Hello everyone, I'm just checking in and happy to see that this thread is going stronger than ever. Keep the grind!

I hope this does not violate house rules (Admin please help post in the appropriate section and notify me if it does)

1) If you are (or you know anyone) coming to WVU Morgantown and are looking for a temporary accommodation for soft landing while you settle in, this might be a good sublease opportunity for you

- 2-bedroom / 1-bath shared apartment
- Rent is $675 per month (@ $337.50 per occupant)
- Utilities (electricity, water and internet) not included but you can estimate an additional $50 - $75 per occupant per month
- Deposit already paid and so not required from you
- Within 10 -12 mins walk from Engineering building
- Sublease duration will be from August until December (approximately 3-4 months)

2) If you need any help or information about settling down in Morgantown WV, I'd be happy to help as much as I can.

3) In any of the above cases, you can either reply to this post or PM me - whichever works for you.

PS. As suspicious as this post may appear, I am not for any personal profit or gain.

osaama007:
@walspring thanks so much,yes I went to the embassy on 19 of may dis year but was asked to come back with new 120/and it courier package but no available date in abuja now expect lagos,that y m asking if I can book Lagos and go with the form given to me at abuja to show dem at lag

So what you received from the embassy was a call-back letter, correct? The way I know it, they used to give the chance for one to return anytime after 1 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, within 6 months of your interview, without having to make another appointment. You would have just walked into the embassy with the call-back letter as proof of appointment (perhaps this has changed). If you think this might still be the case and haven't done so already, I would give them a call to confirm if indeed another appointment is required.

If it was a denial rather than a "call-back", then of course all these do not apply. Yes, you can go ahead and book another your appointment and it's quite obvious why you would prefer the same location rather than a different one, albeit not mandatory.

For future references (especially for any other fellow out there) in some rare situations like this, the embassy might accept a scanned copy of your I-20, and perhaps if you had known, you would have gone back to the embassy with a scanned copy from the school within the deadline given to you.

.

Abimmbolar:
Hi guys!! Am totally a jjc on this platform and am totally wondering why it took me so long to find this! I must say, having read through some of the post, my hopes are up again.I have some questions guys and I will really be grateful if you can put me through cos this American dream no be today oooo. My situation is, am a female mechanical engineering graduate with cgpa of 3.92 on a 5.0 scale,am considering studying industrial engineering /engineering management. schools I have in mind through my random search includes University of Wisconsin University of Texas Austin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Ohio state University. I plan to take the gre by Nov as am looking at fall 2017 admission. But here is the big problem, I literally do not have a means of financing my graduate studies, literally my parent can't afford it except maybe the travel fees and few stuffs so, am solely relying on some form on graduate assistantship or tuition waiver if possible. My question is, is it possible to fund graduate studies in the USA without a huge sum of money at the start, I mean is it possible not to be required to pay tuition fees at the beginning. Also, for my financial statements,my closest option is an uncle with a different surname to mine and also an uncle business financial statement. Does it matter, that I don't intend to use a close relative financial statements for this? Do I have a chance as regards my finances? Also, what minimum amount can guarantee me a safe travel . I would be glad if someone answers my questions... please

Your list of potential schools are very good schools (especially those in bold), hence they are also competitive. Like someone already advised include some less competitive schools (which have funding) in your list.

You have a decent CGPA and (I might be wrong) I have a feeling you being a female engineer should favor you because of "diversity". Moreover, try and get a good score on your GRE score. I do not see TOEFL as a problem for you too.

Funding. Yes, this is critical for you as it is for more than 95 % of applicants - both local and international. So, it's a big deal. However, with good credentials you can secure a competitive Graduate Assistantship (Teaching or Research Assistantship). It is indeed possible to get here with limited finances and even do a little more than just surviving, if you have good funding.

Although it's good that you are thinking ahead of issues like financial statements at this time, I would not worry so much about that now. Concentrate on getting a good admission offer and it may just turn out that very little would be required of you financially, in a best case scenario.

Go ahead, pursue your dream!

imperiouxx:


Hi Dr. Square65, can you enlighten some people here about West Virginia? A very confused guy once came here and was worried about the state or even if any Nigerians school there. Thanks.

Hey Imperiouxx! Kudos to you for keeping tab with this group. God bless you real good!

Do you remember his username/handle?

To whom it may concern, if you have been admitted, have applied or considering to apply to WVU or TAMUK, I am willing to answer any questions you may have.

hi2chuxy:



Thank you so much for your advice, it will definitely be noted.

Pls what do you advice if am ask on the reason for denial while filling my d160 and the interview.

Not a critical question, but since you are at most times not told the exact reason for your denial, I usually tell people to just restate/paraphrase what was written on that white paper (section 214b).

hi2chuxy:



Thanks for your concern, let me give u the transcript

Vo: good morning
me: good morning
vo: your pasport and i20
me: i gave him
vo: organizational communication in MSU,..... unipen has a better coursework in that field, why not unipen?
Me: MSU has one of the best course work in biz and mgt science. And MSU is affiliated to Arthur J.b college of business where our top executives go for certifications.
Vo: i am telling you that unipen has a better coursework in this particular course.
Me: i have testimonies from people i have worked with in recent time who are HR consultants with PHD in this course and from MSU and with my research, MSU stands out.

He typed for a while before the denial..

upon my findings, unipen offers organizational dynamics and not organizational communication.

pls advice moreso, can i reapply to establish my case becos the school resumes Aug 10th. (3 to 4weeks time)

Here are some tips for future purposes:

1. UPenn is an Ivy League school.
- Known particularly for its college of business.
- Being aware of the top schools in your field shows your level of commitment to pursuing your graduate degree.

2. Interview seemingly broke down into an argument, without you realizing.
- In my ignorance, I would acknowledge and "agree" with the VO about UPenn before proceeding with why I applied to MSU.

3. Overall, I think the VO just "punished" you for not knowing about UPenn because he doubted your genuineness. Just like an engineering student is expected to at least have heard about MIT.

4. I would say give it one more shot. I think you were just unlucky with the line of questioning.

Imperiouxx!!!

Here's to all you veterans who still come here to be as helpful as possible to those in need. Kudos to you all!!!

Some useful information on the "vacated" STEM-OPT extension.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT43Mpxy_rw

ifyan:
Exchange Rate for Dollar-Naira, 10th Monday August 2015

http://www.nairausd.com/2015/08/exchange-rate-for-dollar-naira-10th.html

I have a few questions:

1) Where can I get a particular's bank FX rates?
2) What is meant by "parallel" rates?

Alhaji Kareem! I'm really happy reading about him after so many years (about 17yrs). I'm about getting a PhD in an engineering field in the US and this man is a key intregral part of my success story. He didn't only teach me further maths, he made me fall in love with the subject because of the passion he used to teach.

Very tough, hard on his students (for good) and very disciplined. I'm not surprised about the news. I don't care what kind of story you've heard or what you think about the school but, believe me, as long as this man was involved, I'd say cast away all doubts. This man is the "real McCoy"! If you still doubt his story after this post, then I don't know what to say to you.

Alhaji, from the depth of my heart, I pray you continue to enjoy the fruit of your labor. Joy and happiness shall not cease to be with you and your entire household.

simdam500: Average Nigerian find the news to be false....

so it i think it false too

... And guess what that makes you? An ________ Nigerian.

Imperiouxx I'm great thank you! Congrats on your successful completion of your MSc and I'm sure you are not stopping there!

Let's (+ Jaskinbo) try hookup online some time before Jaskinbo's interview. Any time after this time nxt week will be fine for me.

jaskinbo: Hi gurus in the house.....I went for my interview today and below was the transcript.
Me: good morning sir
Vo: good morning how are you doing?
Me: fine sir.
Vo: where are you going to
Me: WVU
Vo: what are you going to do
Me: to do my masters degree in safety management
Vo: OK
Vo: what will you do with this?
Me: when I finished my program I will come back to Nigeria to find a mid level carreer position in a multinational company to introduce the modern technology of my profession to the industry in order to contribute to man-power development of this nation.
Vo:OK......where did you do undergraduate
Me: obafemi awolowo uni
Vo: can I see the cert you finished with
Me: I passed him and he look at it very carefully
Vo: you write any test?
Me: yes I did GRE and TOEFL
Vo: can I see your GRE ?
Me: I passed it to him and he looked carefully again
Vo: you are working right?
Me: yes sir
Vo: where
Me: Denro allied agro
Vo: as?
Me: marketing executive
Vo: what are your functions there
Me: bla bla bla
Vo: OK.....you applied to only this school?
Me: no sir I applied to 4 schools altogether
Vo: why this this school?
Me: cos they have a well structured course curriculum that is in line with my with academic and professional goals. They offer specialisation and actively conducting research in my field of interest. They have quality laboratories in manufacturing ,robotics and vision system and that more reason why the school is classified by Carnegie foundation as among the best research based uni in US. Moreover,they have seasoned professors who are prominiet in the safety management. The like of Dr Daniel Della who have written about 20 books on safety management some of which are presently used as reference teaching materials in uni all over the world.
Vo: gave a satisfactory nodding
Vo: so you are .married?
Me: yes Sir
Vo: are you going with your wife?
Me: no sir she is working here as a medical doctor in ondo state specialio hospital.
Vo: OK.......who is paying for your ticket?
Me: my dad
Vo: what does he do?
Me: he is a wood and timber contractor and he has a sawmill company.
Vo: Hmmmmmm unfortunately you are not qualified for the visa at this time...thank you for your coming.......

House a beg wet in be my error?

I see some familiar lines ... ( ) and I really was hoping it would work out well for you.

Anyway, you still stand a very good chance because I think your application is good. Here are my comments:

1) Disparity in being a marketing executive and your purported career goals in Safety Management is a red flag. (besides, in what field was your undergrad?)

2) Also, in my own opinion, your response to "will you be going with your wife?" is not quite satisfactory. Yes, I understand you wanted to infer that you would have to return to your wife (home-tie) after your study, she's a medical doctor, she (you) are comfortable, not desperate, and all that, which is good.
However, I think you should have at least given an impression that she will DEFINITELY come for visits once in a while during your study and instead of seemingly "shutting the door" on her by just saying No.

3) Was the question "Who's paying your ticket?", "Who's paying your school fees?" or "Who's paying for your trip" ? I get confused on these personally. I guess you should just take time to figure out the difference and the appropriate responses to any of these.

I just hope any of these makes sense ...

A very big congrats to you bodeplot!

Hello everyone! Below is the transcript of one of my friends, who, with the grace of God and immense knowledge gained from this thread, got his visa approved yesterday (Lagos embassy) and was his first appearance at any embassy.

He has asked me to post this on his behalf as a show of appreciation so others can learn from it or at least be inspired.

Before you go ahead, note that he had a significant red flag in the fact that his Dad and sister are already in the US, and he's single, hence little or no home tie.


Vo: Hello
Me: hello

Vo: why do you wanna go to the us?
Me: to study for my masters degree in safety management

Vo: where?
Me: WVU

Vo: did u apply to any other school?
Me: yes

Vo: which ones?
Me: named another two schools

Vo: so why did you choose this school over others?
Me: apart from their very sound faculty and their well structured academic curriculum that suits my academic and professional goals, WVU is an institution with very high research activities and one of few schools that offer some professional certification courses in the environmental field that are crucial to my career progression and this is why the school is classified by the Carnegie foundation as being among the best research based institutions in the US. Most importantly also is the unique opportunity the institution presents for me to be taught by one of the most prominent and influential individuals in the field of safety and env. Management, Dr. Daniel Della-Giustina. He is very influential in the field not only cos he has written about 20 books on safety and env. Mangmnt syatems, some of which are presently used as reference teaching materials in universities all around the world, but also cos he is one of the pioneers who set up the program in WVU to become one of the finest in the world.

Vo: ok…….(gave a nod of approval)….so who’s sponsoring you?
Me: my elder sister

Vo: why wud she wanna sponsor you?
Me: cos she has been the one sponsoring all my academic endeavors right from my undergrad days and cos she understands how this program greatly………

Vo: (cuts in)….ok, ok, ok…..what dies she do?
Me: told him what she does and where she works….

Vo: how long has she been in the us?
Me: told him (over a decade)

Vo: where did you have your BSc.?
Me: Obafemi Awolowo University

Vo: (responds abruptly)…OAU?
ME: YEH

Vo: what did you study?
Me: BSc. Chem Engr

Vo: (looks at me with keen interest)…..why chem. Engr as bsc and now safety as msc?
Me: cos I presently work as a safety engr and this course will not only help speed up my promotion when I return, it’ll guarantee a rapid progression for me in my career as a safety professional on the long run. (lie)

Vo: ok…..so were do you work?
Me: told him XYZ COMPANY

Vo: what do you there?
Me: tolod him…..safety engr (lie)

Vo: (drops everything, stops typing and looks at me)……what will you do after your studies…..I mean what wil this course do for you here in Nigeria?
Me: like I stated earlier, this course will help speed up my promotion in my work place when I get back and………

Vo: (cuts in)……oh! So you’ll be coming back to your work here in Nigeria?
Me: yes

Vo: ok….and hands me a white paper with a smile and says those magic words….go to Apapa on thurs and pick up your visa…………….
Me: thanks you , have a nice day ……walked out.

Note: I went prepared only with one thing in mind, to get my visa and that’s what I did. Just in one dial!!
Not once thru out the interview that lasted for about 2mins did he ask to see any docs. As a carry my docs go, na so I carry am comot………

Just dropped by to say hello. Congratulations to those who recently got their visas and wishing those who are yet to (and will soon) get theirs all the best!

imperiouxx:

I'm surprised too. Int'l students are not qualify for any student loans.



Schools and DHS are much concerned about run-a-ways. For ages, transfer ain't crime but one's wish and another way int'l students don't join group of street urchin in the US.

Actually Int'l students qualify for some kinds of loans and yes, transferring is absolutely not a crime.

Mr Foohard, I laugh because after two or three years you will come back to this your post and ask yourself "Na me be dis?".

Without any iota of hesitation, please resign and leave!!

Big Francis' long awaited testimony of what, perhaps, everybody already knew. A very Big Congrats to you!!!

gbemonology1: Hi house, what is CGPA 4.19/5.00 equivalent when evaluated by WES or similar body? Thanks

Anything from 3.6/4.0 or greater.

GboyegaD:

They don't anymore. Seems Sanusi compelled Nigerian banks to bear the cost of "off us" transaction fees.

They still charge the $3-5 atm transaction fee, unless they just stopped charging today.

Kunsoft:
Thanks Lisdem.

On point Chinko Guy. Sense 50/50 chance already. he was the only guy on counter. the ladies are fair in giving. Pray like never before for my number to show on any lady's counter but Na Chinko Guy

Chinko: You are applying for the 4th
Me: Yes sir
Chinko: Hold on type ooooo Ok, You apply to university of Central Oklahoma
Me: Yes sir
Chinko: What will this degree do for you
Me: It will open doors of professional advancement for me and hands on management of real business project across multiple industries here in nigeria and i will gain better business management strategies and skills to perform effectively on a large scale when i return to nigeria.
Chinko: Ok, who is your sponsor
Me: My brother ( i dont want to change sponsor because of inconsistency)
Chinko: what those he do
Me: He runs industrial cleaning services company, He currently works for many established organization including Oyo state Government Nigeria.
Chinko: How much those he earn
Me: first talk say he is the owner of the business but he insist so i said between 500-600k.
Chinko: i will have to denied you again and note that if you keep applying on this note it may affect your chance of getting visa in future.
Me: LOBATAN! could please let me know the reason this time
Chinko: He insist that the paper will tell me the reason.
Me: Na so i waka begin to thank GOD.

i believe my case is Totally different from others here.
my Resume:
i'm a graduate of HND with 3.14 to scale of 4.0, i'm 30+ and i got admission for Undergraduate
1st Attempt Jan 3rd - did not prepare well ( i dont know this forum then)
2nd wrong guy and fake SEVIS Payment (fell into agent hand for SEVIS).
3rd Attempt (aware of the forum) was told by the VO one of the reason is insufficient fund.
4th attempt another wrong guy hand Chinko. it shows that is only GOD that can favour when VO guy interview guys

IS ALL GOOD. PLANNING TO WRITE GRE NOW. i have like 2 university in US now that take HND for Masters but wanna rest for like 2yrs first. probably switch to CANADA then come for my PHD. OBAMALAND Sure!

Thanks Guys

Seems the funds you have are still insufficient! 500-600k per month is not enough for a sponsor. What is the balance of the account statement you presented?

BigFrancis, we earnestly await ... (Rom 8:19)

Ricky Rozay: Visa Approved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't shout ooooooooooooo.. I will be back with the Full Gist.......

Not surprised. Congratulations!!

Kehinde Oseni: Good day house, my interview is tomorrow 10am in Abuja but my SEvIS fee payment is still been process though payment has been received (called SEVIS). Should I still wait till evening or cancel my appointment. If I am too cancel it hope it isn't too late. I have sent a mail to DHS and I'm awaiting there reply.

Hey, don't fret and don't cancel! Print whatever status is online and go for your appointment.

Wish you all the best.

kingcobra2003:

for Oja P's question, I don't knw the meaning of STEM program

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

kingcobra2003:


Ivy League schools guarantee you atleast 70% success during the interview. That is if you are not 35years old and just going for undergraduate studies or going there for a Masters in Physical Education or Swimming.

I dunno how to manoeuvre my way in this forum, I am brand new. But I must say that it may not be totally true. I applied to Columbia and still denied.

It's quite surprising to me too but you still didn't respond to OjaP's last question. Did you apply to a STEM program? If you don't mind, you can share your experience and get some invaluable pointers to what you can do/say in your next attempt. I'm sure you will come back with a different story.

bigfrancis021:

Google it up on google. Several websites exist that describes the weather conditions of Chicago. Be sure to include the exact city in Chicago your school is in when googling as the weather of Illinois, for example, may not be the same with Urbana Champagne, though both cities are located in the state of Chicago.

I think you mixed up state (Illinois) and city (Chicago) . But I'm sure you didn't mean that. Keep up the good job!

Hey OjaP,

I need a favor from you. Do you have any resource from which I can obtain info on topography, especially elevation and relief data, with which I can develop contour maps? Google has not helped me that much. (For Alaska region specifically). You can please respond to me via tha65thsquare@yahoo.com, in order not to derail the thread further.

Thanks!

Guys please indulge me. Big congrats to all who got their visas!!!

Ricky Rozay:

Wow!!! Sorry guys.. False alarm....

Just saw it Now on a schools website and they said the easiest way to Renew your visa is to go to Mexico or Canada..

I think I prefer the canada route.. I will have an opportunity of entering Canada.. Lol!!!

... and would you still prefer Canada, even if your school is in TX, NM, FL, LA,OK, AZ?? I really don't think so except you have some other reasons for going to Canada besides visa renewal.