Mastercard Foundation Scholar, Odinaka Akpamgbo from Nigeria, Pursues the Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom

My name is Odinaka Akpamgbo, and I grew up exclusively in Eastern Nigeria. I have achieved a First Class degree and finished within the top of the cohort at every institution attended to date: the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, and the Nigerian Law School. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL), specializing in public international law, at the University of Oxford, supported by the Faculty of Law Scholarship.

I decided to pursue my degree program in this field due to my newest passion for international law and its place in organizing and ordering the world. To me, the existence of international law—objectively agreed rules of law across the universe, despite race, class, nationality—is the pillar of civilization and the assurance of continued human prosperity.

Mastercard Foundation Africa Oxford Initiative Scholarship Details

I received the Mastercard Foundation Africa Oxford Initiative Scholarship in 2024 to pursue the Bachelor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford. The funding was combined with an earlier scholarship from the Faculty of Law and Regent’s Park College. It was a fully-funded award that covered tuition, living expenses, academic research funding, laptop purchase, visa fees, travel costs, hardship support, etc.

Were You Offered any Other Scholarships?

Yes:

The African Endowment Scholarship at the London School of Economics and Political Science for the LLM – fully funded (declined)

The Queen Mary Global Talent Scholarship and the Roy Goode Scholarship for the LLM – fully funded (declined)

Rhodes Scholarship West Africa Finalist, 2024.

Educational Background

I completed a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology with a CGPA of 4.72/5.00, ranking overall second in a cohort of more than 200 students and the entire Faculty of Law. I also ranked first overall in the first and third years. The LLB degree ingrained in me a sense of responsibility, competitive thinking and performance, and the application of common law precepts and principles.

I also held many important leadership positions in the university and the Faculty, including the Vice-President of the Law Students’ Association and the President of the Law Clinic.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the University of Oxford?

How Did You Find Information About the Mastercard Foundation Africa Oxford Initiative Scholarship and Institutions?

I knew that I wanted to undertake a very hard and prestigious master’s level degree in law, and that I wanted to attend the University of Oxford. When my elder brother got into—with a scholarship—the programme I finally enrolled in, I knew that was what I desired.

I constantly visited the University of Oxford’s website, even before it opened for applications. I started preparing my writing sample before applications opened, and had about two months before the deadline to sleep over it.

I was also desirous of funding, so I watched many YouTube videos made by applicants who had been successful, and interrogated my own proposals and how I represented my abilities and achievements. I ensured my application was strong enough not only to be admitted but to be awarded full funding.

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

Indeed, I took one standardized test: the IELTS. That was the only test I needed for the institutions and programmes I was applying to.

This is not conventional, but because I was working full-time in a law firm and as a trainee, I had very little time to prepare for the IELTS. I stayed awake at night to practice some previous questions.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Mastercard Foundation Africa Oxford Initiative Scholarship?

This answer essentially depends on your perception of preparation. One could say my preparation started in 2015 when I was admitted to study law as an undergraduate in Nigeria. Perhaps it started earlier—when I chose the Arts/Humanities stream in secondary school, after achieving fantastic (and indeed the best-in-the-year) results in the pure sciences and having a predictably promising career in STEM. My choosing Arts/Humanities was a consequence of my wishing to study law, which was a consequence of my precocious predilection for believing that law could protect the weak and preserve civilization.

Therefore, I prepared by writing a coherent story in time from my first year till my final year, and even whilst working afterwards. So that when the time came for applications, all I did was summarize the story in my applications.

How Do You Rate the University of Oxford Academically and Why?

I would rate the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford first, for many reasons. The methodology and style of teaching and writing here are different, and the standards are overbroad yet simplistic, so that you know what to do yet struggle to do it; you believe in your own abilities yet your essay feedback keeps you humble.

There is also a collective pursuit of knowledge and truth, a desire to query and inquisition popular ideologies and seemingly unassailable propositions. It is freeing and empowering.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I think this is what I always think about when I write or compete. Resources are finite in the world and have always been. Your attempts and representations may be good, but not great, at least enough to be better than average.

I defined what an average application would be. I did this by considering the minimum requirements for the programmes to which I would apply, and understanding that many average applications would meet those requirements, so that I needed to do more than meet them to get in. I improved my applications accordingly.

My desired programmes were quite academically esteemed and rigorous, and I made sure that was reflected in my essays by showing my academic strengths and achievements. My essays also wove a coherent thread between my past, present, and future. I connected every strand and sounded as authentic and distinctive as possible, ensuring that my referees would corroborate these to the same standard.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

If I were to do anything differently, then I may have been more complacent. To be sincere, I do not think there is anything I would have done differently. I did my probable best and held the fort, and I am proud of that.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

First, research and discover people who have achieved those scholarships. Try to prepare an application that would compete with theirs. If they do not look or sound like you and have backgrounds different from yours, then amplify your unique voice. Your diversity is your strength.

Second, avoid overwhelming yourself with information. It can disconcert or demoralize you.

Third, believe in your uniqueness and complexity. Believe in your own story, and the assessors may only then believe it. You are the one and the original, and there is no individual with your story, your journey, your state of consciousness, and complexity in the entire universe.

Finally, avoid making generic applications across the board. An application to University X may not be suitable for University Y, not only because universities and jurisdictions may have different ethea, but the programme requirements may be different, even when not expressed on the application forms.