A 20-year-old graduate of Babcock University, Oluwadamilola Soji-Oderinde, has said he relied on artificial intelligence tools alongside conventional study methods to master difficult courses on his way to a first-class degree in Software Engineering with a cumulative grade point average of 4.52.
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He spoke in an interview with Temitope Adetunji of The PUNCH, in which he described his upbringing, his study methods, the leadership roles he held and the point at which he feared he would miss the class of degree he was working towards.
Maiduguri, Books And A Professor’s Household
Soji-Oderinde said he is from Oyo State but grew up in Maiduguri, Borno State, in a household where academic performance was not negotiable.
“Growing up in Maiduguri was really calmer than most people think. It was mostly school, church and home for me,” he said. “Although my childhood had a lot of books, movies and documentaries, my parents were really keen on ensuring we grew up exposed rather than boxed in.”
The second of three children, he said his father is a professor. “Academics is something my parents haven’t played with since my childhood.”
Asked what his parents deliberately exposed him to, he cited documentaries and stories about successful people, books and films, and online career classes for teenagers. “They were intentional about showing us how far we could dream and not limiting what we believed was possible.”
Of his secondary school years, he said: “I was the loud, smart student then. I always came first throughout my secondary school years and was somehow one of the most extroverted students. I wasn’t the sporty type. It was more about academics and going for competitions.”
Why Software Engineering
He gained admission to Babcock in October 2022. The choice of course, he said, grew out of an early interest in computers.
“Like many young boys, I wanted to be like Mark Zuckerberg,” he said. Before senior secondary school he took a computer engineering diploma at one school and web design at another at the same time, and found that web design suited him better, “maybe because I broke the school’s hard disk and damaged my dad’s keyboard.”
He had initially settled on Computer Science until he came across the title software engineer on LinkedIn profiles in SS2. “I knew that was it. It was also an excuse to leave Maiduguri, because they didn’t offer Software Engineering at the University of Maiduguri.”
The Decision At 300-Level
Soji-Oderinde said the first class became a target rather than a hope in his third year.
“I had kept hovering around a 4.4 and just knew a 4.5 wasn’t far out of reach,” he said.
“The first thing I did was intentionally set it as a goal I wanted to achieve, rather than something I simply hoped to get. I also dedicated more time to studying, knowing that I couldn’t achieve different results with the same effort I had been putting in.”
How He Studied
He said he was neither a long-hours reader nor a crammer, and built his method around comprehension and testing.
“I’d try my best to understand what I could in class and read using active recall. I also made sure to answer past questions,” he said.
“I would also use AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT and Acad AI to generate quizzes and kind of converse about my notes and slides after reading, to understand them even better.”
Asked for an example of a concept he grasped with that help, he named one. “The one I remember struggling with but eventually understanding better with the help of AI was Z Schemas from a course called Formal Methods and Specifications.”
He also described how he approached examinations. “I’d stay up late most nights, as studying at night worked better for me because there was less noise. I’d use past questions, and when reading, I’d try to approach course materials as if I were the one setting the questions, asking myself, ‘What do I think a lecturer would ask from this?’”
Peers remained central. “I would go to a course mate to teach me the way they understood it and ask a lot of questions. I would also try to understand the course practically to understand the theory.”
On AI specifically, he said the value was in simplification. “Sometimes I would spend time with AI apps, asking them to explain things as simply as possible and relate them to real-world examples.”
What Did Not Work
He was equally clear about methods he abandoned.
“The very common method of jotting things down while reading never worked for me. I either got distracted by jotting too much or focused on reading and forgot to jot anything down,” he said. “Another was studying with flashcards. Also, cramming has never been my thing.”
The Hardest Stretch
The most difficult period, he said, came near the end.
“At one point, my grades weren’t going the way I had expected, and with one semester left, I was genuinely afraid that I wasn’t going to graduate with a First Class,” he said.
“There was pressure and anxiety. Some nights, I couldn’t sleep. At the same time, I was managing other responsibilities. Balancing the anxiety around my academics with the demands of leadership was extremely challenging.”
He credited method over talent. “Consistency, intentionality and time management played a major role in my success. I didn’t rely on being naturally smart. I had to put in the work and understand the demands of my courses.”
The Startup He Set Aside
Among the sacrifices, he said, was a business he had begun building.
“I had to sacrifice a lot of personal time and sleep, especially during busy periods. I also gave up my startup dream in 400-Level, as balancing it with academics and other activities just wasn’t feasible,” he said.
The idea, he explained, was to make customisable AI chatbots more accessible and affordable in the Nigerian market, allowing people to build chatbots for events or occasions without technical knowledge.
Leadership
Soji-Oderinde held a succession of positions in student bodies, serving as Crowdsource Team Lead for GDG Babcock, then Senator, then Director of Public Relations, and later Executive President of the Babcock University Computer Club, which he described as the second-largest student body in the university, representing over 3,500 students. He was nominated for Student Leader of the Year in his final year.
“These experiences completely shaped how I saw leadership. They gave me visibility, not just among students but also with professionals outside school. They taught me time management, resilience and even programme management,” he said.
Balancing the two, he said, came down to sequencing. “I attended a lot of school events and even organised some myself. A few classes were missed, but I just knew academics came first. Close to exams, I would reduce my activities to focus.”
Family
He named his sister, Shalom Soji-Oderinde, and Mileke Kolawole, his faculty club president in his first year, as the people who motivated him most, alongside Babcock alumni.
His parents, he said, played the largest role. “With faith, they let me leave home and go far away for the first time. My mum would say, ‘Go and fulfil your dreams.’ When my grades weren’t where I wanted them to be, I would call, and they would encourage me, and their belief in me kept me going.”
On their reaction to the result, he said: “My dad said, ‘Great, this is good news,’ when I told him on the phone. I could hear the excitement. My mum was more dramatic, with thanksgiving. They were extremely happy. I think they were happier than I was.”
Describing his own reaction, he said: “It was definitely a mix of emotions. I was excited, grateful to God and somehow had tears running down my eyes, knowing this dream had just become real. I kept checking the school portal for days just to be sure because it was surreal.”
What Comes Next
Soji-Oderinde said he intends to continue as a software engineer while building a career in developer relations, and to return to his startup.
“I enjoy the technical side of software, but I also enjoy working with developers, building communities, sharing knowledge, and bringing my leadership experiences and skills into play,” he said.
He is also interested in agentic AI, including building MCP servers, which he described as bridges allowing AI agents to interact with external services, so that a user could complete a transaction with an online retailer directly from a chat interface.
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