Mary Onoja, a Nigerian, recently graduated as the overall best student with a distinction in a master’s degree programme from the medical school of the University of the East Anglia in Norwich, United Kingdom (UK). The public research university is among the 30 best in the UK. Mary, who read Health Economics, said she emerged the best student despite the fact that she did not have a background in her course of study as she had her first degree in a different discipline from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Nigeria. In this interview, she spoke on how she achieved the feat, among other things.
How did you feel travelling abroad to further your studies?
I had mixed feelings travelling to the United Kingdom. Other times, one would travel out for at most one month and would be back, but this time, I knew I was going away for some time. I was super excited to be going to study a course at a very good university I had thought about for long. It was also sad because I was leaving my family. I cried from Abuja to Lagos.
You read Health Economics for a master’s degree; what is the course about?
The course provided me with a good knowledge of how economic ideas and principles are relevant to and applied in health and health care. Health Economics teaches how scarce resources (time, money, medical equipment) are allocated within a health care system by examining the behaviour of consumers, providers, payers and regulators within the health care market, as well as the impact of government policies on health care costs and access to care.
As health economists we conduct the economic evaluations of alternative medical treatments, interventions and the long-term economic consequences of diseases and illnesses (this could be either within the health sector or another sector) to provide the decision rules on whether the additional resources required to make an intervention available to potential beneficiaries should be utilised in one way or another, and can determine which intervention provides the best value for money.
What did you read for your first degree and in which school?
I read Agriculture Economics and Extension for my first degree at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State. I had wanted to read Medicine for a long time, but we are all aware of how the education system works in Nigeria, where students are often offered different courses other than their choices. I took it but decided that if I was going to further my studies, it had to be in an area I wanted to develop a career in.
From my experience working in non-governmental organisations I found out that I really enjoyed data analysis. I had an interest in how health interventions were financed and the dynamics of decision making around interventions. Interestingly therefore, Health Economics aligned very closely with what I was interested in.
When I started the master’s degree programme, it was a big challenge as I almost did not receive any training in economics and econometrics. So I felt being at a big disadvantage when compared to my peers. From the first few days in class, I realised that memorising information was not going to get me very far, so I had to really understand and be critical of what I was being taught. I was quite anxious during those first few weeks.
Interestingly, you graduated with a distinction and the best student; how were you able to achieve this feat?
Despite the challenges, I knew I had it in me to work hard. My goal was to graduate with a distinction. I was studying something I really enjoyed and wanted to understand. And I had a supportive environment and husband, my family back home, as well as old and new friends. So I was able to make good progress.
The learning environment at the university was relaxed and the lecturers genuinely wanted to help me and make sure I understood what I was being taught. All these really helped to give me the confidence to ask questions and sometimes even engage the lecturers deeper. If I wanted to know something, I would bombard our lecturers for further explanations.
You did not read the course for your first degree, what were the challenges you faced at the master’s level?
The fact that I needed to work almost twice as hard as others who already had the background knowledge was tough. I had to work hard to make sure I had that basic knowledge as we were constantly being referred back to that. Then your head needs to adapt to a very different style of teaching.
Did you ever think you could graduate as the best student in that course and the school?
At the beginning, not really; my focus was just to do well since I had the opportunity to focus on my studies. But from engagements in class and the responses I was receiving, I quickly started getting my confidence and could see that I was one of the best performing students in the class. It felt really good. I was working hard and getting good results and this gave me the realisation that continuing to put in the same effort and finishing top of my class was a possibility.
How did the school, your lecturers and fellow students respond to the award?
It was fantastic. They were really happy. I got a lot of “I saw this coming” from my lecturers and fellow students. It was all positive and encouraging vibes. There were two awards actually. One of my closest friends in the class got the second. So, it felt like a double win.
How would you describe the composition of students in your class and course of study?
It was a very mixed class. We had a couple of doctors, a nurse, fresh graduates from top universities who studied economics, researchers, and others from sectors like pharmaceuticals etc. I had a Nigerian course mate, few people from the Middle East and others from the UK. I would say they all had a healthy attitude towards academic work and learning. Of course, at times we all felt tired, and often, the work seemed relentless, but almost everyone was on top of their game.
How was your relationship with other students, socially and academically?
I had the most amazing classmates, which contributed to having a very relaxing space. My closest friends were from my class, so, apart from helping each other in class, we also had a lot of fun together, exploring Norwich.
We hardly did group studies, apart from group seminars we had to do almost every week. We all studied the way that suited us most then asked each other for help in areas we needed it. A few enjoyed using the library, but not me. I only visited the library three times during the course of my study – first time to tour it as it was meant to be very impressive, which it is; secondly, to borrow books, and thirdly, to return them. I mostly studied individually at home.
Would you like to go for PhD immediately?
The great part about studying here is the opportunities available to you and the willingness for the lecturers to guide you and provide encouragement, especially if you are doing well. Of course, you have to be proactive and talk about what you want to do. Immediately after I graduated, I got a position at the university as a research associate on a six-month contract being led by one of my lecturers. This was great because it was like an extension of my studies but being paid. That contract would finish soon and I will move from the research to the consulting group on a longer term contract. I am really interested in using my newfound knowledge and skills in consulting. I am excited about the opportunities this will bring. I will, however, think about a PhD in the future.
How would you compare studying abroad to what obtains in Nigeria?
It is quite different. It is easier to study in the UK. The things you are being taught are current and very relatable and applicable. You are not bombarded with back-to-back and weird hours of lectures (like a lecturer setting a class at 7am). Then you are being taught by people you can relate with easily. I mean, lectures are sometimes like conversations with friends. You address lecturers without any pressure and they respond to you as an equal basis. You are not just being spoken at by the lecturers, they speak with you as well.
What is your advice to the Nigerian government and education stakeholders on how to develop the sector?
I think a lot can be done with how students are admitted. We can do better structurally. If because of our population it is not realistic to have fewer people in classes, then they can invest in lecture theatres to become convenient learning environments rather than spending all the resources to have beautiful and functional admin blocks. The world is changing at such a fast pace and I worry that in Nigeria, we are getting only recycled old curriculums that our parents, if not our great grandparents used, especially in public schools. How often are our curriculums being revised to include current development trends? What is the development path for those who are teaching? The teachers cannot teach something new if they have not gotten the opportunity to develop themselves.
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