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Getting A B Grade Can Be Very Depressing – FUTMinna Best Graduating Engineering Student

The 30th Convocation and 38th founders day ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Minna witnessed the emergence of Ebenezer Unimakpel Undie as the best graduating Engineering student. Ebenezer who gained admission into the department of Mechatronics Engineering in 2015 is one of the first set of graduates the young department just produced.

When asked why he opted in for mechatronics engineering, the young graduate in his statement said, ” As a kid, I was always interested in the way things worked,” he began, and that drove me to want to study production engineering. But then when I finished secondary school, I got informed about mechatronics engineering. After going online and checking, I was like wow! This is where I want to be because it was in line with my interest and childhood dream.”

Speaking about his pre-University days, Neza as he preferred being called recounted not being a Library mouse. In his statement, he said ” I play a lot, watch movies, but I don’t get distracted when it’s time to focus. I can be with people who are listening to music, shouting, and I can still read amidst them. My surroundings do not affect my studying”.

When asked about the projects he has worked on, he mentioned two out of the many he had worked on during the course of his degree, they include a home automation system, and a fuel-less generator, the latter being his final year project.

In response to a question asked about having an academic competition, the Cross River born intellectual affirmed the only competition he has is himself. ” I wasn’t aware of anyone’s CGPA, I never bothered myself with checking about others. Yes I knew I was the best in my class, but it came as a shock in 400 Level when I was announced the best student in my department” he said this in reference to the University’s academic evaluation event where First class undergraduates are recognized and rewarded for their academic performance.

On the challenges he faced in school, he recounted the epileptic electricity supply and poor network coverage plaguing students leaving outside the campus. On personal challenges, he mentioned finance. ” Aside from that, I didn’t really have many challenges. I could cope with almost anything” When asked on a light note, how he coped with hunger, with mild laughter recalled surviving on a diet of coke and bread for about two years- his third and fourth year in school.

Speaking about his extracurricular activities, he spoke on having a nearly zero social life ” I have few friends and my entire social life revolved around them” he said.

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As a graduate with a CGPA of 4.85 one would expect him to have a stringent study habit; but Ebenezer described his study pattern with so much placidity that one would think he didn’t care much about it. “ I’m very dynamic, I can work with different study patterns. I enjoy reading while lying down. I can’t read sitting or jotting. I can read during the day or night, it just depends on when I’m more free. But there are times, very few times and for very tough courses, I’ll sit, get a pen, and write a bit”

Getting a B grade is a job well done for an average student, however, Neza recalled the feeling associated with getting a B grade as depressing! “After my exams, I always know the grades I’m going to get and it always comes out that way. About two times, I wanted A’s but I got B’s, it was quite frustrating. One memorable moment was in 200Level, I was very prepared for the course, Basic Electricity (EET 219). I was very ready he laments, but as soon as I got in I experienced what people called being blank. Unfortunately, I scored 11/40 in the test but yeah, I still got a B.”

Matters of the heart can be really fun and exciting especially on campus. Being a genius did not stop Neza from having a fair share of it. With a warm smile and a radiant face, he recalled his love life as an undergraduate. But how did he balance his love life and school? “We were mostly together during exams and all that. So while I was studying, I ensured she does too. When we are not together we’ll always call… And if we are not meeting to study, we do not meet during the exam, test and exams are not times for… you understand”.

On the subject of religious inclination, he admitted to a passive indulgence. ” I’m not religious to the extreme, though God is always first”. He went on reminiscing on an event where he believed God helped him in a mid-semester examination, which he was extremely nervous about in his first year. “… After spending over fifteen minutes I had answered only five questions, I was like, God is this how people fail? But then I remembered God. I normally pray before my exams but I didn’t pray before that, so I just bowed my head and prayed. After praying I literally felt like something fell off my eyes. Would you believe that when I looked at my screen, those were the questions I solved the previous night? I wasn’t solving anymore because I remembered those answers, I was just ticking. That was one of the courses I had the highest score in that test in 100 level. But obviously, I didn’t learn the lesson then. That was what happened in my test in 200L. So after having 11/40 I was like, God what happened but that was when he told me that ‘it’s not about you or what you know, it’s about me(God). I’m the one helping you. Since then, God has been first”.

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As a fresh graduate, Ebenezer is looking forward to a career in software engineering. ” I’m into mobile apps development and I hope to continue in that line,” I’ll want to further my education though, in either mechatronics, artificial intelligence, or something related”.

When asked about his opinion on the trending culture of prioritizing skill acquisition over traditional classroom learning activities, the best graduating student of the lion faculty was not one-sided with his judgment. “You can get a level of balance. One of the main aims of coming to school is to get your academic qualification and as much as many people see it as nothing, it is actually something because it gets you through that door. But then the thing is, outside the four walls of the university what stands you out is your skill. In my final year, my friends and I have been making money with our skills, not with our certificates. I’ve not used it to apply for any job but at least I’m making something with my skill. So as much as skill is important, so is this qualification. You should try to find that level of balance where one is not suffering because of the other.”

He advised students who think they’re failing. In his statement he said, “Failure is when you fall and refuse to get up. As much as grades matter they’re not everything. I believe where ever you are, you should always strive to put in your best and when you put in your best you’ll get results. If you’re not seeing results then that’s not your best. And then, get a skill it’s very important.”

Contributor: NUESA FUT Minna

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