My M.B.B.S Journey (Part 4)

[Read Part 3 here]

The results for UTME 2014 were finally out and I delayed a bit to check, but I finally checked it anyway. I remember being so confident that day but I didn’t have a particular score in my mind, so when I saw 217 display on the screen as my score, I didn’t even know how to feel; whether to be happy that I crossed 200 or to be sad that I was so terribly far away from my aim by about 60 whooping marks.

(Fast forward..) I took UTME again in 2015, got some new textbooks, studied fervently, soon the results were out, I scored 253. Honestly, I was excited for my 253 though I knew it wasn’t going to get me the Medicine I so badly wanted.

Some of my mates got into school in 2014 (most of them were admitted into Medlab, Anatomy, etc). None got Medicine. I consoled myself. I picked the change of course form, changed to Radiography, wasn’t admitted still, with my 253 that year. Sad!

(Fast forward..) In 2016, I took JAMB once again, the boys at the registration centre had known me very well now. I was given special treatment as “ogar boss” that I was, they didn’t know I was desperate and dying inside.

I visited libraries, studied all the science textbooks I could lay my hands on (I had covered all my new school textbooks from chapter to chapter). Exams was at Uyo, I travelled down did the exams came back. Results were out in a split-second, I scored a pathetic 246.

It was such a humiliating score, I began to doubt my intelligence, i knew my dad gave up on me when he told me “you can go and study chemistry nau, you don try..” Later that year, I changed to Zoology (Animal and env. biology) at University of Uyo, was admitted without any delay, and with or without any joy, I resumed lectures.

(Fast forward..) I was in year one, Dept of Zoology when I took my 4th JAMB. I was very exposed this time, I had attended series of very intriguing and expository lectures in Physics and Chemistry, I had also worked on my English (I always scored the lowest in Use of English) I bought the Oxford English dictionary and scanned it cover to cover for all the words I didn’t know, wrote them out, studied their meanings, used them in conversations, it was about 900 words. Someone introduced me to “Lamlad series”, you know, Lamlad chemistry, Lamlad physics, Lamlad Biology, these books were a life-saver for me. I scored 281 in 2017, a fine improvement but wasn’t still enough to fetch me Medicine, the cutoff had risen to about 292 or thereabout. I was pained, I mourned shortly and returned to the drawing board. I picked up a few more books (The science Physics by Afolabi Jr, A-Z of Jamb’s use of English by Dele Ashade, Lamlad chemistry, Lamlad Physics, Lamlad Biology, oxford English dictionary, recent past questions) these were my weapons of warfare.

(Fast forward..) In 2018, I was in my 200L, department of Zoology when I applied for my 5th JAMB. Sometimes when I look back, I don’t believe I did this thing 5 good times.
With all these “weapons” in my arsenal, coupled with all the knowledge and experience I had amassed, I scored 321 this time. This was the score that found me a place in Medical school in Nigeria. You can guess that I was super excited, well your guess is wrong. I was super humbled. UTME had humbled me.
But UTME is conquerable! very conquerable! Arm yourself properly with knowledge and you will conquer it at first attempt!

Utibe Umoh

Utibe Umoh is a Public health enthusiast, poet and author with a great deal of interest in romance-fiction stories and short essays. His first e-Book, Tales of bliss, was out in 2020 and is currently available on the Amazon Kindle bookstore and free on okadabooks.com bookstore.
He currently pursues a degree in Medicine and Surgery at the College of Health Sciences, University of Uyo and is editor-in-chief for his Medical student association. He is content creator for Ray of thought - an assembly of young thinkers who are out to impact the world positively - and enjoys listening to classical music at his leisure hours.