Tips on Applying for a Scholarship

Sayed Chhattan Shah, PhD

Senior Researcher

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute

South Korea

shah@etri.re.kr | etri.re.kr

Sayed Chhattan Shah

Tips on applying for a scholarship

• There are several ways to get a scholarship. The few that I know are mentioned below:

Foreign Government Scholarships

Pakistan Government Scholarships

University Scholarships

Research Laboratory Scholarships

Foreign Government Scholarships

• Governments of several countries around the world offer a wide range of scholarships to international students

• Some scholarships are listed below: Foreign Government Scholarships for Developing Country Students:

http://www.scholars4dev.com/1892/government-scholarships-for-developing-countries/

Japanese Government Scholarships: http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj_stope.html

List of scholarships in Japan: http://www.jasso.go.jp/study_j/scholarships_sfisij_e.html

Korean Government Scholarships: http://www.gks.go.kr/

NIIED Scholarships for BS, MS and PhD students: http://www.niied.go.kr/

University of Science and Technology Scholarships: http://www.ust.ac.kr/index.do?todo=indexEng

KAIST: http://www.kaist.edu/english/

Chevening Scholarships: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/scholarships/chevening/

The Fulbright Program for Foreign Students: http://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/fubrightprogram.html

Microsoft Research Fellowships: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/awards/fellowships.aspx

Scholarship Portal: http://www.cra.org

ERCIM Postdoctoral Fellowships: http://fellowship.ercim.eu/

Australian Endeavour Awards: http://www.deewr.gov.au/International/EndeavourAwards/Pages/Home.aspx

Australian Development Scholarships: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/studyin.cfm

DAAD Scholarships: http://www.daad.org/

Foreign Government Scholarships

• How to apply?

Most of the scholarships are offered every year

In order to get updated information, visit related websites regularly and prepare your application and required documents in advance

For some scholarships such as Endeavor awards you have to get admission first and then you can apply for the scholarship

Admission process usually takes 3-4 months for the PhD studies

Plan at least six month before the deadline

In order to apply for admission, some universities may ask you to identify potential advisor and get her approval before submitting an application

Visit homepage of professor related to your research topic

Read recent research papers to get an idea about her research

Get her approval and submit approval letter along with application

To get approval contact professors at least 40-50 days before application deadline

When contacting a professor make sure to include your research plan or at least research interests or research you have done

Pakistan Government Scholarships

• Scholarships offered by Government of Pakistan:

Higher Education Commission: http://beta.hec.gov.pk/Pages/HECMain.aspx

Ministry of Science and Technology: http://www.most.gov.pk/

Sindh Government Scholarships: http://www.sindh.gov.pk/dpt/EducationFinal/Scholarships/Scholarships.htm

University Scholarships

• Several universities particularly in developed countries offer various scholarships for BS, MS and PhD programs

In order to get information, visit website of university or department, look for admission and scholarships section, read requirements and prepare your application

PhD scholarships:

Some universities may ask you to identify potential advisor and get her approval before submitting an application

Visit homepage of professor related to your research topic

Read recent research papers to get an idea about her research

Get her approval and submit approval letter along with application

To get approval contact professors at least 40-50 days before application deadline

When contacting a professor make sure to include your research plan or at least research interests or research you have done

University Scholarships

• List of some universities

South Korea Seoul National University: http://www.snu.ac.kr/engsnu/

Korea University: http://www.korea.ac.kr/

Hanyang University: http://www.hanyang.ac.kr/english/Campus%20Life/indexF6-1.html

KAIST: http://www.kaist.edu/edu.html

GIST: http://www.gist.ac.kr/english/03_admissions/sub_01.php

USA University of California international scholarships:

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying-for-uc/scholarships/apply/index.html

Georgia Tech: http://www.finaid.gatech.edu/scholarships/

Australia Melbourne University Scholarship: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/scholarships/ugrad/international

The Australian National University: http://www.anu.edu.au/sas/scholarships/index.php

Swiss ETH Zurich Scholarships: http://www.rektorat.ethz.ch/students/finance/scholarship/excellence/index_EN

Research Labs / Professors

• Research labs and faculties within the university also offer their own scholarships

• How to apply?

Search research labs / professors related to your research topic

Find if there are any MS or PhD positions

Read requirements carefully and then prepare your application

If positions are not available

Contact professors and ask them about the research opportunities

Make sure to include your research plan or at least research interests and research you have done

Before contacting a professor, visit his home page and read few recent research papers to get an idea about her research

How to choose a good professor?

Check projects, funding, list of publications, number of citation, alumni, etc.

General Instructions

• Prepare following documents in advance

Degrees

Transcripts

GRE or ILETS Score

Research Proposal

Statement of Purpose

• Search scholarship opportunities

Read requirements carefully

Prepare your application before the deadline The admission and scholarship process takes time and effort. It is best to start

your application process at least one month before the deadline

Make sure that your application is complete

Proofread your application several times

Advice on Writing Research Proposal

• This is one of the most important documents of your application

• Take your time to prepare a good research proposal

• Your research proposal should address following questions:

What is the problem being addressed?

Why it is important?

In what ways your work is innovative?

What methodology and techniques you will use?

Advice on Writing Research Proposal

• Your proposal should include following sections:

Summary

Introduction

Problem Statement

Research Objectives

Literature Review

Research Description

Plan of Work

Expected Results

References

Advice on Writing Research Proposal

• For more information, please visit the following links:

Advice on Writing Proposals to the National Science Foundation: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~sfinger/advice/advice.html

Guidelines on writing a research proposal http://www2.hawaii.edu/~matt/proposal.html

I have also attached some research proposals

Advice on Writing Reference Letters

• Reference letters play an important role

• Choose your referee carefully

Someone who knows you well and has a good reputation

• Reference letters should include comments on your academic performance

The reference letters which reveal nothing about you in terms of knowledge and capabilities are useless and would not make any difference.

• Ask your referee to send reference letter on time

• Good referees are always busy

Ask them at least a month before the deadline

Advice on Writing Reference Letters

• For more information, please visit the following links:

Guide for teaching fellows on writing letters of recommendation: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/Verba-recs.html

Writing a letter of recommendation: http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/mernst/advice/write-recommendation.html

Advice to Graduate School Recommendation Letter Writers: http://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/Memos/Grad-School-Recos/

Recommended Links

• Applying to PhD Programs in Computer Science: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf

• Tips on Getting into Grad School: http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~mdw/talks/gradschooltips.pdf

• Useful Things to Know About Ph. D. Thesis Research: http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~htk/thesis.htm

• Armando's Paper Writing and Presentations Page: http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~fox/paper_writing.html#hints

• How to Win a Graduate Fellowship: http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Win-a-Graduate/46782

• Tips for scholarships applicants: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/scholarships/pgrad/scholarship_resources/tips

• HOWTO: Get into grad school for science, engineering, math and computer science: http://matt.might.net/articles/how-to-apply-and-get-in-to-graduate-school-in-science-mathematics-engineering-or-computer-science/