DON'T QUIT, GIVE ANOTHER SHOT, IT MAY GET YOU ATOP.
I wrote PCE the same year I wrote my WAEC/SSCE(2008). I cleared my WAEC results and I had 190/300 in PCE which is equivalent to 280/400 in UME. I was ready for Laspotech screening. All got done, in the end nothing came out of it. At the end of that year, I left for a private poly, The Polytechnic Ile Ife.
While at the school, I wrote UTME (2009), I scored 245 and scored 70% in UNILAG PUTME, I had chosen to study English Language. My scores gave me the confidence that I was going to secure the admission. I left the poly for Lagos in preparation. Cut off marks got released and it was 50.5 or thereabout. I was happy. I congratulated myself. Alas! Lists got released and I wasn't given an admission. I went to the admission office and I narrated my story to the admissions officer (A woman). She lauded my grades and examined what could have happened- oh! Sorry, she intoned. You did wrong subjects combination in your UTME. You could have done Eng, Govt, Lit, Irk/Crk or Yor/Igbo or Hausa ( I had done Economics). I felt bad. She told me I could be given psychology. I didn't want it. My uncle, Kemi Yunus didn't want it too. I went to my friend, Tolulope Oguntade 's hostel, Eni- Njoku( New Hall), I drank garrri and fish, afterwards, I drifted into a deep sleep. When I woke up in the evening I left for home.
The following year, I sat for UTME again, yes, I thought I had demolished the examination and I was awaiting a mind blowing results. Only for me to get home and entered into a discourse with my cousin who had sat for the exam as well. He asked the types I did and it dawned on me that I had wrongly done the exams. I didn't know it had types. I had rushed to answering all. I didn't tremble or show any sign that something had gone wrong. Results came out and I had 196/400. It was disheartening. I couldn't sit for Unilag PUTME that year. I had to go to the polytechnic I had chosen.
In my first year at the polytechnic, I sat for UTME, unfortunately the result wasn't released. The following year, which marked my final year for the OND programme, I sat for another UTME, I scored 246. I had chosen to study English in OAU, the day I was sitting for my penultimate paper at the poly was a day before my OAU PUTME, I completed my exams in the evening and I left for OAU. It was a terrible travelling experience that Friday night. Above all, I sat for the exam the next morning, it was a Saturday. The result was out on Sunday morning. I scored 248. Alas! To study English, I needed to score 249. I left on that Sunday noon as I was to write my final paper on Monday. I didn't allow that to weigh me down. I wrote my last paper at the poly and I had an A in it.
I wrote another UTME during my IT year, the result couldn't be found. I did not give up, I wrote another in 2014. I had 256 and scored 70%. I chose UNILORIN/ENGLISH. Sadly, I wasn't admitted. The reason? I don't know. I was deeply sad. I can remember a friend who was already in his final year at OAU was weeping on my behalf and I told him he shouldn't worry, In the end, I'd win.
Then, I decided to give the last shot. I wrote another UTME in 2015, I scored 282, I sat for UNILORIN's PUTME and I scored 86%. Interestingly, I got admitted into my chosen department and that marked the end of the tortuous admission seeking journey.
Cumulatively, winners never quit, quitters never win. A loss doesn't signal the end, it only explains another reason one has got to do better.