₦airaland Forum

VPersiee relax,

Do not let your schooling get in the way of your education….


The primary goal of research is to present new dimensions of knowledge and increase human understanding of this knowledge. Even the most effective research is not worth attention if it cannot be successfully communicated to people

The most important thing about a research is the ability of the individual to articulate and describe his research, Graduate Schools are looking for reasoning, organizational skills.

Any one can learn to use a hammer if properly trained, the question is does he know when to use the hammer….

In this regard, the main features of technical research include understanding, clarity, and viability. To be more exact, a technical research paper should communicate new insights, visions, and concepts that will be practically feasible in future.

You may have decided to move on but not internally. You have great stats, and you do not need to prove to anybody that you are smart. I know it’s not been easy! There’s probably no one around you who understands that….
YOU do not need to prove yourself to anybody, This is an emotional battle which you’ll have to fight on your own….and with your permission I can offer some help….But you are approaching life like you have something to prove….
It’s not a weakness, you suddenly acquired it probably about the same time you started college in the U.S… (I think I can relate to what you feel)…. You need to surround yourself with people of like mind, but I’m guessing there’s not a lot around there.

But all this aside, the sky is your stepping stone…. Be more involved in the science

Dude,

You research has everything to do with robotics

To start with Robotic cars and models are electric

If a robotic car  is planning its route to minimize energy usage this can come in handy.

If an off- road robot which is mostly gas powered, the analysis model you used can still be applied, So i think there's quite a correlation between your research and Robotics,

Your stats and research experience, makes you very  competitive. I'll say , go for it,
Some Robot also modelled after Biological Models,

UIUC  developed a  six-legged robot modeled after cockroaches,
mechanics  of muscles and the flight control behind the rapid rotation of the wings of Fruit Flies has been studied,

These are biological models,  To say these are not related to Robotics, i don't know what it,  You should probably read papers associate with your research,  And from your research experience, these are more ME, 

Your stats are GREAT,  And once again,i think you are shooting yourself in the foot by denigrating your Undergrad Institution and your research experience, (Go back to that research experience, forget the data and software you used to analyze, what is the Big picture of that research---

P

If you met some professor and started talking and told him, “ I’m investigating how different driving patterns affect the energy efficiency of electric vehicles.”

Dude that’s a conversation started right there… From there, you draw a big picture of why you are interested in this field of research…

And I don’t mean to be rude but “I don’t think you embraced this research” You should talk about it like it’s the only science that matters….And I also sense some self hatred about your status in life---It sounds like you don’t feel you are where you are supposed to be and you are pissed off at yourself……

You don’t need all that negative energy…,

I have only looked at one line of your research and all I can tell you is that if you opened any one in the Hybrid industry with that line, you are in. I don’t know anything about Engineering (I’m into life sciences)  but I like the research and really want to know what your results were because the world is now clamoring for Hybrid Vehicles. 

Think of the big picture like this “TO improve driveline efficiency and to provide
for the use of energy sources other than petroleum for road transportation, engine powered hybrid-electric  are being developed by auto companies around the world.

That’s your big picture not I analyzed data with some easy softwares…, 

Don’t shoot your self on the foot by saying you just analyzed some data with some easy softwares….

Don’t feel bad about where you are, you are doing just great!!!!

@VPersiee,

My Undergrad was in the U.S.
You have acknowledged that your school is mediocre! Never say or tell anyone that during your interview……  It’s not about the school sometimes; it’s more about the individual.

GPA which you have kept high is good enough, If you had a 3.4 OR lower GPA then there will be a problem. But with a 3.8 you'll be fine,


Your goal seems to be directed! The name of the HBCU you attend may be of relevance but, considering your summer research experience, MIT and Purdue, you are molding a solid CV, You are already telling a story,
(Impress your mentor at MIT and network, and ask also ask this question to as many people in MIT as possible while you are there).

Get an LOR…, (If you can find your way into MIT for 3 months, you can connect and go to anywhere you want to. Don’t be shy…. Ask questions.)

These experiences irrespective of your Undergraduate Institution shows that you are reaching and any one who reviews your resume will see it,

For Robotics, I know Carnegie Mellon University does well in funding its Masters and PhD student
Every Ph.D student always get  full funding… Funding for masters is always tricky.

But I will like to know what your research and publication was on, Although it looks like it's irrelevant to Robotics, there is now a movement for interdisciplinary research

For example, Neuroscientist and Engineers are now really collaborating at an alarming rate, There are now programs that recruit Engineers and train them as Neuroscientists. So If you can point out the field of your research, it will help me in giving you a more directed answer.
You'll also have to put fort an impressive GRE scores,
Publication is a great thing! Unless you published in "Nutrition Journal" and applying to Robotics.

Not having a research experience in robotics, you can spin your personal statement to say that you plan on bringing in your "experience in  that to and blend it with robotics"  But keep in mind that Robotics is a very competitve field and i think CMU is still the top and leading institution in Pure Robotics,

Congrats on your  MIT  Research Fellowship Accept!

Thanks Guys!

@physicall I really don't think i can afford JHU School of Medicine  but am actually giving their M.D/Ph.D program one last shot.

@cezeozue, sorry to hear that, but make no mistake , UIUC is a Giant in Engineering.

The graduate engineering program at Illinois ranked[b] 5th[/b] in the Best Graduate Schools issue of U.S. News and World Report (published recently-March 2011). After MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley and GATECH.

Caltech came in 7TH.

Ranked graduate engineering science specialties in UIUC  College of Engineering include the following:
•   7 – Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical
•   1 – Biological/Agricultural
• 11 – Chemical
•   2 – Civil
•   4 – Computer Engineering
•   5 – Computer Science*
•   8 – Computer Science – Artificial Intelligence*
•   9 – Computer Science – Programming Language*
•   6 – Computer Science – Systems*
• 11 – Computer Science – Theory*
•   4 – Electrical/Electronic/Communications
•   3 – Environmental
• 17 – Industrial/Manufacturing
•   2 – Materials
•   6 – Mechanical
• 12 – Nuclear
•   9 – Physics*
•   2 – Physics – Condensed Matter*
• 10 – Physics – Nuclear*
•   8 – Physics – Quantum*

In fall 2010, a Wall Street Jourrnal study of the largest public and private companies, nonprofits and government agencies ranked the University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign #3 for graduates best prepared and most able to succeed; Engineering ranked #4, Computer Science #9.

Engineering at Illinois is #1 on “The Most-Cited Institutions in Engineering, 1999-2009,” a list of the top 20 institutions worldwide with the highest total citations to research papers published in Thomson Reuters-indexed engineering journals from January 1, 1999 to October 31, 2009.

In 2009, Engineering at Illinois was ranked #3 in the “Top 100 World Universities in Engineering/Technology and Computer Sciences” by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).


It’s not a back up school… but they have been making moves for diversity which is why, given your stats, I am quite shocked they did not admit!

But take comfort that the MIT is interested in you and hope that others will come.

@tiana85

From what ETS says…
The new version will allow you to skip individual questions in a section, answer the others, then come back to address the unfinished portion. The computer will then score the section and modify the difficulty of the next part accordingly. The current computer-adaptive test adjusts the difficulty of each successive problem based on whether the previous one is answered correctly and does not allow you to return to previous questions.

• Writing: You'll still be asked to write two essays, but you can no longer choose the topic. The questions will also require "more focused" responses, according to Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the GRE.

• Math: The revised exam will feature fewer geometry problems and will test your ability to interpret data in real-world scenarios. One huge advantage or maybe disadvantage to some, There is now an on-screen calculator.

• Verbal: Expect to be tested more on reading comprehension. Some sections may require you to select multiple answers to be correct, or to highlight portions of reading passages in your response. In another break from the past, analogies and antonyms have been eliminated. This is one change I endorse. I have always viewed it as stupid to test vocabulary which no one will ever use in the real world

Scores will be adjusted, too, to range from 130 to 170 rather than 200 to 800 per section.
The revised GRE will completely replace the current version on August 1 (though the first scores will not be available until November). In that area, you’ll also have to decide how fast you need your scores.

Dude, I really don’t think a lot of Nigerians are going for Ph.Ds… The culture seems to foster, “Graduate, get married, have kids, start making the money and building the houses”---- That’s not what Ph.D assures you.
But you may be right; you have possibly seen a concentration of them somewhere. The one I have witnessed is a lot of Indians going for Ph.D. .
Then again, Ph.D is not for the faint hearted!  I know people who have failed out. Ph.D  is intense research. It’s about you coming up with you original idea in a particular field…
Earning a Ph.D is one of the most demanding and challenging intellectual activities you can undertake. It means extensive study to master a body of knowledge and then to contribute to that knowledge through your own research.

There is little instantaneous gratification in science and no instant discovery but however I stay in science. Why go for a Ph.D?   Why?
In my first research experience, I induced seizures in like 25 mice, and the idea was to get them to survive, decapitate them, extract the brain and examine pattern of neuronal degeneration (overly simplified) but that point was  to find what molecular channels are responsible for  brain death in epilepsy.

Only 2 survived,  Even though I tweaked and tried every available means to reduce mortality. When time to present to the school what I have been doing with taxpayers money came after three months, I could not walk up there and say I  murdered a number of mice but do not have sufficient information to explain what I was investigating.
I sat down and watched over 60hours tapes of mice having seizures and graded the seizures and compared the wild type to the knock out model,   (I can tell a grand mal seizure for a mild seizure even if I am flat out drunk)
I was able to find significant different in severity of seizures…. I was so happy that I did not have to go up there looking like an I D I O T. And also I knew this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

It started out looking boring watching mice having seizures but watching those movies, Instead of going to theater and having some romantic dinner. I had every one call me crazy! It was the summer and people are having the time of their lives and I can tell you I had the time of my life deconstructing neuronal mechanism that underly epilepsy.  (So yes, you have to be crazy to want to get a Ph.D)

The truth, I can’t imagine myself doing something else. Breaking down the fundamental system of life down to simple molecules fascinates the hell out of me.
FLO_PATH drove the point home when he said “I’ll see if research is for me” … You either like it or not. I wake up every morning and walk into the Lab at 8 or 9 am and I don’t leave until 10:30pm and sometimes I am in lab till 2am the next morning…
But it’s not work…It’s fun…. You are in the bus and you’re thinking “What can do to increase my transfection efficiency in MCF7 B R E A S T cancer cells”…. Or what will be a good way to investigate the interaction  between  2 adaptor proteins….

Being smart has nothing to do with succeeding in Ph.D program too. Which is what most admissions committee are now realizing. Some people are just excellent Test takers, but can not come up with independent ideas or even lack creativity to design an experiment.  Smart play a little role in Ph.D, 


Ph.D programs admit a lot of people relative  to medical school because most people just come for the alphabet, they will graduate and end up teaching in some community college.(We need them)….But very few carry on with the research…That is what admission committee are looking for in application. Tenacity, Persistence, Internal motivation.Very few go on to become the Nobel Laurates.

No one tells you the amount of hours and frustration involved in Ph.D Most schools  enroll far too many of students  without telling them clearly what doing a doctorate should entail. The set the students  on a path of frustration and disappointment. But if you are going for your Ph.D, BE PREPARED TO BE FRUSTRATED. If science were easy, everyone will be doing it.


I have been working on an experiment for the past Six months trying to mutate a single amino acid in the Parathyroid Hormone Receptor to no avail. Why not give up? I have scoured over 115 scientific journals and consulted 12 scientists. Sometimes i am so mad i can't eat.

Last week it worked and was just excited out of my mind,  Looking back at it, I just changed a  Lysine to Alanine.  Some might say who gives a F U C K ?   I will tell you, then I can investigate whether the structure is related to function in triggering metastasis in cancer.

M.D program, the more I look at it, it looks like a memorization of facts and your ability to find an anomaly. Patient presents with symptoms, you look at it and run it through the database in your head  to see which disease it fits…,  Really, not that exciting for me. So M.D alone will not be fulfilling to me.   Surgery will be exciting!
Most medical schools are now looking for medical students who have the capacity to be a scientists too, 

Research scientists not Medical doctors discover.…  But a combination of the two is powerful which is why NIH is channeling money into the MSTP programs.   It’s only in science  where you are allowed to give a presentation and say “We don’t know why” with confidence.

  Francoise Barre-Sinoussi   who won the Nobel Prize for discovering the link between HIV and AIDS was in the lab on the day of her wedding,  I thought that was crazy when I heard it but now when I look at the path I’m going, it probably makes sense….

That’s how you know people who love this stuff.  It’s not work,  It’s their passion… Ph.D in science is long hours in the lab with very little instant gratification. So you are right, one has to be insane to even try to get a Ph.D,

@flopath, you see 7 or 8 years of schooling? I don’t even see the years. I see opportunity to ask questions and to interact with great minds without any administrative responsibility and see where the investigation leads.

What I am always not comfortable with is when you ask people “So after college, what else?” and they come up with the annoying answer “ I want to graduate, get a job, get married have kids?” It’s not a bad thing, but I am pretty sure that that’s the path every specie in life wants to take.  We are called Homo sapiens for a reason (The thinking man)….

People graduate in college, let say accounting,  And the do the same thing over and over again for the rest of their lives? I will die of boredom if I took a path like that.
Science is not a job, it just a passion…. Ph.D for me is NOT just Alphabets…,  It’s the opportunity to privilege to work with the greatest minds without worrying about anything else but science.

If you have no passion for it, do something else…

HOLY COW!!! That's a lot of writing,  I gotta go,

@cezeozue: Well I'm trying to hard to conceal it, Probably people in the forum won't know it's a name. But you are making it hard consistently spelling out that I mentioned your name.
I was carried away! So once again i apologize,
UIUC, is big on diversity. I'm shocked you've not heard from them, But then again, that's a public Ivy with mad rankings in engineering.
What program did you apply to in UIUC?

idmanzik:
You guys are really awesome, I have been following this thread for more than 10 months now and i must confess that i have learnt a lot. Enough to write a book on success tips, recommendation, GRE, packaging an application etc for prospective grad school students.

I intend writing GRE by June or July 2011.

My profile
I graduated in 2010 from a state university with a FCGPA of 4.33 (Final year CGPA - 4.5 and 4.61 for first and second semester respectively).
BSc. Statistics.
Emerged as the best graduating student.
Summary of my project will be published in one of the statistics journal later this year.
Have strong knowledge in Programming Language and can handle packages like SPSS, EPI-INFO, MATLAB, SAS and STRATA. My computer knowledge also includes JAVA, C++ and web designing

I hope to ace my GRE, my fear is that i failed one course in my first year (GST 101 - Use of English) and also had an E in another (GST 102 - Nigerian People and Culture). I performed very poor because i missed both quiz having started my registration very late.

I fear this may make my application to be rejected even if i have a high GRE. So please i need your advice cos i will highly depend on the school funding through MSc (RA or TA).

@idmanzik: I will be able to give you a more specific reply if you include the schools you are applying to and also what program. Also what Journal are you getting published in?

I'm not on facebook, You still have that sense of humor that borders on the extreme ! 

And i did not mention names, just you chat handle

Well in due time, you will know who i am,  (I am shocked you still don't know)

But the admissions stuff, it's rough for internationals especially when we are competing against these Asian kids that apply with Perfect GRE and 2 or 3 reputable scientific publications.

Your stats are  competitive. I say that because i was in a position to take a look a  pool of applicant to a Ph.D program for the Fall 2011,
It always pisses me off to see like a huge number of Asians applying with these scores but little of no Nigerians. I personally know Nigerians are capable of such scores but i just wonder why they don't apply.

The more i thought about it, it became clear to me that it's a rigorous, expensive process which takes more that just a dream to pursue, So when i stumbled across this site, i was more than impressed with people really really seeking information

So i apologize for any inconvenience. However, i am here to offer any assistance you might need (although you really don't seem to need any)

So i will also extend the same, to every member of the group needing any assistance at all with the admission process

You have power to conquer if you only try, Others went before you an attained the light..(cezeozue, i am very sure you can related to that.)

I wait here to cheer you all and will answer and offer any help any one of you will need provided you have the balls and talent to  back up your dreams!

Most international admissions are reviewed last,  Usually in March, So let's hope that you come through!!

Having said that, i will give my own pointers

1. GRE,  I cannot stress how important this is to your admissions. Citizens and permanent residents of the U.S have crappy scores compared to Internationals. However, in most reputable schools, like the TOP 10, almost everyone has a perfect score,(especially in the Quant).  But if you went there, there just a plethora of Asians.
The first step in this process if you are applying to the TOP 10-20 schools, you have to slay the GRE,  I mean nail it!

The Quantitative is the most important section for engineers,  Most engineering kids score as low as 400 in verbal GRE and still get admissions to top 10 schools. I believe engineers are the reason why a 560 score in Verbal will place you in the 78% to 80 percentile, Having said that, as an international student, you want to make high scores in the verbal too.

If you are one of that hate standardized exams, Practice, Practice , Practice,  That's all i can say, 

Most people who go on to make the best in Grad school are not those with perfect scores, having said that, your situations is different, you need an edge, Every edge you can get. Some schools will say that GRE is not that important that the look at other things (Bullshit),  The GRE is the first line of review!

I understand that acquiring these books may be difficult,  I have a pdf copy of GRE MATH BIBLE, arco GRE, BARRONS GRE and GRE BIG BOOK, Ace the GRE writing.
I will be happy to provide this to all those who need it free of charge.

For those with problems in GRE Quantitaive i recommend the Nova GRE MATH Bible
For those who have problems with the Verbal GRE BIG BOOK is your friend,

Once again, Practice, Practice Practice.


2. LOR letters of recommendations are very important. Someone raised the issue of Nigerian professors being able to submit it online. Most of the letters of recommendation submission system in most schools are moving online. If you can, and your writer has email, let him submit it online. I was on the phone with the Admissions Officer for University of Washington a couple of months ago. I submitted my LOR by mail, And she went on for 12 minutes about why that was not a good idea. She stressed that i should try to submit it online. But if you can't, I'm very sure a solid LOR by mail will not hurt your chances.

In the coming days i will post what a Strong letter of recommendation, a generic letter of recommendation looks like,  Ask your recommender to make it personal,  He should not try to use those annoying adjectives like hardworking, intelligent and all that B.S. He should describe you and talk about your strengths and weaknesses.

2. Make sure it's not generic. If possible give him a sample LOR. When i say generic, some people use letters of recommendation written for one school and submit it to a slew of  graduate programs,  No!

Think about this:

To whom it make concern,
                 I am writing to recommend Saint Zero as an applicant. He is a very hardworking individual,  Blah blah blah


                                                                           OR

The Admissions Commitee
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
                                     It is with the utmost pleasure and without any reservation that I recommend,  blah blah////


3. Personal Statements, 
                In the admissions committee, the decision is not made by one person. Some of these schools receive as much as 8000 applications. How do they review it? They divide it among all the members.
Some reviewers make a pick based on LOR. Others, like the professor i worked with make their decisions based on your Personal Statements.
It's after they decide that you are a strong applicant, that they bring it over to their weekly meeting and all of them will discuss you application in general. And if you have made a connection with the person who reviewed your application either by letter of recommendation or personal statement.  THEY WILL FIGHT FOR YOU.. I assure you.

Cut out the whole crap of i am very poor and i wanted to do science because when i was 4 years old i went to a science fair, (and you spend like 2 paragraphs telling a pity story). You might not know this but most faculty members also started out  as international. They know how difficult it is.( In fact i have interviewed with 6 different people who just kept asking me, how did i make it this far, that was all the kept asking for 95% of the interview).

Summarize your story in at least 4 lines,  The personal statement answers some basic questions

Who are you ?
Where have you been?
What have you done?
Where are you going?

Answer these question is a coherent way, 


There still a lot involved but i will respond to any questions anyone may have. Good luck to everyone,


cezeozue, Did you by any chance apply to Urbana-Champaign?

Considering the fact that i have not mentioned any names here but only "SAT score", it's only safe to say, no cover has been blown,

Besides why do you make it sounds like we are posting information concerning some illegal activity, I'm pretty sure, it may actually help you guys to organize a conference to meet in person,

As a tech/computer programmer, i am known in person by my handle and attend conferences in Canada and UK and people address me by my handle,

Also I'm am pretty sure there are not a zillion people with his stats from UNN, So he was not looking to hide himself,


Pretty sure cEzeozue knows who I am.,. It'll just take him a while to figure it out

cEzeozue,

It's good to see you leaving tips for this people on how things are done!!!! Sefago seems to have his game in order too,

Been a while my friend! Just wasn't sure it was you and could not PM on this board!!! Going through the message board, and reading your moves it was quite easy to figure out.

But it seems you have given this pprocess everything you've got. Have you heard from any other schools yet?

Dubi, Ezeozue,


Just curious why the hell did you choose to stay in Naija with your SAT score?