Scholars Spotlight is a weekly series by GetInedu that explores the stories of successful grad school applicants and their journeys to securing scholarship offers for graduate school. We discuss their reasons for applying, the peculiar challenges they faced, their application strategy, and their lives post-application success.
The subject of today's Scholars Spotlight is Adaeze Anamege, a 2021 Bootcamp Alumna. She is a global health professional from Nigeria who won a fully-funded scholarship for her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She tells us her story of resilience despite facing rejections in the past, putting her best foot forward and proactively applying to graduate school.
Nice to finally get to speak with you, Ada. The GetIn team was impressed by the offers you received for your PhD. In what particular ways did GetIn's Graduate School Bootcamp help you through your applications?
Thank you for having me. Before finding GetIn Education Consulting, in 2020, I applied to programs in Canada. That year, I reached out to a professor early enough and he seemed to be super helpful. I sent him my essays and we went back and forth with reviews and feedback, so I felt ready. I had total confidence that I was going to be admitted, however, my application was rejected. It was a harrowing experience for me. In 2021, I wanted to be more intentional about my applications. My goal was to ensure that I put my best foot forward and not send in a mediocre application. I realised that in my first application cycle, I did not let my strengths and personality shine through my statement of purpose and curriculum vitae. This was a huge blunder because the grad school CV and essays should have highlighted my experiences and abilities in the best way possible. GetIn's Graduate School and Scholarship Bootcamp came at the perfect time for me. During the Bootcamp, Mariam broke down how to write our essays to ensure our overall application package was irresistible. From the Bootcamp, I realized that in my previous applications, I had missed out on discussing the little things I had done that could make my applications stellar. The Bootcamp taught me how to reflect on my past experiences–no matter how small and tell the admissions and scholarship committees about the importance of my experiences. Also, I learned how to single-handedly identify the key questions asked by admissions committees and provide powerful answers that sold my strengths and abilities. Anytime I read my application now, I am amazed. I have done a lot and will never undersell myself again.
Thank you for the detailed feedback. We are glad you found our Bootcamp helpful. What were your goals for applying for a PhD and which schools did you receive offers from?
For my PhD, I wanted to find a place that would accommodate my research interests and that was a priority for me. I received offers from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and the University of Arizona, Tucson–but Florida had a better scholarship package for me. They are both great schools and they have amazing faculties. However, the University of Florida offered me a full-tuition scholarship, a stipend and health insurance for 4 years.
Wow, wonderful! Congratulations. That's amazing. Did you have any publications before applying?
I did not have any publications when I applied. However, I let myself shine through my previous applications by talking about my past research experience. I previously conducted a mixed-method study in Ghana and this was a strong talking point in my applications. I could tell my supervisors that I conducted both qualitative and quantitative data analyses. This was a strong point. Many programs do not care if you have published. However, they want to see that you have the potential to excel and I did just that.
What is your research about? Give us the 411!
My PhD is going to be about the epidemiology of infectious diseases in mothers and children. I hope to focus on risk factors during pregnancies, specifically looking out at how we can consolidate risk factor diagnostic tools to capture newer risk factors for infectious diseases, especially with the emergence of diseases like the Coronavirus. A lot of health systems are using outdated tools, so we are trying to consolidate existing tools to be able to build upon them for the future. I will also be working with my professor to explore how opioid use in mothers could affect the brain development of children.
Our Alumna is doing great things! Well done, superstar. So, have you been able to visit the school?
Oh, I haven't visited yet but I was able to find a roommate on time. My roommate has shown me around the campus and I like it a lot. The truth is, my priority is my research and I have spoken with my supervisors. They seem like a really good fit, so I am excited.
Exactly. That's the priority. How did you feel when you eventually got in? Can you give us a mental picture?
So, even after putting my best foot forward through the Bootcamp, I was scared about rejections–especially because of my experience with Canada. And because I had gone through GradCafe and websites where PhD applicants post non-encouraging things about the process, I was so scared. Some say all sorts of things like, "first-time applicants to US PhD programs can never get admitted." They were not encouraging. However, on the last day of February, I got an acceptance email with a full scholarship from the University of Florida by 8 pm. I was so excited! I took a screenshot of the email and sent it to my parents. I had also received an offer from the University of Arizona earlier. In my head, I always felt like, if I got into one school, that would be perfect. But if I get into multiple, that would be even better! I was excited because I received offers from multiple programs and I could pick the program I liked the most.
Congratulations, Ada! You deserve all your flowers. How was the waiting period for you?
Haha, the waiting period was very long for me. When you are in the waiting period, it looks longer than what you bargained for. However, retrospectively, I don't think it was that long. It took approximate 1-3 months. I had some confidence because I saw the things I did better this time and I felt those things would speak for me. I was also praying and trusting God for something to come through. To be honest, I was getting tested every day. You know, when a school tells you we will get back to you at a specific date, it may take longer. Therefore, I advise other applicants to prepare for that. Many schools exceeded their timelines. While waiting, I reached out to the course coordinators to be sure my application package wasn't missing anything. That was it.
I can imagine. Everyone dreads the waiting period. We are glad that the Bootcamp gave you some confidence through the process. Can you tell us about your academic background?
I left Nigeria for my undergrad at Whitworth University, Washington State. My major was in Health Sciences. After that, I did my Masters at Georgetown and my major was in Global health.
Great! Such a solid profile. Were you a star student? You know what I mean, LOL!
Well, I can't really say. I would say I was an okay student. So far, I haven't received any outstanding awards of any sort, so there's that. But I always try my best.
You are trying to be humble, oh.
Haha, not at all.
Well, I think that puts things in context for our audience. Not only star students win scholarships. You can always secure one if you put in the right strategies that we teach. How did you balance school with your applications? I reckon it was a busy period for you?
Being in school, classes were mostly online because of COVID. I prioritised my allocations and organised my schedule. I literally set up times to write my essays and to send reminders to people. For example, if I needed to remind a professor of a recommendation, I set up a reminder. I tried to stick strictly to a schedule.
Did you take the GRE? IELTS? Or any standardised tests?
No, I didn’t. I made sure to apply to only schools that did not require the GRE. Thankfully, most of them were either optional or waived because of COVID, so it worked out well for me. I did not take any language exams because I already obtained my BSc and MS from US Universities. However, a lot of universities have waived this requirement for people from predominantly English speaking countries.
Exactly. That's right. What would you advise other students on this journey?
First thing, be open-minded. You can not assume you know everything. The first time I applied, I did not do much research. I thought I could breeze in and out but it wasn't the case. If you will have interviews, you want to be ready. You want to know the supervisors you'd work with and their research. They may want to ask you questions specific to their research, so you need to be prepared. Secondly, you need to start on time. For public health candidates, you have to apply through SOPHAS and they need you to review your transcripts and send in your applications early. There's a deadline for December 1 but you have to apply by November 1. Make sure you have an excel sheet with the name of the school, application requirements and other details. Also, be very proactive. You do not need to sit down at once and write out your essays and CV. Give yourself 20 minutes every day to put in the work. Furthermore, try to reach out to people and ask for their feedback on your documents, if you can. Importantly, you should enrol in GetIn's Bootcamp. I have recommended them to a ton of friends and family.
Thank you so much for these details and tips. I'm sure the entire community will find them helpful. How are you spending time before you resume this fall? Netflix? Travelling? Partying? Give us the details, please.
Well, I've been resting and recalibrating myself ahead of the fall. I am also making sure I am aware of the things I need to do before I begin my program. For example, I joined academic Twitter recently and I've been following a lot of PhD related handles. They have been helping me keep abreast of some of the newer tools and data analysis programs currently being used in the field of public health. I've been taking screenshots on my phone and bookmarking them on my laptop. Also, I've been on Youtube a lot. I spend time watching students PhD their way through grad school. I know that a PhD is not easy, so I have been making mental preparations to make myself ready for the program.
Lmao, you are so focused! We are out of time now but we hope that you'd make out some time to give us more details through a live session sometime in the future. Can we bank on that, please?
Sure, thank you for having me!
If you want to learn proven strategies to secure juicy admission offers with scholarships, ensure you sign up for our Bootcamp! We launch the first cohort on June 4, 2022.