tanimola22:

There is really no problem. Just be sure to let them know that you have a sponsor who is a very capable individual and not a company. If they see your one year work experience, they should know that you don't have big money yet. Don't omit the only connection you have with oil and gas. Include your work experience.

Just make sure you have all the documents ready before November. Then apply as soon as the application comes out. If you prove that funding your education is not a problem and they make you an offer, then you are in.

Meanwhile, based on a very generous permission granted by a nice guy, below is an email you will get after you have attended and succeeded in the IFP interview. It is an old email, but I would like to use it to illustrate what you should expect.
*****************************************************************************************************
Dear applicant,

The jury will be held at IFP School on May, 15th. In order to update the information regarding your application form, I would like you to send me as soon as possible the latest news regarding:

- TOEFL/GRE/GMAT Score (Please remember that for CSM we need a GRE and a TOEFL, for OU a TOEFL and a GMAT, for TAMU a GRE and a TOEFL and for the other partner university a TOEFL (>80) or a IELTS).

- Partner University choice

- Financing of your education

- Date of your latest degree

For the professionals, please tell me which schedule is preferable for you : starting in the partner University in September and joining IFP School in January or starting at IFP School in January and joining the Partner University in September.

Best Regards

Director, IFP
***********************************************************************************

Now, once you answer that you have no money to support yourself, you are out. On the other hand, they will make you an offer if you tell them a sweet story of how you are more than capable of funding yourself. This is the last hurdle of the admissions process.

I follow you to hope that you get to this level come 2013.

T22.

Thank you T22,

Can the person be generous enough to let me know what the interview is like?
Thank ou

tanimola22:

Individual director and overall director, if possible. Don't mind Canadian schools. They like anything 4 and above. You GPA is cool. Improve what you can improve.

Yes, application fees can be as high as 50-120 dollars. IFP requests 0 dollars in application fees. For GRE, I do not foresee you will have any problems. Just prepare well. The only challenge will be the verbal, but experience has taught me that ladies tend to do well in this area. So, in entirety, you are good to go. Registering for these tests is not hard. Just use your card or go to one centre in Lagos/PH/Abj.

Meanwhile, as a petroleum engineer, I guess your salary is already huge. Why then do you think application fees would sap all your money?

T22

If i had a huge salary, i'll rather take a study leave, do a one year course in England, and come back to my job. lol

I dont earn anything close to huge *sad face* which is why i need to get into a top school, to make my path into the producing companys easier (i work in a servicing comapny at the moment)

Quick question,

Since ive been working for 2 years, (nysc inclusive) wont IFP take me as a proffesional?
Now if i decide not to state that i work, i lose the chance of making my work experience an added advantage.

If i say my parents will pay, they will ask for their heads!! Help!!
Thanks
Confused SefB

tanimola22:

Hi baby,

Number 1 secret:

In addition to your relevant undergraduate qualification, you should try to convince them that you can well pay your bills even though you eventually get no support from any of their partner oil companies. This is key.

Other important things:

Standardized test scores, i.e. GRE/ GMAT and TOEFL. They like these scores and believe that you are competitive if you have good scores, at least better than those of other applicants.

They claim letters of recommendation are optional, but I strongly suggest that you send two letters addressed to the very director of studies. The letters should look very formal and must be well written by any industry person in oil and gas or any of your profs.

Bias your CV towards Energy, Oil and Gas, i.e. Member of oil and gas this and that, oil this and that, energy that and this.

Add any certificates that will portray you in a good light to your application.

Say you are a basic French speaker. Try to learn one or two things in French to support this claim.

Send the director of studies an email and show him how intensely interested you are concerning studying at IFP. Make him know that you can hold your own without their funding. This is very important to them.


T22

, how did u know im female? ure too smart not to have supernatural powers haha
Lol @ Baby

tanimola22:

Hi baby,

Number 1 secret:

In addition to your relevant undergraduate qualification, you should try to convince them that you can well pay your bills even though you eventually get no support from any of their partner oil companies. This is key.

Other important things:

Standardized test scores, i.e. GRE/ GMAT and TOEFL. They like these scores and believe that you are competitive if you have good scores, at least better than those of other applicants.

They claim letters of recommendation are optional, but I strongly suggest that you send two letters addressed to the very director of studies. The letters should look very formal and must be well written by any industry person in oil and gas or any of your profs.

Bias your CV towards Energy, Oil and Gas, i.e. Member of oil and gas this and that, oil this and that, energy that and this.

Add any certificates that will portray you in a good light to your application.

Say you are a basic French speaker. Try to learn one or two things in French to support this claim.

Send the director of studies an email and show him how intensely interested you are concerning studying at IFP. Make him know that you can hold your own without their funding. This is very important to them.


T22

, Lol @ Baby
how did u know im female? ure too smart not to have supernatural powers haha

Im probably going to spend all my salary on books, exams and applications, the plan is to apply to 4 American, 3 canadian and IFP school. I didnt get admission into Calgary, they said my 3.83/5 CGPA wasnt good enough *tears*

So i guess GRE is a do or die issue, at least to spice up the gpa.

By director of studies do u mean director of graduate studies or director for the individual courses?
Thanks
SefB

tanimola22:

Good.

Yes, tuition fees were not stated, I saw that. In fact, that was why I made a statement regarding proving that 'you are not a professional being sponsored by your company to come study at IFP'. If you are assumed as one, the tuition you will have to pay for the program is 30k euros. That is roughly more than 6 million naira. I agree that IFP is a little clandestine with tuition for non-professionals, implying, in my view, that it is subject to negotiation. To make you happy, IFP students are always asked to prove that they can cover their living expenses, not tuition fees. I don't want to make you too happy though, but I suspect that getting the admission is the main thing. Tuition is generally ridiculously cheap at public schools in France, and IFP is a French public school. You only need a contribution towards tuition. This can be agreed on with the director of PEM at IFP. Go to funding and read more, http://www.wec-france.org/DocumentsPDF/LABORATOIRES%20PARTENAIRES/IFP-School-English.pdf

Every agreement is made with IFP. The partner universities just offer study abroad opportunities to IFP students. It is called an exchange program, and students from the other partner universities and elsewhere also come to IFP for a specified amount of time, just as IFP students go elswhere. It does not mean that you will pay a new tuition fee to each of the partner universities you attend. It is simply a study abroad program and your to be parent university (IFP) takes care of everything.

Okay, begin to prepare for the tests. I now expect even so much more from you, considering that you will be graduating from a department that so many high flyers with whom I am familiar graduated from a couple of years ago. You guys used to have one Olu Ogboja, one very confident (some people say proud)man. Unfortunately, the guy kicked the bucket some years ago.

You may continue to ask questions and I will continue to give approximate answers. If they take you gberen and you prove yourself gberen, then you won't be far from landing that job that many people will only dream of.

All the best O.


T22.

*****Age also plays a major part in these things. Would you like to tell me your age? hahahha. I guess this is a weird question. If you find it as such, then please neglect it.

What do u mean age plays a role? I for example, im 22 going to be 23 end of the year, Bsc PetENG (2010) i was about 20/21 then

Does that mean a thing?

tanimola22:

@Toughluv

I have long responded to you by email. I sent you the email immediately I read your message, and that was yesterday.

You may want to check your box again.

T22

Hello T22, Couls you pls share with me any info u have on applying to IFP?
Thanks
SefB

2good:

Ok first most of my friend that studied here made 1st class in their Bachelors studies in Nigeria. I made a 2-1 with a GP of above 4 point. The scholarship we all got is not PTDF but some other scholarship sponsored by either company, the university or the Dutch government. One of my friend got a scholarship from Shell Netherlands, myself and another got a scholarship called the Netherlands Fellowship Program(NFP) that requires you to have some work experience and also studying a course relevant to the development of your country in a Dutch university. The guy who got Shell scholarship studied Geophysics and current have a job with Statoil Norway. The other one that got NFP scholarship is working for a servicing company as a Production log analyst in Belgium. The friend working in Schlumberger got a partial scholarship from the Petroleum Engineering department. Every one of us studied at the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. Besides the Geophysics guy, we all studied Petroleum Engineering and Geoscience.
The truth about scholarship is you have to research yourself and apply. There is no guarantee of getting the scholarship but you just have to apply for as much as you see and bear in mind that most times you compete with people globally for scholarship. About getting job, several companies come to campus to recruit as most of us got our job through the campus recruitment. However, getting a job have alot to do with yourself and not just going to a university. Most of these guys are very smart above the average Nigerian and are able to convince their potential employer that they are qualified to be employed because you have to compete with European citizen and the general rule is European first before non-Europeans but at thesame time, the companies will hire you if you can prove to them that you are good and also the class size is small. We were like 18 in my masters class from like 12 different countries and job placement was like 80% before graduation.
But I will still recommend you go to an American University to study preferable U Texas @ Austin, Texas A&M, Louisiana State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Houiston and Colorado School of Mines. Jobs are easier to get in the oil and gas industry in the US because there are more oil and gas companies in the US than any other country and the schools I mentioned above organise on campus recruitment which is a big advantage as you get to be interviewed by several companies before you graduate and it is easier getting a job on campus than after graduation. UK is a no no for me because there are so many Nigerians to compete with and the UK economy is struggling.

Thank you so much,
I just checked out the netherland fellowshio - states that ur employer has to guarantee u constant income while ure away.. LOL. pls who does that? or did ur ex employer agree to that?

plus- are there any other scholarships u know about? please let me know!!!
WHEN COMPANIES COME TO 'RECRUIT' FROM THESE UNIVERSITIES, DO YOU STILL DO THE USUAL TESTS? shl n co?

Bless you.

2good:

As someone with zero experience, I would advice you go for Petroleum Engineering to get a general overview of the oil and gas business before you specialize. Petroleum Engineering gives you better knowledge of Production, Drilling and Reservoir Engineering. You can apply for job in any of those three categories with you Petroleum Engineering degree but with Reservoir Engineering, you are already restricting yourself because you will not do much in Drilling and Production when you study Reservoir Engineering making it difficult for you to compete for non Reservoir Engineering jobs. Specializing at the early stage of your career is dangerous because it limits your options. Petroleum Engineering as a degree is already restrictive, so going further into Reservoir Engineering will further limit your options after graduation.
All the best with your final decision.

And what courses did ur friends study (the ones that enede up in Sclum)

2good:

As someone with zero experience, I would advice you go for Petroleum Engineering to get a general overview of the oil and gas business before you specialize. Petroleum Engineering gives you better knowledge of Production, Drilling and Reservoir Engineering. You can apply for job in any of those three categories with you Petroleum Engineering degree but with Reservoir Engineering, you are already restricting yourself because you will not do much in Drilling and Production when you study Reservoir Engineering making it difficult for you to compete for non Reservoir Engineering jobs. Specializing at the early stage of your career is dangerous because it limits your options. Petroleum Engineering as a degree is already restrictive, so going further into Reservoir Engineering will further limit your options after graduation.
All the best with your final decision.

Hello 2 good,

You mentionedin a post that u and SOME OF ur friends got scholarship. Hw did u do that? PTDF?
PLS HELP A SISTER OUT.

plus what schoold od u suggest? I studied petroleum engineering BSC, 2:1
Been working for about 18months now and intent to go to school nexy year.
Where do u suggest nd what course?

[/color]

tanimola22:

My preference gives rise to the ranking IFP (Colorado)> Texas A&M=Louisiana State U ≥ Calgary U.

My high rating for IFP and Colorado stems from the fact that attending some programs at IFP makes it possible for you to study for a semester or two at Colorado. You get degrees from both schools. These degrees and the fact the you have studied at known oil and gas schools will help diversify your applications as companies in Europe and America may find you attractive simultaneously. I hope this is clear.

Equal rating for Texas A&M and Louisiana Sate U because, in my view, both universities claim almost the same placement rate and graduates from both schools have the same chance of landing oil jobs. Both are self-centered and do not provide an opportunity for diversification of prospects as does the IFP/Colorado combo. Again in my view.

Calgary U, very good too. I have a chick friend there doing advanced research. It won't be bad to see her again soon, but flight money is the wahala . Anyway, my view of Calgary is also bullish but it is just that I think graduates from there are somewhat limited to oil jobs in Calgary when compared to the versatility of opportunities that come with being a graduate of the former schools. Moreover, I think Calgary U is not too far away from Texas A&M and Louisiana State U in terms of oil job opportunities. That's why you see my ranking has ≥.

T22,
Youre one smart kid

These are my personal views. I hope you see why I said all the schools are great for oil jobs. Indeed, they are great.

T22.

[color=#990000]

tanimola22:


My preference gives rise to the ranking IFP (Colorado)> Texas A&M=Louisiana State U ≥ Calgary U.

My high rating for IFP and Colorado stems from the fact that attending some programs at IFP makes it possible for you to study for a semester or two at Colorado. You get degrees from both schools. These degrees and the fact the you have studied at known oil and gas schools will help diversify your applications as companies in Europe and America may find you attractive simultaneously. I hope this is clear.

Equal rating for Texas A&M and Louisiana Sate U because, in my view, both universities claim almost the same placement rate and graduates from both schools have the same chance of landing oil jobs. Both are self-centered and do not provide an opportunity for diversification of prospects as does the IFP/Colorado combo. Again in my view.

Calgary U, very good too. I have a chick friend there doing advanced research. It won't be bad to see her again soon, but flight money is the wahala . Anyway, my view of Calgary is also bullish but it is just that I think graduates from there are somewhat limited to oil jobs in Calgary when compared to the versatility of opportunities that come with being a graduate of the former schools. Moreover, I think Calgary U is not too far away from Texas A&M and Louisiana State U in terms of oil job opportunities. That's why you see my ranking has ≥.

T22,

These are my personal views. I hope you see why I said all the schools are great for oil jobs. Indeed, they are great.

T22.

tanimola22:

My preference gives rise to the ranking IFP (Colorado)> Texas A&M=Louisiana State U ≥ Calgary U.

My high rating for IFP and Colorado stems from the fact that attending some programs at IFP makes it possible for you to study for a semester or two at Colorado. You get degrees from both schools. These degrees and the fact the you have studied at known oil and gas schools will help diversify your applications as companies in Europe and America may find you attractive simultaneously. I hope this is clear.

Equal rating for Texas A&M and Louisiana Sate U because, in my view, both universities claim almost the same placement rate and graduates from both schools have the same chance of landing oil jobs. Both are self-centered and do not provide an opportunity for diversification of prospects as does the IFP/Colorado combo. Again in my view.

Calgary U, very good too. I have a chick friend there doing advanced research. It won't be bad to see her again soon, but flight money is the wahala . Anyway, my view of Calgary is also bullish but it is just that I think graduates from there are somewhat limited to oil jobs in Calgary when compared to the versatility of opportunities that come with being a graduate of the former schools. Moreover, I think Calgary U is not too far away from Texas A&M and Louisiana State U in terms of oil job opportunities. That's why you see my ranking has ≥.

These are my personal views. I hope you see why I said all the schools are great for oil jobs. Indeed, they are great.

T22.

T22,
Youre one smart kid

IFP- I promise you no one stalks their website as much as i do. lol. i go there almost everyday. but theyre hiding a lot from public _e.g fees and all. A graduate from my school recently got Total scholarship to go to IFP (LUCKY CHAP). he said his admission was based on his scholarship offer from total. which bring me back to the fact that theryre hiding something. Does that mean if im not sponsored, my chances of beign admitted are lower?

Im sure u know theres an IFP affiliate in Nigeria(UNI PORT) - Is that any good?

Im also looking at colorado school of mines. once all my exam score are ready, im going to flood their websites. lol.

My hope is to get picked by a Multinational, preferably Total and be transferred to lagos. God knows that will be the happiest day in my life. lol

One more question - Ive been on my current job for only about 15 months, (NYSC included), does leaving next year (after about 30 months) give me any advantage? or swould u advice i work a little longer before going to schol?

Thankd bro

debosky: ^^

I would exercise some caution. . . .while there are jobs in Canada, it's not as simple as you think and I speak from personal experience.

In terms of the number of jobs, the US still has a far higher proportion of jobs available, especially in some of those 'remote'/'unfriendly' places like Wyoming and North/South Dakota. Those areas are also booming in terms of increasing shale developments.

The main benefit of Canada is that you may (I repeat may, not will) be able to get permanent residence within a relatively short period of time (1-3 years) depending on your qualifications, age, etc, while the same type of opportunity isn't as available in the US.

However, I'd still go for the US - the number of jobs and variety of schools (many offering funding) makes it a better prospect.]

In terms of schools, Texas A&M, Lousiana State University, U of T Austin, University of Wyoming (recommended), UPenn and the likes will be good choices for the US.

Thank you for your reply,
I havent heard of this Uni wyoming beofr. could u pls shed more light on why theryre ur recommnded option> Altho ive gone thru their webiste already. As i said earlier, ive neve heard or read about them
You speak from 'personal experience: Does that mean ure an msc holder from canada or the US?

Truth is my willingess to spend so much time in canada or U.S (2 years as opposed to 1 year in England) is just to break into the oil producing industy. Im not about to take chances. Im willing to do whatever it takes to get what i want. I dont want to mess it all up by a wrong choice of school.

Thanks again

tanimola22:

Add GRE to the list of tests to take. All the schools you listed are great. Don't make the mistake of applying to only one. Apply to all of them and more. The only pain you will feel is the money you will spend on applications, the so called online application fee. But you are already working, so you have no pecuniary problem.

IFP does not require you to pay an application fee. You just apply gbam like that. All the schools will position you to be recruited by oil and gas companies. Your background and experience are similar to those of @2good. I hope he comes and gives you some ideas to follow.

Prepare well for the GRE and GMAT. With little preparation, you should score more than 100 on the TOEFL test. But I am not saying you should not prepare for it O.

Best!

T22

I really appreciate. But saying al of them give me advantage is a bit vague!! Could u pls state ur preferences?


Thank u T22, Good job on here

Hello guys,
Im a 2:1 graduate of petroleum engineering, ive finishes nysc and working now with a multi national service coy, the salary isnt fantastic
Truth is,oil and gas producing is here want to be, i dont mind going back to school two years for that.
I hear UK isnt the best these days as there are less cjances of getting a job/beign recruited from school.

Can anyone pls advice me? Canada or US? which is better? i mean better in the sense of getting a job after school?
what schools do u suggest? Im thinking M.Eng petroleum engineering all over agian.. so that i wont lose chances cos i specialised lol.

Thanks guys

ps: im new on here

tanimola22: Hi House Members, Good evening to all of you!

Someone recently told me that the[b] yearly[/b] take home pay of an entry level engineer [/b]working for [b]Total Nigeria is 11 Million Naira. I know that Shell pays 6 Million Naira per year, but I find it difficult to believe that Total pays that much.

House, please tell me hat you know. I will be happy to be apprised. Let the debate start, abeg.

Thanks.

Hello @ T22 im a petroleum engineering graduate(2:1), finished my NYSC in an oil ang gas producing firm, last year anow work for a servicing coy.
I ntend to go back to school for an MSC, as oil producing is where i want to be, but it seems difficult for starters.

Ive been looking at schools like IFP (Which i have no idea on how to even start application), TExas a n m, colorado school of mines and louisiana state uni. I also applied to Uni Clagary in canda.

I need help in deciding which of these schools will help me stand better chances of getting into the oil producing sector. and help give my career a turn around.
Ive also started preparing for GMAT and TOEFL so i wont have issues with my applications. Pls reply, Thanks