12/20/2023
A lot of people have been asking me how did I get my admission into an American school and a half scholarship, so here goes.
I actually applied to more than one school. Probably like over 10 schools. In 2012, I applied to schools for Management. In 2014, I applied to schools for Film Production.
These were the standard requirements.
1. My transcripts: I submitted it myself as I didn’t have the energy to get any of my universities to send them. Some American universities were insistent on it being my past universities sending them directly so I opted out from applying for those schools. I always read instructions and emailed any questions I had before application.
2. Since I already had a master’s degree, they didn’t care much about my bachelor’s transcripts. I had both though.
3. I evaluated my results at the time with NAEG. I had to send them my certificates, transcripts, etc online. I paid. Can’t remember how much and they evaluated it to American standards. I believe I even submitted my WAEC results too. I didn’t submit for translation since my past programs were in English language.
4. For Ivy, the evaluation body asked her to buy original WAEC scratch card and send them the pin including a scanned copy of her WAEC result.
5. For Ivy, she was asked to write Accuplacer exams since her last time of high school graduation was 5 years plus ago. If you are still in another country, they might make you write the exam on arrival to determine if you need to take some prerequisite courses before your main course.
6. I wrote a statement of purpose where I talked about myself; past history in work and school, previous challenges, how they shaped me to becoming a better person and why I needed to take the Film program, etc. It got me a $15k scholarship.
7. They sometimes make you take an English exam called TOEFL or something similar depending on the school. Some schools can waive it if you interview or your program was in English. My school interviewed me via phone to know if I passed enough to study with them without English testing. Yes, Nigeria’s official language is English but they make many of us take the test. They will state what test you need but the standard TOEFL usually suffice.
8. For some graduate programs, you might be required to write exams like GMAT, etc. It depends sometimes on your previous Grade Point (GPA) in school.
9. You are required to have a valid international passport to be granted admission to any American school.
10. You might need to pay an application fee but some schools have a period when they waive application fees. In the state of Georgia, it usually occurs around the month of March. The entire March from my observation is usually free.
11. You will be required to submit a bank statement that shows you can afford the tuition, fees and upkeep.
12. Some schools could call to interview you before admitting you. The interview usually comprises of questions regarding your goals, intent, experience, education, you as a person and your ethics and values, etc.
13. After getting accepted, you will be required to pay to the U.S govt, not the school a Sevis fee. It’s compulsory. I don’t know about now but back then I used western union. I think with card payments now, it’s easier. If you are already inside the USA on a greencard, you don’t pay that at all. It’s for non immigrants.
14. Awards matter, include them as your strong points. The schools report everything about the application to immigration and that could help your chances. Don’t hide your achievements ever. Be humble but show it!
15. Choose a course you can do. Remember you are also allowed to change your course upon entry so don’t panic if you discover you like a different course after, you can change it before enrollment.
16. Majority of American universities will never ask you for tuition upfront. It’s rare.
17. There is a huge difference between a community college and a university. Know the difference. One offers mostly associate degrees and is cheaper. The other offers mostly bachelor’s degrees and is more expensive.
18. Check the school accreditation. Super important. Embassies care about that.
19. Pick a school that’s good for your program of study. Super important. Some schools are famous but not the best for some program of study.
20. Always seek out scholarships. Most schools have one. One of the most popular scholarships are The Hope Scholarship and Fulbright Scholarship if I’m correct. There are more.
21. What you consider vulnerability or weakness can get you a scholarship.
22. American schools do not discri*minate based on disability you feel can stop you. They cannot also discri*minate based on race, religion, gender, etc. So be you!
23. Some locations in America need diversity. You might have better luck there for scholarships. These locations are usually in the Midwest, Deep South, etc. Like Alabama, Wisconsin, Ohio, Montana, Utah, Missouri, South Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska. Etc. These states do not have enough black people there to fill their quota.
24. Some programs need more male or female in them. So your gender can even help win your scholarship case.
25. Letter of recommendation helps. Be sure who you ask to write it for you before you give your village people o.
26. Your résumé also matters so draft an academic resume. Google can help you.
27. Join communities online that offer free advice on how to do these things. Some popular ones out there are Visa journey community and immihelp.
28. For American student visa, do it yourself o. No one can guarantee anyone visa when it comes to the U.S. they decide instantly on the spot of your interview. Their emphasis lies on strong ties. They always say it, demonstrate strong ties to your home country and that you will go back after your studies. That you don’t need to work in America to pay your tuition. That even without the visa, your life is still going great.
29. In your application, be honest and keep records of everything you fill because one day you might need the paperwork to remember every detail you filled or for verification.
30. You can have a mentor for school application guide but don’t pay someone for U.S visa application. America doesn’t even like that at all as you are expected to fill the forms yourself.
Goodluck guys and I can try to answer any questions you may have in the comment section. Remember, this isn’t a legal advice. I am only sharing my experience. I don’t do visas for people and I don’t help people get admission into any school. I don’t have anyone to recommend either for U.S student visa.
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