How I Turned UTME Disappointment Into First-Class Success Babcock - Graduate

Mafolayomi Otujiya is only 19 years old, but she has already reached a major goal. She graduated from Babcock University with a first-class degree in Public Administration. With a CGPA of 4.52, she became the best graduating student in her department. Her success looks bright today, but the strong desire behind it began with pain and disappointment.

Otujiya is from Ogun State. She entered the university at just 15 and turned 19 before she graduated. She said her parents taught her to take school seriously from childhood. They always placed great value on good grades and hard work. Their words stayed with her; they shaped the careful and serious way she faced her studies.

However, Public Administration was not the course she first wanted. Her dream was to study Law. When her admission letter arrived, she found out that Babcock University had offered her Public Administration instead. She was not happy at first. In fact, she planned to change courses during her first year.

But something slowly changed. As she attended classes and learned more, she began to enjoy the course. She saw how it explained the way governments and organisations work. She started to understand the systems behind leadership, planning and public service. What first felt like a wrong turn soon became a course she truly liked.

Her journey to university also came with a painful result. Otujiya had hoped to score more than 300 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, but she scored 238. The result hurt her deeply.

“I cried when the UTME result came out,” she said.

Still, she did not allow that moment to end her story. Instead, the disappointment gave her a strong reason to do better. She entered university with a clear mind and a serious plan. She wanted to prove to herself that one poor result could not decide the rest of her life.

Her hard work began to show from her first semester. She recorded a GPA of 4.55 and kept a first-class CGPA throughout university. At one point, her CGPA reached 4.74. She was younger than many students around her, but she refused to feel small because of her age. She did not compare herself with older classmates. She focused on what she could do and the future she wanted.

Her way of studying also changed as she learned more about herself. In her first year, she often studied at night. Later, she found that daytime study worked better for her, so she changed her routine. She did not keep one method simply because she had started with it. She stayed flexible and used what helped her learn well.

The journey was not easy in every course. French was one of her greatest problems. She received a C in French for three straight semesters, and those grades placed her CGPA at risk. The experience tested her confidence, but she did not run away. She spoke with her lecturer and asked for help. She also kept her eyes on her final goal; that helped her continue through the difficult period.

Otujiya also wanted to enjoy university life, but she knew her studies needed time and order. She used a strict to-do list to plan each day. It covered study, meals, rest and time with other people. This structure helped her know what to do and when to do it.

Yet the balance came with a cost. She gave up some sleep and free time to protect her grades. On many days, she stayed in the library until about 8 p.m. Her success did not come from luck or from being better than everyone else. It came from many quiet hours of reading, planning, trying again and choosing her goal even when she felt tired.

She was not alone on the journey. Otujiya said her family gave her strong support. She also thanked her lecturers, Dr Unegbu Chigozie and Dr Ako Benjamin, and her project supervisor, Dr Sunday Audu. A senior student, Olafare Oluwanifemi, helped her understand difficult course topics. Their support gave her strength when she needed direction or hope.

Her university years were not only about books and grades. In her second year, she served as assistant social director. In her third year, she became vice president of her department. These leadership roles helped her discover an interest in project management. They taught her how to organise people, handle duties and work toward a shared goal.

She also served on her chapel’s media team. During that time, she interviewed the Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University. She later received an award for good service. These experiences helped her grow beyond the classroom and showed that she could lead, speak and serve in different spaces.

Now that she has graduated, Otujiya hopes to build a career in project management and corporate administration. She wants to use the planning and leadership skills she gained from her school roles in the working world.

Her message to other students is simple. A person does not need to be naturally brilliant to do well in school. Discipline matters. Consistency matters. Clear effort matters. She believes students should keep working, even when a result disappoints them or a course becomes difficult.

When Otujiya looks back, she has one regret. She wishes she had become more social earlier. She only began to open up and form wider friendships in her final year. Even with that regret, her story carries a clear lesson. A bad start does not have to lead to a bad ending; with support, order and steady work, pain can become fuel for something great.