Let me start by congratulating you for being eligible for the screening examination. Indeed you fought a good fight to have crossed the first hurdle. However, this is not to say that those who could not make up to the mark are less intelligent. I will rather consider them as people who are unlucky. The story of a young man who made 179 in Jamb and applied UNN as his first choice is still fresh in my mind. He called me on a Sunday night with a voice filled with anguish. I felt for him and even wished Jamb had dashed him a mark. At least, that would have given him what I call ‘the 180 mark of eligibility’ to apply and sit for the screening in UNN. Well, the truth is, “There is no free meal anywhere in the world, even in Freetown.” In my opinion, that young man should have studied a little bit more to earn the mark he desires.
I must state emphatically at this point that writing Post UME does not ultimately qualify you for admission, however, it brings one closer to getting admitted into the school(s) he/she made his/her choice(s). To make it clearer, if you are qualified to write Post UME in any school, you are like a man that is standing right at the gate of heaven with angels to decide whether you would or wouldn’t enter. That, as the Holy book teaches is dependent on the kind of life you lived on earth. If, after the grilling, you are found righteous, then heaven is your home; if not, your guess is as good as mine. So, my dear Jambites, don’t be carried away by the aesthetic sight you would behold in your university of choice (The word aesthetic is used here with some reservation because I am aware that a lot of schools in this part of the world are still on their way to joining their counterparts in the world).
To drive home my point, let me do what I will like to call Five simple but difficult things you need to know before or during your Post UME
1) DON’T BE CARRIED AWAY BY A HIGH JAMB SCORE WHICH IS NOT YOURS
Before I make my point under this heading, if you know that JAMB result in your possession is not yours then I think you need to sit down and begin to ask yourself questions. Permit me to be a little mean, if that result that bears your name is another man’s effort, then you are nothing but a thief! Hope you still remember what happens to rogues in this part of the world____ imprisonment.
The worst thing that would happen to you is to have a very high score (not just in JAMB, but in any exam) which is not a product of your ability. What it does to you is that all through your life you will have a false knowledge of yourself. In fact, you are just like a faulty car that has defiled the expertise of a motor mechanic. You don’t function well on the road yet when you arrive a mechanic workshop no one would know where to fix you.
My friend would always say, “I’ll rather fail today and pass tomorrow than pass through another man’s benevolence today and fail tomorrow.” The first time I heard those words from Geoffrey, I thought he was talking gibberish until I heard the story of a girl who passed very well in school but when she came out to face the world with the education her parents paid for without owing a dime, she could not even make a correct statement in all the interviews she attended. When she eventually got a job through man-know-man syndrome, she could not even function practically in her chosen carrier____ her course of study. Well, dear friend, I coined my own expression from my friends’, “Instead of waiting for another man’s benevolence to pass today, why not prepare yourself yesterday to pass today and also pass tomorrow.” What I mean is ‘Don’t contemplate failing today at all because you’ve got all it takes.’ The truth is, you are not a failure until you stop trying____ ask Abraham Lincoln he knows better.
2) PREPARE ADEQUATELY
A young girl once asked me, “Justice, what do you mean by adequate preparation?” To be honest with you, I caught myself stammering while trying to answer that question. What I later told her that struck me was that there is no adequate preparation. Just do what needs to be done and you will be close to the horizon where adequate preparation dwells.
3) DON’T GO FOR THE SCREENING EXAM WITHOUT YOUR CONFIDENCE
Cowards, like they say, die many times before their death. If you are going for post UME and each time you hear the date for the exam your mind jumps into your heart, I think you have a lot to do in this area. The fact is that confidence does not exist in a vacuum. It is like a lame man that must be propped up by something all the time. If you have not actually studied, or like they say in my alma mater, ‘if you have not covered’ then confidence would be far away from you. In fact, it’s a mirage. Permit me to say, “Those who have covered are highly covered.” It is very annoying to be in an examination hall, and in a question of about one to sixty, you read from No.1 to No, 10 and you don’t know the answer to anyone. Guy, I hate being in that position!
I must say, something here, even if you have not ‘covered’ please try and build your confidence before entering the examination hall. If possible, invoke it by Amadioha.
4) DO NOT ACT AS IF YOU HAVE ABRAHAM AS FATHER.
It annoys me wherever I hear expressions like, I know a professor in that school, my father/mother is the admission officer, the JAMB registrar is my son, I have somebody that will work it for me…” Haba! What kind of intimidation is that? So people who do not know the Pharaoh that knows Joseph should go and dive into the lagoon abi? Well, even if the VC of the school you applied is your mother’s brother that seniors your Father, please don’t be too loud mouthed about it. Just go tell that to the birds.
My dear, don’t mind me; It seems I’m sounding very tough on this one. It’s not my fault because I hardly know anyone anywhere. I’m just a dark well built young man who is not even known in his locality. I have come to understand that when something eludes us, we tend to be too judgmental or should I say bad tempered about it. Abeg, if the VC na your papa sister friend please stick to him and don’t mind me. In fact, na jealousy dey worry me.
On a more serious note, even if you are related to the president, there are some scores that can’t fetch you admission, at least in UNN which I know relatively well. My friend who runs a cyber café once told me about printing the Post UME result of someone who made 280 in JAMB. Guess what? His Post UME result was 45/400. Na wa o! The fact is that if the man-know-man factor is first on your list, then it will cloud your mind that you won’t care about preparation. Onye nnaya noo na alaeze o na eje oku mmuo? He whose father is in heaven has no business in hell.
5) MISCELLANEOUS INFO
Under this heading I want to talk about just two (2) things ____a) Proper information b) The God Factor
a. Proper information:- I can’t remember where I first heard the expression, if you are not informed you’re deformed. A young girl called me sometime ago and was asking me the nature of UNN Post UME exam. For me, that was wisdom which the Bible says is profitable to direct. It is irritating to know that some nonchalant youths go into the hall even without knowing the nature of the exam they are about to write. That reminds me, in the university of Nigeria, after taking out time some years ago to see what people prepare and call it UNN Post UME Past question, I and some of my friends- people of integrity, decided to come up with a comprehensive UNN post UME past questions and answers known as TOTAL VICTORY PAST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. I can bet my life on the fact this book was painstakingly, expertly and professionally done. It is authored by Nwodo Kelvin and it has Arts and the science categories.
b. The God factor:- This is saving the best for the last. My dear, if you like sabi the VC o, the Registrar o, the Admission officer o. In fact, even if you like make president Obama be your pally, if God says ‘no’ nobody can say yes!
All the best! In fact, see you on your matriculation day; I will show up if you give me an IV. Rice and Stew Very Plenty (RSVP)
Source: http://unn-edu.info/2013/07/are-you-writing-post-utme-read-this.html
http://www.nairaland.com/1357494/writing-years-post-utme-read
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