₦airaland Forum

alexohams2000:
Lol..., I am a ''Virgin boy'', no girlfriend.

I am very very clean. All documents legit. Also got more documents today which I wanted to e-mail them but I was advised by friends to hold on. ALL MY DOCUMENTS ARE GENUINE!

And that's good news my Gee.

GameGod:
PES 19, Version 1.02.00 with PTE patch 3.0


Lenovo y520, Specs @ photo

Can you give me a link to the PES 2019?

I have an MSI GV62 8RE GTX 1060 Laptop that can run the game too.


Thanks

Quoran:
Hello Folks. I can see a lot of progress here. A lot of Good GRE scores as well. If you need to retake the test, do not despair. Follow the invaluable advice from veterans here. It will help you.

Unpopular Opinion: Your Statement of Purpose is actually the most important document in your application when you are looking for PhD positions in the STEM field. When a Professor or someone in the admission committee reads it, it make him or her curious to see what the student has to offer. Though it is not a technical document but it should give a glimpse of the applicant's future aspirations and the reasons he or she is an ideal candidate. Many Professors take your future goals quite seriously. They believe that should fix your motivation to do a PhD. That is why doing a PhD simply because you want funding is not a good idea.

Your SOP should sell your candidacy to the anonymous person reading it. He should be curious about what you have to offer. Naturally, he will then quickly glance at your CV (Academic CV off course). Then, if he is convinced, he takes a look at your Transcript to see if you possess the prerequisite to succeed. i.e. Do research,think and develop ideas. He or she will probably want to see what a colleague or someone of like mind thinks. That is where you Letters of recommendation plays a major part.

The use of the GRE is debatable. It is mostly used to screen out applicants. Some claim they holistically consider all parts of the application. Since not only one person considers all the applications, there is likely to be some bias for certain aspects. How will you feel if your application was not read at all and just screened out because of poor test scores? Try and get a good score especially in the Quant. Most universities do not have a minimum score. Some professors do not believe in its ability to predict anything useful.Even if they badly want an applicant, you must satisfy the set minimum. Taking it is very important especially as an international Student. Everyone knows the GRE is a weird test in some regard. Doing well in it especially as an international student dispels some bizarre myth about certain foreign degrees.

There is alot of bias in the admission process. You cannot take that away from it. Human beings have that unconscious bias that they are not even aware off. For example, A Chinese Professor may be inclined to accepting a student from Tsingua University because he knows the school and will be skeptical about admitting someone from the University Of Benin. These things happen. Though Professors have to explain their choices, many cannot be questioned much because of their reputation and the grant funds they bring in. Put in your best. Take time to draft your SOP. Do not plaglarise.

Publish if you can and also try to attend conferences. Contact students in the lab you wish to get into. Trust me, they know how their Professors pick graduate students.

By the way, it is a good thing to know what your potential supervisor has been doing lately, in terms of research. Check their webpages or check databases and see their recent publications. It will help you in drafting your SOP or amplifying your areas of strength in your CV and SOP.

Cheers.

Spot on.

Mikkyboy:
Hi all, I'm a silent but ardent follower and reader of this thread.

This is cool.
May success keep on finding you.


Cheers!!!

seyewest:
P.S: After going through the timeline I think the confusion came from ''Oyi2'' questions and ''Sunshineluv2'' continuation of the discussion.
My fault for not asking Sunshineluv2 the necessary questions thinking it's same with Oyi2.
My apologies.

No wahala, boss.

Your courtesy is commendable.



Cheers

seyewest:
She never said she was a student on F1 and I thought she was looking at next year not December...

Alright.

She's a student on F1. I got to know from the US visa thread.

seyewest:
Never mind... Goodluck with your research.. just in case of another time... almost every trip to U.S originating from Nigeria should have a return date.

I am sorry, your post was unnecessary.

A one way ticket doesn't require a return date. You should know this by now. Just so you know, a student on an F1 visa going for a degree which requires at least 2 years to complete doesn't need a two-way ticket.


Thank you

RexCheeng:
VO: Errrr. But from your i20, the scholarship seems to cover a very significant portion. Why do you think you even need your mum to sponsor you?
Rex: That’s also what I thought. But the interviewer didn’t agree earlier, so I just wanted to make sure there’s no lapses.
VO: <Types> Give me a moment.
Rex: Comes back with bunch of white papers
VO: So, I will not be collecting your documents, if you don't live extravagently, you should be fine during your stay in the United States. Listen carefully, this document will explain what you should do when you get to the US. This would explain how you’ll pick up your passport in 3 working days. When are you to resume school?

You could imagine the VO saying you don't even need a sponsor to cover any expenses, hence didn't see the need to collect your documents for administrative processing. Whereas, on the other hand, the first VO requested for your sponsor's statement, even after seeing that your assistantship was good enough. As if that was not enough, she still thought that your sponsor's statement was not good enough as a support, hence your denial. SMH.

This just goes to show that the outcome of a visa interview sometimes is not hinged on your performance. Sometimes, it may just depend on the VO you are interviewing with.

That is why I just shake my head in disgust when some guys come here to boast unnecessarily after they had secured a visa approval.

I love your tenacity, man.

Congratulations.




Cheers

Knight1990:
Interview Yesterday

Brigham Young University Idaho's I-20


....

Lessons learned:

Tell them what they haven't heard, or at least, something they don't hear very often.
If possible, use objects to explain your points; Jesus Christ always used object lessons to make his teachings meaningful.


Vary the tone of your voice; If I am probably explaining that the unsolved death of my sibling has inspired me to study criminology, i'd say this with a soft, cry-like tone.


I feel the VO only types the strong points we make, not our entire speech and you’re probably making sense, or driving your points home when he raises his head up. I think at this moment(when he raises his head) you need to hit him with more points that supports your case. Don't stop talking when he raises his head!

Finally, I believe we should never listen to advisers that tells us to "be brief and talk less" when facing a Consul.
Well, i'd rather talk a lot and get denied than be brief and after getting denied wish i'd said more!

After all has been said, truth is, we cannot control other people's actions/decisions. We might say and do all things right during our interview with the Vo but still get denied in the end. Remember, most of the time, it is not your fault. It is his fault too-----he was placed with the option of making a wrong and a right decision, and he made the wrong one by denying you!

Congratulations man.


Cheers

MonsieurCoder:
For those universities that require official transcript mailed to them during application, are we allowed to mail it ourselves if we have an official copy?

The answer is NO. It is only considered official when it directly comes from the school.

Backfornow:
Cant confirm or deny... Well played tho.

LoL. It was never a game to be played. However, I think your response looks stronger than a confirmation.

Don't mind me jare




Cheers

Backfornow:
Which is??

hiawathia1981

Backfornow:
Im a lady.
At some point I will attach f to my moniker.
Just curious, why is it assumed that I am a male? It happens alot here and under my old moniker.

And to think that I know your old moniker.

imperiouxx:
Since you're the grand Chemist, hope you can teach me some chemistry
That transcript was a full load. Thanks

Hahaha
Thank you

MackyNaija:
I failed to mention jeans..
Several will be fine. $25-$40 for a Jean on most sites I checked.


If you know how to cook please bring egusi, you go cry if you see the price for USA. There is wheat here.

Dried and stock fish should have no bugs, if not na inside dustbin for airport e go end.

If you can't cook, use the next few days to learn - crash course in cooking. It will help your life or fastfood go drain your pocket.

Thanks man

MackyNaija:
I wrote something about this same time last year...

Luggage limit will be seen on your airline site.

The smallest items are the most expensive - bathe sponge, boxers, no need to bring a clipper (we use 110v here), t-shirts are the everyday wear here (temperature readings go above 100*F).

Since you don't earn in dollars, once you see a 100naira sponge for 3dollars, you go provoke.


I came here and bought footwear, they are more durable and costs same price with the fake in Nigeria.

Thanks man. I was already thinking of getting a clipper. That would have been a waste of money.

I learnt that jeans are expensive over there. Consequently, it would be better to get enough jeans in Nigeria before coming over.

dean1057:
pls Abuja or Lagos and which window

Sorry, I find this hilarious.

Thanks Quoran

reDazey:
Congratulations TheGrandChemist!

Thanks

NefT:
Please, can you kindly share your academic profile i.e. CGPA, GRE, any publication, etc. It will be beneficial to folks here.

I have once dropped it on this platform (specifically the GRE thread). Alternatively, you can look through my posts to get it.

Thank you

Nahum777:
I was put on administrative processing. Transcript on the way.

Mehn!

Glad you made it.
Congratulations

LagosismyHome:
after all the trouble to get admission and funding , no way world village people can win. impossible

congrats ....God bless your new journey

Hahaha.

Many thanks, ma'am.

Ubah1:
Am happy you overcame this lady and the PhD program you were going for really helped. I hardly see PhD denial. The woman can drill someone and will keep asking you questions till she finds a fault to deny the person. Really happy for you. Congrats and may your journey be blessed

LoL.

My guy, I tire o. My village people almost won that battle

While I was on the queue waiting for my turn, I only asked God for an interview with anyone who's gonna approve my visa (White American or Black American, regardless).

Visa approved 3rd of July, 2018. Lagos Consulate.

My interview transcript:

After highlighting from my Camry (LoL. I mean a Uber ride o) at the US embassy, I was motioned to come in for a check by a security officer. After the check was completed, he explained that a phone won't be allowed into the consulate. I had this knowledge even before he said this, but I had to come along with my phone because of the Uber app. Well, I was granted access into the consulate after giving the security officer what he requested for (N1,000 to help secure my phone). Everyone just using the slightest opportunity to hustle in Nigeria.

Well, after progressing through that stage, another check was done on us by some security officers too, to confirm that we are not in possession of the prohibited items mentioned. On completion of that, we were addressed by a female consulate officer and were told to arrange ourselves in two rows; first row was for immigrant visa, and the second row for non-immigrant visa. (while all these transpired, we were still outside the consulate). We were then ushered into the consulate. In the consulate, another security check was done. This time, we were told to unhook our belts and place in a tray. The tray contained our belts and our documents; the trays were taken past a security check machine to check for any suspicious object. When the checks were completed, we retrieved our belts and documents.

We were then ushered into another office for documents verification. When that was completed, we progressed into the next stage, which is the biometrics, where we had to do our fingerprints.

And here comes the next stage, which happens to be the most crucial stage; the interview proper - The Judgement Day (LoL).
The atmosphere was pretty tensed, seeing applicants receiving blue papers made matter even worse. At some point, I was getting scared, but I had to summon courage based on Edo boy wey I be. There was a guy who I even thought would have his visa approved; Lo and behold, he was denied, even after all his elaborate explanation. The guy already has a master's degree, but was going for another master's degree in the USA. There was another man who works with MTN Nigeria as a site engineer, but wanted to go for a master's degree in the USA. The guy did well to answer the questions thrown to him alas, he was still denied. At this point, I was scared to the bones. While I was standing there waiting for my turn I witnessed countless interviews ....And out of those interviews, I only noticed 3 approvals ( one was an elderly woman approved by a white American man at window 2. The other was a lady going for her master's degree approved by a white American woman at window 6. The other was a young man approved by a man at window 4).

Well, I happened to be interviewed by a black American woman ( chubby and darker than the black American woman at window 7) at window 5.

Well, to my interview proper:

The black American woman at window 5 motioned me to step forward. I advanced forward immediately.

VO: Good morning (before I could say good morning, she greeted first).

Me: Good morning, ma'am.

VO: Pass me your passport and I-20.

Me: I passed the requested documents.

VO: How did you hear about this school?

Me: I first read about it on some educational magazines. However, I didn't stop there, I had to do an extensive research on it using websites like usnews.com and thegradcafe (while I was saying usnews.com she joined me in saying 'oh you came accross it using educational websites!', and I responded to her in the affirmative).

VO: How many other schools did you apply to, and name them?

Me: 4 other schools. I was naming them as e dey hot, but she quickly jumped in by saying 'Hold on. Take it slowly'. I started again, and named all the schools while she typed, but this time, I did it slowly as she requested (Georgia State University, Ohio University, Louisiana State University and Oregon State University).

VO: What's your highest qualification?

Me: Bachelor of Science, Chemistry.

VO: When did you graduate?

Me: I graduated February 2012.

VO: So, what have you been doing since then?

Me: I went for a compulsory National Youth Service Scheme. After that I worked in XYZ Table Water Industry for 1 year as a quality control officer/production manager. I then proceeded from there to my current organization where I work as a billing officer.

VO: What is the name of the organization you currently work for?

Me: XYZ Electricity Distribution Company

VO: So, it means that your total work experience doesn't have any connection with your course of study ( She said this with her eyebrows raised and a weird look on her face.)?

Me: I quickly read her body language, and I knew that this woman wan change am for me o. For the first time, I thought to myself "Na so my village people wan take win this war?" . So I quickly responded, "that's not exactly the case ma'am". Like I said, I have worked as a quality control officer at XYZ Table Water Industry (While I was still talking, she realised this and quickly corrected herself by saying 'oh, you were once a quality control officer, I see') and this is related to Chemistry in every way.

VO: how did your course of study helped you ... muttering.. muttering....

Me: Ma'am, I didn't get you clearly.

VO: She repeated the question again, but I still didn't hear her clearly.

Me: I'm sorry ma'am, I still didn't get you well.

VO: This time around she then spoke up louder than before, and I heard her correctly. The question was, how did your course of study helped you in your previous work experience?

Me: I responded, 'oh, my course of study Chemistry, has a branch known as Analytical Chemistry. Analytical Chemistry deals with the qualitative and quantitative analysis of compounds, which of course deals with the determination of impurities in substances and as well as pH level when necessary. I was able to use this knowledge to determine the presence of impurities and pH level of water produced prior and after production as a quality control officer at XYZ table water industry.

VO: She nodded her head suggesting she's impressed with my response. She continued by asking another question: Who is paying for your tuition?

Me: I was offered a full tuition waiver, and a graduate assistant position worth BE,000 USD annually.

VO: But I can't see a full tuition waiver on your I-20. I can only see BE,000USD for an on campus job....still muttering some words.

Me: While she was muttering, I was searching for a document showing proof of my full funding in the documents in my possession. She noticed I was trying to reach out for a document, then she responded, 'don't worry, I don't need any other documents from you'. At this time, she realized I got a full tuition waiver after taking a sternly good look at the I-20.

VO: What is your on-campus job about?

Me: It's a graduate assistantship position where I would work as a teaching assistant in the first semester, and then apply for a research assistantship position in the second semester if I choose to.

VO: She nodded her head in affirmative.

VO: What will this degree do for you?

Me: I have a concrete plan, and that is to pick up a lecturing job at my Alma mater on completion of my PhD program come Fall 2023.... I was about adding more points when she interrupted me...

VO: What is the name of your Alma Mater

Me: The university of Benin.... I continued my conversation by adding that I have established a strong connection with a professor in my Alma mater who happened to be my undergraduate supervisor, and he has assured me that I will have a strong edge over other applicants by the time I am done with my PhD at Brigham Young University. I will also love to work as a research consultant for multinational organizations like shell and Chevron while I lecture in the university.

VO: In response to my reply she nodded her head again.

VO: Are you married?

Me: No, I am not married.

VO: Engaged?

Me: Not at all.

VO: Have you traveled out of the country at any time?

Me: No, I have never had any reason to travel out of the country until now.

VO: Then she typed for some seconds, and said those sweet words. I will be approving your visa.... Congratulations... Bla bla bla.
I was trying to get the other things she was saying, but I couldn't get her clearly at this point. I only heard that you will be notified when your passport is ready for pick up. LoL. I think I also heard her say something about keeping my I-20 safe... Bla bla bla. LoL.

I couldn't believe it at first, because the way she was asking me questions looked like she was finding a fault in my application so as to use that to deny me. I almost gave up and was like, 'abeg do your worst, I don tire jare'.

To God be praised. I walked out majestically while still trying to curtail the joy within me. I almost got myself imploded because the joy within me was massive and was ready to come out. LoL



Cheers!!!

kfrosh:
I noticed there are two Black American V.Os now, I wonder if the second black lady is as rootless as the usual one. I don't know if she has always been around there though. #LagosConsulate

You are right. I saw two black American women on the day of my interview. Luckily , I was interviewed by one of them; the one that looks chubby and darker.

kagari:
you welcome, feel free to reach me if case be

Alright

kagari:
the cheapest one way is flying in through las vegas
for august 21 495,000 for turkish air
then you budget $75 -$100 for bus ride
approx 5h30mins from las vegas airport to city center of Provo in Utah

Many thanks

kagari:
Travel cheap

Please, cheapest flight from Lagos to Provo, Utah; one way ticket?
Date: August 20 or August 21

kylexy61:
Yes, it's true that fully funded students get denied. But c'mon 100% incorrect?
An admission with full funding does improves ones chances of getting a visa. There are no guarantees, but all things being equal, a fully funded student stands a better chance.

Spot on.