OLAKUNLE IDOWU

PROVING HIS DOUBTERS WRONG, DAY BY DAY

Olakunle Idowu, a Virginia Commonwealth University medical school student, said he became more focused in his studies when he decided to become a doctor.

Rejection and failure have chased Olakunle Idowu for nearly every step of his academic career. But with an unshakable belief in himself, the first-year VCU medical school student has managed to stay ahead.

“My second-grade teacher told me I was stupid to my face in front of my mother. She said that verbatim, and I’ve never forgotten that moment,” said Idowu, who was born in Nigeria and came to the United States as an infant.

Idowu faced a problem that has dogged him all the way to medical school – he is a poor test taker, and he doesn’t know why.

Though the Nigerian language of Yoruba was spoken at home, Idowu (pronounced EE-doh-wu) considers English his first language. Furthermore, he said he attended quality schools while growing up in Silver Spring, Md.

Taking the MCAT^®

Yet in taking tests at every grade level through the MCAT, Idowu, 22, gives a tough, but honest self-appraisal.

“I don’t score well on standardized tests. But I’ve always known that they did not reflect my ability. I can do well.”

Idowu became more focused in his studies at the end of high school when he decided to become a doctor.

“Before that, I had people telling me to do well in school. But it didn’t matter as much. When I settled on becoming a doctor, a light went on,” he said. “Then it made sense to study harder and take all classes seriously.”

Through college, he learned to augment his scores by always working with instructors for extra credit while taking every elective, extracurricular, and tutorial study opportunity offered.

Despite his extra work and improved grades, medical schools around the country expressed doubts about his ability.

Applying to Medical School

After completing his junior year at the University of Maryland, Idowu, a biology major, sent out 20 medical school applications. In November 2004, the first rejection letter appeared at his door and 18 others followed. But in the end, Idowu had been accepted at the medical school at VCU.

“I felt blessed to be in that position with VCU because they took the time to listen to me and look at my profile and see what type of student I really was,” he said.

Idowu has taken out loans of about $38,000 a year to cover his tuition and cost of living expenses.

Getting a Medical Education

Idowu said he received passing marks during his first year in medical school and even excelled in two classes. But he knows the difficult United States Medical Licensing Examination, which tests the sciences upon which medicine is based, awaits later in medical school.

Idowu, however, views the test as another opportunity to buck the odds.

“I wasn’t supposed to go to college, and I wasn’t supposed to go to medical school,” he said. “In the end, what I found is that passion and motivation were the cure for my shortcomings. You can not just want to become a doctor; you have to claim it as your reality.”