Giving back to the youth

It is generally agreed that unemployment, especially among youth, is one of the issues that fuels the fire of violence and insecurity in parts of Nigeria. The United States government in its partnership with the Nigerian government emphasizes a holistic approach to Nigeria’s security challenge that includes an economic recovery strategy to complement the military one.
As a partner and friend, the U.S. government also supports Nigeria’s efforts in engaging young people through various youth targeted activities. The theme of this year’s annual U.S. alumni leadership conference was Youth Empowerment for Peace, Education and Leadership. The focus was on discussing issues related to youth in northern Nigeria and the way forward.

Privatization and Power

Nigeria’s recent privatization exercise of the power sector has been carried out on a comprehensive scale, with the privatization of both the generation (GENCOS) and distribution companies (DISCOS) simultaneously. Public reaction to the wholesale privatization exercise is mixed; some support it, some are against it and others have a wait and see attitude. The Nigerian government sees it as a necessary move to speed up access and availability of power as part of the Vision 20:2020.

The Fall in Illinois

The month of October reminds me of Fall time in my hometown of Roodhouse in rural Illinois.  October means high school football, Halloween, and the harvest of wheat, soybeans, and corn.  Rural Illinois is not like the spreading metropolis of Chicago, but is rather a scarcely populated area of small towns, country homes, and a lot of farm land.  On Friday nights, people from these small towns congregate to their local high school's football field (American football) to watch two teams battle out a game of strength and skill with the pigskin (football) on the gridiron (football field).  As October nears its end, the temperature typically drops and evening football game-goers are usually seen wearing blue jeans and sweatshirts, and drinking hot chocolate under the gleaming field lights.

E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One

When people look to establish, maintain, or enhance relationships with others, finding common ground is critical to achieving that goal. Differences in race, religion, gender, etc. are often easier to see than similarities, and they can become significant obstacles to forging an effective relationship. Regardless of the type of relationship, an understanding of each other's background and identity is vital towards finding that common ground.

Lessons From a Former Premed to Other International Applicants - Part II

By Peace Eneh
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, ‘17

...continued from the previous post

What’s the deal with the MCAT?

I struggled with the MCAT and I know many international students struggle as well. Find a way to overcome this challenge. You need to do really well on the MCAT (a score of 30 and above) to show that you can perform on the same level as the American students. The admission committee needs to know that you can keep up with the rigors and academic challenges of medical school, so although your MCAT score is not the end of the road to medical school, it is very important especially as an international student. This is because most of the medical schools that accept and have financial aid for international students are private, and unfortunately these schools are generally the more competitive ones. However, if you have tried everything you possibly can to get a better score and still not able to reach the 30 mark, this is not the end of the road for you if you have other things working in your favor, like a super strong GPA, an impressive research background, some publications, etc. Some schools recognize that some bright students have difficulty with standardized tests such as MCAT so your experiences might outweigh the not so great MCAT score.