From Akoka to Pennsylvania – The Story of Ayoola to Wharton
Editor’s Note: Austine Archibong is one of the oldest followers and contributors to JarusHub, Nigeria’s most authoritative education and career resources platform. He had been a follower and contributor to JarusHub from his undergraduate days in UNILORIN in 2013. Now with one of the Big 4 professional services firms, he recently resumes his contribution to JarusHub.
with
Austine Archibong
This is the second in an interview series with young professionals doing their masters in top schools in the US, UK, France and Spain. We’d talk their application process, considerations, funding, GRE/GMAT, internships and post-school activities. Our guest this time is Ayoola, an MBA student at Wharton School, the second best MBA school in the world according to 2021 world ranking of Business Schools.
Hello Ayoola, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Do you want to introduce yourself?
Sure. My first name is actually Oladipupo (many people mix it up) but I’m comfortable being called Ayo like most people do. I’m 29 years old and have a background in Engineering from Unilag. I’m currently on my MBA at The Wharton School.
Before my MBA, I worked at P&G in multiple functions across different markets and I also worked on retail tech and human capital strategy for a few start-ups. I am passionate about impact driven initiatives and currently run an organization, ProEdge, where we leverage the intersection of skill training and mentoring programs to help young Nigerians build successful careers.
Interesting. Why Elect & Elect. Why Unilag?
Well, first I couldn’t figure out studying outside the country and Unilag was the next best option being arguably the best and most popular in the country, at the time, at least among my classmates. I was a science student in high school but always loved Physics and Further Mathematics above any other subject. That informed my choice of Engineering.
I remember people advising me then that Electrical was the most versatile and prestigious Engineering course. Since I loved Physics the most, I thought Electrical Engineering made perfect sense so I went for it. Infact, I became so bent on studying Electrical Engineering that it took me 2 attempts to get in for it at Unilag!
How was your experience at Unilag finishing with First Class Honours in Engineering, and as top of the class?
Unilag was fun. I totally loved my experience and I think I’d attribute this to the way I started off from my first year. I made close friends with shared values and goals very early on and this shaped my experience through school. First two years, we were all out for perfect GPAs but being ambitious, we started to seek other opportunities for self-development along the way.
I joined extracurricular project groups and served on my department’s leadership board where I had the chance to influence student experience; the highlight on that was the excursion we coordinated and the new infrastructures we implemented. I personally loved teaching people and so I did a lot of tutorials for my classmates and juniors – This was probably a major reason I was awarded the most impactful student at graduation.
By final year, it was all about the “groove” and in most cases, I prioritized “turn ups” above my books. I remember going for a night party and having a dreaded exam at 8am the next day. First year me would never do that! And yeah, I asked out my significant other in my final year.
How did you transition to Sales & Marketing at P&G?
Somewhere in the middle of studying Engineering, I found out I really liked making money. That I get excited developing strategies to make money and actually see the money come in for real. So, despite being on several scholarships and having absolutely no need to work, I started importing jewelries and selling them locally. I recruited friends in Medilag to help sell and share profits too. My basic distribution expansion strategies, revenue generation and profit sharing got me thrilled – this inspired my decision to try out P&G Sales & Marketing, and of course I got happily stuck!
You had a relatively fast career progression and did this prepare you for your MBA?
It certainly did and I’m forever grateful for my experience at P&G. Working at P&G helped me develop strong leadership, ownership & teamwork qualities which have been very useful on my MBA. I was fortunate to move round multiple functions at P&G – This exposed me to the different sides of the business, shaped me into a balanced business leader and forced me to pick up several skills since every new role had it unique skill peculiarities.
Why Wharton?
I was first attracted by the brand, and I would say it played the most prominent role in my decision of where to attend. Asides the brand name, Wharton people, among other top schools that I reached out to during my school selection process, gave me the best sense of community and cultural fit that I was used to at P&G. I ended up applying only to Wharton in the HSW league.
I was in love with P&G because of the people and I can tell you I’m in love with Wharton now first of all because of the people. I was also drawn to Wharton’s promise of life-long learning and most of all the strength of the Wharton Alumni network. My experience so far despite the pandemic has been worth the investment. I’ve achieved new levels of business knowledge, leadership, and teamwork qualities. More importantly, I’ve been privileged to network and make friends with some of the most amazing humans on earth.
TY Danjuma scholarship – Do you want to share your experience in the application process, tests, interview and the selection process?
Absolutely! The application was straight forward, they didn’t ask for test scores at this point since they only took applications from top MBA programs. The application required a submission of my plan to fund my MBA, highlighting where I had funding shortfalls.
I had only one interview for which I delivered a presentation about myself and my plans post-MBA. I’ll say success was hinged on my ability to communicate the tremendous work I’ve done with my team at ProEdge Leadership Initiative in contribution to national development and highlighting my specific long-term plans to be a part of developing the economy of Africa. I received selection news in about a week after the interview.
You could have gotten any other scholarship. Did you try?
I explored other scholarships but wasn’t eligible to apply to a lot of them. A lot of them were specifically for MSc. students or not for Africans.
Any regrets so far about Wharton or do you think you could have made another choice if given the chance to start all over?
Zero regrets! And I’m being 1million% honest. Coming to Wharton has totally leveled up my game beyond what I could have ever imagined in just one year. I’ve met the most incredibly supportive humans that I’ve ever met all my life, significantly improved both my qualitative and quantitative skills, been exposed to lots of new and exciting ideas and gained access to a bank of resources, including funding my social venture in Nigeria. To top it – my market value skyrocketed overnight. No regrets!
You know a lot of engineering grads in Nigeria are now in banks, advertising and audit firms? It was a running joke on Twitter. What advice do you have for disillusioned engineering grads in Nigeria?
Firstly, I think the fundamental issue behind this disillusion is the mismatch between the expectations of engineering grads and the available opportunities in the country/the market value it commands after putting in years of academic effort. I’d say the state of the country is what it is but the choice to make the most out of what’s available, contribute to the development and source for international opportunities to advance one’s capabilities/career is left to the individual. Young grads need to maintain a flexibility mindset, explore new terrains for growth and development and go after them diligently.
Do you have any advice do you have for students with ‘weaker’ grades seeking scholarships?
Many scholarships require you to provide your grades in one way or the other. Students with weaker grades need to find ways to offset that weakness either by taking standardized test scores or recognized examinations/certifications that can strengthen their profiles.
Advice to those worrying about funding, visa, life in the US, migration headache, introverts?
My advice is – stop worrying, there’s no reason to. You’re not headed to a zombie island. You’ll find what you can eat and you’ll find humans you can interact with. On Visas, my strong recommendation is for you not to approach it casually. Student visas are meant to be relatively easier to get but do not appear before the consular officer unprepared or even partially prepared. The application and interview should be well prepared for. I recommend speaking with someone who has gone through the process and having 1 or 2 mock visa interviews before showing up for your visa interview.
How’s your internship going?
Exciting and challenging – just how I like work to be. I get bored if those two are absent. For perspective, I’m doing consulting with PwC Strategy& this summer. This is a new industry for me so I’m picking up a lot of learning. Consulting is also generally quite a demanding industry so I’m expanding my capabilities to exceed work stream expectations. Overall, I’ve found it to be a very useful experience.
Final word?
The MBA journey is a worthwhile investment. Aspiring MBA candidates should endeavor to do a lot of talking with current students in their target programs to get the best sense of what the program will offer them, cost them and the opportunities it could open for them. When applying, focus on submitting the best application package possible, into the best programs possible and worry less about funding.
End.
I really like this article and how you make it interesting Fall guys