A young Nigerian lady, Oyindamola Adegoke, has celebrated the successful completion of her medical laboratory science degree at the University of Ibadan after an arduous academic journey that spanned over a decade. She recounted her experience on her LinkedIn page, detailing how she wrote the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination four times before finally securing admission.
Academic Timeline
Oyindamola graduated from secondary school in 2015 and immediately set her sights on becoming a health professional. Her initial goal was to study medicine, but after several attempts, she found her niche in medical laboratory science. In 2015, she scored 215 in her first UTME and 48 in the post-UTME for MBBS at UI, but also failed WAEC. The following year, she improved her UTME score to 239 but did not take the post-UTME. She then took NECO, passed, and enrolled at The Polytechnic, Ibadan to study Science Laboratory Technology.
In 2017, she discovered her passion for medical laboratory science. After completing her National Diploma in 2018, she scored 275 in UTME and 64 in post-UTME, but the cut-off for MLS at UI was 69. Undeterred, she wrote UTME for the fourth time in 2019, achieving 323 and 75 in post-UTME, finally gaining admission. Her resumption was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and ASUU strikes, but she eventually resumed in 2021. She progressed through her studies, facing additional strikes, and completed her final professional examination and project defense in 2026.
Social Media Reactions
Her story resonated with many on social media. Adewunmi Akingbola commented, "Oh wow. Thing is, I also finished secondary school in 2015. You really held on." Bakkas Michael shared, "I have a very similar story, but today I have a master's degree, delay is not denial. Congratulations to you, wishing you greater achievements." Adelabu Ifeoluwa added, "Nevertheless, we are thankful for the progress."
Oyindamola's journey serves as an inspiration to many, proving that persistence and determination can overcome repeated setbacks. She concluded her post with a Yoruba proverb: "A pe jeun ti ti, ko ni je ibaje" (He who eats late will not eat spoiled food).
