MY JOURNEY TO GRADUATE SCHOOL

First, a disclaimer: This is an incomplete story with respect to the title, as the actual efforts put into my graduate school journey spanned two years. The details of the first year (late 2019 - early 2020 application cycle, against Fall 2020 academic session) are not included in this article. In this piece, I mainly focused on the application cycle against the Fall ‘21 academic session.

Here’s a glossary of words I’ll throw a lot in this article:

• GRE (Graduate Record Examination)
• TOEFL (originally stood for Test of English as a Foreign Language)
• IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
• PI (Principal Investigator) - the prof/supervisor guiding you for your program.
• LORs (Letters of Recommendation)
• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• GC (Graduate Coordinator)
• ETS (Educational Testing Service)
• WES (World Education Services).

Let’s get right into it!

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WHAT TRIGGERED MY JOURNEY

I was introduced to a wonderful Whatsapp group chat that was incredibly instrumental to the success of this journey by Ismail Olaniyi. The NEW GRE GROUP ANNEX reflects a microcosm of the ideal and jointly progressive Nigeria, where individuals freely exchange information, with a common goal of succeeding alongside others.

My first application cycle began when Ismail Olaniyi introduced me to a Scholarship Haven group in late 2019 where I got first-hand information on applying to graduate school. I wasn’t keen on it and did not believe I could get admission outside the country while rounding up my final year and didn’t even believe in my profile. So, I only applied to three non-US schools because of the financial implications (no one then seemed keen on the US anyway). I also learnt of the Proof of English as a medium of study, which I got from my undergraduate university for one thousand naira each (my only significant expense) in place of TOEFL/IELTS.?

My application for the Erasmus CDE program was rejected. At the same time, I was admitted into Wageningen University & Research, in the Netherlands, for my master's in Geo-Information Science without funding, as I made a late application (after priority deadlines for scholarships). After raising hopes for my final application, with a 2-3 hours qualifying exam on A-level maths and physics which I passed, a skype interview and a PowerPoint presentation on my previous projects. Plus a super rehearsed and draining Youtube pitch, I got waitlisted for Skoltech’s masters in Space & Engineering Systems (Russia). This was before being sent a polite rejection in August 2020. That devastatingly ended hopes for Fall ‘20, even though preparations for the next cycle were underway.

Moving on.

JOURNEY STARTED (with Exams)

This part marks the actual preparation that culminated in me getting a visa to enter the US for my current grad school. Admittedly, things might have been a little different (in the negative sense) without the experience of my first application.

I was added to the NEW GRE GROUP ANNEX for prospective ‘21 applicants (Spring, Summer and Fall/Autumn 2021 -- mainly for the Fall session, though), with the intent of writing the GRE as I identified it as the missing piece for my US applications. If you want the whole story about this, refer to my first article here.?

Close to my GRE date scheduled for the 12th of August 2020, I realized my TOEFL was the next step, which I eventually aced 17 days later (a whole week’s rest in between, after the gruelling GRE). Typically, an “application package” for US grad schools consists of any combination of:

• GRE
• TOEFL/IELTS (sometimes Duolingo or Pearson English language exam).?
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV) / Resume.
• Transcripts (either official or unofficial; evaluated or not).
• 3 (sometimes 2) Letters of Recommendation.
• Writing sample(s) -- a publication or condensed project/research write-up.
• SOP / Motivation Letter.
• Cover Letter.
• Securing supervisors (PIs).
• An application fee.

You’re allowed to send your official GRE and TOEFL scores to a maximum of 4 schools for free on your test day. Additional score sending attracts a fee, despite having paid for taking the exam and having your (unofficial) result available via your ETS profile or email. Schools often request the official scores be sent directly to them by ETS, which can be either pre or post-admission.

Most (probably all) of the time, I sent inquiry emails to GCs of programs asking specific questions about the program, that are either not explicitly answered on the school/program’s website after an exhaustive search, or when I suspect the information would be outdated.

Typically, my emails were titled -- “Prospective Graduate Student Inquiry” (sometimes I append “for Fall 2021” to the subject) to convey the intent of the email immediately. I often asked about application fees for international students (which are often different from the ones for domestic students). Plus application deadlines, GRE and TOEFL waivers, application fee waivers, the use of unofficial (my preference) or official transcripts and the need for WES evaluation of transcripts (which I detested due to cost implications).?

Many times, these are answered on the program’s websites, but when they are absent or vaguely addressed, I send inquiry emails while also citing the program’s website. As it turns out, they appreciate you making your findings before asking specific green questions. I once got a response to make my findings on websites before asking already answered questions, and this shaped my subsequent emails. So you’ll need to be thorough with your research.

The most essential inquiries I made were for specific details about full funding -- often fellowships or assistantships, and the need to “secure” or “court” professors before applying. These two details were never omitted from my emails, as I realized early that they were the most crucial to my application: the former can depend on the latter in many cases. Even if the website addresses such with further references in links, the graduate coordinator receives the same inquiries from me as I leave nothing to chance or guesswork (a few times, they redirect me to their website again).

COLD EMAILS (“I read your paper…”)

Now here comes the struggle! Unfortunately for me, most of the programs I identified that fit my interests required me to get supervisors to accept me before being admitted. More often than not, this implies an inability to get funding without a supervisor in place; that’s if you get the admission in the first place. I consumed various resources to learn how to construct the perfect cold email to a potential supervisor. Cold emails were daunting to me as your email was deleted or ignored within the first one hour of sending it, while you’re still expectant. Determining how long one should wait before following up and how soon you can send to other profs in the same department (to prevent a discussion on your unsolicited emails) was also a significant hurdle.

If you’ve started this journey and gotten to the phase of sending out cold emails, you’ll probably be aware of the typical “I read your paper on …” format. Where you often read and summarize one or two publications of a prof, talk about the key results and identify gaps or questions there, before pitching your interest. This works well most times. There was a peak period in which I read about 10+ different research papers weekly, going through several of them more than once due to the density of their content.?

On average, I read 1 - 3 very recent papers per prof. Yet, no positive response! I was either ignored, received brief appreciative emails for reading their papers, or apologies for being unable to take in more students. A few cited restrictions for international students due to the pandemic. Some were either retiring or taking a sabbatical, while I also got a conditional acceptance from a prof, who clearly stated I have to get funding from my government for him to supervise me since he didn’t have funding.

To say it hurt was an understatement. A glimpse of my profile as at this stage:

4.85 / 5.00 CGPA, 320 / 340 GRE score, 114 / 120 TOEFL score, 2 publications.

Well, reality dawned fast after over 30 profs didn’t send my profile.

Partly heartbroken while working, as I had yet to complete my NYSC, I compiled a detailed spreadsheet of US and non-US schools (Canada, Europe, Russia and Asia) with columns for every single requirement listed in the bulleted points of application packages I stated earlier. Frankly, I had either inquired from, commenced applications, or shortlisted at least 15 US schools, 1 Russian (Skoltech), 1 Chinese (Wuhan University) and 5 - 10 European universities. I only send cold emails to US and Canadian schools for my desired program, as they often require such. It seemed surprising to many when I stated that most of my target US programs required profs. But the GCs of these departments either explicitly said it as a necessity or suggested it helps with admission and funding with some key details (as I often asked them for tips) to back such up, even while maintaining it wasn’t compulsory. I had to use my head to pick the hints and furnished details to do the needful.

This time around, my cold emails never talked of any prof’s publication or research paper. Instead, I first introduced myself with my profile and talked about my relevant geospatial, remote sensing and programming skills that aligned with the prof’s interest, then related it to his projects as seen on his website (or the department’s for those without personal websites), and then inquired about the possibility of being taken as a new student. This helped me quickly form a template of an extensive range of experiences to talk about in emails -- all I needed to do was tailor each email to different profs, cut out parts unrelated to their interest, and tweak the schools’ names, programs and labs as appropriate. Hence, I typically crafted my emails and proofread within 10 minutes instead of 2-6 hours before (due to studying research papers). October and early November 2020 were for aggressively sending out these cold emails.

The impact was immediate as I either got more personal engagement from profs that didn’t accept me or referrals or promises (even if they wouldn’t materialize) to fund me once available. There was hope! I had already commenced applications to about seven US schools by early November 2020, and most had individual application fees greater than my NYSC monthly “allawee” when converted to dollars at the normal bank rate. It was now a battle of which schools to pay for, as I had spent a lot on GRE, TOEFL and pursuing my official transcript. Fortunately, I was given application fee waivers by Pennsylvania State University for some diversity-related stuff I was categorized into, and Purdue and Ohio State University for my participation in a big ten grad expo virtual event with US schools.

APPLICATIONS

Ohio State had the earliest priority deadline of October 15 for Fellowships and 31st of the same month for assistantships. Hence it was the first application I completed.?

Note: applications submitted beyond these priority deadlines can receive admission but would not qualify for these funded opportunities.

Most of my target non-US schools had not commenced applications and would eventually do so in early 2021. By early November, I commenced applications for Purdue University, North Carolina State University (NCSU), University of Florida, University of Houston, Pennsylvania State University (PSU), TAMU-CC, Ohio State University and probably one or more, if any. Save for Purdue University, for which I was opportune to virtually meet with the profs during the big ten grad expo event, others either explicitly required or suggested having a prof before admission. I later learnt in this phase that full and distinguished professors hardly take new students (exceptions exist). Hence, my targets became assistant and associate profs, which future responses validated.

The pandemic changed a lot in the way applications were handled, with schools often citing a significant increase in the number of applicants. And also, several graduate programs had outdated information on their websites. I often got conflicting information concerning application fee waivers and the need to secure a PI from the website and the graduate coordinator. Hence, the need to always mail GCs of prospective schools before applying was reinforced.

HOW I EVENTUALLY GOT IN

If you recall, my first completed (but not submitted) application was that of Ohio State University in October. My second completed application (and first submitted application) happened to be my current program. Around mid-November, I stumbled across a Twitter advert for masters students to work on three listed projects with a remote sensing prof, which a fellow applicant sent to me. The listed projects, his research interests and desired qualifications of the prospective student had an ideal alignment with my interests, and I met every criterion. I immediately tweaked one of my previous cold emails (without reference to any paper) and sent it to my PI’s email.

Looking back, I realized I sent that email in a hurry and didn’t proofread -- the program’s name was wrong (as my email mainly was copy and paste), and a few minor issues beyond grammar. Yet, I got a welcoming response 20+ minutes later, proposing an interview the following Monday (the email was sent on Friday, Nov 13); the deadline for application was Nov 30. We exchanged about six more emails the same Friday about issues relating to time (as we had to factor in schedules since we were both working and in different time zones. Despite the alignment of interests and fit of the program, the department was surprisingly Natural Resources and Environmental Science.

After finalizing the interview’s day, time and medium (zoom), I immediately sought resources for preparation -- the same resources I had been sharing with others because it was my first interview for the application cycle. Thankfully, this excellent resource by Hammed Akande was more than sufficient for me to ace my interview. The time came, and thankfully my internet was stable. The Twitter resource I used nearly predicted the entirety of my interview, and the questions were mostly centered around my experiences (which I stated in both the cold email and CV).

I answered questions regarding my experience with research, GIS, remote sensing, programming, strengths and weaknesses, hobbies (which surprised me, probably to ascertain if I am human and not a robot). Also on my goals, reasons for pursuing the program, keywords in the Twitter advert that interested me and why, plus a host of others. Then the time for my questions came (all were mostly tweaked from that Twitter resource), and my PI was often admitting the questions were interesting and impressive as he answered them. I had also clarified during the interview that he would fund me and was told to apply to state his name as my advisor in my SOP. Quite surprisingly, he told me not to include GRE in my application as it would not be considered under any circumstance.

Before submitting my application, I tried to request an application fee waiver from him (as he was also the GC) and got a promise of consideration. Well, I proceeded with paying the fee just before the deadline, and it was a massive sigh of relief afterwards. It was a hurried application -- requesting new LORs from my recommenders and tweaking past SOPs and CVs before the closeby deadline. After that, I focused on my other applications, for which three others for the US were completed by early December, and entered the anxiety-triggering waiting period.

By Feb 4, I was woken up from sleep by my first fully funded admission to work with my supervisor at the University of Nevada, Reno, for a master’s in Natural Resources and Environmental Science -- both admission and funding details were in the same letter.?

How should I say this? It was one of the sweetest feelings of the year (the day of my visa approval would probably have something to say about this claim). I subsequently discussed courses and projects I'll be working on during subsequent video meetings with my PI, whose specialization is in Remote Sensing.

My current program made me realize filtering programs solely by their name wasn’t an ideal choice, rather their specific research focus and likely courses/curriculum weigh more. I was also admitted (for the second successive year) to Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands, four days after my first fully funded admission in February. I remember hurriedly starting and completing the application 2 hours before the priority deadline since I was US-focused and had forgotten it was one of my backups -- but I was already experienced with the school. So it took me about an hour to construct my SOP and CV before submitting close to the midnight's deadline. Thankfully, there was no need for LORs, even though I manually uploaded the one I used for the previous application cycle.

Fast forward to mid-February, by then, I had recovered from the euphoria of a fully-funded admission. I began all the necessary applications and payments for my visa appointment. Dates weren’t forthcoming anywhere for long in Lagos, and when they did, I was reluctant to select Abuja as those were the only available dates for nearly a month. Eventually, by late April, Lagos opened up visa appointments, and I set mine for early May and intensified preparations which I had begun much earlier. My visa was approved on May 6, for which I felt very prepared for, having had several mocks and even drilled people who got theirs before me, and diligently continued my job, even though I had mentally checked out of the country.

On the day of my interview, I got to the US consulate in Lagos quite early on an empty stomach -- a wrong move that fortunately didn’t backfire, despite missing my route to the venue twice. And then fell for the “scam” from some fellows who convinced me that my documents were wrong just to make me part with significant sums of money in getting the “right” ones. My interview consisted of 7 questions, including my intent to go to the US, my specialization (remote sensing), and what this specialization is all about. Afterwards, questions about my current job, how I got to know about the program, why I chose remote sensing and where I can work with the degree were asked; before the “golden words” of approval were pronounced. After that, I booked my flight for Aug 10 and started making travel plans while earnestly seeking accommodation in Reno, which was secured at the nick of time -- the evening of July 31st for an August 1st lease.

By this period, I had abandoned every other US, Erasmus, European and other graduate school applications I had either commenced or had in mind to submit.

FINAL TIPS

This journey developed and refined several skills for me. Like my technical and academic writing skills, and (academic) CV preparation. Plus soft skills like patience, resilience, understanding of new systems, the importance of having a close community of like minds while sharing information and helping others; amidst a host of other qualities. A significant thing I did differently between both application cycles was writing standardized exams (GRE and TOEFL -- the latter was used in my US and European applications) and re-learning how to write motivation letters/SOPs and CVs. I have to include the fact that taking lots of free online courses on Coursera in 2020 via AUTC and I4G was a central selling point in my cold emails and SOPs.

Also, CGPA hardly mattered as applications were holistic -- considered in their entirety. This was surprising as some wrote themselves off early in the journey initially due to comparisons with others who had higher CGPAs, test scores, publications and years of work/research experience. Only to realize people with “lesser” profiles in similar fields of interest secured their funding eventually, and often early. Hence, individuals with 2:2, 2:1 and first class have nearly the same struggles. Choice of school matters too, as highly ranked schools often deny applicants with stellar profiles, probably why those with less stellar profiles by face judgement got funded early by avoiding some of the famous names. By the way, Chemistry is heavily funded in the USA -- take this to the bank!

My LinkedIn presence also helped. It was always exciting getting notifications of my profile being checked by (both identifiable and private) individuals from different universities, a week or more after my application, as I always included a link to my profile in my CV. This is in addition to connecting with potential profs on the platform and analyzing the direction of their research and discussions. I saw a few calls for applications fit for me on LinkedIn and realized profs even send private messages to individuals. Like those who have made previous posts stating their intent to pursue further studies, to join their program, with an offer of full funding without you reaching out first.?

Overall, no one method works for all. In three of my closely-knit communities of prospective applicants, no pattern for any phase could be generalized to work for even a majority. Some persons made straight applications without needing a supervisor and no interviews from the admission committees, yet immediately got fully funded with a “less than stellar” profile. Whereas some go through one or up to 3+ interviews before being admitted and then apply for funding separately irrespective of their profile. Waiting between the end of applications and admissions/funding is a period to focus on other aspects of your life. Checking emails often in this period won’t help you.

You also need money for this journey. This is something I was poorly informed about before this phase but navigated through anyway. Well, I thought I was applying to a “fully funded program,” so it will cost me nothing. Of course, the program itself costs nothing to attend but consider the costs of:

• GRE: You’ll often need this if the USA is your preference; a few Russian, Swiss, Dutch and Canadian schools might request it too. And while schools are increasingly waiving it due to the pandemic and perceived bias as a fair judge of ability/criteria for admission, it’s always safe to have it. All but my current program requested it; $205 is the cost of registration. It’s an intense exam that can be the difference between you getting funding or just admission (if decisions come to a choice between applicants for limited funding). Schools might request either the official results sent directly from ETS -- the test makers (which can cost money), or your unofficial copy downloaded from your portal. Typically, you’ll need to eventually send your official results if accepted into the program for the latter case. Additional score sending from ETS costs $27. Several scholarship schemes cover the cost of GRE and TOEFL, including, but are not limited to EducationUSA OFP, Michael Taiwo scholarship and i-Scholar Initiative. Check them out, although there are a lot more which I saw people of different academic backgrounds and classes of degrees utilize, despite not taking advantage of any due to my ignorance then.

• TOEFL/IELTS (whatever is your preference -- I recommend TOEFL): These are widely recognized standardized English tests used across North American, European, Asian and Australian schools in different variations. Although both are often accepted, I would recommend TOEFL if the US is your target, IELTS for the UK, Canada and Australia, any of them for EU, Asia and elsewhere. Sometimes “proof of English as a medium of study” certificate or your O’level English grade would suffice; typically not recommended for North American schools. It can also be a differentiating criterion for who gets funding if choices are to be made between international students. It’s nowhere near as daunting as the GRE, and I had my current school’s English bridge exam for my assistantship because I had “at least 24” in my TOEFL speaking. The cost of TOEFL varies by location and is somewhat similar to the GRE, often $180+. The same definitions and circumstances for GRE official results apply to the TOEFL. Some schools accept the Duolingo English test or Pearson English Language Test (PTE) in place of TOEFL/IELTS if you’re unable to meet the minimum requirements. But check with them first, and these exams are not free either. Additional score sending from ETS costs $20.

• Application fees: Lots of schools require applicants to pay specific fees before their application would be processed. From my survey, it typically costs from $30 (Florida schools) to $130+ (or an equivalent cost in Euros) per school. While some schools might waive these application fees, it’s often safe to apply to those you’re well qualified for, irrespective of waiver status. These fee waivers are used to attract many applicants, which makes the program more competitive and reduces your chances of getting in.

• Transcripts from your prior degrees -- undergraduate and master’s programs, if you already have one, also cost money. Some schools accept unofficial transcripts, while some require official transcripts in either hard or soft copy (you’ll know which one to send when applying) to be sent directly to them from your previous institution per application. The definition of unofficial transcript widely varies per school too. Some define it as official transcripts you sent by yourself (so far, your school isn’t sending directly to them, it’s unofficial). In contrast, others consider it as any collection of your results with the degree and completion date stated on it. A student’s result/academic profile/student’s copy of transcripts can suffice for the latter. Usually, you’ll have to send your official transcripts directly to the school after admissions anyway.

• For US schools, the SEVIS fee after admission costs $350 (which cannot be paid by someone in Nigeria) and the visa fee costs $160 (you can pay yourself) -- a visa denial costs a new visa fee only.

• Consider flight and the first month’s rent and living expenses, before being paid from your funding source. And in rare cases for US applicants, shipping fees for a hardcopy of the i-20 document can cost a few dollars (two figures typically), although free softcopies are now replacing it due to the pandemic. You’ll recover all these when your funding source starts paying you monthly.

Note: All stated costs were written to the best of my knowledge and should only be considered accurate as at the time of writing.

FUNDING

Finally, let me differentiate between the few types of funding sources I’ve been consistently referring to, throughout this article:

• In Europe, most scholarships are just what you know as, just: scholarships. They are freely given with no major obligations beyond studying and finishing your program successfully. You might be eligible for some professional development opportunities courtesy of these scholarships too. Added benefits and obligations typically vary across nations and scholarship programs. Furthermore, these scholarships are typically awarded by bodies and not the Universities themselves.

• In the USA, you typically have fellowships and assistantships awarded for international students (non-citizens or residents of the country). Fellowships typically come with no work obligations and are synonymous in benefits with the European scholarships described above. Hence, you study while being paid your stipend. Often most or all of the tuition (and sometimes health insurance) is covered. Hence your stipend, which comes monthly or biweekly, covers accommodation, feeding and general living expenses as you deem fit. They are typically awarded by the graduate school, bodies and organizations.

• On the other hand, assistantships come with duties and can be awarded by either the graduate school, a department or from your PI’s grant. Hence, you work for pay. According to US law, international students on assistantships cannot exceed 20 hours weekly work (which is the full-time equivalent pay) during the session, and 40 weekly hours of work during vacations. The most common ones are often categorized into teaching and research assistantships (TA/RA); there’s often a third type in many Universities anyway.

• Teaching assistants (TAs) typically assist in teaching small sections of classes, leading laboratory sessions, grading classes and aiding in the administration of tests and exams. Whereas RAs often aid in collecting and analyzing data, conducting literature reviews, writing reports and preparing materials for publication. Both categories typically attract the same benefits as fellowships, with a full tuition waiver if you’re offered the maximum weekly work hours in your contract (20). Your health insurance may or may not be covered. Of course, your monthly (or biweekly) stipend can be saved to offset health insurance and part of future tuition (although not advisable) if your entire fees aren’t waived due to the fewer working hours offered.?

There are other funding sources, but these are the common ones I came across in my journey. And you’ll most likely come across them if you tow a similar path. For a different perspective, Obinna also wrote on the graduate school application process.

A summary of my profile as at the time of my application

This was an introduction format on my NEW GRE ANNEX group chat, and the referenced CV was used for the cold email to my PI:

Name: Johanson Onyegbula

UG School: University of Lagos

UG Course: Surveying and Geoinformatics

UG GPA: 4.85/5.00

GRE score if written: 320 (Q-169 V-151 AWA-5.5)

TOEFL score if written: 114 (R-30 L-29 S-25 W-30)

Publications: 3 (2 published, 1 under review)

Intended school/ Program: 4 US schools, 1 Dutch school.

Research Interest: Remote Sensing, Machine Learning.

Curriculum Vitae: Johanson Onyegbula_CV.pdf

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Admits:

1. Masters at University of Nevada, Reno in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences: Remote sensing specialization (full funding plus health insurance)

2. MSc in Geomatics Engineering at Purdue University (Funding is pending)

3. Masters in Geo-Information Science at Wageningen University & Research (Turned down OKP and ASP)

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Rejects:

1. PhD in Geosensing Systems Engineering at University of Houston

2. Masters in Geomatics at the University of Florida (Deferral turned down).

And that’s my story!