day. On point, Ur head is there

democrat101:
Good Day everyone! I need someone to reply me on this. I already asked in other threads I feel it's related to my topic but I'm yet to get a response that's why I'm bringing it here.

There's this American woman (First Class citizen) I've known for years now. It never occurred to me to discuss traveling with her since I was still in school all those years and doing well plus things was still better off in Nig a little.
fast-forward to now that I'm done with nysc plus finding job been difficult, the current situation of the country and so on. I then informed of my plans to come over to the US to work since I don't have enough funds to go via student route.
She suggested she is going to get me a nanny job (ps I'm a guy) reason been that that's the best way to get me in. she said she's going to convince a rich American Family to sponsor me on work visa etc.
After she told me all this I came online to verify but I didn't see any thing of such kind of visa (nanny work visa) so I need you all to help me shed light to this. Thank you all

I don't think a nanny job falls under the category of "skilled" jobs that will warrant a work visa plus Mr Trump's hire Americans policy is even making life difficult for the people in the skilled workers category.

There might be loopholes in the system which only an immigration lawyer will know how to exploit. If your friend is willing to convince a rich American family to sponsor you, let her also be willing to contact an immigration lawyer for better advice. It will save all parties unnecessary headaches

Most of us here don't know jack about most immigration laws. Na only F1 and H1B we know shikili about

bracelum:
Lol, I come in peace. Just trying to correct a wrong notion you have.

1. I also operate in that "IT field" and I can clearly tell you that most people that get those jobs do not take those tests. Those tests were invented to save time in recruiting, but once you have a solid connection with your hiring manager, they invest their time to interview you. Once a hiring manager likes you, they can overlook your code errors as long as you have the logical thinking right. But if you are being screened by an automated system, a single mistake can ruin you even if you have the logical thinking correct. Skills are important but it is very hard to build your tech skills from novice to intermediate within <1 year (for internships) and <2 years (for fulltime roles). So, while you invest 40% of your time on those skills, spend the remaining 60% on networking. This advice is very useful for people (like you) that are new to tech and are not yet strong in programming. It is your choice to accept or decline.

When your networking game is solid, you won't have to be interviewed by an automated system. Instead, a hiring manager will personally interview you and will overlook your code errors as long as you get the logical thinking right. Automated systems are mostly (80% of the time) used for people that applied through the general pool. As a newbie, you shouldn't be applying through the general pool

2. Lol, I did not say the guy did not join Microsoft, Facebook or wherever he works. What I'm saying is that, when people post such experiences on LinkedIn, they do not tell you the real gist about how they got their jobs. Everything is twisted to make it sound as if they orchestrated the whole thing. I won't go further on this, but shine your eyes wella and don't take anything you see on social media at face value.

3. Lol! Maybe you should know that LinkedIn hires college students to run campus journalism for them. Those students get access to a massive network but they inturn help LinkedIn to grow their student communities. A LinkedIn Student Ambassador has access to a similar network with someone that attends an Ivy League college. Most of those LinkedIn communities are run by those students and through the network they have, they get great jobs and if you don't know whatsup, you will think that it was 1 + 1 = 2 for them. Shine your eyes wella

Have a great rest of the day!

So you know your number 3 is possible and yet you come here and argue Monday to Sunday about "top" and "target" schools. Mind you that's only one out of the many ways of getting the best out of your situation o, one out of the numerous ways of getting access to those similar networks like someone that attended ivy league o.
Person wey smart smart, person wey dey learn work dey learn work.

I strongly believe you didn't view that post, you just hastily posted just so that your voice can be heard and now you're trying to sweet talk by using "twisted", "orchestrated", "face value". Lolz....no be today we know those patterns

And how in hells name will someone open mouth and say I should spend 60% of my time networking and 40% learning skills. This is the height of it. No need to talk again

Time2win:
He shared an advice and wasn't attacking your post. Your post in a way is subtly attacking. You both shared a great view but networking can't be overruled anywhere in the world. It's an important factor to embrace.

Has there ever been any argument about networking? I guess LinkedIn is now a comedy booking platform.

I shared a LinkedIn post which he antagonized the authenticity.
If how his post started didn't clearly show the intention, doesn't this show it

I get the whole idea of him trying to be the smartest guy in the room but gosh, this is a faceless forum. Lemme not say anything negative

bracelum:
Three things - I won't elaborate

1. Networking is the best way to land those tech jobs. A lot of people that perform very well in those technical tests still get rejected. Don't be surprised to know that the person that finally landed that job may not have taken that test that you took.

2. When it comes to the job search, do not be fooled by every story you see on LinkedIn. If someone wants to boost his/ego on social media, he/she will structure the story in a way that doesn't reflect reality.

3. If you are a newbie in the tech industry with no previous work experience or experience in programming, embrace networking. And yes, going to a target school is the easiest way to get that network. The harder way is to attend career fairs.

I wish you the best of luck

You have come again

1. "the person that finally landed that job may not have taken that test that you took". Worst assumption ever. Not in IT field. If you say the interviewers might go easy on the person, that's a different case but the person not taking the test is a big fallacy. In IT, Networking can only get you through the gates but your skills is what get you through the door and keep you in the room. Prioritizing networking over skill set is a big oversight...... (I don't want to use a negative word)

2. You think I did not investigate on the story before I shared it? You think I did not see videos of her interning in Microsoft or screenshot of the over one million views her post had all because Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn Ceo) commented on her post or the article Forbes magazine wrote on her? Sometimes you make me laugh. You think life has one formula.....Lolz
And yes, she still did interviews before she got the position despite the popularity she got.

3. Target schools? Lol. Go to LinkedIn and see #StudentsOfLinkedIn
pulling weights and making a difference despite not being in your "top" or "target" schools.
And who is arguing with you on the importance of networking?? The choice of skills over networking is a no brainer, target school or not

You see the world only how you view it, if you decide to view the world in one dimension only, that's the only way you will see the world

shayhune:
The day is drawing nearer. Commencement is approaching. It all still feels like yesterday when we were all preparing for the GRE, applying to schools, seeking funding, asking for mock interviews, reading through past interview transcripts and looking forward to a "better" life in the United States of America. I look back at this experience and all I can say is I'm grateful to God for the journey so far. It's not been all rosy living as an international student in this foreign land but every moment has been worth it. My experience here has been one of joy and regret. Joy because I keep relishing on the fact that I'm fortunate to be out of Nigeria. Regret because I wish I knew some information before migrating. In everything, I give thanks to God.

I'll just chip in some advice for tech folks(and anyone it applies to) coming or planning to come over,so you don't make same mistakes I made.
1. Whatever you learn in class is needful but challenge yourself to hone your software development skills because what really counts are your skills, not your 4.0 CGPA.
2. For the smart geeks, practice Leetcode and HackerRank questions starting from your first semester and get familiar with their problems and solutions if you really want to scale through the tough tech interviews and land a good job that will sponsor your work visa.
3. For the not-so-smart folks, if you're not ready to receive multiple rejections(or redirections as some friends call it) for jobs you applied for, just look for a good woman(USC of course) and marry as soon as you can. I'm not a proponent of marrying for "IWE" but just know that the system is against you as an international student.
4. Lastly, all those folks claiming "I fasted and prayed before I got my visa blablabla", I hope you will/are still stay/staying close to God when you get/got here. This country is full of distractions. It takes a man who knows God to remain strong and still follow God in the face of adversity, temptations and disappointments.

Wishing all prospective students who are not seeking the student visa as an escape route and who are preparing to go for visa interviews soon the best with it. I rest my case at this point. Lemme comman be going. Au re·voir.

I can relate with number 2. I took Amazon internship assessment back in February and all the technical questions could be found in Leetcode and HackerRank. Boy, na once I fail comot.

Tidied up exams today and like play like play na one year remain o. Sometimes this journey feels like a dream, it seems like it was yesterday I wrote my first GRE and asked for directions here that BigFrancis21 adviced me to switch to MIS. Mehn how time flies.

Subtle encouragement to every aspiring candidate. Do everything that you feel will aid you in achieving this dream. Write multiple exams if you must, or just for visa sake if you like. It's worth it. While going to ivy league school is good, going to a school that fits into the pocket of your sponsor or the school that offers you the best financial package might sometimes be better.

In my opinion don't sink yourself in huge debts all in the name of going to a top whatever school. A person's fate can't be determined by the school he/she attends. It's in you. Everyone is unique and let your uniqueness shine bright and you will prosper. Liverpool showed today how determination is key to success and I read an inspiring story today and I will share it here
https://www./how-being-bold-landed-me-microsoft-internship-akosua-boadi-agyemang

To everyone out there prepping for interview, success. To everyone that have gotten visa, congrats and remember not to abandon the family.

Like that peak advert with papilo says "it's is you". Never ever forget this. peace out

Naijamyhome:
Lol, this guy is a bloody f.ool!
How does my post about an ambitious lady correlate with you having a low thinking faculty? It's not a crime and it's none of your business. I just did a little background check on you and realized you are having in a low life in one of the tier3 ranked universities. I'm not surprised at all! So it's pretty clear why you are so pained and insecure with my comment. There's no point having this conversation with you further, cos I predicted your status and was damn right!

More so, attributing every new moniker to someone else is a show of foolishness and that also confirmed your level of stupidity. And for your information, I have admits in three different schools, which the lowest among them being far better than your miserable university and you being in the US does not make you hallowed.

Santé!

First, there was no claim about holiness or sacred. I've never claimed to be the pope, or a priest or holy. So why bring "hallow" to the table. OMG, GRE words......I understand, na the stage wey u dey, use me practice

You think am ashamed of my school. Hell no. You think I give a damn about tier of school? I give a damn about attending a school my folks can afford, I give a damn about staying in status, I give a damn about not dropping into community college, I give a damn about graduating with good grades and learning all the skills that I will need to achieve my goals, I give a damn about living debt free and not struggling to pay off thousand of dollars in student loans

You want to give a lecture about living a low life, come to America to attend that top 10 ivy league school without a good financial plan, only then will I listen

Am not hallowed, am stupid, foolish and every other foul word in the dictionary but what I would never do is to use a foul word on anyone here. That's part of what separates a gem from the rest and not really the school you attend. The fate of gems are never defined by the schools they attend

I pray you get your visa and attend that school that is way better. I'll still pray you find that woman of your dreams cos love is a beautiful thing.

Cheers

Sunnypolicy02:
I don't think this is necessary. Why attack his privacy. It is totally out of it. It is not relevant to the topic of discussion. You may choose any way to get a spouse. You may even use the old Africhat system, it's nobody's business. Arguments or interactions should be constructive not destructive. You have taken it too far. We learn from each argument here. I have learnt a lot here through diverse views. We always disagree to agree. #toleranceiskey #respect

"And if you are being insecured because of the fact you are unable to get into a top rated school, don't use that to mislead others. You don't need to be intimidated thinking it jeopardizes your success in life"

When a poster uses the above statement on me based on my post, it is my choice to respond based on his posts too.

And it ain't any attack on his privacy. If it's private then it shouldn't be on nairaland. In my opinion, someone that is smart enough to figure out that am insecure, unable to get into top rated schools for my information systems program and am intimidated that it will jeopardize my life success should also be smart enough to know that his private matters shouldn't be a topic on nairaland thread.

Lemme not go into how its not childish too.

I know it's nobody's business but as he said, Nairaland is a faceless forum, everyone is entitled to his opinions

Santè!!

Naijamyhome:
Oga, I don't think you read between the lines at all. Luck and individual brilliance play a part irrespective of the school but it can never work for every one. If it works for you, congratulations! It doesn't mean every other person should follow your step. And if you are being insecured because of the fact you are unable to get into a top rated school, don't use that to mislead others. You don't need to be intimidated thinking it jeopardizes your success in life. This is an online forum and everyone is entitled to his/her opinion.

Santé!

Insecured, unable to get into a top rated school, intimidated, jeopardizes my life success are all your opinions.

I won't talk about my insecurity, admission into top rated schools, intimidation, life successes with someone who opens a new moniker, jumps to romance section and starts seeking a "mature, good looking and serious lady for friendship that could lead to something meaningful, and the lady must be ambitious, good looking and less than 30 years old."

When you reveal your old moniker, or you share your successful visa interview transcript, show us your admission to a top rated school and doing a graduate degree in a top rated program, we will have that discussion.

Goodluck in the ultimate search for your soulmate.

regards

Naijamyhome:
Okay, I have read all the brilliant and intelligent discussions going on here but I think it’s high time we understood the logic behind this. Although we all know that individual brilliance and luck play a part in getting a good job after an MBA program irrespective of the school but the truth must be told, this can only happen once in every ten. Graduates from top business schools stand a better chance than the folks from the low ranked ones. If you are looking to pursue a career in management consulting then attending a top 10 MBA program is a must.

Does the school you go to decide your fate? Absolutely yes! In fact, the school you attend has a significant role to play in the type of opportunities that come your way. It’s a no brainer! Certain consulting firms recruit from specific schools and the greater the number of firms that recruit from your school, the greater your chances of getting into one. Also, the top schools have developed a good networking relationship with their alumni and these people would always come back to recruit candidates from their Alma Maters.

I share the same view with bracelum. I think he speaks from the perspective of an employer and a job market analyst. He’s very blunt and he has been honest about it. If you are planning to go for an MBA, it’s important to target top schools so as to stand a BETTER chance of getting a good job after studies, and most especially if you are planning to take up a loan. This does not mean that attending a top 10 MBA programs automatically cross the ts and dot the is for you, but then having it on your CV gives an added advantage in the job market.

I just dey read una topics laff just dey catch me.

So school determines ones fate. Ok o, we are what we believe o.
Speak for yourself o if school determines your fate.

No one is disputing the fact that "Graduates from top business schools stand a better chance than the folks from the low ranked ones", but is on campus recruitment the only way into top companies? NO. You can work from obscurity into limelight, it depends on the individual drive and vision. Person wey know say he no get top Business school portfolio for him resume suppose know say he go work extra hard to get to where he wan go.

Attending a top school gives you advantage in the job market as a fresher but with hardwork and determination, a no name school graduate can still measure up. Highest na time e go take.

"If you are looking to pursue a career in management consulting then attending a top 10 MBA program is a must." Your opinion though

What you guys seems to forget is that top 10 MBA classes won't accommodate everyone but everyone can work hard and smart, network and attend Meetups, start from a mushroom firm and work his/her way up if that's what it will take.

I don't even support taking up loans to fund studies but if must take loans to achieve your MBA dream, take the loan irrespective of the ranking of your school. It will surely pay off

This overheated top this and that banter should end

N/B: I just decided to research the poster and the account was hastily registered on the 12th of April. Suddenly dots are connecting. If you know you know

Time2win:
Which years of experience . What you said is misleading. Not using your visa doesn't have any negative effect on the applicant. It's actually a bonus for the person. It means you are not in a hurry to visit america due to any reason best known to the person.

The moment i read your initial post I just knew you were going to attack fairheart's post. Why are we always like this. You see another angle from his doesn't give you any right to call his own opinion "misleading".

The fact that a "retired" VO gave you that answer which might be his own view point doesn't even make it the hard rule. Another VO might have a totally different opinion and see it as a red flag.

You stated your opinion, let the poster view both replies, assimilate them and choose whatever he wishes to go with. We should do away with this "drag everyone down just to feel superior" mentality

Live and let others live.

Regards

kinibd:
I was denied the first time on December 31st 2018 at the Lagos Embassy, My original I 20 got to me on the 2nd of January and so I had to go with a scanned copy for the interview and the first question the VO asked me then was why did I come with a scanned copy, I told her that the original was still on transit and the look on her face was not encouraging and after asking me why this school and who will be sponsoring me, I got the pink paper and so I went back and requested for another I 20, made sure I got it then booked another interview at abuja

Got to the Abuja Embassy,

Me: Good morning (while smiling)

VO: Good morning pass me your passport please

Me: Passes Pasport while still smiling

VO: I can see from your F1 that you are applying for a student Visa can I see that

Me: Yes I am while passing the F1

VO: Have you ever been out of the country before?

Me : Yes I had my first degree in Ghana

VO: What did you study

Me: ICT

VO: What?

Me: Information and Communication Technology

VO: while typing...I dont see anything like that here

Me : I filled it in it should be there

VO: Oh i see it now...calls the name of my school and I nod then he asks how many schools gave me admission

Me : two schools

VO: what schools

Me: St Clouds State University and Concordia University St Paul

VO: Why did you choose St Clouds

Me: i chose St Clouds because of a couple of reasons, firstly they have a Business Computer Research Laboratory Equipped with workstations and enterprise level servers for research and teaching purposes and...

VO : cuts me off, yes well all schools in the usa have very good laboratories tell me why you chose this school

Me: well at the Laboratories at St Cloud, they create virtual machines that are used to support teaching database auditing  and networking packets  dumping and analyses and also...

VO: cuts me off again...well most schools have that as well

Me: Oh well then i chose them because they gave me a scholarship

VO: oh really, (looks at my I 20) well your scholarship is for $3000 and your total fees is about 19,000, how are you going to take care of the rest

Me: oh no, my Tuition and Fees is $9,500

VO: looks at I 20 again, okay so who is going to be paying for the rest

Me: My Parents

VO: what do they do

Me: My mom whose statement I have is blablabla

VO: I'm sorry what?

Me: my mom is blablabla and my dad is blablabla

VO: How did you hear about the school?

Me: One of my undergraduate course lecturer went to St. Clouds for a seminar and when he came back, he couldnt stop talking about the school and their laboratories and when i started searching for schools online to pursue my masters degree and St Cloud popped up again, i checked them out and the course they offered alligned with my career goals.

VO: Types for a while. Looks at me. So what are you going to be doing after you finish this program?

Me: The number of internet users in Nigeria has grown from about 20% of the population in 2010 to more than 50% of the population today and the more people that use the internet, the more networks there are, the more security there needs to be on them, this course will help me institute policies that protect organizations physical data and digital information and so i could become an IT consultant, I know i can, i tried to infuse what i learnt in my under graduate studies into my dads business by setting up a website and also creating a program that helps keep track of stock records.

VO: Can i see your bank statement

Me: passes it

VO: I am going to check this out and if I find anything wrong you will be banned from entering the USA, do you understand

Me: yes I do.

VO: types for a while, take this paper, (he gives me a white slip) you have to keep it safe because you will need it to enter the United States. Then he types for a while and gives me a yellow paper and says again if i find anything wrong with this account you will be banned, are you sure you still want to submit it

Me: Yes Sir

VO: okay welcome to the United States and make sure you keep that white slip safe ok

Me (while smiling) : okay sir thank you very much.

I hope this helps someone, I owe it all to God, I prayed like I had not prepared at all and I prepared like I had not prayed at all but its all the grace of God.

Last Bullet: I was so tensed the first time and so while rehearsing my answers for the second time, i noticed that smiling made me more relaxed and that was how i was able to overcome any nervousness, by smiling almost all through the interview.

Congrats dude and safe journey to America.

Welcome to the league of Computer and Information Systems Security/ Information Assurance, glad to see my fellow naija bro coming in for this program. Tired of seeing too many Indians dominating this program.

Praying for more successful visa interview for all 2019 applicants, baba God wey do am for us go do am for una. just play your part and leave the rest for God. If you try and fail, try try and try again. Don't ever give up, this journey pays

Remember to be humble on your voyage. Where ever you are now, some other peeps have been there before you. Humility pays and give back as you move higher.

God gat us.

Welcome to America and make us proud.

Cheers

bracelum:
Lol. make I extend my "noreply ban" and reply this one


Name any top 10 bschool and I will give you 2-3 loan programs they offer for international students. And yes, those bschools partner (the school share some risks too) with Prodigy Finance to give students more $$ at a lesser interest rate. So, that is an option for those students too. And yes, you can compare the interest rate and the loan approval amount for a top bschool student and a low-ranked bschool student on Prodigy Finance. You can do that yourself on their website too.

Also, bschools work closely with some US banks to issue loans too. Normally, these banks will ask for a cosigner but for those bschool students, they don't ask for cosigners. I know of Discover Bank, SalliMae and some other ones too. As I said, the schools offer lots of financing options either through fellowships, loans or scholarships.

Lol, US no be Naija. The student did nothing wrong to be rusticated. He can sue Stanford for rusticating him cos he did nothing wrong. The best the school can do to him is to screw him up lowkey. The school (as a body) will not do that but their well-connected Professors and alums can do it - just like Naija Professors collaborate when they want to screw a student up.

Let me assume you don't know the meaning of code of ethics and it's consequences regarding a breach when you typed your last post. Based on this assumptions I'll disregard your last paragraph till you read it up

Not only students of ivy league schools get loans without cosigner. Go to prodigy finance website and you will see <200 ranked schools as eligible schools whose students can get their loans without cosigner. Let me ignore your compare this and that approval rate. Sometimes you don't factor in the facts that more ivy league students need this loans than other school students and hence more ivy league students apply for this loans which will result to more ivy league students getting this loans. And don't even try to divert this topic to loan approval rate of top business schools versus other schools.

"These bschools partner (the school share some risks too) with Prodigy Finance to give students more $$ at a lesser interest rate" like say u dey the board room when them sign the partnership agreement.......Speculations upon speculation....Lolz

I know people in unranked schools that have credit cards from discover. Unranked schools o.....Stop all this noise of top this and top that. This is US, stop looking at it like it's North Korea

bracelum:
First of all, Bschools started giving out loans before Prodigy Finance or other loan organizations started. So, if an admitted student decides to take loans from outside sources, that is his/her business! But that doesn't mean that he/she was not given loans from the school. In fact, Prodigy Finance was founded by ex-business school students who saw the model and wanted to expand it. So, make your research well before talking.

And just to clarify something from this comment.

Elite bschools do not send emails to blackmail any of their students. If your response is based on my previous comment, then it shows you got it totally wrong.

Bschools have a tradition of updating their student and alumni body whenever there is a breach of ethical standards. When there is a breach of ethical standards involving these bschools or their students/alums, they send emails to their entire student and alumni body informing them about the issue and telling them about necessary steps taken to remedy the issue. This Stanford case falls into one of those issues and it is completely normal for the school to send such emails explaining the situation to their student and alumni body. The email will contain the boy's name, and their alumni body, who are loyal to their alma mata, will definitely keep that name in their heads.

I feel like commenting on the other points you raised but that will be a total waste of time. So, get the gist right and don't get it twisted.

All replies will be ignored - have a great day

You mean an international student without cosigner will reject loan from his school to struggle to get loans from external body with all their many processes, criteria and inflated interest rate? nawa for u o....no be small pikins dey dis thread o

Secondly if the whistle-blower in any way went against GSB ethical standard, he will get a more severe punishment like rustication than his name being published in emails to alumni bodies. If loyal alums shy away from employing him, he would have been a golden boy to radical alums who wants radical employees like him. So your argument don't hold water.

Better keep to your words and don't quote my posts.

AgreatMan:
What do you mean by he doesn't have the right profile, so he didn't get a job.

Is it the same profile that he used to secure a seat at the number 1 or number 2 MBA program in d entire world?

I checked this guy's LinkedIn, dude has applied to almost one thousand jobs or so. So, did Stanford sent a mass email to every company in every corner of d globe not employ him?

This is a guy who started a company valued at $1.5M before it went under. A guy who spent a whooping 1500hours to expose Stanford, d guy Sabi something!

Which is even more difficult to get into? Stanford MBA or any other company on the wall street?

There is just not enough jobs n those business schools are notorious for squeezing money from u in exchange for some "advanced degree" which sinks people in loans they can't pay.

Abeg make una end dis top business school argument.

The summary of all this is, follow what works for you. If you feel taking a loan of >$150k and be saddled with a debt interest of > $500k for the rest of your life will work for you, go for it. To me, it's foolishness. I go just dey work for fortune 100 company for mouth, my take home go be like who dey work for start up because of all those loans.

Remember all those big money salary you see online for HBS/GSB graduates is "average" salary that might be skewed in a way (if you know about weighted average, you go catch my drift) and might not really showcase the real starting salary of majority of this HBS/GSB graduates. So be mindful.

Last fall application process we had this guy in this thread that got accepted into ivy league business school, he got no scholarship, no aid, no nothing. He was the one that got loan from prodigy finance. That shows that this schools don't fund/assists/give scholarship to every admit as someone has been insinuating here.

Also I don't believe that GSB would send mails blackmailing any of their student. They are not that petty na....shuo. Some persons go just come here dey type Bullshit like say na secondary school leavers im dey talk to

All in all, there are many routes to the top. One love