₦airaland Forum

I just saw the footages and watched the CNN reports. I didn't know when tears started streaming down my eyes. The evil that men are capable of knows no bounds.

While I know illegal immigration should not be condoned, it still tears me apart to knowing that these young men and women just want a chance to have a better life for themselves and their families. They just want a chance to work and earn decent wages. They could have stayed back in their countries and become armed robbers, ritualist, drug smugglers but choose to pursue a live of honest hardwork. But what do they get un return, THEY ARE SOLD AS SLAVES AND COMMODITY.

I am not naive to suggest all of them are saints but I am sure a vast majority of them are good, responsible people doing it not only for themselves but their families too. Nothing breaks my heart like seeing a man trying to put food on the table for his family but unable to do so.

Another sad aspect is that the fact that their skin colour is black is major factor in what is happening.

PLEASE IF YOU ARE CONTEMPLATING THIS, DON'T DO IT PLEASE. The journey is too perilous, dangerous and not worth it.

Please watch the video of this Nigerian to get a sense of what I am saying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK_232xzJ5E

ponpon:
Jisos!!!!. It got the point I was sending materials in class. Email don cast!!!....

You are super nice. I think we need to read the previous pages. For the umpteenth time this is a link to every GRE materials you can need.
http://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B-ii97JplpxMdzhHNnYxSUlPOEE . It contains all the Magoosh videos, PDF books and also PowerPrep windows app.

AgentOfAllah:
You know what, maybe you shouldn't have commented. Now we know you're willing to defend misogyny, even at the expense of deploying misleading arguments from ignorance.


You didn't bother to cite the link to the map you shared, so I do not know the original context in which that map features, but I'm 99% certain you've disentangled it from that. Context is everything!


Note that in Saudi, any statistics on the prevalence of rape is definitely is an artefact of the repressive culture, and has got nothing to do with reality.
Where do we start from?
Is it the fact that no law recognises spousal rape as such in Saudi, or that rape victims are punished and shamed,[1] sometimes very harshly to discourage others from reporting?[2]

Please educate yourself, lest you're discredited by your own ignorance!

References:
1. https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136079.htm

2. https://www.hrw.org/news/2007/11/15/saudi-arabia-rape-victim-punished-speaking-out

I am not supposed to dignify you with a reply, so this is the last time I will respond to you. Do you have to descend to name calling and ascribing labels because you don't agree with my opinion? That's what is called BIGOTRY.

I am not one of those people you can attack with educate yourself line. I am highly educated and continue to educate myself. Like I said, this is the only response you will get from me. Any of your rants will be subsequently ignored. You have shown you are not cultured enough to hold a civilized conversation. I need to catch some sleep.

Sagamite:
Errrr!

Can you explain to me what your point is?

That dressing modestly is why there is less chance of rape in Saudi Arabia?

I think this point has been made in different iterations on this thread. In an ideal world, no woman will have to worry about rape. But, will live in a less than ideal world where evil minds on on the prow'. So what do we do? Continue shouting rape is bad, real men don't rape? We know that already.

The point is that there are certain things than can be done to reduce the incidence of rape. There is a role for society in term of education, non-tolerance, appropriate laws and implementation of the laws. And, dare I say, there are certain things women can do to reduce the likelihood of being a victim of rape. It is about not giving the rapist an opportunity to commit the crime. In the same vein, there are cultural norms that reduces the prevalence of rape. There is less incidence of rape in Saudi Arabia due to a combination of these factors.

The truth is criminals are more likely to commit a crime if they believe they are likely to get away with it. I don't subscribe to the notion of a rapist seeing a provocatively dressed woman and then losing his senses and then raping her. A more likely scenario is the provocative dress sexually aroused the rapist, and instead of controlling his desire like most men would, he devise a means to lure and isolate the woman to perpetrate the act.(Note here he finds a way to reduce the likelihood of getting caught, he doesn't just grab her on the street and start raping her there and then.) Another thing is that immodest dressing sends a wrong message to his warped mind that he is probably going to get away with it. The truth is that criminals profile their victims. And the profile of the victim of a rapist is not all women, they prefer to target certain types of women

Now, I am aware that this account for only some subsect of rapes and rapists. There are compulsive rapists which only get sexual gratification from forced sex, chiled molesters and peadophiles. No amount of modest dressing is likely to deter these sets of criminals. But, will modest dressing and common sense precautions reduce the incidence of certain type of rapes and reduce the chance of a woman being a victim of rape. YES it would and it does.

Tozara:
[color=#000050]How can anyone even ask this? It's a fact no one can contest. Rape is a major issue ALL OVER THE WORLD, because jungle bastards and baboons who were low-life, savage and primitive creatures in their previous lives keep reincarnating into the human sphere [an idiot who can't control his bestial impulses can't be called a human in the same sense as ME! That would be an insult of breathtaking proportions. That's definitely a creature of an inferior breed]. If you'll find them in prosperous societies of infidels like America, Britain, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, what miracle on earth would stop them from existing in the "virtuous" Islamic hell holes? Wouldn't that be absurd?

Get with the program, bruh. Rape is a serious issue in Islamic countries as well!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Afghanistan

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Pakistan

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Egypt

https://womanstats./2013/01/16/the-high-rape-scale-in-saudi-arabia/

So much for decency!!! Are they telling us that masquerades in Burqa and agbada are more titillating than the sultry glamazons of West Africa? [/color]

In as much as I didn't want to comment on this thread, you practically forced me.
OH no no, Stop pulling out stats indiscriminately. While I do agree that rape is a problem all over the world, the prevalence greatly differs from one country to another.

Below is a graph of the prevalence rate from the same womanstats website.

While a rapist can never be excused, the fact is that a Muslim woman dressed in Niqab is less likely to be a victim of rape compared to a scantily clad woman in the same situation in Nigeria.
And a woman is more likely to be a victim of rape in Nigeria or USA compared to Saudi Arabia.

And every country has a Wikipedia page on rape.

Are rapists beasts? YES, but to come here and try to say nothing mitigates against rape is ingenuous at best.

And what is He doing there? Just looking at this picture is giving me goosebumps. I love children so much that it scares me to imagine what might have happened. The outcome could have been so tragic and traumatic for everyone involved.

I agree with his reasoning, but he should have attended since he was not the one footing the bills, so no hypocrisy.

pronto543:
Thank you so much for your insightful advice and recommendation. Of the 4 schools, Morgan requires transcript evaluation while UM Amherst requires one copy of official transcript; Temple asked for certified copy of transcript.

I actually selected Morgan as a safe school and because I got a favourable response from a Nigerian Prof whose research interest chimes with mine . He also happens to be the coordinator for the research option I'm applying to.Although he told me he won't be taking RA for the coming Fall, he nevertheless advised me to apply directly for doctorate.

NCSU requires no transcript evaluation. I have already done a Skype interview with a POI there. Temple advise applicants to use transcript evaluation for fast processing while UM Amherst grad cord also replied my enquiry mail and told me transcript evaluation could be used in lieu of official transcript.

The dilemma for me now is 2 of the 4 schools indirectly requires transcript evaluation which is cost-effective given the fact that I'll spend more than $325 if I were to apply for official transcript from my Undergraduate and Graduate Schools.

I still have some little time anyway as none of the schools have a deadline early than Jan 1, 2018. The pecuniary constraint is all that stands between me and dream.

Femi312 and Scholastica16 have given you excellent advice. Why not broaden your search? Why are you constraining yourself to those four schools?

NOV2017:
I still can't believe I typed this, 5:58PM, wow, since 4:30 that I've started

Pls Nairalanders, I need ur help.

What kind of help do you need? That people should give you so money so that you can waste it again on gambling? That is if what you have written is true, which I seriously doubt.

toluene1234:
Hello family,

Please help peruse this profile

Undergraduate course: AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
CGPA: 4:85 of scale 5.0
GRE: 325
Probable master degree: Agronomy or Agricultural extension or any agricultural programs.

I would appreciate anyone with list of a top tier universities with full funding scholarship offering these probable courses.

I have searched but haven't come up with tangible list.

Please help a brother.
Cc: All

Go to https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/search?country=united-states&subject=agricultural-sciences

You can search for your specific course in each of the universities listed to find suitable ones. All the best.

PHEEEMMMY:
Hello bosses, my test will be on 16th November at JKK HOUSE 229 IKORODU ROAD ILUPEJU LAGOS, Lagos, Nigeria. I stay in Kwara state. Can anyone kindly recommend like an affordable guest house in Lagos just for one night.

Thank you all.

Check out F And G Suites
Ilupeju, Lagos - 7, Ade Akinsanya Avenue, Off. Town Planning Way.
It is less than 5 minutes walk to the test venue. It is nice and not too expensive.

Wow, really nice thread and quite informative.

dikru2002:
good day everyone, am a graduate of psychology from university of Ibadan. I would love to do my m.sc in u. s.
secondly am an Alfa with beards won't that be a barrier with the V. O during interview. and I can't remove it for a trillion dollars..
your advice will be highly appreciated
thanks

The US embassy does not care if you keep your beards or not. I am a Muslim and also keep my beards although I don't have much of it naturally, but enough that most people in Nigeria call me "Alfa" when they see me. I didn't even feel any different at the embassy and even in the US nobody cares. You see different shades of people, from Indian Sikhs with beards and turban,Americans who keep beards because of whatever reason to Muslims with beards and cap. Even when I rocked my Buba and Sokoto with cap to campus on Friday after Eid, no one bat an eyelid, only my colleague complimented my looks and were curious about the clothing.

Like the VO replied to someone who gave you a false information, just make sure you are a genuine student and stay within the boundaries of the law. May Allah guide us.

Scholastica16:
Oga himself. Care to educate us more on what a PhD entails in the US? We crave your indulgence sir.

It has been interesting and a little challenging. PhD in the US, especially in the first year entails a careful balance of three major aspects; The core courses, Lab rotation and most likely Teaching assistantship (TA).

The core courses are quite demanding and you cover so much in a short space of time. Two courses of 4 credit hours each, and a seminar of just 1 credit hour. Lectures for each course are twice a week and early morning in my case. In two week(4 lectures) we covered more than a typical Nigerian semester. So if you don't review the lectures after the class, they pile up really fast. One thing I try to do is review the previous lecture before the next class. Also, we record the lectures and listen to it again, because so much information is passed across in limited time. American students even struggle to cope with the pace of some of the classes.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that C is a failing grade for a PhD student. That means the student has to retake the course and a number of students are actually retaking Molecular Biology. Full exams also are frequent, usually every four weeks but tend to only cover the lectures treated in the previous period. Therefore up to 4 exams in a little over 3 months period and then the average is used to determine the final grade. I think most people know that C in the US is not 50% but a lot higher and sometimes depend whether the Professor decides to "curve" the grade using the class average.

One of the thing that has helped me is forming a study group, where we discuss the lectures and bat around ideas. I also picked the brain of Senior PhD students about what to expect from each course and Professor( All courses have more than one Professor, with different style and exam). The good thing about it all is you learn a whole lot, the classroom experience is great, Professors are helpful and would gladly answer your question in class, through email or you can set up an appointment for an office visit.

In my program, a PhD student is expected to perform two laboratory rotations to determine which lab to pursue dissertation. So after your classes, you would usually go to your lab. While securing a lab before admission really helps the admission chances, it might be counterproductive in the long run. I say this because of what I have gleaned in my few months. Finding a good research fit is highly important as the student would be spending the better part of 5 years in that lab. This goes beyond performing a research that interests you, but also encompasses the temperament and mien of your potential PI. Some labs are notorious for being difficult, toxic and also some PIs are almost impossible to work with. In addition, you will want to find a lab that has funding, because then you will have more money and freedom to conduct your research and will not have to work as a TA beyond the first two years. Working as a Research Assistant means you can devote all your time to research.
Sadly, this information cannot be accessed until the student is fully on the ground. The good thing is thatmost labs actually need students and would gladly accept you as a rotation students.

The TA is where the stipend come from and you are expected to perform your duty as assigned. We don't get to teach in my department but I know other departments in UTD where PhD students teach courses. We assist in laboratory practicals mostly, grade scripts and proctor exams.
Officially you are expected to work 20hours per week but is less than that in practice (maybe between 8 to 10 hours per week). The Graduate advisor actually gave us the freedom to choose our TA assignment from the available pool. My advice is to never volunteer for a TA assignment others are unwilling to do as they are usually the most difficult and require more time commitment.

The general life in the US has been good, The weather in Dallas has been mild (although it is getting cold), food is relatively cheap in Texas and there are Nigerian stores in Dallas. A drawback is that one needs a car to get to most places as the public transport is not the best. I love UTD in this area because there are free buses that run to campus every ten or twenty minutes to students dominated housing areas(depending on where you stay). Most shopping options lie within the route to campus, so you can also use the bus for that. The school is located in a suburb so it is really safe and accessible.

The facilities are top notched as would expect from a US university, but it's some simple, civilized touches that have impressed me the most. Like a kitchen with fridge and microwave attached to the lab, coffee and tea available in the lab. There are lab meetings fortnightly with good food ordered from restaurants. There are different kinds of seats all over campus with charging ports, there is always an event or small talk on campus. The staffs are always willing to help. I actually misplaced my relatively new phone on campus but had no doubt that it would be returned by whoever finds it and it was.

And this is a link to the study guide I have posted before on this thread https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-ii97JplpxMTVhRZGplOEhPaVE/view . I think it is worth sharing again. Hope it would be useful for prospective test takers. Cheers

Great GRE scores being posted here. You guys are killing it. This is a link to comprehensive GRE materials that I uploaded https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B-ii97JplpxMdzhHNnYxSUlPOEE . It contains all the Magoosh videos, pdf books and also Powerprep windows app.

Great job you guys are doing here, I am just catching up on the thread and only really have weekends to do that. Schedule has been really busy. I fully understand why PhD students have to be funded. You don't really have time for anything else.

I think I should be contributing more to this thread but bear with me biko. Shout out to Scholastica16, your posts are full of sagacity.

LagosismyHome:
dont mind these yeye people. . it does happen , some are just more comfortable paring with who they either feel more comfortable or who they feel is more like them

but i recall this as well.... just check you are not doing anything that puts anyone off. sometimes u might not know you are (some of our naija habits and ways are different ) but time adjust people behaviours and processes to suit the immediate environment. ...

in the meantime dont let it get your down. with time it will normalise so pay little attention to it or it will start affecting you unknowingly . continue to reach out to see who will pair with u as no man is an island and if they dont then do your own thing

Hello ma'am, Please can you give specific examples of the statement in bold.

ProfOjah1234:
The cheapest price for haircut I've seen here is $25.. Mheen na to dey barb skodo remain o, then $25 will be spent once in every 4months for another skodo.. .. All these american girls no kuku send so far you're loyal to them unlike our naija babes..

Lol. Still carrying my haircut from Nigeria. Planning to grow it into an Afro. Na Afro sure past.

A big heartfelt congratulations to Scholastica16 and DreManuel. "As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way". You guys have been immense.

temmitats:
Hi guys, so yesterday I had a conversation with a current grad student in UW Madison and honestly it was so funny I cannot help sharing it.One of the reasons I chose UW Madison as my ambitious school was that while carrying out my research i discovered it was a predominantly white school and they were working towards diversifying their campus. I felt that would work in my favor being a black woman , they also made mention of the criteria for admitting international students by their countries' GPA equivalent and Nigeria's was a 3.6/5 and they consider the last two years of study too, It was looking perfect. This grad student is currently a beneficiary of the diversity scholarship, He's Hispanic,He practically advised me to not apply to UW Madison, He told me that over 75% of the student body is white and in Engineering specifically i could be the only person of color in a class of 20-25 students. I tried to let him know things like that don't really phase( I mean what is my business if i am the only black person in the whole school sef), He insisted I was going to be in for a very big surprise and he told me that if i eventually go to school there I'll have to assume that every white person is racist to protect myself ( is it really that deep?). I never really considered racism when choosing schools I believe I'll be able to endure anything thrown at me but what do you guys think? Do you think I should actually consider potential racism when considering schools?

I really have to respond to this. To me, his suggestion is just a load of bullshit. Let me put it this way, American universities represent the best of America in terms of tolerance, cospomolitan and progressive thinking. I think the least thing you should worry about is racism, especially in the university environment. Is there really any school in America in which the student body is not over 75% white except historically black colleges? Therefore if you want to study in the US, be prepared to be in the minority. Blacks are only 13% of American population and it becomes something like 5% on university campuses.

During my orientation, I was the only black person out of about 400 to 500 students in the hall. It was only on the second day that I saw a lady from Kenya and another American born Nigerian. I think I am also the only Black PhD student in my department, and this is at UT Dallas, a southern school.(Blacks make up a higher percentage of southern states population).

However, do I give a damn? Hell No. Do I feel different or inadequate? Of course not. Be confident and carry yourself with pride my lady.

dawbbleOuEi:
"Thank you for your interest in our graduate program. We do not offer a terminal Master's degree. However, there are two mechanisms to enter our department for studies toward the Ph.D.:

1) You can apply directly to the Department of Biological Sciences. If accepted, you will complete 2-3 rotations with faculty in our department. This is a good option if you have a strong interest in one or several labs in our department and prefer a small, focused environment with maximum coursework flexibility. In your statement of interest, please indicate which laboratories (from the list of primary training faculty) particularly interest you.

2) Alternatively, you can enter the department of Biological Sciences at the end of the first year after applying through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP). The IGP is a first-year admission program that includes 11 different departments and programs concentrating on the Biomedical Sciences. The Biological Sciences department is a member of the IGP program (the only department that is housed in Arts and Science, rather than the medical school). If you are accepted to the IGP program, you complete 4 rotations during the first year while taking coursework with the other IGP students (a large, overview course in the fall and smaller, focused courses in the spring). The rotations can be completed with anyone affiliated with the 11 different departments and programs (more than 200 faculty total). At the end of the first year, you join a lab and also join a specific graduate program to which that PI belongs (e.g. Biological Sciences)."

It's a lot. Would someone please be kind enough to make this clearer?
cc DreManuel, Scholastica16, Time2Smile ....pretty please?

Seem pretty clear to me. It means that there are two ways you can be admitted into the graduate program of the school.

1) You will be admitted to the department directly. It is highly likely you would have a specific research interest, contact the faculty and get their commitment to taking you as a student.

2.) The second is an interdepartment (if I can call it that) program involving all the departments that can be classified as as biomedical/health related. It gives you more flexibility in selecting your area of research and would probably admit higher number of students (with various science background) through this method.

gokuu:
Anyone here has used or plans to use expert admissions consultants for their applications?

Hi, I don't think you really need any admission consultant. I really doubt their expertise. You seem like a really intelligent person and all the information you need in contained in this thread, the USA visa thread in the travel section and forums like gradcafe.

One of the joy of this process is doing it yourself and it actually prepares you for graduate school because you would learn some valuable skills and it boost your self confidence immensely.

You can always request help on forum about things that might be proving intractable. Cheers.

eaglebeliever:
Good evening everyone. I have followed all the posts on this platform and it really helped. I took the GRE on September 1st and was targeting a minimum score of 320. I ended up scoring 311 (Q - 159, V - 152). I basically started preparing in mid-july when I registered for the examination. I prepared hard but didn't have enough time to take full-practice tests because I left it for the last week and unplanned assignments from the office crept into my schedule. On exam day, the major mistake I remember on my Quant is that I marked four questions in the second part and when I returned to the first one, I spent all my time trying to solve the question that I could not get back to at least guessing in the other 3. I actually didn't answer three questions.

I am a Lecturer in a University in Nigeria (2014 - date). My field of Study is Electrical Engineering (Wireless, Mobile and Communications Engineering). I had about 2 Years field experience with a Telecommunications company in Lagos between 2010 and 2012 before I obtained my Masters degree. I also have a couple of publications (not really in the top journals of my field). I had a 3.94/5 in my first degree and a 4.52/5 in my Masters programme. I work in the University I got my Masters so it will be easy to get LOR from my Profs.

I need help on what schools to apply to considering my GRE score. A friend of my who works in the US is advising me to apply to schools some of our classmates in the university attended. They include Tennessee Tech University, Worchester Polytechnic University, Clemson University, University of Kentucky, University of Massachusetts, Lowell and University of New Mexico. I have researched them but they really don't have the kind of rating I would have preferred. I need a lot of advise.

cc @Scholastica16

Decent GRE scores you have there, although a Quant score of at least 160 is desirable for Engineering. If money is not an issue, you might want to consider retaking the GRE. Althought, I can't gainsay the fact you can be admitted with your current GRE score.

I think you should work on a list of schools yourself, there are myriad of criteria that only you can decide on. For example, I was only interested in schools in cities and also in the south because I hate cold. Try searching for research from American universities in your area of interest and contact the authors. It is always nice to have faculty support and it helps your application immensely. All the best.

Scholastica16:
Mehn..It seems the secret to a great GRE score is to call oneself Time2*insert something great*

Great GRE score you have there.

Texas as a whole is broad so it depends on the schools you are looking at but it is generally good for engineering courses.

The question is, what is your engineering discipline and what schools are you looking at? What Master's program are you also vying for?

Lol very funny.

Just catching up on the thread, You guys are doing a great job. Good to see the thread is active and progressing.

dawbbleOuEi:
Dr. Time, please I have a related question. My supervisor published my work without my consent and got my name wrongly spelt in the paper. We have contacted the EIC of the journal, he claims nothing can be done. Even worse is the journal (Journal of Biomedicine) doesn't use initials, it uses authors' full names. I intend making reference to this paper; I put so much in it. What do you think can be done? How would you advise I go about citing it in my SOP and other concomitant documents?

It depends on how egregious the mistake in your name is. If it is just a few letters, then I wouldn't sweat it. Getting the supervisor to give you a letter of recommendation helps to prove you did the work. You can also discuss the research in your SOP and add a line about your name being misspelled if you are comfortable with that.

But if I were you, I would just discuss the project since I am the one that did it, without any mention of the mistake. If adcomms are in doubt about authorship, they can always contact you for clarification.

nibrainengine:
Question: Does having a journal paper published in an internationally recognized journal a great boost to your graduate application and funding opportunity? (for Msc prospectives...)

It is definitely a plus. Be sure to mention it in your SOP, you can even cite the article as a footnote in your SOP.

tizentos:
I was very scared, I couldn't look at the screen cuz I'm not convinced with my performance. So I clicked on report scores, "I open eyes saw a confirmation message, I just vex click confirm".

Verbal : 152
Quant: 160

I was surprised cuz I wasn't in my ideal mind throughout the test, but I can not but to thank God.

These were my mock test scores;

Diagnostic test (Powerprep 1) : V142 Q154
After a month(Powerprep 2): V138 Q156 ( I knew I had to upgrade my prep)

Some weeks before test:

Manhattan test: V148 Q158
Princeton test: V149 Q159 AWA:4.5

I was really pissed with my petty mistakes on quant so I knew I just have to be super careful on the test day to hit 160+

Three days to test
Powerprep 2: V148 Q158
Magoosh test : V150 Q159
Powerprep 1(verbal only): 154
Powerprep 1(Quant only): 164

Congratulations. Really good score especially considering the circumstances. And the improvement in your scores as you progressed in your preparation is really impressive. Relax for a few days or week and continue working on other parts of your application. Especially your SOP and LORs. It wouldn't hurt to contact some potential supervisors.

Congrats again.

Horexis:
Good morning, am a new bee here and I have been following this thread for the past few weeks. I intend taking GRE exam, please I just need guidance since I just completed my undergraduate programme. I will be grateful if anyone here can put me through the needful.

For guidance on taking GRE go here https://www.nairaland.com/1832477/how-achieve-high-scores-gre. I advise you to read the thread from the first page to the current page. Cheers

This is the belated second half of my travel and POE transcript. I am sorry it is coming late but I have been extremely busy with orientations and registration.

So where did I stop, hmmmm okay Killing some time at JFK. My connecting flight from New York's LaGuardia to DFW in Dallas was scheduled for 3:20PM New York time and our flight into NYC landed on time and I was cleared before 2:00 am, so I had a lot of time. I got a cart lying around and used it to take my baggage to the first floor of Terminal 4, where the airtrain offload and loads riders, so that I could watch CNN and also use the internet. I stayed here for a while and a Nigerian girl with connecting flight to Seattle helped me to watch over my luggage as I went to pray Fajr Salat in the JFK islamic centre around 5am(Located in the departure area of Terminal 4, at the corner of Virgin Atlantic check in counter).

I really should have gotten some sleep in the mosque but baggage storage was not opened, so I had to wait it out. I used some of this time to type the first transcript. At about 10 am I came down the arrival lounge , used the bathroom to freshen up a bit and change my shirt, got a cup of coffee and 3 doghnuts from Dukkins Donuts at 6.80 Dollars. I then presented my ticket to Airporter agent and was informed that the next bus for LaGuardia leaves at 10:40 am. I got to La Guardia before 12 noon for my 3:20 pm flight. I used the internet a bit before commencing check in around after 1pm.

Delta has a self check in which allows you to print your boarding pass but my card was not accepted so I had to opt for manual check in. The Delta official asked for my travelling documents and then the card I used to book( A big Thanks to @Ndawe because I might not have taken it along if not for your advice). I was told that my ticket was placed on hold, He proceeded to call someone and after a few minutes I was cleared and payed $60 for my 2 checked baggage in cash. I then joined a long serpentine queue for security check in.

Although I know that Blacks make up only 13% of American population, my experience in LaGuardia really drove it home. About 19 out of every 20 passengers were whites. Some of them gave me a knowing smile because the probably guessed I am an international student with the size of my luggage(the nylon wrapped around it at MMIA didn't help too). As I stood on queue, the folder I was holding kept touching a middle aged white guy in front of me, he looked back a couple of times while I was quite oblivious to his concerns. Suddenly, he detonated on me; PLEASE STOP TOUCHING ME, OKAY. YOU ARE MAKING ME NERVOUS, THIS IS ABOUT THE TENTH TIME, NO ONE ELSE IN TOUCHING ANOTHER PERSON HERE. I apologized and made sure I kept enough distance from him until we cleared security.

We boarded on time and I had a window seat on the wings of a small Brazilian made Embraer jet. For some reason I was really nervous about the takeoff, and being my third flight in 24hrs I really should not have been. LaGuardia is under construction so there was literally a queue on the runway we used with a plane taking off almost every 2 minutes. The flight took off late, was really smooth with great view of New York and we made up the time lost in the airport during the flight. Therefore we were able to land on time in Dallas at 6:30pm Central time after a three and half hours flight.

My roommate was out of the country, so he arranged for his project mate, who happens to be a Nigerian, to come and pick me up from the airport. I borrowed a young Asian American guy phone to call him upon arrival. He took me to the apartment and also brought a delicious bowl of rice, fried plantain,meat and chicken courtesy of his wife. I arrived at the apartment around 8 o'clock on Sunday 13th of August. Overall my journey was smooth and straightforward and I appreciate everyone who assisted me in one way or another.

I have been trying to settle in but sleep cycle has really been messed up. I am always dosing seriously around 5pm Dallas time which translates to 11pm Nigerian time. The first thing everyone ask you is where are you from and I was told by my Graduate officer that I am the first Nigerian that would be admitted to Molecular and Cell Biology Graudate programme of UT Dallas. I hope to do well, serve as a good ambassador and open doors for other Nigerians. I know this applies to a lot of us as well. I have been mightily impressed by the school, and If you are someone like me who has always valued good education, then I say keep putting in the hard-work on that GRE prep, SOP, application, Visa interview process. It is a life changing opportunity.

Let me stop here at the moment, I still have a lot to share. All #teamfall2017 people who have entered the US and couldn't be bothered to post a POE transcript, remember there is Godooooooooooo.........

Scholastica16:
No. Some schools ask for it whilst others don't.

It helps in guaging one's profile though, especially when trying to communicate with POIs. They relate better when you say, "I had a 3.7/4" than say, 4.4/5 (even though both are stellar). The former appears to them as 92.5% whilst the latter mathematically is 88%.

But, like I said before, it depends on the school of choice. WES costs $212 to process but using the free converter can help with an appropriate estimate that would not stray too far from the actual conversion.

I am sorry for my silence on the thread. I have arrived in the US and have been busy with orientation. Class starts on Monday. I would try to be more active as the situation permits. Thanks