Learning from other's mistakes...

Hello there, it's been a few weeks.

So I mentioned sometime ago that I was working on my Master's application because I still want to go to school. I might become a professor...

Being a Nigerian applying to a school in the U.S, I think I should share my experience of the whole application process-from applying to school to applying to the embassy for my visa-so the little issues I encountered will be averted by someone else.

TRANSCRPT FINANCIAL BUDGETTING

As the title implies, this has to do with making sure youve got enough money to dispense with when you're ready to contact your school about sending that transcript to your proposed school of study. In 2017, sending my transcript through DHL to US cost me 15,000 naira and this is excluding the different fees I had to pay(alumni & operations).

Apart from the financial aspect, you should ordinarily get your transcript sorted in one day, but if for some unforseen reason it's not possible, make arrangements to accommodate the situation.

Make sure there's enough money in your account to pay for all you have to do or have someone who is ready to send you more money if the need arises. In this case, better to have more than enough than almost enough.

GIVE IT ENOUGH TIME

This can not be stressed enough, from the day you start applying to the day the term you plan to resume school, give yourself enough time for to attend to all the things pertaining to the application. I would advise applying a year ahead of the start of term so that you will not have to rush through anything. Get your account statements ready. Prepare your mind that the school may not contact you about an admission offer till at least 3 weeks after you sent your application. And when that admission offer comes through, there are various pre-arrival checklists to go through as well as deciding whether you want to stay on campus or off campus. Also is the question about whether or not you want to travel well ahead of your resumption date in order to get settled and adapt to a different time zone before immersing yourself in school activities.

Consider these things well as you progress in your application process

I-901 SEVIS FEE

Now this is another important thing to shed some light on. You are expected to pay this fee before applying for a study visa. As a Nigerian living in Nigeria however, it can not be paid in Nigeria (Trust me, I tried). It can only be paid by a third party in the U.S. using either Money Order or Western Union Quick Pay. The transaction charge on both isn't much but due to the devalued Naira, it will seem like much...

my advise is to make sure this fee is actually paid before applying for your visa as non payment could be a reason for visa denial and we do not want to risk that now, do we.

VISA APPLICATION

One thing I realised was that because the visa category being applied for was a study visa, the interview wait time was very short. Therefore, once you are ready to apply for your visa, make sure all your documents are ready;

1. Confirmation page

2. A passport photograph meeting U.S. Embassy specifications

3. Your passport

4. Statement of Account,

5. Form I-20

6.SEVIS Fee Payment Confiramtion page

FLIGHT TICKET

Do not book a ticket before you receive your visa. It is just better to wait to have your visa with you before booking your flight. this is because an unforeseen circumstance can cause delay in receiving your visa. So to avoid cancelling or rescheduling your ticket and having to pay more unplannned money, Apply for your visa well ahead of your planned travel date and always wait to receive your visa before purchasing your flight ticket.

This is a brief list but if there is anything you wish to add, please leave a comment.

C.I.