Babcock's best-graduating student with a perfect 5.0 CGPA says discipline, not genius, was the real secret

• Ojelabi shares how discipline through consistency and self-awareness were important ingredients in how her perfect 5.0 CGPA came to be

• She also shares how mentors, self-made sacrifices and some techniques were part of her journey to becoming Babcock University's overall Best Graduating Student.

• She digs a bit into her groundbreaking research in microbiology as is customary of academics, and offers practical advice for students who want a semblance of what she achieved. 

Is extraordinary intelligence — like Richard Feynman’s — all it takes to graduate with a perfect CGPA? Or is it the fabled – not-so-evenly-distributed – eidetic memory? Or is it just hard work: countless nights of getting buried in books without sleep?

Ayotundun Christianah Ojelabi tells Pulse Nigeria that the answer which worked for her is not any of these.

The recent graduate of Babcock University's College of Postgraduate Studies, instead, picked out the more natural, achievable and open-minded attributes.

Ojelabi told Pulse she was disciplined, she made sacrifices, and she adopted some study habits, all of which helped her finish her Master’s Degree in Medical and Pharmaceutical Microbiology first and foremost and finish with a perfect 5.0 CGPA.

Although she believes that she is a fairly capable student, she does not believe brilliance was the only factor that made the difference. 

"I think I'm naturally capable," she says. "But the 5.0 itself was earned, not just inherited."

Her journey is less mystified; it is littered rather with instances of failing tests or botching laboratory experiments.

Ojelabi had moments where she doubted herself, and she had to make sacrifices in places beyond the classroom. Her journey also produced something worth more to her than just her excellent grades. 

Her research on the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesised from Annona muricata (soursop) leaf extract led to the first documentation of Enterobacter roggenkampii as an oral cavity pathogen in a Nigerian clinical population.

Simply put, her research found that silver nanoparticles made from soursop leaves could fight bacteria. In the process, she also became the first researcher to identify Enterobacter roggenkampii as a bacterium present in the mouths of patients in a Nigerian clinical setting.

Ojelabi did not get her result by being perfect every day. She understood herself, consciously iterated and developed a learning style she trusts. She also stuck to her goal and remained disciplined even after the motivation which drove her had faded. 

Ojelabi never attempted to downplay natural ability. She, however, thinks that it can only get a student so far.

Pulse Nigeria had asked if her results came more from discipline than intelligence. She admits she was rarely among the weakest students in class.

Still, she believes many people misunderstand what it takes to achieve exceptional academic success. Rather than viewing intelligence and discipline as opposing qualities, she argues that they work together.

“I think the mistake people make is treating 'brilliant' and 'disciplined' as if you have to pick one. Ability without discipline just means you peak early and stop growing, while discipline is what took whatever natural ability I had and pushed it all the way to a perfect 5.0.”

Her disposition, as a result of her experience, is that talent can indeed create opportunities, but consistency is what transforms the potential in that opportunity into results, especially outstanding ones. 

READ NEXT: Four women now hold the biggest leadership positions in Nigeria's legal profession

Exams in Nigeria have been famously described as a test of memory. Reno Omokri, a former presidential spokesperson, had, for instance, reiterated this some 5 years ago. Students too have been documented to struggle with remembering what they read.

Ojelabi, however, had a few tricks up her sleeve to surmount that challenge. One of those tricks is relatability.

“I try to connect whatever I'm learning to something I already understand naturally, and that relatability does the real work, because even when I cram the exact wording and eventually forget it, having that mental connection means I can reconstruct the idea from scratch instead of drawing a blank.”

Ojelabi would often deliberately connect new information to ideas she already understood. That way, even if she forgot the exact wording of a concept, she could reconstruct it from first principles instead of drawing a blank during exams.

She also rewrote lecture notes in simpler language and frequently explained difficult concepts aloud, sometimes to classmates and sometimes to herself. Teaching, she says, became one of her most effective study tools. "If I can explain it simply, then I know I truly understand it."

Interestingly, two popular study techniques never worked for her. Mind you, established academics like Joshua Foer, former memory champion in the United States of America, and actor Benedict Cumberbatch had sold these techniques in the past. 

Ojelabi thinks Mnemonics are confusing. She recalls often struggling to remember what each letter represented. Study groups also did not work for her. She told Pulse they often ended up as distractions instead of productive learning sessions.

This originality — the introspection and the consequent self-awareness — helped her pick the techniques that matched how her own mind processed information.

READ NEXT: Study from anywhere: University of Abuja rolls out fully online degrees, eyes 10,000 students

Ojelabi did not sell the hardwork-no-rest slop despite graduating with a perfect CGPA. Outside examination periods, for instance, her routine was surprisingly ordinary.

She mostly studied when she had a specific academic task ahead. Ojelabi would not begin what counts as intense studying until the two weeks that lead up to examinations. During that period, she transformed her schedule completely.

From about 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., she would stay in the university library or an empty classroom, deliberately separating herself from friends because she knew socialising would break her concentration. 

She also preferred daytime studying because it suited her far better.

"I function much better during the day," she says.

READ NEXT: Nigeria's youngest chartered accountant says JAMB is not too difficult to pass, blames poor education

Relationships with mentors and lecturers certainly did help Ojelabi. And these mentorships extended beyond her project supervisor.

She regularly approached lecturers for informal conversations where she would ask questions about research challenges, laboratory work and academic ideas whenever opportunities arose.

“I love picking my lecturers' brains sometimes when I run into them, in casual, friendly discussions rather than the usual tension-filled, boring teaching-mode conversations, and I learn a lot from that too.”

Those relaxed discussions, she says, often taught her more than formal classroom interactions. During her research project, she sought advice from multiple lecturers instead of relying on a single opinion.

Looking back, she believes many students underestimate the value of simply talking to their lecturers.

"A lot of us treat lecturers as people to avoid rather than people to learn from," she says. 

She also credits senior students with providing useful insights through casual conversations. She told Pulse she wished she had taken advantage of it even earlier during her undergraduate years.

READ NEXT: 50 sweet Girlfriend's Day text messages that'll make her smile all day

Is dating a distraction? Does romance do anything for or against the pursuit of that type of academic excellence? 

Ojelabi’s answer is rather straightforward. She chose not to date during her Master's programme.

But this was not because she believed that romantic relationships are incompatible with academic excellence. Instead, she recognised that her personal goals demanded complete focus.

She had set herself an ambitious target of completing the programme in just three semesters instead of the at least four that would take many students to do the same.

To achieve that, she had to spend most of her time inside the laboratory. Most evenings,  she says, there was little energy left for anything beyond eating, showering and sleeping.

"I genuinely didn't have the extra time for love," she says, admitting the question was a funny one.

She acknowledges that many students successfully balance healthy relationships with excellent academic performance. She simply understood herself well enough to know that, at that stage of her life, she needed to prioritise one over the other.

READ NEXT: Top Nigerian universities to study STEM courses

A perfect CGPA can create an impression that all tests, exams and assignments were done to perfection. Ojelabi’s story, however, did not go that smoothly. 

She thinks some of the coursework she did almost ‘took my life’. Ojelabi told Pulse that some tests didn't go well.

She failed some experiments many times, and she had to do iterations. She also had setbacks in her research that could have delayed her graduation for at least another three semesters beyond her self-set schedule.

She told Pulse she had seriously considered giving up.

"I think I gave up about three separate times," she recalls.

Ironically, what kept her going was seeing her own results. Whenever disappointment convinced her she wasn't good enough, her grades reminded her that she was making progress, even if it didn't always feel that way. Those moments restored her confidence and pushed her to continue.

READ NEXT: 7 Sure Ways to Study & Get an “A” in Exams

Looking back on her days as a Master's student, Ojelabi believes students often search for complicated strategies when the most effective habits are surprisingly simple.

She encourages students to test themselves regularly using past questions instead of reading notes.

She also recommends building genuine relationships with lecturers and senior students who can guide the classroom.

Equally important, she says, is protecting mental health. A tired brain cannot absorb information effectively.

Whether relaxation comes through sleeping, chatting with friends or reading a favourite novel, as it did for her, students should recognise that rest is part of productive studying, not the opposite of it.

Above all, she thinks students should stop comparing their routines with everyone else's.

Some people learn best at midnight. Others, like her, perform best in daylight. Success, she says, comes from understanding what genuinely works for you and remaining consistent with it.

For most people, the most impressive part of Ojelabi's story will always be the perfect 5.0 CGPA. Ojelabi, however, thinks the results are instructive in more ways than that.

“The 5.0 isn't really about the number. It's proof to myself that I can commit to something difficult and see it through.”

That lesson, she believes, extends far beyond university. Eventually, degrees become certificates; grades accumulate and are fixed into transcripts.

But discipline, the willingness to stay committed even after failure, after iterations, and after self-doubt, is important to the challenges that will come after higher institutions. 

In the near future, Ojelabi hopes to begin a PhD and continue building a career in microbiology.

She hopes that if her academic journey teaches anyone anything, it should be that excellence is rarely the product of genius alone. More often, it belongs to those who keep showing up, keep learning, and keep going, even when giving up feels easier.