₦airaland Forum

Hello everyone,

I'm applying for SA tourist visa. One of the visa requirement is that i have to attach evidence of hotel booking. Pls how do i go about this?

Secondly, I'm also to attach evidence of verifiable flight booking. Does this mean i have to pay for my flight before applying for my visa?

Finally, how do i book a cheap flight to SA. Your contributions will highly be appreciated.

Dear altruist, I'm a prospective PhD student and will like to apply to some of the schools in Canada. My undergraduate and MSc Major is in the field of Mechanical Engineering. Please what are the requirements? and what do i need to start an application? Do i need to contact professors/supervisors in Canada first? Your favorable responses will really be appreciated. Thank you

Dear altruist, I'm a prospective PhD student and will like to apply to some of the schools in Canada. My undergraduate and MSc Major is in the field of Mechanical Engineering. Please what are the requirements? and what do i need to start an application? Do i need to contact professors/supervisors in Canada first? Your favorable responses will really be appreciated. Thank you

Walspring:
cc

theHanafis

Thanks @walspring. I have seen it

slimmy2005:
Great profile. You're fit for a PhD program. I would advice you aim for 320 in GRE and try to TOEFL as well. I am sure you can ace the exam with preparation. There are schools you can consult. Try to browse this sites www.msinus.com and www.gradschool.com. I can recommend schools for you, but I'll have to see if they still have funding in that department and would let you know.

All the best. Keep following the thread and people like electronic and renewable.

Thanks @slimmy2005. Will be waiting to hear from you about the schools with funding in Mech.

Dear altruists, i have been silient follower on this group and i have few questions to ask. But before i do, i will like to introduce my academic profile to the house. I have a B. Eng (CGPA of 3. 9/5) and an MSc (CGPA of 6. 4/7) in Mechanical engineering (Thermo fluid science) with second class upper and distinction. I have 5 publications to my name.

1. I'm on a mission of finding a PhD supervisor in the US. Please what do i need to get in place before making my contacts?

2. Are there schools i need to know that give fundings in my field of study and research? Or how do i find the right school for my program?

3. Sir Walspring, please what are the requirements to earn a slot for the GRE sponsorship? I will be glad if I'm opportune to get one.

Thank you all

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Horayce:
So early this morning i put a link to a facebook group that has lots of freebies and useful info i thought may help some prospective GRE student, mr. justwise or mr. mod may i know why it was deleted? DDamiit, the entire post was deleted too? Yes there's a paltry no. of businesses --largely indian, foreign -- which solicit students patronage on the site but that's a drop compared to the value anyone would get as i found out while doing my own prep over a year ago ( thorny/tricky quant and verbal questions posted on the forum from users of the 22,000+ sized group; a repository of free GRE docs/books, free keys to gre mock tests etc etc) . I never paid a damn doing my own prep and i don't imagine any one here would. In the past I've played devils advocate when you delete links people put here including mine cos i see the point of establishing a rich vibrant community where we can find all the useful information herein. But now i can't. Does nairaland allow people upload free ebooks? Are there 200+ students posting tricky GRE questions on the forum and other posters to answer them? That's why i dropped the link. Out of sheer generosity and not any thinly guised financial gain. Ok so i suggested people who have extra cash to spare can try magoosh but what has that got to do with anything? Do i run magoosh? Lets say i was on some other forum and i met a nigerian and dropped nairaland.com cos i see it may be useful to her. The mod sees it and deletes it only because nairaland displays banners/ads.. well, you see my point? My complaints aside, there's still the possibility that there's an entirely legitimate reason i haven't considered, and i'd like to hear it.

@Horayce, pls i'm interested in having the link. Kindly send it to my mail ahmadalao@gmail.com Thanks.

Hello house, please I need help with TOEFL ETS number. And which visa card can one use to register? Pls is urgent.

House, pls I need help on this. I used statement of result and attestation letter for my clearance at pgschool and I was given an attestation form to fill stating that "I'm required to provide my certificate if not I wouldn't b allow to write first semester exams". And I don't really think my cert will b ready by then. Anything one can do about this?

Good Morning house. I was notified by the department that I was recommended for admission. For the past 3-4 wks now, I didnt hear from pgschool so I decided to work down there to sort things out myself n I was told my transcript didn't contain label n wasn't in my file.so I searched for it in a missing label folders n I gave d woman n she said dia isn't any problem. Till 2day o, I haven't receive d recommendation mail. Pls any idea on what I shoukd do next?

Pls house , I need d english proficiency samples. My email address is ahmadalao@gmail.com prospective Msc Mech Eng add me up on BBM 32FF9165

House pls I need help with my application. My field of interest doesn't come up. I'm applying for Msc Mechanical Engineering. And please where can 1 purchase the scratch card?

House, anybody with soft copies of IELTS materials should please help me with them. I couldn't download the available material (Cambridge IELTS guide) on selfstudy360@gmail.com because I do not have sufficient Megabytes for the download (103MB). Pls kindly help a brother.

Sir imperiouxx, check ur NL mail, I sent u a message.

Imperiouxx babah,u gat mail bro... Need ur help sir

constant57: Good day house,

Please can someone provide help on how to pay 4 gre bible (produced by pellucid learning). I tried Paying 4 it online with my naira mastercard but the site is not accepting naira card.

i dont av a dollar card; is there any alternative to pay for it or beta, still have the software.

@constant, get a dom account either visa or master card... It should work.

syahboy: Lol you've answered your question already, it's a Naira master card linked to a Naira Savings/Current account so the best you can do is deposit the Naira equivalent of the exact amount you need in dollars. Cheers!!

@syahboy . I have tried that already, the site online accept payments in US dollars and do not accept any other form of payments.

I have tried it several times but the site didn't accept payment in naira. That I should try and use other means of payments to order. This pellucid guyz are giving me headache, I even had to get a token device from GT.

House, is it possible for one to buy US dollars and deposits in GT Bank(naira master card) account for online payment?

.

bigfrancis21: I thank God for my visa approval today. I initially scheduled my interview for July 22 at the same Abuja, as you all know, but missed the interview because my I20 did not arrive as expected. I had to reschedule and got today using emergency request.
I had my interview at the Abuja embassy today. My interview time was 11.45am however, there were just so many applicants today that I was actually interviewed at around 12.25pm. My post is very long and I believe I really owe you guys my narration. I took out my time to type my experience with every single detail because you all deserve it.

I left Owerri where I was at the moment for Enugu on sunday to visit my maternal relatives and stayed with them for 2 days. Then I left Enugu for Abuja on tuesday by bus (Peace park. Oh God, I love the way their drivers speed. Makes me feel like I'm on a flight. ). Got to Abuja around 6.30pm and slept over at my aunt's. I wasn't that much bothered neither did I do cram work nor rehearsals of my answers. I just watched movies last night and this morning , prepared and left for the embassy at 10am sharp. Got to the embassy 10 minutes later. Those for 10.30am and 10.45am were called, and few minutes later all others for 11am were called in. I went inside, did biometrics, sat down and waited for my turn. Sat for almost 30 minutes till it got to my turn. I used the opportunity to observe the visa officers. I must confess that while going there I was scared given the horrible news I had been hearing about the visa officers. But on entering the interview lounge and seeing them, all my fears swept away in just a second. 'Oh these people are humans afterall', was the thought I had. After that, I relaxed, became lively, started smiling, and even discussing with those beside me. All the visa officers were around, all 4 of them - 3 ladies and 1 guy. I used the opportunity to observe the VOs. All ladies at counters 6, 8 and 9 were quite fair in their visa issuance rates, except the guy. He gave more denials than approvals. His own voice at the speaker was the loudest more than the other VOs. His own voice was suppressing the others such that you could barely hear the interview process of the other VOs. I kinda liked the guy sha because I noticed that the guy is intelligent, though he was denying more because he was very scrutinizing of applicants. He was scrutinizing for those that were the 'best' to him. His first question was always, 'have you travelled out of the country before?' Followed by, 'what state is your school located in and what part of the US map is your state located in'. I couldn't help but notice a guy who the male VO denied earlier this morning. He smartly went into the bathroom, waited a while, came out and joined the queue. When it got to his turn, he was still called at counter 7(male visa officer's counter) and when the VO called up his record, he shouted that the guy had been denied earlier before, and called security to take him out of the building. I saw him grant only one student who had a scholarship from his university. The lady at counter 8 was a very nice lady, just granting visas. The VO at counter 9 will grill and grill you, even laugh with you but deny you in the end. She's the same person who denied the member here who his resumption date coincided with his passport pick-up date. I prayed to be interviewed by the lady at counter 8 and God just answered my prayers. I'll tell you how he did so in the penultimate paragraph. It then got to my turn, and I was called at Window 8!, and I went forward.

Me: Good afternoon (smiling)
VO: Good afternoon. Pass me your passport and application documents please. (I did).
VO: (Looked at my document and typed something on her keyboard and said) Hold on sir, let me verify your details.
VO: (Looking up after a few seconds) Okay! What are you going to the US to do?
ME: To further my studies. I'm going for my masters degree.
VO: Have you travelled out of Nigeria before?
ME: Not really. I've never had the opportunity to before.(Note, I didn't just say 'no'. I dreaded that answer like a plague. The answer I gave was more preferable)
VO: What school are you going to?
ME: University of Maryland, College Park.
VO: Ok! In what field are you going for your masters?
ME: Telecommunications Engineering.
VO: Ok. When did you obtain your bachelors degree?
ME: July last year.
VO: What school did you obtain your bachelors degree from?
ME: University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
VO: (Thinking and saying) Nsukka...Ok! (She shouted it and smiled at me. To go to a good school is really good. I was surprised she'd know UNN sef, given that its not in Lagos or Abuja that they can easily hear or know of.)
VO: How did you come about this your school?
ME: I performed intense research on the internet and discovered the school and found out that it ranks among the top 20 schools in the US in the field of engineering so I decided to apply to the school and other 2 schools.
VO: (still smiling) What other schools did you apply to?
ME: University of Tennessee and University of Alabama.
VO: (On hearing U of Alabama, she fell back into her seat, laughing loudly and shouting) Oh! Alabama! Why didn't you go to University of Alabama! I schooled there.
ME: (Laughing loudly) Really? That's nice! My dad schooled there too.
VO: Really?! Tuscaloosa?
ME: Yea. Tuscaloosa.(She was then laughing now and typing).
VO: Who will be paying for your studies?
ME: I got a graduate assistantship from the school though...
VO: (Cuts in)...wonderful! (Looking at my I20)
ME: (I continued). However, my sponsor is my paternal uncle.
VO: What does he do?
ME: He's a financial consultant. He has a company that offers financial consultations and advise. He also works for FirstBank and DiamondBank on contract basis where he trains their newly recruited bank staff.
VO: (Looking at me, smiling). Wonderful. Do you have his bank statement?
ME: Yes. I passed it to her. (She quickly flips to the back, looks at it and gives it back to me. It was containing a balance of 10.4 million naira)
VO: Can you please place your left thumb on the scanner?
ME: Yes. (I quickly did so).
VO: (Returning my I20, looking up at me smiling) Your visa has been approved! Pick up your passport on friday at this address located on the pick-up form.
ME: Thank you! (Smiling now).

I packed my file and left. She didn't ask for my GRE or my transcripts like the male VO was doing. The whole interview didn't last up to 1 minute because it went so fast. Boldness, confidence, and speaking eloquently are very important. Gesticulations are also important. I spoke confidently, brilliantly, together with hand movements. Most importantly, God's favour supersedes all. I'll tell you how.

I prayed to be interviewed by the lady at counter 8. BAnd God answered my prayers immediately and in a miraculous way! When I was the third to go ie two people were before me, the lady at counter 8 concluded with one applicant and was supposed to call 'next applicant' as usual, but she didn't. She just looked our direction, noticed that I wasn't next, and kept on typing on her system. The VO at counter 9 called, the first person left, and the VO at counter 6 called and the second person went to her counter. I was then next. The nice lady, on looking my direction again and seeing that I was next then called 'next applicant' and I moved forward to her counter. I noticed she wanted to interview me herself. It was just God's doing. Funny enough, the two that were in front of me who went to the other two female VOs were denied! The nice VO just waited to interview me herself and grant me the visa! God's favour is just so wonderful.

Thank you all. My enormous thanks goes out to all the members on this thread. God bless you all.

CONGRAT BIGFRANCES...its d moment d house have being waiting for.enjoy ur stay in obamaland. #Iguess 2dayna Gym-min tins#

@ Amefrica congrat on ur admsn.Sowie I didn't contact u again about my TOEFL ishh.I use one of my guyz first bank Visa card (dom account) and it works.

Thanks Big frances

Babsharon God bless u.

House,some 1 helped me out with my toefl reg buh I think I might hav an issue cos I use my three names in opening my profile buh wen ets mail my order receipt confirmation and receipt confirmation, my other name was lyk omitted.buh on my profile it still reads my three names correctly.I guess mayb he might hav made mistake during d reg.my ques here is: hope dis will not cause an issue for me during and after da test?

@ferdimako, I hav try to get ur profile buh didn't knw wat to do exactly.

@Ferdimako I wil.tnx

House I have tried to register for d TOEFL test over d weekend but all my efforts prove to b abortive.I use d diamond bank visa, gave dem my card number and d 3 digit number.b4 I try registring online I called ets on friday so dat dae could help register buh dae were off for d dae cos it was around pass 5. I didn't try GT bank Master card because it was written clearly in my profile dat ets dnt accept Master card from a list of African countries in which nigeria was included.pls house any suggestion on d way out ?My date is fast approaching n centers are filling up.

God bless u Big France and every1 on dis thread.I hav an account with ets already,so I guess I jus hav to call dem now for d payment.tnks alot

@lamchux tnks

House,I asked a question on how to register for TOEFL test myself using GT Bank account or diamond.pls can som1 kindly reply my Questn.

My Big Brodas in d house,I jus obtain my passport yesterday for d TOEFL registration and I want to register my self.pls can I use my GT Bank account(master card) to pay for d test? I also have diamond bank account but I dnt knw weda it wil work for d registration.ur kind replies wil be appreciated

House I'm planning to take my TOEFL test by mid August probably 10th August though I haven't register yet cos I have few questions to ask.please house do I have to get my international passport for the registration or I don't really have to get it for d registration process.am asking dis quetn because som1 told me that I don't necessarily need it for d reg. That when ever the passport is ready I can update my profile before my test date?pls need ur kind replies