Tolulope Agbaje, a native of Owo local government, Ondo State graduated from the Federal University of Technology Akure FUTA in 2019 with a first class in Applied Geology .
He is now a Master’s Student at the Kansas State University , USA where he achieved a perfect CPGA of 4.0/4.0 in his first Semester .
Read the story of how he got the international Scholarship to the United States during his NYSC year, the role FUTA has continued to play in his academic trajectory and his advice for students seeking similar opportunities…
“I was mobilized for NYSC in February, 2020. Before going to camp. I was able to get my transcript and certificate and this positioned me for many opportunities that I applied for.
I applied for the i-scholar initiative scholarship while in camp. The scholarship is aimed at helping young Nigerian students who are passionate about getting a graduate degree outside the country.
I was fortunate to be among the 50 successful scholarship applicants for the 2020 cohort and my professional exams (GRE & TOEFL) were sponsored.
This positioned me to take on many opportunities. While studying for the GRE, I started contacting different professors from different foreign Universities and I got different positive responses.
After writing the GRE & TOEFL, I started applying to schools. I applied to four schools in the US and two other schools outside US. Out of the 6 applications, I got 5 offers and 1 rejection.
I chose the offer that best aligned with my interest that is MS Geology, Kansas State University.
My first semester started on a high with a perfect CGPA of 4.0/4.0 and a significant progress with my research.
After masters, I intend to enroll in a PhD program immediately.
FUTA of course gave me the platform to get to where I am today. The solid background was as a result of the education I received at FUTA. Also, I remain grateful to my FUTA lecturers who are always willing and available to write recommendation letters for me.
Finally, the very convenient system of getting transcript on time Also proved pivotal in my scholarship pursuit. I got my transcript 3 weeks after convocation and I was able to apply for scholarships and explore many opportunities.
Apart from the scholarship pursuit, getting a job was a easy for me with a FUTA degree.
I remember during an interview session with a company I wanted to serve with in Lagos,, the CEO specifically told me if you can have a first class in Geology at FUTA, you can easily learn what we are doing and you would be a valuable addition to our team.
I was accepted as a Corps member first with little experience in data analysis. I was later retained in the company after a satisfactory performance during my NYSC period.
My advice for students would be to always prioritize academic excellence while in school. Also try as much as possible to acquire skills relevant to your discipline.
Source: Facebook|FUTA
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