UK scholarship opportunities

and tips on making a

successful application

Education ServicesBritish Council

Contents

• Type of scholarships• British Council 60th Anniversary Scholarships• Key decision• League table• Personal statement• Common mistakes on application• Useful links• Q & A

Scholarships issuing bodies

• There are around 270 individual awards from UK education institutions, charities and professional bodies, including those issued by:

• Institutions

• Government• Chevening Scholarships

• Organization• British Council 60th anniversary scholarships• Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarships for Overseas Studies

• Company• Jardine Scholarships Award

Scholarship coverage

• The coverage of scholarships range from specific allowances, to full scholarships covering tuition plus living expenditures:

• Full scholarship• e.g. the Chevening Scholarships

• Tuition fee• e.g. British Council 60th Anniversary Scholarships• e.g. £3,000 tuition fee discount; tuition fee waived

• Award/allowance

British Council 60th Anniversary Scholarships

• To celebrate British Council’s 60th anniversary • 47 scholarships offered by 36 institutions• Qualifications covered: Secondary school (GCSE, A-level), post-

16 education, undergraduate and postgraduate• Permanent Hong Kong residents can apply• Selection will be carried out by the individual schools, colleges or

universities you apply to• Information and application form available at

www.education.org.hk/BC60scholarships

• Deadline: 28 February 2009

British Council 60th Anniversary Scholarships

• Eligibility• Permanent residents of Hong Kong • Not working or studying in the UK during the application and

selection period • Have already applied for a course(s) at the awarding institution,

and provided acknowledgment of their application • Must have a good academic record and be able to fulfil the

institution’s entry requirements, including the level of English and any other special criteria

• Applicants may apply to more than one participating institution

• Applicants can apply to other scholarships scheme

British Council 60th Anniversary Scholarships

Next steps…1. Start looking for a suitable course and institution2. Apply to your desired institutions3. Fill in the scholarships application4. Make sure you have all the required supporting documents. Only

applications with supporting documents will be forwarded to the institutions

5. Send your application and supporting documents to us by 6. 28 February 2009

British Council 60th Anniversary Scholarships

• So what should be your first consideration?

Scholarships? Course?

Key decision

Key decision

• Choose the course • you like and enjoy!

Why?

• You will gain a higher grade• Your higher grade will make you more attractive to an

employer looking for the skills that this type of graduate will have

• You will be more eligible for further higher study• You are more likely to be able to convert to other areas

• Doing a degree in a subject you dislike may lead to a career in an area you dislike

Finding the courses

• Very simple• Undergraduate use: www.ucas.ac.uk• Postgraduate use: www.educationuk.org.hk• Request a prospectus • Individual university websites• Education UK exhibitions and information sessions• British Council

Choosing the course – a tool

• You will have a large list of courses – now create a way to compare them for yourself

• Create a league table – never use a published one• Published league tables are not filtered to show your own

needs• Published league tables do not consider environment• Published league tables are too generic

• Your own league table• Will show what is most important to you• Can be altered to take into account your own situation• Can be a great deal of fun to create

Creating your own league table

• Identify your key requirements• Tuition fees• Scholarships• Living fees• Graduate Destination• Graduate Satisfaction• Module Choice• Location• Facilities• Specialities• And others that are important to you

•19•4•3•9•2•1•AAA•Marketing 4

•23•2•3•8•3•8•BBC•Accounting and Finance 2

•15•3•2•3•5•2•ABC•Marketing 3

•24•5•1•7•3•8•BBB•Business Studies 2

•16•4•1•4•2•5•ABB•Accounting and Finance 1

•14•3•1•6•2•2•AAB•Business Studies 1

•18•2•2•4•5•5•ABB•Marketing 2

•28•6•3•8•5•6•BBB•Marketing 1

•Total•Modules•Sports score

•Facility score

•Location score

•Cost score

•Entry Reqs

•Course

Cost 10 – 11 is most exp.

Location 1-55 is highest

Fac –1-1010 is best

Sports 1-33 is best

Module Options 2-10 – 10 is most

The Table

After the table

• Check your results – would you really be happy at your top 3?

• Find out as much as you can about your top 3• Apply to 5 (this includes PG)• Be confident in your findings• Your table will not match others

Personal Statement

• Like CV• Your advertisement.

• Simple and precise

• Specific• Take your top two choices and focus your Personal Statement on them• Look at the module descriptions for these programmes, if there are one or two

modules the same then indicate your particular interest in that area of study (if this is true)

• Strategic• You must generally answer these questions• Why you?• Why this subject?• Why this course?• What makes you so suitable?• What do you hope to do in the future?

The steps……

• Read the whole of the Admissions Statement/Entry Profile• Identify the requirements

“Must show wide study of the subject”• Turn these into questions/request that could be asked in an interview

“Please demonstrate a wide study of the subject”• Answer these questions as if you were answering them in an interview

“In my free time, I love reading books about communication, especially non-verbal communication, alike the area on hectic, facial expression, etc. My favourite scholar is Prof. Adam Jaworski…”

• Then put all of your answers together and remove the questions• Re-write it so it flows logically and is well structured.• Then get someone else to read it (ie a tutor) and see what they think.• You will need to re-write it a number of times• Ensure spelling and grammar are excellence at this level even this

could maen a rejectionRemember AT may be looking for a reason to reject you!

Other tips

• Ensure you cover all the points in the Admissions Statement / Entry profile

• If the university is a research university..are you interested in doing research in this area later?

• If so look at the research of the department (admissions staff) perhaps you may find some common interests!

Importance of Personal Statement?

• It will help you get into the university that may be best for you• It will help you get the interview opportunities/ scholarships• It will help you to think about yourself

• Note:• You ARE in competition with (often) hundreds of other applicants• An admissions tutor (AT)/ scholarship admin. spends just a few

minutes considering your application • An AT/ scholarship admin. will look at lots of applications in the

application period

Common mistakes on applying scholarships

• Overly excitedDownload the form and fill it immediately. Reading the guidance note/ information/questions thoroughly and carefully.

• Carelessness• Missing supporting documents.• Using the wrong coloured pen.

• Ignore criteria • Underestimate the time you take to complete the

application

Useful links

• Scholarships information• www.britishcouncil.org.hk/scholarships• www.educationuk.org.hk – search engine• www.sfaa.gov.hk

• Chevening Scholarships• www.britishcouncil.org.hk/chevening

• British Council 60th Anniversary Scholarships• www.educationuk.org.hk/BC60scholarships

• UK institutions websites

Come visit us

• British Council• 3 Supreme Court Road• Admiralty• Hong Kong

• Opening hours:• Monday – Friday: 9.00 a.m. – 8.30 a.m.• Saturday 9.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.• Sunday & Public holidays Closed

• Telephone 2913 5100• Fax 2913 5102• E-mail enquiries@britishcouncil.org.hk

Q & A

• Questions?

• Good luck and wish you all the best to your applications!!