Grades Don't Build Networks, People Do

I am a proponent of You can learn anything anywhere. Personally I believe it is your responsibility to understand the core of whatever you are studying. it doesn't matter if you're in a private school or public school or you're even studying in New York or Nigeria. If you are intentional about what you are doing, you can legit still learn and grow.

However, one thing I have understood and I hope everyone else too tries to accept is that while learning can happen anywhere, exposure and opportunities are not always equal. You can't get the same exposure and experience as someone in a much better condition.

You can learn the same thing in different places, but you cannot always get the same level of experience, access, and environment.

I'll let you in on a secret or lets say something I have observed. Rich people and maybe even the middle class decide to send their childeren to expensive schools, and trust me, this is not totally because they want to just lavish money. A big part of it is connection. They understand that their kids mingling and building connections with other kids that their parents come from affluence can pave way for them in the future. The classmates today could become business partners, employers, or important connections tomorrow.

I attended University of Lagos and there is a lot of hype around the school but it really isn't because the students there are the smartest. One of Unilag's biggest advantages is that it has a wide network and you have a higher chance of landing internships, building a network, business and exploring myriad of opportunites.

That environment naturally pushes you to think beyond academics. I remember when I was a student, I saw guys like me and even girls joggling jobs as a student and still were acing their grades.

The same goes to Private school students. The smart students understand that their years in school is not just about grades. It is also about fostering a good relationship with contemporaries. The people you meet in school often shape how far you go after school ends.

It's not always about who has the best lecture notes or who was the lecturers favourite. Sometimes, it's about who you met during group work, who you studied with during stressful nights and who remembered you when opportunities came up.

While Unilag is a pretty decent school, If I could go back in time, I'd definitley consider studying in a different environment, maybe a University in another country. The years in Unilag might have been enjoyable but still, it had its terrible sides.

There were days I had to go outside to find power supply to study even when we had exams the next day( I am sure many of you can relate). Competiting globally with these kind of constraints is exteremly diffiult.