Quick question please....
Anybody knows any cheap flight(less than N300k) to Atlanta for July?
Asking for a friend please.

Thanks for your time and suggestions Twoods, I appreciate them. He'll make necessary adjustments as advised.

TWoods:


Why did you choose the United States for your masters degree? I would remove that line I put in bold. It's not necessary and simply leads the VO to think that being in the United States is the real motivation for going for a masters degree.



The section in bold is your answer... everything else you can feel free to delete.



Suggests you don't have a clear idea what you want. Being a lecturer and a student affairs professional are two completely different things. Choose one and be specific about what opportunities open to you. What does a college student affairs do? Are there such jobs in Nigeria? Remember, your VO has a pretty good clue what jobs are available in Nigeria.



You may or may not get this question but be ready to answer why your jobs after college don't match with your masters degree and future plans.

Hi good people. A friend of mine would be going for his interview soon and has prepared this transcript. Kindly assist to review it and give your suggestions. Thanks.

Me: Good morning
VO: Good morning, pass me your I-20 please?
Me: (passes the I-20 to him)
VO: Where are you going?
Me: I’m going to Louisiana State University for a Master’s degree in Professional Counselling with a concentration in College Student Affairs
VO: How did you hear about LSU?
Me: After I decided to have my Master’s degree in the United States, I carried out an extensive research using google and some academic websites to check for schools that offer my course of interest and I found a few schools that I met their requirements among which was LSU
VO: How many schools did you apply to?
Me: I applied to 3 schools; Louisiana State University, Georgia Southern University and Western Illinois University
VO: How many of them offered you admission?
Me: The 3 of them offered me admission
VO: Why this school?
Me: I chose LSU firstly because of the school curriculum which requires me to attend professional conferences that would earn me extra professional certifications and would also help expand my network which the ither schools did not offer. Asides that, LSU offered me a graduate assistantship that covers more than 80% of my tuition fees and with a monthly stipend. Also, throughout my application process till now, their communication has always been fast and effective
VO: Why this course?
Me: This course would help achieve my career goal when I return to Nigeria, to take up a lecturing job at a higher institution preferably my alma mater and also work as a student affairs professional with educational bodies here in Nigeria
VO: Why USA?
Me: I believe US has the best education system in the world and is an excellent country to study for an education-related degree. Also, studying in the US will give me a world-class education experience in form of field work which is imperative to my career
VO: What is your study plan?
ME: Master’s degree in College Student Affairs is a 2-year program. I will be studying a total of 42 credit hours core curriculum. I am also required to maintain a GPA of 3.0 for the degree to be awarded. A few of my courses are Introduction to Counselling Practice, Advocacy and Leadership, Higher Education Administration amongst others
VO: What have you been doing since graduation?
Me: After my bachelor degree in 2018, I went for my National Youth Service between 2018 and 2019, after which, I secured a job with ABC Limited where I worked as a Sales Manager between 2019 and 2020. I then proceeded from there to my current organization where I work as a XYZ
VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: My cousin would be covering my deficit
VO: What does he do?
Me: He works as an IT Specialist
VO: Is he married? Does he have children?
Me: Yes, he’s married with two children, ages 3 and 5.
VO: Where does he live?
Me: He lives in Little Elm, Texas.
VO: Why is your cousin sponsoring you?
Me: He lived with me and my family and my parents sponsored him through his education and now that my dad is late and my cousin has the financial resources, he is willing to return the favour.

Kindly give your honest opinions and advise.

Alright. Thank you very much.

Muleriders:

1. No funding and high cost of attendance (lesser factor)
2. No home ties, "no wife, no kids, and your major sponsor is in the USA ( main factor)

Recommendation. You can retry with a home based sponsor, or shoot at other schools with funding if your profile is in the high side.

All the best

Okayy. Thank you very much. I'll work on my profile as you've advised.

Legit215:
Do not make much changes in your answers next time it generates red flag leave the fiance part, you can go ahead with saying your parents and your sis, but if you have an admit to any other school with lesser COA the better, hope the school you are attending isn't in the same state as your sister?

Anyways mine was like:

Me & VO together: Good morning
VO: Pass me your documents.
Me: I did as asked
VO: Where are you going?
Me: I'm going to The University of Texas at Arlington for a Master's degree in Civil Engineering
VO: Why did you choose the school?
Me: Because I have an interest in an ongoing research by Dr. Warda Ashraf which evaluates old buildings and structures to determine why they lasted so long and to see if the materials used in constructing them can be recreated synthetically in a laboratory.
VO: Stopped typing and focused on me like he was understanding me
Me: (I continued) I'm very interested in this research, not just because it aligns with my area of interest but also because I believe that if successful...(Cuts in)
VO: What have you been doing since your undergraduate?
Me: After my undergraduate in 2015, I had my National youth service between 2016 and 17, and then I worked as a school teacher for a few months until December 2017 when I took some time of to write some standardised tests, then in 2019 I got a job as a procurement officer and a site supervisor which I currently do.
VO: Who's sponsoring you?
Me: My sister will be sponsoring me
VO: What does she do?
Me: She works with the US Army and she's a petroleum engineer.
VO: Can you repeat that for me?
Me: I said she works with the US army....
VO: Have you travelled out of Nigeria before?
Me: No, I've had no reason to
VO: Are you married?
Me: No
VO: Do you have any kidds?
Me: No, I don't have any kids
VO: Sorry you're not qualified for this VISA. You have been denied under section blah blah blah

Legit215:
The vo was trying to find a home tie, when she heard your sister is in the USA, that's why she asked if you are married, or have children. Your COA as well is on a high side without funding.

Thank you for your input. Do you suggest I use my parent as my sponsor next time? Will that improve my chances since they work here in Nigeria?
Also, what if I mention that I'm not married but I have a fiancee (lol). Can that fly next time?

VISA DENIED

Nov.20th, 7am
M.Eng Civil Engineering
No funding
Total COA: #39,705
GRE: 304
TOEFL: 97
Window 9


Me & VO together: Good morning
VO: Pass me your documents.
Me: I did as asked
VO: Where are you going?
Me: I'm going to The University of Texas at Arlington for a Master's degree in Civil Engineering
VO: Why did you choose the school?
Me: Because I have an interest in an ongoing research by Dr. Warda Ashraf which evaluates old buildings and structures to determine why they lasted so long and to see if the materials used in constructing them can be recreated synthetically in a laboratory.
VO: Stopped typing and focused on me like he was understanding me
Me: (I continued) I'm very interested in this research, not just because it aligns with my area of interest but also because I believe that if successful...(Cuts in)
VO: What have you been doing since your undergraduate?
Me: After my undergraduate in 2015, I had my National youth service between 2016 and 17, and then I worked as a school teacher for a few months until December 2017 when I took some time of to write some standardised tests, then in 2019 I got a job as a procurement officer and a site supervisor which I currently do.
VO: Who's sponsoring you?
Me: My sister will be sponsoring me
VO: What does she do?
Me: She works with the US Army and she's a petroleum engineer.
VO: Can you repeat that for me?
Me: I said she works with the US army....
VO: Have you travelled out of Nigeria before?
Me: No, I've had no reason to
VO: Are you married?
Me: No
VO: Do you have any kidds?
Me: No, I don't have any kids
VO: Sorry you're not qualified for this VISA. You have been denied under section blah blah blah


I haven't decided on what next to do but I'll appreciate your opinions.

Even though I didn't get a VISA, I would like to appreciate everyone on this platform who contributes and assist others to succeed.
Special mention to Neeta02 and Walesherbey. They really assisted with my prep especially Neeta02! God bless you both and I wish you all the best in your endeavours.

JulianBarnes:



Date: Friday November 20
Location: Lagos

Duration: (The VO could make 58 seconds feel like ten minutes)

Status: Approved

Atmosphere: I was among the first eleven applicants ushered in for the 7AM interview. After the biometric screening, we waited for what looked like some good fifteen minutes or so before two windows commenced interviews. The VO at window 9 ( I believe the window that is directly opposite the only door that leads to the interview hall is 9) denied four people straight and approved two. From my observation, the four either didn't have adequate/ full funding as she went through the bank statements for about three of them or she wasn't convinced. All this time, the other VO adjacent to window 9 had just concluded two interviews and granted one approval and one denial. I didn't need to pass further maths to know that the dx/dy didn't balance in window 9. I wanted an escape from this mathematical disequilibrium. But before I could do so, I found myself presenting my documents to her.

I stood in front of her for a few seconds to allow her to finish up what she's typing.

VO: Good morning
Me: Good morning

VO: Let's first get your scanning done. You will have to put your four right fingers here for me….

VO: Where are you going to?

Me: I am going to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for a master's program in Creative Writing.

VO: ( does as if she's not listening). You said you are going to Miami Florida?
Me: No. I'm going to Miami University, in Oxford Ohio.

VO: What did you say you are going to study in Florida?

Me: (temi bami). I'm going to Miami University, Oxford Ohio for a master's in Creative Writing.

VO: Okay. Why did you choose Miami University in Ohio?
Me: I chose Miami University because of the prospect of working with prof xyx. She's a brilliant writer and will be mentoring me on lyrical essays, a sub-genre I'm passionate about. But that's not all. Miami University provides a stimulating environment for the study of the craft, culture and criticism of …

VO: (cuts in) What will be your focus?
Me: Nonfiction Writing
VO: What do you write about?
Me: I write lyrical essays about losses, cities, people and places and the contradictions of contemporary life. As a writer, I don't see people or places for who they're or what they're but the stories that made them. I see a bridge and I want to know the story behind it. Did people try to blow it up during a civil war? What will life be like without it? I have written about my experiences about places I have been to. I write about these things because stories matter and shape how we see the world, people and ourselves. I submitted some of these essays to the admission committee.

VO: (behaves like she's typing and not paying attention to me, but was in fact listening as she spoke immediately I stopped speaking)
Who's covering the cost?

Me: I received a Graduate Assistantship that covers monthly stipend and tuition waiver. (She peers into my I-20). My cousin will cover the deficit.

VO: Where does your cousin work?

Me: He works with xyz construction company.

VO: Are you married?
Me: No
VO: Do you have kids?
Me: No


VO: (about three seconds of silence).She begins to rifle through a stack of papers for a white paper, and I thought I was done for. But she then added a yellow paper to my passport and confessed those words that we have read on this thread several times when a Visa is approved. By this time, I was retrieving my passport and the yellow and white paper and wasn't even capable of listening to anything from her. The music of approval had left me deaf to instructions.

Tips: I have no new tips. All the tips in previous transcripts here are mostly true and tested. I'm rather grateful to those who posted their transcripts here courageously, even when they experienced temporary delays to their pursuits, so we could all learn. You're the real deal and I wish you all the best. May your desires find expression soon.

Congratulations man!!

I was the second person that got denied at window 9 on that day. 7am appointment. The first guy was sponsoring himself, said he has a wife and a kid and has been woring for 5 years combined since his graduation in 2015. His SOA wasn't even asked for and he got denied without futher questions.
I believe mine was due to ties in the US or something...cos my sister who's sponsoring me works in the US.

Congratulations!!!

What is your total cost of attendance please? And did you have any financial aid from the school?

Kanyinsola03:
To God be the glory!... All honour and adoration belong to God Almighty.

I've been following this thread for months now although, I've been a silent reader and observer but i made a pact with myself that i would post my transcript of approval . I'm so sorry I'm posting this now because my interview was on 16th of November, 2020 and here i am fulfilling my promise.


Interview Time:- 6:30am
Arrival Time:- 5:18am
Location:- Lagos
Course :- Chemistry (M.sc)
GRE:- Nill
Tofel:- Nill
Funding/ Scholarship :- Nill
Name of School:- University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Window Number:- 4
Status:- Approved


TRANSCRIPTS
Me:- Good morning Sir
Vo:- Good morning, can i have your passport and I-20.
Me:-Yes Sir
Vo:- Please give me some few minutes (he stood up and went to do something which i don't know, took him about 5mins before he came back and was like so sorry)
Me:- it's fine Sir
Vo:- can you remove your nose mask so i can see your face
Me:- i removed it immediately
Vo:- Where are you going to?
Me:- University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Vo:- Why University of Arkansas at Little Rock.?
Me:- i chose university of Arkansas at Little Rock because of it's well known quality research program with quality and well renowned professors of which i will be privilege to meet. Also, going through the faculty webpage i found out a research opportunity in Prof. Wei Zhao research lab where volunteers were needed for modeling of single molecules spectroscopy of nanomaterials and biomolecules. Have being in contact with him already so as to volunteer and he assured me of a research assistant as he is expecting a grand from university of Arkansas medical school for fall semester 2021.
Vo:- What's the research again?
Me:- Single molecules spectroscopy of nanomaterials and biomolecules.
Vo:- ohhh... What is it about?
Me:- it is about the use of flouresence of nanomaterials and biomolecules which will give information about the structure, position and environment of compounds ( wasn't expecting it although i learnt it reluctantly a night before, immediately he asked i was like wooooow)
Vo:- Where does this apply?
Me:- (i don't know the answer oo, just said the first thing that came to my mind immediately, didn't even know if I'm correct) ...Medicinal drugs
Vo:- ohhh
Me:- Yes Sir
Vo:- What course do you study during your undergraduate?
Me:- Chemistry
Vo:- What year?
Me:- 2019
Vo:- What have you been doing since then?
Me:- i just completed my national youth service corps (nysc) which is compulsory for all university graduate.
Vo:- Who is your sponsor? ( was typing at this point)
Me:- My Father
Vo:- Your Father?
Me:- Yes Sir
Vo:- What does he do?
Me:- He's a Prof. of international relations at Adekunle Ajasin university and also a member of House of Rep. In Ondo State. ( He asked again and i repeated myself)
Vo:- Do you have his statement of account, so i can verify?
Me:- Yes Sir(At this point i will be the first person he asked for the sponsor SOA, every other person before me he never ask from them. i passed it to him and looked at it and pass it back)
Vo:- Right now, i will be approving your visa, you will need your I-20 at the POE go to window 5 and pay for your reciprocity fee
Me:- Thank you Sir
Vo:- Yes, Thank you.

It was really God, His mercy spoke for me. Remember Heaven help those who help themselves
- Be well prepared ( know your transcripts very well)
- Be confident (even if it's nonsense you're saying, still be confident. I'm not saying you should now be saying nonsense ooo, just in case a question is asked n you didn't prepare for it, just say it with boldness.)
- The most important part "PRAYER", be prayerful, ( Pray and Fast) with God all things are possible. I believe we know there's power in our tongues be careful of what so ever you say with your mouth. Say positive things, before the interview i always say to myself that I've gotten the visa which i got, stay positive!.

You see this right here? This is the hope and encouragement we need!

A big congratulations to you and thank you for sharing your transcript with us. I think this is the first transcript from someone without any funding from school that got approved. Now those who don't have funding (like me) can have a breather and just prepare without feeling discouraged or pessimistic about our chances.
Once again, congrats.

This is a big win for those of us without funding! Lol.

Rut3:
No funding, no course allignment, no anything you can think abt, just Grace.
Visa transcript approved.
Interview date: 6th November, 2020. Sorry it took time to post, i am nairaland shy(if theres even anything like that) @mulerider did this.�Bae got me hotel and booked taxi for me, never seen anyone as supportive, woke me up to pray severally, alaye I slept. He did the praying and fasting all night. I really can't appreciate enough. Interview time 7am, taxi dropped me at about 6am, on the queue, the next person that appeared behind happen to be Moses, the guy I have virtually known, but I refused to introduce myself, so he wnt locate me incase I get a reject, but I changed my mind to reach out.

Eventually window 12, Though my prayer was to get approved, even if I say rubbish.

ME: Good morning sir

VO: Drop your documents here

VO: where are you going to in the US

ME: Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia Arkansas to pursue my master degree in computer and information science with research interest in bioinformatics... Cuts me off.

VO: what is bioinformatics

Me: Bioinformatics is an aspect of computer information science that has to do with dissemination, manipulation, storage and processing of Bio data...my head was empty here, I just started saying, you know making Bio data easier to reach...

VO: *felt unsatisfied* why did you pick this research.

ME: see ehn, I applied for a job at Federal ministry of science and technology, they rejected me because I dont have degree in computer science and in bioinformatics... I wanted to start crying in my mind.

V.O: who is sponsoring you
ME: my parent.

VO: what do they do.
ME: My dad is a dealer with dangote cement.

VO: what did you say he is doing with dangote.

ME: He partners with Dangote cement

VO: What does he dooo

ME: He collects goods in large quantity and sell to retails

VO: *now satisfied* OK

ME: Ok ke, He is also an estate developer, while my mum owns a high school here in Lagos, they have a joint account to take care of my education

VO: Do you have Statement of Account.

ME: gave him, looked at it forever and was just brought out white paper, to be honest, from here I did not hear anything again.

Thanks to God , to Him�, to @oluwole(super kind soul) aka @mulerider, to Nike Omijori (Humble and wonderful sister), to ake (always doing the findings), Fairheart (guy!!!! Words can't express), thanks to everyone literally

Thanks a lot for your advice, I'll probably just do that.

Comique:


It would be cool if you have the SOA softcopies. Preferably in PDF,then you print them here instead of the scanned copies.

I think sometimes, scanned copies after printing might not look cool or presentable.

My submission though.

Hi guys. Weldone around here.

Quick one please, If my sponsor resides in the US, can I print out a scanned copy of their SOA for my interview?

Hello everyone. Congratulations to all those who got their VISA approved today and recently. Thanks also to all those who post their transcripts regardless of their interview outcomes for others to learn. God bless y'all.

I have a little concern tho. I noticed most transcripts we still get here are of people who got some Funding or Assistantships. Do we have people who don't have any and scaled through?

Finally, please let's encourage people to post detailed transcripts too..No one is being forced to share...and no one can take what you have from you. So please help others succeed too.

oluwatosin77:


Your mail is invalid. Please check.

alexadetona@gmail.com or alex_adetona@yahooma.com

oluwatosin77:


Your mail is invalid. Please check.

Sorry was a typographical error. alexadetona@gmail.com or alex_adetona@yahoo.com

Predstan:
i have registered for GRE with BY Mafit and will be preparing against June ending.
Here is my Study plan. I need your input, output or probably modifications.

1. Because i am a core engineering student and I think quantitative shouldn't be a problem but just to avoid had I known, I have decided to prepare for quantitative in the first two weeks (14days) with these materials:
a. GRE MATH REVIEW
b. Magoosh math Video series
c. GRE Official guide

2. The Verbal section is really my weakness and not just because of anything but all these vocabularies but I have decided to use Màgoosh GRE vocabulary app and I am going to dedicate two hours everyday to master each deck... I was able to master 51 of common words in the first deck of this app in just a day. I will also dedicate the next two weeks after quantitative for Verbal section with these materials:
a. GRE official guide
b. Kaplan
c Magoosh video series for verbal

3. AWA is another part that seems not too hard but someone can easily fall off if enough preparation is not made to attack this section. I have decided to prepare for this section with just one week with these materials:
a. GRE pools of topic on both issues and argument
b. GRE official guide
c. Kaplan
d. Magoosh video series

4. The next two weeks for practice test on Magoosh and powerprep.


That's approximately two months for preparation.. I need your input and advice cus I am a little scared of this test and I can't afford to write it twice. And to note that my target score is 155, 165 and 4.5 in V,Q and AWA respectively

Hi bro, i'm also preparing for GRE. Perhaps we can practice together. Please mail me on alexadetona@outlook.com

.........