Thanks. But I am not new to the site you recommended. Tuition is not guaranteed. They only give a 75% of tuition differential for international students.

Wow that's ridiculous- they should have stated it explicitly on their website.

I'm sure it might take you several sleepless nights to make your final decision (Except, of course, if you consider it extremely expedient to earn a PhD as a young man - Kidding).

Not really, i made my decision a long time ago. I would only go to the best tech school in the world or nothing else hehe.

Cambridge's research offerings are a too limited compared to what I am looking for, and the research area is not what I want to do. While I was at another school for an interview, I stumbled across a research are that really interested me. If I could work in this research area, I think it would be the greatest things especially if I can create a patent from it.

Two acceptances out of at least 15 schools you appllied to. But acceptances are great ones anyway.

Fundings becoming stringent everywhere. I have been discussing with people at Ivies and top research programs and things are not looking that great. Harvard's endowment basically got screwed up. I heard a lot of interesting things during my interviews

SEFAGO:

Wow that's ridiculous- they should have stated it explicitly on their website.

Of course they stated it clearly what they can afford. lol.

SEFAGO:

Not really, i made my decision a long time ago. I would only go to the best tech school in the world or nothing else hehe.

Cambridge's research offerings are a too limited compared to what I am looking for, and the research area is not what I want to do. While I was at another school for an interview, I stumbled across a research are that really interested me. If I could work in this research area, I think it would be the greatest things especially if I can create a patent from it.

Fundings becoming stringent everywhere. I have been discussing with people at Ivies and top research programs and things are not looking that great. Harvard's endowment basically got screwed up. I heard a lot of interesting things during my interviews

U've got the dice man.
Funding, perhaps the reasons why those guys served me QUICK rejections.

Of course they stated it clearly what they can afford. lol.

Yeah true. I actually never saw that.

Hi all, been trying to prep for my test that comes up soon. Its nice to read all these comments from you all. SEFAGO ur one hell of a genius with that profile, which i know is just the tip of your iceberg.lol. congrats to everyone whose secured one form of admit or the other, i mean conditional/unconditional or with scholarship,TA-RA/ without.
I feel like i havent really worked with enough materials to assure me of a high score on the GRE test, and i wouldn't know if anyone of you still have materials i can work with within this short time to up my chances of a better score. The ets.org website is so not up to the task to ensure that most of their practice materials are windows vista compatible. This has been a major setback to me, as i haven't been able to prctice in a test simulated environ. and it makes me not confident as well. [/b] SO PLEASE PEOPLE, HELP A BROVA OUT. [b] Thanks.

N.B s(dot)r(dot)adesola(dot)gmail(dot)com is the email address to send all test preparation materials, deemed fit for the general GRE test.
BEST WISHES.

@seanpounds
have you tried using powerprep?

^ I was abt to suggest that. Powerprep + Barron = Gold

Dont waste time buying any other rubbish material.

I know they are not vista compatible but you can adjust your vista to make it compatible with software like powerprep.

Do a quick search online and I am sure you would find instructions.

@seanpounds
what sefago is referring to is called 'compatibility mode'
first install the software,(in this case powerprep),
right-click the shortcut, there'll be a compatibility tab,
tick the box under compatibility mode and select windows xp from the drop down menu below, click ok,
that ought to do it, u can try it for all the other softwares k?
If you have any other issues feel free to holler. . .best of luck!

^yeah bros- better explanation

Hello all,I have been reading the posts on this blog for a while now and I must say I have gained quite a lot esp from the likes of ashly,sefago et al.I have some questions to ask.I am a recent graduate of medicine I noticed that a lot of posts are for engineering people.I would like to do a masters in public health in the US. I know that a GRE is impt,how do I go about registering for it in Nigeria?Also i have bought the Barrons gre book.Pls any suggestions as to how to access on line simulated tests?

-

Hi all been a while, and thats cos i've been trying very hard to correct the avoidable programming error in one complexly designed machine called the COMePUTer.lol. Well at last i got the problem figured out, and i took the many risks involved before finding the solution. I actually had to disable all antivirus softwares and some other downloaded softwares, before i could run thr GRE powerprep on my Vista, and after i had it working (although with a funny looking screen), it actually lived up to its name 'a whole new experience'.
And so practice has started, although i felt it wasn't worth all of the trouble i went through trying to install the powerprep software aftterall, as i found there to be only 2 real simulated practice tests. Anyways, i've done the first one and i hope to try and improve on my score and speed, especially in the quantitative section. My score, well not too good v=500, q=430.
i wish the AWA could also be scored so i'd know how tight to buckle up.
i don't know if thats the feeling everyone gets when writting this exam, but mehn, jitters run down my spine at just the mention of GR-words! lol. it may sound funny, but its pretty serious, and it gets worse when someone around you knows your ''present'' phobia. i get constantly reminded of the GRE ''exam'' by warnings, you can imagine.
I just pray this present labour wouldn't have been in vain, and that it'd rather be joy and a point of refrence in the future to come.
Thanx SEFAGO, NETOTSE et al, you've been God sent.

Please Some1 Advice me on Best schools for Msc in IT in the US.

@SEFAGO: Long time no see!
I am just confused about what to do with grad school. On a good note, I just got an internship with goldman sachs!! I know they are in trouble, but its still kinda worth it. Ever since I came here, I started considering doing a phd. That is the exact reason why I transferred away from my previous school. I am hoping I can maintain a 3.8 till I finish engineering, but that is looking like it is going to be a significant hurdle, although having a social life at the same time is almost impossible. I am hoping to go to grad school in something that would focus on robotics, it is mainly artificial intelligence that I like. MIT and the big H have pretty good departments in that regard. However, my current engineering track is more mechanical/aerospace than computer science. I have started taking those courses though. I should graduate next year, but I would do one more yr just to maybe get a double major in CS and engine. I am also looking at business school down the line, so I think I might be going down another route. If you can't tell already, I am a confused soul. I need to get my head straight. I plan on doing that this summer.

You did well this cycle. Everyone has told me that it is what you do in grad school that matters and that it is not all that dependent on where you go as far as engineering is concerned. Besides, I hear Yale has nice girls. Good luck.

flo_path:

@SEFAGO: Long time no see! 
I am just confused about what to do with grad school. On a good note, I just got an internship with goldman sachs!! I know they are in trouble, but its still kinda worth it. Ever since I came here, I started considering doing a phd. That is the exact reason why I transferred away from my previous school. I am hoping I can maintain a 3.8 till I finish engineering, but that is looking like it is going to be a significant hurdle, although having a social life at the same time is almost impossible. I am hoping to go to grad school in something that would focus on robotics, it is mainly artificial intelligence that I like. MIT and the big H have pretty good departments in that regard. However, my current engineering track is more mechanical/aerospace than computer science. I have started taking those courses though. I should graduate next year, but I would do one more yr just to maybe get a double major in CS and engine. I am also looking at business school down the line, so I think I might be going down another route. If you can't tell already, I am a confused soul. I need to get my head straight. I plan on doing that this summer.

You did well this cycle. Everyone has told me that it is what you do in grad school that matters and that it is not all that dependent on where you go as far as engineering is concerned. Besides, I hear Yale has nice girls.  Good luck.

Nice-what department at Sachs do you plan to work in? Seems you want to stay in the Northeast- lol u must be pretty pretty smart to maintain a 3.8 at your school- I did not even know that was possible. I doff my hat for you sha. Why dont you try and get hired by an investment bank after graduation- then proceed further to do B-school. Investment banks sponsor H1B a lot- infact at my undergrad all the international students are working for citigroup (so many lol) because those guy sponsor a work visa for foreigners in america a lot.

Get your head straight quickly, thats the best advise I can give you. Know where you want to go- thats the problem with smart people they always consider a 1000 options not focussing on one- I had a similar problem- last year I got internships in 4 different countries in 4 different fields lol because I did not know what I wanted to do. Waste of my time. The best you can do is know where you want to go, and how far you want to come.

Also make contacts with your professors for recommendations- also you could ask if they have any contacts with the robotics department at Harvard and MIT. Since your undergrad is prolly one of the best in the Ivy for engineering- they prolly do have contacts with these schools,. This could help you so much. Also you could take initiative and contact professors at these schools, and see if they would take you for a research stint over the summer or something- I dont know. You would be surprised. . The good thing about science/engineering is that you have more transport material- you can get hired anywhere in the world easily especially if you attend the best schools and do quite well in them.

Dont worry about social life lol- u are not going to remember most of college when u are old, trust me. I cannot remember a single part I went to freshman year- trust me I went to a lot (glances at freshman grades and winces).

The girls at Yale are  , depends though on what you are used to. My lowly undergrad has just too many hot girls, its so hard to concentrate in class. The degree of hotness of the girl is directly proportional to the prestige of the institution- this I am 100% sure of 

Please is there any school that can take me without GRE and TOEFL, actually English is my first languauge, But i'm nigeria and presently in nigeria. I am applying to UNT and UH now,
Please guys i need guideline on what to do, i want to be there this fall 2010,

thanks ,

I am reviving this thread dammit. Other people still need it. Looks like Seun deleted the last few posts.

Fido:

Please is there any school that can take me without GRE and TOEFL, actually English is my first languauge,  But i'm nigeria and presently in nigeria. I am applying to UNT and UH now, 
Please guys i need guideline on what to do, i want to be there this fall 2010, 

thanks ,

To answer your question Fido: NO. No half-assed school in America will accept you without the GRE or MCAT or GMAT depending on what you are studying (engineering, english, physics etc- GRE, medicine- MCAT, law- LSAT). As for TOEFL, I didn''t have to do it because I did my undergrad in the UK. If you have studied in Nigeria all your life you'll most likely need to take TOEFL as well. There are some exceptions though with regards to TOEFL- If your GRE Verbal score is above Texas A&M University waives your TOEFL- but it's rare.
Even if you did find a school to admit you without GRE you would have an uphill battle in securing an F-1 visa except se your name na Tokunbo (better Tokunbo oh, no be say your mama born you for Togo). I hope I've helped you.

Hey bebure- I need to ask you questions- do you have gchat?

The GRE stuff hard. Abeg when does it expire. I wrote mine in 2006 and scored 1380 780-Quant, 600 Verbal, And I cant just study for another one

hi all,
new to dis forum and thread,
i'd be grateful for anyone who wants a prep partner in GRE.
I am planning on writing mine pretty soon.
my ad is seuncaroline@yahoo.com
halla so we can help one another.

@DK
i hear it's 5 years

@er'one
if someone wants to study international affairs and public affairs (or whatever they call it sha) does the person have to do gre? is is there another exam?

Netotse,

Talk to the school or look at the program website to know the exam requirements

if someone wants to study international affairs and public affairs (or whatever they call it sha) does the person have to do gre? is is there another exam?

GRE- MPA or MIA are under graduate schools- though they are really professional schools like MBA and law school from my own opinion.

dayokanu GRE expires in 5 years, and its really not that hard. Infact its really easy to get a perfect score if you keep your head clear and you want to

SEFAGO:

Hey bebure- I need to ask you questions- do you have gchat?

No I don't. Sorry. I can't imagine what you'll want to ask me that you don't already know though.

lol, ok- would find out myself lol

Is it GRE related or UK education related? You can email me using bebure@hotmail.co.uk

errm neither but based on related fields. I initially got a job in the UK area, but I heard some bad things about the economy in the UK from the people i will be working with too lol, right now. However, i found what i needed on the internet anyways- it took sometime

Also, I was curious why you did not like staying in the UK? Lack of jobs, babes (lol), economic/social factors or such? More general interest when I am advising friends.

Since you might not want your responses registered online, I decided I wanted to ask outside the confines of NL. I wished this place had stuff for private messages. I wanted to get a different perspective from what I get elsewhere lol.

I can't speak for the state of the UK at the moment since I left in October last year first for Washington DC then to Nigeria for NYSC express (heading back to USA next month hopefully). I do know that a lot of my friends with good grades from good universities are still trying to find jobs after graduating a year ago. But since you have a job that is not your problem.

The reason for my general dislike of the UK isn't something I can easily place a finger on. But I will try my best to give reasons for my dislike of the country.

I really dont like the UK for a lot of reasons. I have visited the USA (mostly Washington DC but also Texas, Tennessee and NYC) at least once every single year since 1988 (when I was 2 years) and love it. I've never had that feeling from the UK The main reason why I don't like the UK is based on my year of working there. It appears to me that in the UK, unless you are in Investment Banking or perhaps with an oil company in Aberdeen there is almost always a low glass ceiling especially if you're an engineer and even moreso if your'e a foreigner. I don't perceive this to be the case in the US as evidenced by several of my relatives over there who have done good. I really think the US rewards you based on your ability more than the UK does. Also in the UK you are taxed like hell when you start making a decent wage. That's why health care is free along with many other things. You also generally get a considerably lower wage than your US counterpart in the same job at the same company even though the cost of living is higher in the UK.

Aside from the job aspect I feel the UK is way too close to Nigeria for comfort (nothing against Nigeria - I love it - but when I leave somewhere I like to know I've left it), the weather is genuinely depresssing. My family friend who graduated with a 1st class degree in chemical engineering from Cambridge in 2003 got a job at HSBC and was making six figures in no time. Last year in the midst of the economic downturn he quit his job and went to the US to do an MBA and to get work over there just cos he didn't see a future for himself in the UK. I have another friend at Goldman Sachs who is desperate to move to Nigeria or the US and several friends with ambitions to migrate to America. There are several cases like these of people making a relatively good living in the UK being fed up with the country. That said, a lot of my friends love it. I wouldn't mind a company transferring me to the UK to work for a few years but I wouldn't want my career to be anchored in the UK.

I assume you are going into a high tech area. Ask yourself where most of the greatest innovations of the last three decades have come from and you'll find it's the USA. The innovations made by the Brits often have no appeal until Americans inject life into it. For example the internet was founded/invented by a Brit working at CERN but it took Americans to make it a truly world wide web.  I want to be among such innovative people and hope it rubs off on me so I can take some of that innovative and entrepreneural spirit back to Nigeria. The UK is shifting more and more towards a purely service based economy. They don't focus on technology as much as they used to and that is worrying to me. In fact as soon as I started working at this fortune 500 multinational as a mechanical engineer, all the assembly plants where outsourced. All the workers except the business/marketting/HR people and engineers were relieved of their duties. The UK doesn't manufacture cars anymore and it'll only be a matter of time before engineers are also outsourced except the UK wakes up and takes charge of it's future.


The one thing I really liked and miss about the UK is their chicken and chip shops . Also the customer service in the UK is one of the best I've ever experienced. They are a friendly and caring bunch in spite of the bad weather. Don't be intimidated by their accent if you choose to go there. It makes even the dumbest person appear brilliant (in my opinion)

Speak to other people you know in the UK before you make any rash decisions.

^ Ok that makes sense- I hear the same thing about Canada too.

I do agree though in the US, the sky is your limit if you decide to make it so. The only problem you should be aware of us is the strict visa issues in the US. However, engineers are always always in demand.

Funny, I actually lived in DC for a long tym, and got bored of the city, though its way better than new york in my opinion which I have stayed in for a bit. I And yeah UK wage is superlow lol even in Europe.

Well I agree though that in the US, the quality of life is way way better- but I still feel the glass ceiling is a problem everywhere especially as a foreigner. Not in the office place of course, but the bureaucratic tape you have to cut with respect to visa issues

Yeah the US visa thing and green card is a real problem. Unless you marry an American, win the visa lottery or are an Indian/Chinese programmer/software engineer it is really tough and takes years. It seems America makes it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens than for people who have worked very hard to get there. That said my friend who graduated in December or so got a job as a computer programmer in March with excellent, excellent pay and his employer has already filed for him.
I have actually done some research into this and I noticed that some industries (such as the oil service industry and especially the software/computing industry) are quite generous with granting H1B visas to their worker. I really believe if you are the best at what you do in America the sky is the limit.
But yeah in the UK if you get a job after graduation there are a series of visas that all but guarantee you'll become a citizen so long as you remain employed. Also I don't think you have to stay with the same company in the UK as you do under the H1B scheme.

You noticed correctly- Computing/software is the easiest way to get an H1B. I have a friend who is working for deloitte technology consulting in DC but he is originally from India. He had average grades in computer science, but deloitte always needs tech consultants.