okoope:
I think it's important to make distinction between magoosh video lessons and the video solutions. For preparation the video lessons in my opinion are better especially for those who are struggling with creating time for prep plus the video lessons are well structured and thus allow concentration on areas where one might be having difficulties.

That said, I observed that most links posted here stopped working after some time, so I don't know if I should post d link or the PM route is better. The video lessons is around 1.4GB COVERING all sections.

ponpon:
Funding story part 1, I hope it helps i'll post using schools I applied to, I posted my visa transcript on the Visa thread.

Getting funding is an individual race and one that you can't compare your case with that of another applicant. I made some mistakes during my application such as applying to some sets of schools based on 'follow-follow' and how they funded people on here during the Fall 16 cycle, I also was obstinate for a while I didn't want to write TOEFL because then there were bants that naija was a english speaking country, mail they'll waive it and other stuffs ' see me, see app fees and others dey burn' and I also applied to some schools that didn't require identifying a potential professor.

I applied to 5 schools Louisiana State University, University of South Florida, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of Rhode Island, Univeristy of Southern Mississippi.

Louisiana State Univeristy : I applied to this school basically because of the funding some of the egbons here got and it was soft, it was the second school I applied to and I got an early admission (october). I was told to fill a departmental pre-application before application and I was so foolish to put the 'trending' area of research as the area I was least interested in. I shoot myself for leg. I started mailing profs, see cool story everywhere!. I didn't feel bad until February when I aw a prof advertising position for MS in a department that admitted me. June two other professors advertised! I felt really bad, although I applied for a GA position for a Data analyst role I was among the 3 people shortlisted but I didn't get the position after the MTN data consuming skype interview. (them still dey send me graduate newsletter with GA positions I just say he be like dem no like naija)

University of South florida: The first school i applied to, I was asked to contact prospective advisors before applying and there was also a department pre-application form where you are to choose at least 3 people as advisors that you have communicated with. Naso I choose one based on say we get better rapport. It was the LSU interview that confirmed that though they are nice they can still sly you ooooh, better sly. I waited for over two months after the USF decision date, no word, no word, just got a generic mail. REJECT!

contd shortly bosses. Laptop don give up.

Bebebella:
good day house, pls how can I get GRE past questions? pls send isabebe8@gmail.com if u have. thank u.

casid:
I'm looking at taking the GRE exam but when I try to practice questions especially the quantitative aspects, I'm always scared. Is this how it feels or I have to start from the fundamentals. If this is the case, can someone recommend materials that will assist in my study process?
Thanks

ponpon:
Funding story part 1, I hope it helps i'll post using schools I applied to, I posted my visa transcript on the Visa thread.
contd shortly bosses. Laptop don give up.

DreManuel:


We are speaking from our limited experiences that are not hard and fast. But could you clarify what course/ program the person that got into UC Berkeley with 307/309 is doing and if they got full-funding? And what year they got in, and what their GRE score breakdown is, and overall academic profile? That can help people here make informed decision and not run the risk of making hasty generalization.

And before someone understates the importance of GRE, they might dig more into their program/schools of choice. I applied to University of Michigan and on their site for Mech Engr., it was stated that GRE scores of min 85 percentile in Verbal and Quant is required with a CGPA of 3.7/4.0. So anyone who doesn't meet the initial criteria won't likely have a chance talkless of funding. Well, that's for Mech engr @UMich, i can't say for other schools.

In a nutshell, in this age of overwhelming complexity, accelerated change and tremendous competition, I would have no weak link in my profile, such as my GRE score, when I can do something about it. When the push comes to shove, every aspect of admission req is essential and you can't predict which would undermine you in the face of your competition.

Scholastica16:


GRE like every other aspect of an applicant's profile contributes some weightage but the lionization of that weightage is what I am fully against.

If you have been here long enough you'd have known I am a second-time writer myself. Heck, I even advised others to re-write and aim for toppest scores so I believe I am giving a well-rounded, rather than a hastily genaralized purview on the issue.

It was not long ago that someone with a great first and 2nd degree asked for prospective schools for her PhD and when I sighted her <300 GRE I asked her to retake it.

Some other guy saw it and gave contrary advise but to cut a long story short she got 2 fully-funded offers from both schools he recommended. And both were top 150 US schools FYI. In fact, one of the schools that accepted and funded her bounced me yet I more than outdid their GRE, AWA, TOEFL and GPA requirements.

If I was to take the argument that increased competition was my undoing, you may want to delve deeper into the accepted profiles in that school and juxtapose it with mine to make sense of that argument.

You referred to UMich's website but even that is neither here nor there. With your reasoning, GRE scores of 324 and AWA scores of 4.5 or greater are the only stats that would be entertained by the school but a random search on Google can easily disprove this. Take this for e.g someone got accepted into UMich for EE Masters 2017 without GRE and with a 3.68/4 GPA

http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=University+of+Michigan+engineering&t=a&o=p&pp=25

And I singled this example out because I have reported on this thread in the past how my own cousin in Canada contacted a Prof in UT Austin that was willing to help him waive the GRE requirement just so he could take him on as his PhD Advisor.

My synopsis is as it were; while the GRE plays a role in strengthening the profile of an applicant it will not tip the scale in a close call thus it is overrated. If 2 people being considered have 324 and 332 GRE. But Candidate A either spoke to an advisor, or had better research experiences or significantly better GPA, he would be considered over and above the guy with the better GRE.

That is why I implore people to talk to POIs and Prog coords to make informed decisions based on the feedback they get rather than rewrite GRE to score really well, when doing so may only get you through the front door and not a step further.

Scholastica16:


GRE like every other aspect of an applicant's profile contributes some weightage but the lionization of that weightage is what I am fully against.

If you have been here long enough you'd have known I am a second-time writer myself. Heck, I even advised others to re-write and aim for toppest scores so I believe I am giving a well-rounded, rather than a hastily genaralized purview on the issue.

It was not long ago that someone with a great first and 2nd degree asked for prospective schools for her PhD and when I sighted her <300 GRE I asked her to retake it.

Some other guy saw it and gave contrary advise but to cut a long story short she got 2 fully-funded offers from both schools he recommended. And both were top 150 US schools FYI. In fact, one of the schools that accepted and funded her bounced me yet I more than outdid their GRE, AWA, TOEFL and GPA requirements.

If I was to take the argument that increased competition was my undoing, you may want to delve deeper into the accepted profiles in that school and juxtapose it with mine to make sense of that argument.

You referred to UMich's website but even that is neither here nor there. With your reasoning, GRE scores of 324 and AWA scores of 4.5 or greater are the only stats that would be entertained by the school but a random search on Google can easily disprove this. Take this for e.g someone got accepted into UMich for EE Masters 2017 without GRE and with a 3.68/4 GPA

http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=University+of+Michigan+engineering&t=a&o=p&pp=25

And I singled this example out because I have reported on this thread in the past how my own cousin in Canada contacted a Prof in UT Austin that was willing to help him waive the GRE requirement just so he could take him on as his PhD Advisor.

My synopsis is as it were; while the GRE plays a role in strengthening the profile of an applicant it will not tip the scale in a close call thus it is overrated. If 2 people being considered have 324 and 332 GRE. But Candidate A either spoke to an advisor, or had better research experiences or significantly better GPA, he would be considered over and above the guy with the better GRE.

That is why I implore people to talk to POIs and Prog coords to make informed decisions based on the feedback they get rather than rewrite GRE to score really well, when doing so may only get you through the front door and not a step further.

Scholastica16:


GRE like every other aspect of an applicant's profile contributes some weightage but the lionization of that weightage is what I am fully against.

If you have been here long enough you'd have known I am a second-time writer myself. Heck, I even advised others to re-write and aim for toppest scores so I believe I am giving a well-rounded, rather than a hastily genaralized purview on the issue.

It was not long ago that someone with a great first and 2nd degree asked for prospective schools for her PhD and when I sighted her <300 GRE I asked her to retake it.

Some other guy saw it and gave contrary advise but to cut a long story short she got 2 fully-funded offers from both schools he recommended. And both were top 150 US schools FYI. In fact, one of the schools that accepted and funded her bounced me yet I more than outdid their GRE, AWA, TOEFL and GPA requirements.

If I was to take the argument that increased competition was my undoing, you may want to delve deeper into the accepted profiles in that school and juxtapose it with mine to make sense of that argument.

You referred to UMich's website but even that is neither here nor there. With your reasoning, GRE scores of 324 and AWA scores of 4.5 or greater are the only stats that would be entertained by the school but a random search on Google can easily disprove this. Take this for e.g someone got accepted into UMich for EE Masters 2017 without GRE and with a 3.68/4 GPA

http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=University+of+Michigan+engineering&t=a&o=p&pp=25

And I singled this example out because I have reported on this thread in the past how my own cousin in Canada contacted a Prof in UT Austin that was willing to help him waive the GRE requirement just so he could take him on as his PhD Advisor.

My synopsis is as it were; while the GRE plays a role in strengthening the profile of an applicant it will not tip the scale in a close call thus it is overrated. If 2 people being considered have 324 and 332 GRE. But Candidate A either spoke to an advisor, or had better research experiences or significantly better GPA, he would be considered over and above the guy with the better GRE.

That is why I implore people to talk to POIs and Prog coords to make informed decisions based on the feedback they get rather than rewrite GRE to score really well, when doing so may only get you through the front door and not a step further.

DreManuel:


No doubt, you have some experiences in so far as US schools are concerned, and I have nothing but admiration for that. So, I'm neither here to banter words with you over how schools select their candidates and on what criteria they use, nor am I here to gainsay anything you say. I'm only saying from my perspective which I've made clear for the umpteenth time that it's is not hard and fast. Our experiences with few schools are still limited and cannot be fully extrapolated to all schools and programs. Even in the same school, different programs have different criteria. We would only the mislead people to commit the fallacy of small sampling/hasty generalization if we say one way is "The Way" and another is not. We should just talk about our experiences and allow people here infer and make their decisions.

You refrenced my talk about UMich, good. But I made it clear that it's the Mech Engr prgram I was refering to, so countering that with the EE dept may not be water-tight cos they are different programs with different admission committees and selection criteria. Applicants for the ME program apply to Rackham Grad School and the program is at Ann Arbor. In fact, Mech Engr program made it clear on their website that they don't advise students whether they are admittable or not but the only way to find out is to apply. But contacting the prog coordinator and profs can help one know if there is any prof working on your area of interest which can tilt in your favor. Sometimes, you can be lucky that the prof you contacted is a member of the admissions committee and if your area of interest are in sync, he can recommend you. That happened to me once.

Lastly, let me clear the impression that I''ve singled out GRE as the greatest deciding factor - NO. I said your whole profile is considered holistically. Sometimes there are OUTLIERS with lower GRE who have proved beyond reasonable doubt their academic prowess and such candidates get in. And sometimes a pool of candidates may generally have higher scores for a program this year than before. So if someone got in last year with a Score of 315, it doesn't mean he will get in this year cos you can't predict the scores of your competition this year. Again, the breakdown I the score could matter. Say two people are applying for CS or Maths, and one scored: Q 170, V 155 = 325 and another person scores, Q 162, V 168 = 330. The first person with the prefect quant may be preferred. GRE score is very important and all top schools require it. Few schools and program may not require GRE but it all boils down to your preference.

Please when you mention that someone got into a school with a particular GRE score, kindly state the program and the school so that people can compare with their situation and make informed decision. Studying education at Harvard won't require high GRE as studying Computer Science afteall. And courses that people are not willing to do or research on but have endowments can be very generous with their funding.


I hope from my long epistle, someone can make their own inferences and make their decisions.

P.S.. From the link you posted: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a different school from University of Michigan, Dearborn. The former is a top and very competitive school. People should take note. The person that got in to Dearborn may have done his/her Undergraduate in the same school. In fact, some prgrams specify the GPA that current students can have to have the GRE waived. Please be guided accordingly.

CAVEAT:

1. Everything I've said is my personal opinion derived from my own experiences with US schools and research, and I have done that in good faith. I take no responsibilities for any misunderstanding or wrongful interpretations that may result thereby.

2. I've not been part of any admissions committee and I have not applied to all schools and programs in the US. So students should do their personal research for specific info about their schools and programs of choice.

DreManuel:


We are speaking from our limited experiences that are not hard and fast. But could you clarify what course/ program the person that got into UC Berkeley with 307/309 is doing and if they got full-funding? And what year they got in, and what their GRE score breakdown is, and overall academic profile? That can help people here make informed decision and not run the risk of making hasty generalization.

And before someone understates the importance of GRE, they might dig more into their program/schools of choice. I applied to University of Michigan and on their site for Mech Engr., it was stated that GRE scores of min 85 percentile in Verbal and Quant is required with a CGPA of 3.7/4.0. So anyone who doesn't meet the initial criteria won't likely have a chance talkless of funding. Well, that's for Mech engr @UMich, i can't say for other schools.

In a nutshell, in this age of overwhelming complexity, accelerated change and tremendous competition, I would have no weak link in my profile, such as my GRE score, when I can do something about it. When the push comes to shove, every aspect of admission req is essential and you can't predict which would undermine you in the face of your competition.

ponpon:
Funding story part 1, I hope it helps i'll post using schools I applied to, I posted my visa transcript on the Visa thread.

Getting funding is an individual race and one that you can't compare your case with that of another applicant. I made some mistakes during my application such as applying to some sets of schools based on 'follow-follow' and how they funded people on here during the Fall 16 cycle, I also was obstinate for a while I didn't want to write TOEFL because then there were bants that naija was a english speaking country, mail they'll waive it and other stuffs ' see me, see app fees and others dey burn' and I also applied to some schools that didn't require identifying a potential professor.

I applied to 5 schools Louisiana State University, University of South Florida, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of Rhode Island, Univeristy of Southern Mississippi.

Louisiana State Univeristy : I applied to this school basically because of the funding some of the egbons here got and it was soft, it was the second school I applied to and I got an early admission (october). I was told to fill a departmental pre-application before application and I was so foolish to put the 'trending' area of research as the area I was least interested in. I shoot myself for leg. I started mailing profs, see cool story everywhere!. I didn't feel bad until February when I aw a prof advertising position for MS in a department that admitted me. June two other professors advertised! I felt really bad, although I applied for a GA position for a Data analyst role I was among the 3 people shortlisted but I didn't get the position after the MTN data consuming skype interview. (them still dey send me graduate newsletter with GA positions I just say he be like dem no like naija)

University of South florida: The first school i applied to, I was asked to contact prospective advisors before applying and there was also a department pre-application form where you are to choose at least 3 people as advisors that you have communicated with. Naso I choose one based on say we get better rapport. It was the LSU interview that confirmed that though they are nice they can still sly you ooooh, better sly. I waited for over two months after the USF decision date, no word, no word, just got a generic mail. REJECT!

contd shortly bosses. Laptop don give up.

Yildiz:

Guys you are all saying the same thing

OGreene:
The bolded is not correct. This is what I got from the school's site, italicized below.

So they never said get 85% or you are out. At least three out of four criteria, of which we know there are outliers who didn't get as much. Even the 80% stated translates to V158Q160 (318) which many people can get.

There are no specific minimums for the GRE or GPA, however, the successful applicants are those students who are strong in at least 3 out of the 4 areas below:

GPA of 3.7 or above on a 4.0 scale
GRE scores in the 80th-90th percentile in the verbal and quantitative sections
Letters of recommendation
Statement of Purpose (SOP) and Personal Statement (PS)

OGreene:
He just started agreeing with scholastica16 about the holistic approach. His initial post was on the importance of GRE and that people should not downplay it.

Okesima24:
@DreManuel

Thank you so much for your write up and suggestions. I really appreciate you for taken your time to explain in detail.
May God bless you.
I'll do as you have advised and see what options best suits my situation.
Cheers!

DreManuel:


Frankly speaking, it's the schools you apply to that decide on whether you are eligible for funding or not based on their criteria. And funding comes in different forms; scholarships (partial or full), TA/RA, fellowships, etc.

TA/RA are awarded by the schools, and in some cases you wouldn't need to apply for them - your application materials will serve that purpose as long as you indicate interest in your application forms. So if you have research or teaching experience, that might count in your favour. Some schools don't also give TAs until your second semester in the program. Also, some schools pay your tuition and give you monthly allowance while you serve as TA/RA while others simply pay you and you settle your tuition from there.

Likewise, for merit based scholarships, you can get from the school or from external bodies. But based on your GPA I can't honestly say that your chances are high but if you try low ranking schools, you may stand tall among fellow applicants, yet such schools have very little endowments and so funding could be extremely scarce but again tutition will be comparatively low in case you want to self sponsor.

Getting scholarship/fellowships from schools is not easy, in most cases you won't have to apply, they consider you automatically based on your academic profile, so there is nothing much you can do about it but make your application materials very strong. But I suggest you look at other external options like govt funding, subject based scholarships, or try free tuition countries like germany where you would only have to source for living expenses, etc

Okesima24:

@DreManuel

Thank you so much for your write up and suggestions. I really appreciate you for taken your time to explain in detail.
May God bless you.
I'll do as you have advised and see what options best suits my situation.
Cheers!

DreManuel:


How long do you have to prepare before the exam? Are you currently working? What's your background like in terms of discipline?

Answers to the questions above can help me give some tips.

casid:


Working currently and my background is not bad. I studied Economics and I decided recently to go for Msc in a finance related discipline.

DreManuel:


Great! But one more question, when is your GRE slated for?

casid:


I'm looking at 2018 fall to enable me have a solid preparation. Just scared whenever I see GRE questions but with adequate practice, I believe I would excel. Though, I'm looking at January but I read gaining admission through GRE has limitless advantages.

ponpon:
CONTD


___________________________________________________________________________________________________

I was already losing hope as UMASSD was the only school left, slowly I started preparing for another GRE. Finished the Manhattan 8 books, moved to Magoosh online premium prep. During the period of wait I actually learnt so many things. I learnt that funding can only be given when available, you have to make your application stand out and match with the interest of the funder.....

I learnt about searching for advertised positions online using associations job posting in my field/area of interest. I sent series of mails to positions I found online, everything 'Unfortunately, Sorry, At this point'. So I started thinking about Spring and this brought everything in order. How I applied for advertised positions changed. I mailed some professors at Oregon State University, generic replies 'Unfortunately, Sorry, At this point', but there was someone I pressed further, I pressed his mumu button, I told him how I felt comfortable contacting him, how he would make a good advisor bla bla bla....na him baba help me change my story.....

He said " Make all your app materials (GRE, CV, ati be be lo) in a single pdf when you mail a prof and name it as your first_name.application_materials so he could always check it easily when anything comes up or if he wants to refer you to someone else, make your cover letter as detailed as possible because some may have just one chance to have an impression about you, make your cover letter show your background, knowledge about field, why you stand out and future plans"

KA BOOM, I sent this to two positions advertised and I got two interviews!!!!

Nicholls State University and Southern Illinois University....


to be contd..

my mail i send out is below

Dear Dr Do Good,

My name is Wizkid, I have a BS in HAHAHA from University of Lagos, Nigeria. I am writing as regards your advertisement on the Texas A&M Wildlife and Fisheries Job board for an MS research assistant position in your lab. I recognize and value the importance that a research graduate assistantship has when it comes to the educational and professional benefits especially one that is intertwined with your academic and professional prospects




Sincerely,

9ice

DreManuel:


If you are looking at fall 2018, and you want to write in January, that means you may not meet the deadlines for top US schools. Some of them have December as their deadline and others January. So do your research.

I think the starting point is to get off the fear from your heart. GRE maths are basic maths and doesn't even have complex numbers of calculus. And the English can be surmounted too given adequate and right prepping.

I wrote the GRE when I was fully employed too so I understand your position but let me share some of the tips that worked for me.

1. Use only great GRE books. I suggest in the following order; ETS GRE official materials plus the Powerprep 2 b. Manhattan 5lb and the texbook (use if you have time and if necessary) 3. Magoosh GRE and Videos 4. NOVA GRE Math Bible.

2. Set a realistic time table and stick to it.

3. Begin preparation with a full diagnostic test. This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses.Then face your weaknesses squarely. Ensure you learn strategies and not just keep practicing questions blindly.

4. Download Magoosh GRE flashcards. I used it on my phone everywhere I went to learn GRE words.

5. Read tedious and challenging articles from the NYT, The New Yorker, The Economist, Arts and Literatures Daily, rtf

6. Be patient with yourself. Sometimes you will feel you are getting nowhere but if you keep learning techniques and practicing, you will see your scores improve.

7. Take some time off to cool off.

8. When you solve practice questions, take the pain to review the answers both the correct and wrong ones. Sometimes you learn a faster trick from the solutions. And sometimes you would see that you were lucky in getting the answers.

9. Periodically take full length practice tests online from Manhattan, Magoosh or Crunchprep or the two Powerprep 2 tests. This will help you acclimatize with the real lengthy and gruelling GRE. I realized that Manhattan was the toughest of them all, so your real GRE score may be slightly higher. Note than none of the tests is closer to Powerprep 2 in terms of proximity to the actual GRE, so use the Powerprep judiciously. The only downside is it doesn't show solutions to the questions.

ponpon:
CONTD

I had to start searching for other schools in December as the American dream and Funding hope were already doing anyhow, now it dawned on me I had to do TOEFL. The major gist was TOEFL was easy and I would pull a 100+ with one week practice and I did, because I was travelling for 3 weeks.

I applied to University of Southern Mississippi I got accepted, but the I'm sorry " we received the most competitive sets of applicants this year and your application ranked highly but I'm sorry you could not secure an advisor at this point but you should when you come bla bla bla" cool story....but them try, they actually posted the admission letter to my house.

I got rejected by University of Rhode Island(very competitive program for oceanography I guess) and my application wasn't processed by University of South Alabama because they said I didn't submit one recommendation, this was very painful thinking LSU admitted me with just two recommendations out of three.

I am still waiting for University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to decide.....

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

I was already losing hope as UMASSD was the only school left, slowly I started preparing for another GRE. Finished the Manhattan 8 books, moved to Magoosh online premium prep. During the period of wait I actually learnt so many things. I learnt that funding can only be given when available, you have to make your application stand out and match with the interest of the funder.....

I learnt about searching for advertised positions online using associations job posting in my field/area of interest. I sent series of mails to positions I found online, everything 'Unfortunately, Sorry, At this point'. So I started thinking about Spring and this brought everything in order. How I applied for advertised positions changed. I mailed some professors at Oregon State University, generic replies 'Unfortunately, Sorry, At this point', but there was someone I pressed further, I pressed his mumu button, I told him how I felt comfortable contacting him, how he would make a good advisor bla bla bla....na him baba help me change my story.....

He said " Make all your app materials (GRE, CV, ati be be lo) in a single pdf when you mail a prof and name it as your first_name.application_materials so he could always check it easily when anything comes up or if he wants to refer you to someone else, make your cover letter as detailed as possible because some may have just one chance to have an impression about you, make your cover letter show your background, knowledge about field, why you stand out and future plans"

KA BOOM, I sent this to two positions advertised and I got two interviews!!!!

Nicholls State University and Southern Illinois University....

First interview Friday, the next monday...The interview for the first was on skype lasted almost an hour, questions were " Tell me about your background(discussed important courses, seminar and project), he then described the project and he was comfortable with my background probably because of my definition of terms, description of problems that there was even something he mentioned I had forgotten and he said I'm sure you would know it. " He asked about my future career plans", "If I was currently employed", "Why i chose to study in the US", "If the project was in line with my future plans: I just say God punish devil for my mind, see talk ooooooh....." , " Tested my knowledge on basics of geography using weather and location" and some personal gistsss.. I asked questions and I couldn't even prepare for the next interview on monday because he gave me some papers to read and just tell him what I felt about it.

Second interview, I had been calling her sir and he turned out to be a she..lmao.........I first seize, I also changed interview venue due to my village people trying to pull string, her approach was different, she summarized the project, asked what I felt about it, the volume of my earpiece was low, another hand of my village people, I just discussed the topic because most positions advertised in my field were related to wetland restoration, nutrient enrichment bla bla bla..... Asked about my background, future plans, project, funny question was hobby : I bleeped up I laughed, I said football, reading, DJ, she shock!, she said so you don't like cooking, she explained how cooking was like being scientific, being able to mix up things, I just shake head sey this mama no know naija way, she asked about how i see myself going to grad school and she noticed i didn't take any GIS course....

I was able to get the position as Nicholls State University, it was a plus for me because it was the same project one of the profs at the dept I was admitted to LSU advertised and I didn't even hear from and the funding odikwa gallant, but with funding comes responsibility. Next phase loading.

to be contd..

my mail i send out is below

Dear Dr Do Good,

My name is Wizkid, I have a BS in HAHAHA from University of Lagos, Nigeria. I am writing as regards your advertisement on the Texas A&M Wildlife and Fisheries Job board for an MS research assistant position in your lab. I recognize and value the importance that a research graduate assistantship has when it comes to the educational and professional benefits especially one that is intertwined with your academic and professional prospects

During my undergraduate degree I experienced multiple facets of research according to specific courses and graduation requirement (undergraduate project). They imbued in me a holistic idea of research in marine sciences but I was able to understand that the crux of research is in the methodology and with the influence of technology on science these methods have become more quantitative, computational and analytical in nature hence I continually build my knowledge in areas such as statistics, data analysis, statistical software and required computer language. My desire to undertake a master’s program with thesis is in order to sharpen my acumen in aquatic sciences research and put me on the path in making original significant contributions in fisheries resource management and sub-fields of population dynamics, ecosystem based fisheries management studies and modeling, hence would make me more equipped in forecasting, mitigating or proffering solutions to the effects of human activities and climate change that leads to destruction of aquatic ecosystems.

I have a good background knowledge about nutrient cycling because my compulsory undergraduate seminar was about Eutrophication in Nigerian coastal waters which I presented to the department under the supervision of Prof.Davido. Eutrophication was an intriguing topic because it addresses the interplay between nutrient enrichment, physicochemical parameters and biota of ecosystems.
I was particularly fascinated about how nutrients enrichment affects the biological community which sometimes leads to hypoxia or anoxia in very extreme conditions; introduces invasive species and changed the top-down and bottom-up relationship in the food web over time.

My research interest lie in the field of aquatic resource management and sub-fields of population dynamics, ecosystem based fisheries management and ecosystem modeling, effects and mitigation of anthropogenic activities, nutrient loading and climate change on aquatic biota and their environment, this has been piqued by my interest in solving problems using predictive or simulative methods.

I have strong mathematical and computational skills, a strong background in aquaculture, marine biology,statistics, fisheries ecology, botany, hydrobiology, oceanography, phycology, water quality and pollution control.

Attached is my Cv, Unofficial Transcript, Gre scores and contact information for three references.

I know you are very busy, so i'll appreciate any time you can give me


Sincerely,

9ice