“One of the mentors I called said something that stuck with me: Failure is not the opposite of success. It is part of it. Today, I do not only graduate with a degree, but also with a story.” Fresh Graduate gives from the ‘horses mouth’ details of his turning point from failure to favour
When I received my Admission notification around October 2016, I was sure that my life had been cut out for me, especially the next five years. It took two attempts at Jamb to gain admission to study Geology at the prestigious University of Lagos, so I promised to give it my best shot. I did not keep that promise.
On a Tuesday Evening in September 2019, I got a frightening message from one of my former classmates. All our results for the 300 level first semester were out and I have been advised to withdraw. Our course adviser told him to pass along the message to me and express his dissatisfaction. My academic world came crashing down. My knees felt missing and I could hear loud voices in my head. I left the mosque where the news was broken to me and I went straight to my hostel.
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I forced myself to sleep but I could not, so I left my room and started walking around the campus, filled with regrets. It was this time I was thinking of all the times I dumb-scrolled on social media instead of reading. I thought of all the classes I “stabbed” and all the time I was going around working to make ends meet. I regretted all of my silly mistakes, I should have prioritized my studies. I thought I was doing my best, but maybe I wasn’t. Maybe I hadn’t figured out what truly mattered. Maybe I hadn’t found my “why.” If only I had done better with my studies, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up with a 1.05 CGPA.
That number haunted me. Not just because it meant academic failure, but because it looked nothing like the dreams I carried into UNILAG.
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The next morning, I called a few mentors and broke down. One of them said something that stuck with me: “Failure is not the opposite of success. It is part of it. If a horse throws you off, you don’t just lie there, you climb back on.”
That became the turning point. I took time to reflect deeply on my academics and identity. Who was I outside the system? What did I really want for myself? What had I learned from the fall?
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I knew I could not just pick any course this time around. I spent a few days researching, reading, asking questions, and soul-searching. Eventually, I chose Economics, a course I once ignored, but now found incredibly rich and relevant to my interests.
I sat for JAMB again in 2020. I got in, this time to Lagos State University, and I resumed in 2021 with the quiet determination of someone who had seen the bottom and was ready to rebuild from scratch.
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Starting over was not glamorous. While many of my peers were already prepared to graduate, I was just resuming 100 level again – older, and carrying the weight of a past failure. But I also carried something stronger: resolve.
I gave everything to this second chance. I studied long hours, asked questions, sought help when I needed it, and prioritized balance. I stopped trying to prove anything to anyone and focused on being better than I was yesterday. I did not hustle for validation, I worked for growth.
And today, Alhamdulillah, I graduate not just with a degree, but with a story. A story of falling and rising, of loss and clarity, of shame and strength. I graduated with a Second-Class Upper Division.
I share this because someone out there might be on the brink of giving up. Someone might be nursing failure and believing it defines them. This is me saying it does not.
You can fail.
You can break.
But you can also begin again.
This degree is proof that resilience is real. That a 1.05 CGPA is not the end of your story. That your past is a lesson, not a prison. That life has a way of redirecting you to exactly where you are meant to be.
So here’s to the second chance.
Here’s to the dark nights that taught me light.
Matriculated in UNILAG, Graduated in LASU.
But most importantly – I grew through it all.
AbdulBasit AbdulSalam
Platforms Africa
