Questions & Answers with Dr Michael Taiwo on MT Scholarships

In this interview with JarusHub, Dr. Oluwafemi Michael Taiwo, a US based Nigerian engineer talks about his motivation for instituting the Michael Taiwo Graduate School Application Scholarship which is now in its second year.

1. You have always been known to encourage other people to succeed. Our editor, Jarus, who was your schoolmate in secondary school, narrated in several articles and social media posts how you encouraged him throughout his academic career journey, what really drives you to go this far?

I believe that investment in people yields the best profit. There are already enough discouraging forces – both from without and within – that individuals face; and I just take it on myself to counter those negative voices that want people to achieve less than they are capable of. There’s nothing more beautiful than a fully alive human; I like to see people live fully.

2. Tell us about Michael Taiwo Graduate School Application Scholarship and what motivated you to start it.

I answered this more fully on our website www.mtscholarships.org but in a nutshell it is to bridge a massive gap that I see. The cost of applying to graduate schools is about $1,000 or about 400,000 Naira. How many people can afford to save that amount? What is the average wage rate in Nigeria? To add insult to injury, those who can afford it can’t usually pay because foreign institutions don’t want to accept Nigeria-based credit cards! I faced these issues too and I know it has short-circuited the development of many bright graduates.

3. The application stage for second edition of the MT Scholarship ended recently, please tell us about the status

It was a record-breaking year for us. We received over 1,500 applications; 600 of them finished with a First Class or Masters with Distinction. I’m impressed with the quality of the applications, but I also like that the six geopolitical zones were represented.

90 applicants made it through the initial screening stage. Of these, we could only verify the academic transcripts and/or exam results of 72 of them. Most of them then took an aptitude test to screen the number down. A few were exempted from the aptitude test because their applications were so stellar – perfect GPAs, perfect GRE scores etc.

The last step is the panel interview and we have started that. After the interview, we would know the final number of winners. The total monetary size of the award we are giving away this year is about 15 times more than last year, so this is exciting.  

Anyone who is not selected has received an email stating so. All applicants will hear back from us, regardless of whether they win or not.

4. How many candidates were successful in the maiden (2019) edition, and what is their progress now? How many candidates are you looking to select in the 2020/2021 edition?

Eight candidates. Their progress has been varied. I guess that’s life, but the coronavirus too hasn’t helped. Some are already taking graduate school classes having been admitted to their dream schools, some are resuming their first semester in Spring of 2021, others are still trying to secure admission while one or two of them have put graduate school plans on hold for personal reasons. They are all MT Scholars and I am proud of everyone of them. They are clearly the future.

5. What is the process for screening candidates and how do you intend to pick the successful candidates?

We look for academically strong students who are financially incapable of covering the cost of graduate school applications. We also look for candidates who have shown initiative or drive that they can withstand the rigors of living abroad in a rigorous graduate curriculum. We also strive for geographic and gender diversity: you will see some winners from the North East and the North West because we want them to be role models for others in that part of the country.

6. How do you fund the scholarship?

The scholarship is funded by my wife and I and like-minded friends who see value in what we are doing. If you recall, when I contacted you last year, I told you I wanted to sponsor just two GRE and one GMAT fees of successful candidates. But when our friends heard what we were doing, they decided to chip in and that’s how the number eventually swelled to eight.

This year is no different. My wife and I have committed more to this. We hope more people connect to what we are trying to do and support financially. But I am going to be honest with you, how the scholarship will be funded has never been a question that keeps me up at night or occupy my waking moments. When there is the will, the way shows up.

7. You stated that the support is basically for indigent candidates who struggle to afford the testing and application fees for graduate schools, how do you verify need?

This is a trade secret hehehe…if I give it away, future applicants will try to game the system. Remember that I used to be dirt poor, I know what poverty feels like. I can “smell” if someone is poor or just faking to be poor to collect money. So far, we have done a good job of only awarding those who truly couldn’t afford it.

8. This scholarship is for GRE, GMAT and application fees. Some countries, like the UK, do not require these tests. Does it mean someone looking to study in the UK, for example, cannot benefit from this scholarship?

Not at all. We have broadened the scope in that regards. In fact, one of the winners last year is heading to South Africa now for his Masters in Biomedical Engineering. When I initially conceived this, I had the US in mind because the US is just far superior to other countries in almost every respect. But I now appreciate that people want to go to other places too. The scholarship is thus open to the UK, Canada, etc.

When a candidate wins, we look at what they need and try to fill it. If it is just application fees, so be it. If it is the full enchilada of exams fees and application fees, that’s ok too.

9. Finally, and on a lighter note, people here believe that you have to be a billionaire or multi-millionaire to institute scholarships. Are you a multi-millionaire?

Hahaha…maybe they are prophets. I receive it! It doesn’t take a lot of money to make an impact. You need will more than anything else.