NAME: ALAWODE OLUWATOBI ABEL
COINTRY OF ORIGIN: NIGERIA
SCHOOL: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, GAINESVILLE, FL, USA.

Please tell us about yourself.

My Name is Alawode Oluwatobi Abel from Osun State, Nigeria. A graduate of Demography & Social Statistics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State (BSc & MSc). I am currently a PhD Sociology student at the University of Florida, Gainesville FL.

Your scholarship journeys.

For me, I have always been interested in studying outside the country. Never knew studying abroad could be possible without any out-of-pocket payment. I wanted to study for my master’s but no funds. Back then, I was not too familiar with numerous sources for such bar LSTM Postgraduate Scholarship in Medical Statistics.

Hence, I enrolled at OAU for my master’s degree. During the Masters, a childhood friend who was a lecturer in OAU suddenly left the country for his PhD in the USA. Out of curiosity, I approached him. He gave me a breakdown of how the process of how I can study in the USA ‘free’.

How did you first learn about scholarships?

Like I stated earlier, I saw someone do it and I summoned courage to ASK. Never shut your mouth, like they always say; A closed mouth is a closed destiny. Although, before then I had been lucky enough to hear about Master Card scholarship, Erasmus Mundus & LSTM Postgraduate Scholarship in Medical Statistics for African Students which I once tried but no positive response.

How many years have you been at it?

I will say that I spent about 3 year on this scholarship journey. It all started in early 2018 after speaking with my childhood friend who had just gone to the USA for his PhD. I started reading for GRE & TOEFL, my first attempt resulted in a 286 score which was too low. I could not apply to schools for Fall 2019.

Then, I made a second attempt in April 2019 and I scored 296, I considered it too low again. People encouraged me that it was a manageable score and it would get me into some great schools. Since I already have about 5 publications and have 3 years of work experience with some of the best NGOs/Research centers in the country.

In other to be on safer side, I wrote GRE once again and got a score of 303 which was my last attempt. I wrote TOEFL and has a score of 102 which was above what many schools will require. Now, it was time to apply to schools and I set out the plan of applying to 10 schools, but I was able to complete only 7 applications and they al came out positive with full funding.

How smooth was it?

Sir, in all honesty the journey was not easy. I was working full time jobs within those 3 years and I was moving around to work from Ondo to Bauchi to Lagos to Abia State. When I was in Lagos, I would stay late at the office to read for GRE & TOEFL. At times, I would be using my phone to practice GRE Vocabularies in traffic. All these was because I knew what I wanted to achieve, and I did not give up on my dream.

Finance

Finance was also a major issue. I cultivated an impressive saving habit to pay for these exams, transcripts, and application fees, but I got waivers for some of the applications. I applied to 7 schools and got into 6 of them as shown in the picture attached below.

What are the challenges?

Finance was one of the challenges. Fear and lack of belief in my abilities was also a challenge i.e., even when people told me I could do it; I still did not believe in myself until I met a total stranger on Twitter who had been living and working in the US for some year. We got talking and he saw how I was not meant for the Nigerian system. He encouraged me and I was successful.
How does it feel like to finally get a yes after lots of rejections?
For me, I never had to battle a lot of rejections. I had personal rejections and lack of belief in my abilities to pull through.

How can people deal with rejection?

To deal with rejections, I normally advise people to always keep the faith regardless. Also, try to always conversant with the latest news in Nigeria (Political, Economic and Security). They will always be motivated to see reasons why they can not give up but keep chasing their dream.

In addition, prayers and reading the word of God that contains a lot of promises and words of encouragement is vital to keep their sanity at that point. Lastly, they should always keep up with the news and information of people winning scholarships and funding. They are always being posted on Twitter and this will keep them going.

What would you say to that person planning to give up on their scholarship/funding dream or career growth right now?

I would say that giving up is very easy and forging ahead towards your dream is one of the hardest things you can ever imagine. I will say IT IS NOT EASY especially for someone from a country like Nigeria where I am from because at every point, all the odds are stacked against you. Electricity, Poor Internet, Lack of funds and so on might be challenging, but you still can not afford to give up.

Question about the specific scholarship won.

I would not refer to mine as scholarship but funding, the pattern of funding graduate education in the USA. Where you are basically employed as a Teaching/Research Assistant (getting paid). With tuition waiver and stipend to cover your living expenses.

How do you like it so far?

Absolutely enjoying the experience thus far and I know it will get better. I am convinced I have made the best decision for my life and my future. The quality of education and structure of education is basically ahead of what obtains back home.

Facilities are available to conduct your research with little to no worries. I have access to the Professors who are willing to mentor and help you to achieve your professional and academic goals.

Brief info on how people can put in a great application.

A great application starts with graduating from bachelor’s degree with a great CGPA (not less than 2:1). I am not trying to condemn or relegate the efforts of folks who graduated with lower CGPA. We all know the truth that many of these funders and schools always ‘judge’ with your past academic record which must be very good.

In addition, a great application must have a convincing statement of purpose which basically ‘sells’ to the school or funders as you won’t be present at the selection sitting. Lastly, a clear and achievable research proposal is vital. Do not submit a research proposal that is not achievable to the lab or Professor you wish to get funding from.

Essay writing tips.

Admission essay writing is one of the trickiest and hardest things to do. Keys to an admission winning essay is HONESTY, this is because I have seen people make up lies in their essays or even plagiarize another person’s essay. This does not speak well of you as an individual and as a prospective scientist.

Challenges in the program itself.

I have not had many challenges with the program. I can say that the Professors are very critical with grading of assignments and your writings. My writing ability that I considered very impressive has been brought down to earth.

Blending into the community abroad.

I have spent a few weeks here in Florid and I can tell you that It has been great with the people I met on ground here. The Nigerian Community, Church and African Students here have been excellent. They have done their best to help me settle down. In school, the department have been great and welcoming.

I struggled to get hold of instructions and readings in the first few classes, but I am catching up now. For those coming to USA, the system of education here looks way different from what obtains back home in Nigeria. I feel it’s very similar to the British system. Hence, be prepared.

How to deal with Loneliness/Mental Health issues.

It has not been easy dealing with that issue of loneliness in my early days here. As a single guy with no woman in his life, it has not been easy I must confess. And friends who would have been available to talk to you via phone calls or video calls or chats are not always available due to the time difference.

The pandemic has also made matters worse because you always must be indoors. However, I know there are better days ahead.

Final words of encouragement.

Do not give up on your dream of studying or relocating abroad. You can achieve it with careful planning and implementation.