How Fareedah Adeowu Graduated With a First Class at Nigerian Law School—She Never Planned It

I’m Fareedah Adedoyin Adeowu, a graduate of Common and Islamic Law, University of Ilorin. I recently finished with a First Class from the Nigerian Law School, Kano. Graduating with a First Class wasn’t initially my target. My plan was 2.1. I had always thought First Class was for very smart people. I just wanted to have a very good grade. I was even mostly inspired to get a 2:1 when our seniors’ law school results came out, and most people I knew got 2:1s. I was like, “Okay, I can do a 2:1 too.”

⁠I wanted the Abuja Campus to be with my friends, and because, well, almost everyone wants it. When I saw that I got the Kano campus, I was brokenhearted. None of my close friends from the university was posted to the same campus as me. “Allah knows best,” was my reassurance because I thought there had to be goodness in it. Kano campus was literally the only campus I prayed against; it was my prayer point the last Ramadan, so getting posted to the campus I prayed against has to be ordained.

I emptied my Dad’s account to get my stuff for law school. I bought plenty of provisions and snacks because I knew they would help a lot. I made new dresses, bought scarves, and plenty of stuff. I left for Kano on a Monday by bus; my journey was almost 21 hours. I sat by the window and took pictures of everything that fascinated me. Fantastic experience, until I got to the Kano campus with swollen feet. My feet couldn’t fit into my Crocs, let alone my flat shoes. My registration was smooth too, but there was a hurdle along the way. I had left my chest X-ray at home. I didn’t forget it; I left it because I thought the results were written on my medical report. I only noticed it was part of the required documents for clinic registration when I got to the clinic. People who didn’t have were sent back in my presence. It got to my turn, and the staff didn’t ask me. I just submitted my medical report, and I left. It was a miracle.

I went in for the doctor’s evaluation, too, who would check the chest X-ray, make comments, then stack it on the shelf. The doctor checked the X-ray of the guy I went in with, and it got to my turn, I didn’t hand it over, and he didn’t ask. I cleared the hurdle twice, Alhamdulillah!

Our classes typically started by 9 o’clock, but I’m more of a back bencher in school; I didn’t wake up around 4 am to bathe and get ready for a class early. I would wake up for Fajr, sleep back and wake up by 6:30 am, then get ready and queue for the class attendance thumbprint by some minutes past 7. See, law school was draining, back-to-back classes, then group meetings, and then trekking to Maami Market to get food.

Speaking of food, my eating habits went down the drain in law school. I enjoyed noodles and egg, rice and beans and peppered sauce, cheap, but I’m always very lazy to go to the market. My roommates/friends indulged me. I didn’t make plenty of friends in law school; I don’t really make friends, but the few I made in the first week of lecturers were heaven-sent. On other days, I survive on cereals and garri. In class, I hardly go out on break. I just take my snacks: a sachet of Hollandia yoghurt and Minimie chinchin.😹

In law school, there was no time for notes. But I only enjoy reading handwritten notes, not textbooks or materials or even from my phone. So I knew I had to do something about it. The only textbook I bought in law school was the Compendium. What I did was that I knew I wouldn’t have the time for jottings during exams, so I turned my notes into jottings. I carefully made my own notes from slides from the previous set and PDF materials. God bless Badmus and Mayowa. On some days, I would use like 5 materials. Badmus, Mayowa, Agbata, Sarumi, Caleb. I would write and complete my notes according to the class outcomes every night, the night before the class. From the week, I would sleep around 1 am, 2 am because I had to finish my notes. So the next day, in class, the topics aren’t new anymore. I listened, cross-checked with my notes, added new cases, new subtopics, and extra tips. My notes were golden.

But after class every day, I made sure I got enough sleep, a siesta, one hour at least, and I’ll wake up to observe Maghrib, which was consistent even till my last day of exam. So in class, I hardly doze off. The only times I might sleep in class were during pre-class tasks. As for the pre-class tasks, I just go through them to check the course outline for making my notes. I don’t solve them; I stopped attending group meetings at a point because I felt intimidated. My mates were quoting sections, and there’s me looking confused.😹 My break was for pre-class tasks. I used to study my group tasks to prepare ahead in case I get called, and the mic randomly comes for me.

I was very attentive in class, and it’s surprising because I’m a yapper, but my seat arrangement didn’t help. It was a single seat; I wasn’t sitting beside any of my friends. It was close to the window, and I enjoyed watching the lake glisten when it was sunny from my seat. I had seat partners behind and in front of me, but not beside, so I just had to listen in class. I was my friend’s plug for any tips the lecturers mentioned in class.

I realised early that my phone was the weapon fashioned against me, so when I started reading, I would leave my phone in my hostel and go to the mosque in the morning to read, then come back in the evening after Maghrib, or sometimes, Ishai when I’m done reading. I used to fold the notes I had to complete reading for everyday and it’s only when I finish it I would go back to my hostel. If I read in my room, I would leave my phone in my friend’s hostel till I finish reading.

I memorised cases because I heard there’s an extra mark for it. During the exam, I used to whisper to myself, “general rule, then exception, general rule, then exception” while we waited for the exam questions. I wouldn’t forget and go straight to the answers. I also practised the recall method; it’s my favourite part of reading. Whenever I finished reading, on my bed, while preparing to sleep, I would revise everything I read for the day. If I remembered, I would sleep. If I didn’t, I’d carry notes to revise immediately. I would also try to revise with my friends. I used to attack my roommates with questions almost every day; some things got stuck in my head from that.

Every day was a moment of doubt, particularly during pre-class tasks. Especially for someone like me, who’s so unsure of herself.
During exams, I couldn’t afford to sleep overnight for an hour. My alarm was always set to 50 minutes. I would return to my room around 3 am, sleep for 50 minutes, and continue reading. But sometimes, I slept for longer hours; you can’t cheat nature. I wasn’t really sick in law school, Alhamdulillah, because typical AA will treat malaria in that weather. I treated malaria once. At one point, I had recurring headaches, and I thought I was going to relapse.

I wouldn’t say graduating with First Class is a dream come true; that’s too cliche. At a point when my friends and I make jokes about First Class, I tell them my brain can’t handle the thought of it.

My friend once told me she’s rooting for a First Class, and I was like, “Wow, nicee. I’ll pass,” because I never thought it could be me. Anytime I think, “I should just have First Class”, my brain goes blank and resets to 2:1.😹

But mehn, graduating with First Class is bliss. For any Bar Aspirant, don’t be like me. Dream it, and get it. If anyone can do it, you can do it. That was what I stuck with. I saw CTB pictures of our seniors, and I was like, if they can pass, I can ace my exams. I wouldn’t say it’s simple, but put in the hard work. My prayer point after my exams was that I didn’t want to pass alone, I wanted God to crown my efforts, and I didn’t want a result where people would sympathise with me and say, “And this girl read in school.” I used to believe first-class students have two heads, I mean, they have to because it’s not an easy feat, but I see just one head on my neck. Academic validation is sweet like mad; you’ll get it, and your stomach will be filled with butterflies and lilies.

One final thing, I added weight in law school, and I was sad, thinking it’s because I was not reading enough. The dresses I specifically made for law school became tight by the time we left. Sometimes I’ll have to unzip under my scarf in class. People started noticing my cheeks, making comments like you don’t even look as if you’re in law school, but na me sabi wetin my eyes dey see. Anyways, who is the NLS first-class graduate with cheeks?😌