If you are looking into studying abroad, the UK may have been one of the countries that you have looked at. If you want to get a scholarship to study in the UK, you have a wide selection to choose from.
In 2018, I was fortunate to be awarded the Chevening Scholarship, that allowed me to study a Masters in the UK.
This article will give you an overview of what the scholarship is all about and why it was the best choice for me.
If it resonates with you too, it can also become one of the scholarships you consider applying for.
First things first, the Chevening Scholarship is the UK government’s global scholarship programme, that offers future leaders an opportunity to study in their country.
It is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and awarded for a one-year master’s degree in any subject at any UK university.
What is really great about it, is it is a fully-funded scholarship.
What does the Chevening Scholarship cover?
As it is fully funded, the award caters for the following:
- tuition
- a monthly stipend ( for living expenses )
- flight to and fro the UK for the studies
- arrival allowance (for costs you had to meet going to UK)
- departure allowance (as you return to home country)
The award is quite prestigious and while in the UK, you don’t have to worry about money.
All you have to do is study and enjoy the experience of a lifetime.
Why Apply For The Chevening Scholarship?
I was drawn to it because they’re all about networking.
They have a huge network consisting of over 50,000 alumni from all over the world that I will have access to, during the study and upon completion, and the number keeps growing with every year.
Their tag line is “Scholar for a year, Chevener for life.”
I loved that they also hold a number of events for scholars in the UK.
They not only want you to develop professionally and academically but also socially. They hold various events for you to know and interact with other scholars, plan day and some weekend trips to give you a chance to travel within the UK to explore and experience the UK culture, whilst building lasting positive relationships.
So if you think this is something that you definitely would want to participate in and have ambition, leadership potential, and great networking skills, then please apply for the Chevening Scholarship.
It is a competitive and prestigious award.
The Scholarship gave me the best 1.5 years of my life. Not only did it facilitate me to further my studies; but the experience, helped me to meet people from all over the world, travel around Europe and land an internship in my field in Glasgow and London.
Who Can Apply For The Chevening Scholarship?
The eligibility process is quite easy.
You just need to:
- Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country
- Have an undergraduate degree – equivalent to an upper second-class 2:1 honours degree in the UK that will enable you to land a postgraduate programme at a UK university.
- Have at least two years’ work experience
- Apply to three different eligible UK university courses and receive unconditional offers
- Meet the Chevening English language. You’ll have to an English test to prove this.
- Agree to return to your country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after your award has ended
How do you apply for the Chevening Scholarship?
The application process is straight-forward and it is done online. Before applying I encourage you to read the website thoroughly and understand it.
You have to write 4 essays, each one 500 words and the essay questions are usually the same throughout the years.
- Leadership potential
- Why you want to study in the UK
- How networking benefitted you
- Your career plans
They want to know in what ways you have been a leader, how you have used networking positively and your future career plan.
I’d encourage you to really take some time here as these essays give the examiners first glance of who you are, your track record and your ambitions.
I started writing these essays in March 2017 even before the application window was open. I Googled and found the questions and I started crafting my answers.
You don’t have to start this early but I was really determined to take my time and be ready when the application window opened in August 2017.
We had people in the same cohort who won the scholarship and applied the day before the deadline and still got in. Just do what works for you – there is no formula per se.
When you submit the application, you get shortlisted for face to face interviews with the officials in the British High Commission in your country.
You can check out the post the wrote about how to prepare for the interviews and an additional post with sample interview questions previous Chevening scholars have been asked.
Kimola’s Tips:
Writing these essays takes a lot of introspection as I had to give specific examples and show the outcome of my actions. However it is very rewarding and manageable.
My advice here is don’t underestimate anything.
If you feel you don’t have leadership skills, think about those roles you took on in the university, at work, in church, while volunteering, etc everything counts.
You just have to find a great way to present them. Then have a friend or mentor, someone you trust to be candid with you, to proof-read and re-read it for you and suggest changes.
Do this as many times as possible.
Important To Note:
Part of the Chevening Scholarship requirement is that you commit to return to your home country after your studies or when your visa expires. It is in the contract you sign.
So if this is not your cup of tea, then just as I mentioned in the first paragraph of this article, there are so many other scholarships to apply for, if you want to study in the UK.
Below is a video I made giving an overview of the Chevening Scholarship. Please also watch it so that you can get lots more information as I navigate the Chevening Scholarship website, step by step with you.
I hope this post was informative and helped you dive a little deeper into what the Chevening Scholarship is all about.
You can read more about it on their website.
If you have any specific questions about this scholarship, visit their Frequently Asked Questions tab. It is quite extensive.
Thank you so much for reading this far.
Let me know if there is anything more you would like me to cover in regards to my personal experience on this scholarship, by commenting below.
Please share the post with your friends if you found it helpful.
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