Stanford Scholarship: Should he dump his Nigerian undergraduate studies?

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Good day Mr. Jarus, I’m an ardent reader of your blog, and I have benefited immensely from you. During the last ASUU strike, I decided to try the SAT exams, I passed with a score of 2200, at the time which I also applied for  scholarship. Last week, I got a message from the school, Stanford University, that I was successful. I’m currently in 300 level and 19 years of age, I dont know if I should abandon my studies in Nigeria and start all over again.

Your advice will be highly appreciated.

Daniel Chinonso

*************

Dr. Michael Taiwo

Is this a joke? YES! Start all over!

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Jarus

Stanford is a world class university and if the scholarship is genuine, please go and start your undergraduate studies there. At 19, you are still young – in any case that was the age I resumed my 100 level. If you finish by 22-23, you are still young.

Only 3 universities are currently ranked higher than Stanford in the world – CALTECH, Harvard and Oxford –  and it ranks higher than Princeton, Cambridge and MIT. In my opinion, Stanford is not a school you should turn down, even if you are in your final year in a Nigerian university.

Just be sure you understand the terms of the scholarship, and if any funding will be required of you. Just to apply  a-bird-in-hand rule, rather than fully quit your Nigerian university, you may want to defer your Nigerian studies for a year, just for insurance, in case anything funny happens (and call it off after one year when you have settled in Stanford).

If you don’t turn out to be an inventor before you graduate (most of the world’s leading inventors and entrepreneurs finished from or dropped out from these schools), you are at least guaranteed of sound knowledge and good job on graduating.

All the best.

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8 comments

  1. layrite 20 February, 2014 at 09:27 Reply

    Is he really going to get full scholarship? If yes, he should make sure he can afford the flight ticket, feeding and other incidentals, if yes still, then go to Stanford!
    A few seconds ago · Like

    • adebayo olatomiwa Margaret 1 September, 2017 at 10:30 Reply

      Hello pls I m a Nigerian
      m looking forward to gain admission to Stanford University to study education and teaching
      But, I don’t no anything about the school
      Pls,I need someone who will orientate me on what to do and how to gain admission
      Thanks….

  2. Nitrogen 20 February, 2014 at 10:28 Reply

    Haaaa! See question, Stanford??? Check the terms, if cool, pack your belongings and dissapear! Stanford Uni is one of the very few best schools in the whole universe.

  3. Iyanda 20 February, 2014 at 12:11 Reply

    Are you kidding me! This is a no-brainer. Even if you were just about writing your final semester exams, I wouldn’t think twice before advising you to head for Stanford. I know people who walked this path in the past and I am unaware of a single one who has lived to regret that decision. Mind you, the peeps I am referring to did not even go to Stanford-rather they abandoned a well respected and highly sought-after public university in Nigeria for middle-cadre universities in the US and UK and they are all doing well today.

    Come-on dude, don’t trifle with this rare opportunity. If the scholarship is genuine, please grab it with both hands. Layrite above suggested you should be sure you are able to afford the flight ticket and other essentials-I disagree with him. Even if you can’t afford these things, get a loan…yes, it’s worth taking a loan for except it ain’t Stanford or any other ivy-league school for that matter.

    I leave you with this wonderful quote I read somewhere(can’t remember exactly where so please pardon my inability to cite the proper reference): “If a man empties his pocket to fill his head, his head will fill back his pocket”

    @ Jarus, you said: Only 3 universities are currently ranked higher than Stanford in the world – CALTECH, Harvard and Oxford…..

    I beg to disagree with this statement since there are various rankings by diverse bodies and NOT all rankings necessarily place Stanford above Princeton and MIT.

    Cheers

  4. oluwanifemi 3 June, 2016 at 22:13 Reply

    My name is nifemi .I want to get a full scholarship into Stanford..Harvard or Yale university. Please help me.cause I dnt know how at all..how do they give the scholarships

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