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‘’How Many Rejections Now? 10!’’
How I got a Fully Funded Master’s Scholarship in The United States of America.

It had always been my desire to study abroad right from high school. So fast forward, having seen my final year result, graduating with a first class, I took 7 days off praying and fasting to ask God for the next agenda, what is next in His will? God began to speak to me about going abroad and confirming it in outstanding ways, details withheld. Okay, what destination? Having consulted with my Professors, my priority was Canada, USA and manageably UK. What do I need to get scholarships? Get my transcript, international passport, take IELTS/TOEFL and write GRE. While planning all these I was also praying towards my NYSC and God was telling me some things which were not very clear to me until I got to Ogun State NYSC Orientation Camp in Shagamu. Then it became very clear that though I have obeyed the clarion call of my fatherland, there was a demand of my father God on me that year to serve as State executive at Nccf Ogun , March 2018 to April 2019. It was a great sacrifice which took a lot of my time and attention because I was also serving as a Graduate Assistant, in the Electrical / Eletronic Engineering department at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, (MAPOLY), Abeokuta. And, I was lecturing. How I got my placement there is a story of faith for another day. Thank God service year ended and I was asked to apply as an Associate Lecturer by my HOD who wanted to keep me but somehow the application was declined by the Dean. I had applied for Mastercard Scholarship of McGill University, Canada, 3 Commonwealth Shared Scholarships (CSC), EducationUSA OFP and the PTDF scholarships while serving and they all looked promising. Despite the rigor of being the State Rugged, I stayed up late every night punching the computer, reviewing my application essays and the likes.

When my application was declined at MAPOLY, I moved to Lagos to stay with one of my mentor’s mentees, who works with Shell. I never knew he had been following my What’sapp status and by the kind of things I post there, he had judged that I am someone he could accommodate to stay with him, support and bring up to speed while I get sorted my applications. There in his house, I had access to electricity 24/7, food 24/7, even though I had already became a fasted man in NCCF. I settled down preparing for my GRE and though it was good, it wasn’t good enough for me with a score of 311. I could not write TOEFL or IELTS because of money and since many schools waive it. While preparing for GRE, the first rejection letter dropped. It was McGill’s, then the 3 CSCs and then the PTDF scholarship. After so much investment in preparation for the interview, I was not awarded. Then, I applied for Skoltech scholarship, a school in Russia, it was not successful. I applied for Mastercard Edinburgh, declined! Chevening, it failed then FSB Commonwealth Masters. I even paid a consulting firm to review my application, it failed. I was also applying to schools in the US But the problem was writing to Professors, requesting for GRA/GTA and getting no response.

How many rejections now? 10! While in this struggle, I got the idea to write to professors in Covenant University, to volunteer as a Research Assistant with anyone in line with my research interest, drawing from a scholar who challenged me by telling me, I didn’t have any online research presence apart from social media. He said the first thing most professors do when they get your mail is to put your name in Google to know if you have been in the corridor of research work and publication, to know if your mail is worth their reply. Personally, I did not know anyone in Covenant University so I went through the school website, went through the CVs of some lecturers in the Electrical and Information Engineering Department and I wrote to 5 of them. I made contacts in Unilag, especially because I had a comfortable accommodation at Surulere, and OAU because I could be accommodated in our mission house in Ife and I would be able to survive on tutorials. I got accepted into the 3 – OAU, Unilag, Covenant for voluntary research assistant work. I got a response from one of the Professors in Covenant who was willing to take me but on a condition - no accommodation, no stipend! That was a great challenge especially for someone from my background but I had learnt to walk by the leading of the Holy Spirit. September 2019, I resumed at Advanced Signal Processing and Machine Intelligence Lab, Covenant University Centre for Research, Innovation and Development, Covenant University and, by December, I got a scopus-index paper published in a conference held in Madrid, Spain.

After this I started getting a few responses from the Professors I was now contacting in the US. I kept writing, I kept searching for schools and I kept applying to schools. I applied to 6 schools in the US, I was getting admitted even for direct PhD but full funding was the main challenge. In another 3 months, by April, 2020 I had already gotten 4, all scopus-indexed publications, with one as the first author, and 2 other ongoing journal papers. I also got a fully funded scholarship to do my master’s at Covenant University with World Bank project under the supervision of my Professor but with a condition that I was not going to travel abroad untill I am done with the 2 years. That was the first opportunity in two years but, I had to decline it even though I was yet to secure one scholarship abroad because while I prayed about it, I heard God telling me that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. I also remembered how in March, while at a church anniversary meeting, the guest minister from nowhere picked me up and began prophesying about my journey abroad with some instructions and revelation of the future and so I did not seek counsel with any human being until after I had declined it. I did not want to be pitied out of God’s plan for my life.

Shortly after, Covid-19 broke out, and with it, the global lockdown and ban on international flights, all hopes became very gloomy. Those who had secured scholarships even in the US prior to this time were being faced with the possibility of losing them. I know people who lost theirs, how much more I who was still just hoping to get one. Anyways for me, it was a journey of faith with God saying to me ‘let the bird in your hand go for two in the bush’. Who does that? My faith had built from faith-based teachings I had been listening to, I soaked myself into them and interacted with friends of like-faith who in the heat of the lockdown, started a whatsApp group where we pray and share God’s word with each other, just the three of us. In the lockdown, our lab was not locked down and I was working on some research work when we got this grant from the university to design and build an automatic solar powered water, soap and sanitizer dispensing machine with automatic temperature sensing functionality which we were also working on. This was the 8th month of volunteering without any pay. How was I being accommodated and fed? Those are testimonies of grace and favor for another day. God is too faithful to fail His children who serve and call upon Him in truth. Meanwhile, I was not really scouting for jobs. Maybe I would have gotten one, but that was not in the plan I received when I was leaving campus after my week-long wait in fasting and prayers.

Then came this fateful day, the last Friday of May 2020. we had just finished our normal weekly research cluster meeting and I was about to close my computer to leave the lab when I refreshed my mail and saw a strange email subject titled ‘Assistantship offer and SEVIS form’. I opened it and could only manage to read it halfway as tears roll down. A fully funded master scholarship worth thousands of dollars. The application fee was waived, my documents were sent free of any charges, I didn’t have to pay a dime, it was all covered and overflowing. Even if I were to bring a spouse, she would be covered as well. What a great God! I was to resume for the fall which was in August, 2020 but because of the international flight ban in Nigeria, I had to defer it to spring 2021, which is January. And so, for the first time in my life, I was on board an an airplane, on a flight to the United States of America. This is my third week in the US and everything has totally changed. Everything I struggled for in Nigeria, I am settled with in the US. I can clearly see pathways to the kind of future I desired and ofcourse fulfilling God’s master plan in the earth is my priority.

Eventually, I spent 14 months volunteering in Covenant University, and though I was not paid by my Professor, the school paid for every scopus-indexed publication and I was able to achieve the following:
1. Two fully funded scholarships; one declined, one accepted and one pending interview results
2. Assisted with Experimentations on Machine Learning Techniques Towards the Development of an Automatic Nigerian Currency Recognition Model, and published a conference paper.
3. Conducted research on Automatic Modulation Recognition Using Cepstrum Descriptors and Feed-Forward ANN and then using Constellation Diagrams with CNN for publication as two journal papers
4. Researched on the Transmit Power of a Universal Software Radio Peripheral Using GNU Radio Framework and a Handheld RF Explorer, published a conference paper.
5. Assisted with Experimentations with OpenStack System Logs and Support Vector Machine for an Anomaly Detection Model in a Private Cloud Infrastructure, and published a conference paper.
6. Three ongoing research works and manuscripts.

For me, the rejections were divine directions because even though I have left Covenant University, I am still a member of my Professor’s research cluster and we are still working and collaborating together on projects.

ykajalas@gmail.com

Ngoven:
Hello bro. How much does Ethiopia Airline charges from Nigeria to US. How much did you book?

Or do you know of any cheaper airline to fly with?

It depends on where you are going in the US?
Check wakanow.ng that's what I used, you can explore various options.

Please guys I am flying with Ethiopian airline and I am going to Virginia, POE New Jersey, DO I NEED COVID-19 TEST?

Yes, I have!

Lildairo:
Hello House,

For those who have gotten their passports stamped, how long did it take?

Again, those whose interviews were successful on the 6h of this month, have you guys gotten your VISA?

THANKS.

I wish everyone going for interview tomorrow an open door of favor, a door no man can shut!

I appreciate everyone who has shared their transcript both approval and denial, and everyone who is always here to attend to questions in different shades and manner. All those efforts really help many people. Many who will not even come here to share. So I see it as a debt if I failed to share and contribute my own quota.

I started following this trend properly in May when I got admitted with fully funding for fall, and I had to follow through those arguments of embassy opening before August and all. I didn't defer my admission in faith of the embassy opening until my GPC mailed me to do so. I eventually have no option but to defer to Spring as he told me even if as got a visa mid of August it is going to be late already.

Fast Forward...
Amidst of a lot of heartache and headache, I got a date through the email method

Visa Approved
6th November 2020
Lagos Consulate
9AM batch

Profile:
GRE 311
Duolingo 110
First Class
ELect/Elect
Going for Master fully funded.

Got there around 6:20am, so it was a long wait but I keep confessing scriptures Rev 3:8 and Ps 102:13. I had little or no tension.
After the initial Biometrics...getting to the VO

VO: Put you first 4 right fingers there...Me: I did, and greeted, Good morning sir VO: Good morning just a moment take off you nose mask, just a moment...I did

VO: Where are you going?
Me: I am going to Norfolk State University for my masters in Electronics Engineering at Norfolk, Virginia. (I stopped for like a second, then I remember I have not finished my script play, I continued ) with my research focus on Bioinstrumentation and Control Systems.

VO: Which state is that?(May he thought I will say Norfolk State)
Me: Virginia

VOSound impressed) Virginia...!! Do you have an undergraduate degree?
Me: Yes, I studied Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University

VO: Electronic and Electrical Engineering, why you want to continue
Me: (blanked headed, I said ) I am passionate

VO: Passionate!!! When did you graduate?
Me: August 2017

VO: What have you been doing?
Me: I graduate August 2017, I was mobilized for youth service in 2018, finished in 2019 and I have been working as a researcher at Covenant University, researching in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.

VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: I got a graduate assistanship which covers my tuition and living expenses, I will be working with Prof. XYZ on a research titled Nobel Labelfree Optical Imaging Approaches for Early Breast Cancer Detection

At this point I realized, I got the visa, he is already marking the yellow slip and picking the white paper

VO: Are you married?
Me: No

VO: Do you have children?
Me: No sir

VO: I will be approving you visa, go to window... Me(cut) Thank you VO: (Saw my excitement) continued...!

I was already taking off my nose mask before I remembered I am still in the consulate I had to compose myself to go pay my reciprocity fee, I was greeting my others as they come behind me to pay too, like 3 girls we had waited together outside for hours. There a many approvals like 80% than denial.

Thanks to Schrodinger for mock interview. Please take more mock interview than reading or self practicing. Also do mock interview for others.

Goodluck to everyone, I hope I will come here occasionally to answer question like many have been doing, I hope this will not be my last time here

codeline:
My interview date for 23rd was canceled too but i received a reschedule email for 30th after about 5mins of the first email.

Wow...any other person gets a reschedule email. I have not o, mine was 22nd and I have not gotten a new date yet.

Okay now, just to be sure...Then do you advise waiting for them to do it or go ahead with the available dates. [1quote author=Snakedoctor1 post=95186837] there are questions that are like stating the obvious that you need not ask[/quote]

Please my interview was cancelled due to the curfew, it would have been tomorrow.

Now. I can see Dec 4 available...

Though, the cancellation email read that I will be given a new date as soon as situation permit...

Question
If I go ahead to book December will not hinder them from rescheduling a date themselves in case theirs will be earlier
The initial date was emergence date scheduled via email...I have not at any time able to book on my account on until now because the dates hasn't be early enough, but I see December 4, that's not bad but it's just saver do get this done ASAP because of some much uncertainties in this country.

Big Congratulations WOW

BrTune:
US Visa Approved!!!

Sent a strongly worded email with convincing points for an emergency visa appointment on Tuesday Night - 6th.


Received an email from the US embassy at 7.30am the next day - Wednesday, scheduling me for an interview on Friday at 6.30am.

Today, Woke up at 5.00am, joined hands with my sister to decree divine Favour.

Bath, dressed and booked an Uber, got to VI at 6.20am.

Went in for my interview at 7.00am

Sent back out because I did not print my DS-160 confirmation.

Rain flogged me, some soldier men even gave me umbrella my who cloth was wet.

A lady helped me to print the DS - 160 form, said I should pay her 5K, I didn’t have any money on me. Begged the lady and eventually paid 3500 outta my reciprocity fee.

Went back into the embassy.

VO: Good morning
Me: Hi, Goodmorning

VO: Pass me ur I-20 and visa and da-160 form

VO: where are u going
Me: Going to ...Ivy league school

VO: Great school, but very expensive too, how are u funding it?
Me: Received 80,000 USD in Fin Aid and taking a loan of 20K from my uncle to complete the rest.

VO: Ok, what does ur uncle do?
Me: My Uncle is a real estate developer and deals in wichtech roofing sheets.

VO: Any evidence of ur uncles ability to pay?
Me: before I could Pass him my uncles statement, he said I shouldn’t bother, he believes me.

VO: Have u travelled out before?
Me: Yes, I have been to the US, Germany France, Qatar, Kenya, Uganda...etc

VO: What did u go for?
Me: Explains

VO: Your visa has been approved, do u have the reciprocity fee?
I knew my reciprocity fee was short by 3500 but I answered yes, I did not want wahala.

VO: Go over there and pay, and enjoy ur stay in America

I go over there, praying for a miracle and the money to double...didn’t happen.
Went out and was looking for whom to borrow money from as I didn’t have my atm. One guy who just finished his interview saw me and asked what the problem was.
I told him, he then called his driver to bring money and dashed me 4K. I quickly begged him to wait for me, so I follow him and drop off at my stop.
He waited for me to pay the reciprocity fee and then told his driver to drop me off the stop close to my house.

Good luck every one

Why??

Chibzee2:
I just recieved a message cancelling my Nov 20th appointment!

Walspring:
Don’t be confused, you can just book and request for emergency date since your school is resuming in January 2021 and early date will be given to you.

Seriously...! It's interesting since July, it's my first time to see a date even though I am as clueless of what decision to make like you are because my resumption is January.

It's not their fault, listening to the consular speak today, you know they see everything from your application to school to visa application as doing us a great privilege, and that's very true. So we have to just pull this through!

Matinho:
US embassy don see Nigerians finish. Many of you guys applying , na the embassy dey frustrate you and not even the application. If its true that they released dates without even giving people information about what they are doing and keeping people abreast of what to do, then it goes back to my earlier point of saying we have been dehumanized. In America, it ll be a flagrant abuse of rights to do that kind thing of not giving information, so why do it to Nigerians? We sef be human beings o and God dey watch.

You are right.
This is real mental pressure...

They said we should check the site often, you check twice, trice...you risk being logout and block for 3 days...

Now from November date jumping to March...

Schrodinger1:
Lol... You don't have to rub it on people's face. We all know your date is first in-the-line. Be back to share your transcript in detail.
Happy preparing.

Tella26 & Ykxcels: you're well sighted

For those resuming in Spring 2021 only:

Students should send an email to LagosNIV@state.gov requesting an appointment for an F-1 student visa interview. The consular staff will simply add you to their mailing list and send you updates when appointment dates are open again. You will be the first to know.

All is well...! Being a silent follower close to 4 months now, thank you guys for the updates, biko please let's know as soon as slots are opened Lagos/Abuja

I wont congratulate u 4 dis a big liar shell dy pay 75k n even nlng no dy pay 300k,u seems b 1 of d educated fools!