Chevening Scholarship Winning Tips from Atlas Fellow to other Fellows- Let’s multiply the impact

Hye Fellow Fellows

I can say on behalf of all Atlas Fellows with full confidence that this fellowship brings the tremendous joy of being an exceptional change leader in the WORLD. From the professional environment of the United States to the hospitality of the American people, it was an unforgettable journey for me. I also had the joy of having another prestigious scholarship, the Chevening Scholarship, to study in the United Kingdom.

Before Atlas Fellowship, I have remained a Chevener as well. Just like the Atlas Corps fellowship, Chevening is also the most prestigious scholarship to study in the UK. Many fellows reached out to me to ask about how they can get Chevening as well. Firstly, I can assure you that as an Atlas Fellow, you already stand out in the crowd to get any fellowship/scholarship you want in the world. In this post, I would like to pass on my experience in the form of tips to apply for Chevening or any other fellowship and to win it. 

Website is a best guide, FAQ is the first and foremost source of getting answers

Most importantly, please read the instructions and FAQs before filling the application form. It is very important and beneficial for you to consult the content on the Chevening website or any other fellowship/scholarship website, as it is best guide to fill the application and get the authentic answers of your questions. 

To facilitate you, please follow the following steps to apply for Chevening Scholarship Award 

How to apply? 

Step 1: Course Finder 

Please follow the following link and find the course and University, that Chevening is funding in UK. 

http://www.chevening.org/find-a-course

Step 2: 

Follow the following link to create you login for Chevening 

https://chevening.tal.net/candidate/login

Step 3: Start the application 

Than follow the application tab and fill the details. Keep in mind following while filling the application: 

  1. University application: It is important to mention you just need to mention 3 universities and the course you want to study in those selected Universities. YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE ADMISSION LETTER FROM UNIVERSITY TO APPLY FOR CHEVENING AT THIS POINT. Give preference to Universities in your application which you feel is the brightest chances of getting admission. But you can change the preference later at the interview stage. 
  2. Experience Letters: Please don’t worry about the experience certificates at this point. You can upload the certificates later. And provision of certificate is not mandatory.
  3. IELTS: You do not need to have IELTS at this point, once you are selected you will have timeline to submit IELTS by July, 14. 

Recommendation: I would strongly recommend to submit IELTS by End November or December start. Firstly, it will help to strengthen your application and improve chances of selection before candidate selection for interview in Feb, 2017. Secondly, you will have chance to improve if you fail to achieve the desired score. The IELTS requirement of Chevening is 6.5 with 6 in each. BUT please check the University course requirement as well before applying for University. 

Important thing that only a Chevener can tell: 

* Please apply in more than 3 universities, at least 5 to 6 to secure admission, this is because if you didn’t secure admission in any of the University mentioned in your application form and get an admission in 4th University (which is not mentioned in application form) than your scholarship can still be secured. If you have been called for interview than in the interview you can let them know about the 4th University in which you have admission offer. 

* Please try to select almost SIMILAR COURSES in every university you want to mention in the Scholarship application form. It will benefit you in two ways: 1) it would be easier to create relevance of your intended subject with you purposed study plan, relevance to your professional development, relevance to your contribution toward your country development. 2) it will save your time to draft your Personal Statement and other application related questions separately for each university 

MOST IMPORTANT: Please do not ignore this point if you are really motivated to be a Chevener. Please do not fill the application in hustle and bustle. Please take some time and draft everything carefully. From your education, work experience, professional qualification till the end of the application form there MUST BE RELEVANCE in each and every component. The narrative questions of application form are very important and are very very very important to get selected. Each question must be answered with care and dedication. Do not make any statement in one question that contradicts with the statement in the next one. 

* Please apply before deadline, last year due to the heavy number of applications, Chevening system was crashed. But the applicants were lucky enough to get some extra hours to upload their applications successfully. But luck never comes always, so be safe and apply before deadline. 

I think above are the points, that if you follow them, would help you secure Chevening. I cannot wait to welcome my Atlas Fellows to be a Chevener as well. Let’s expand the impact and multiply it many folds. 

Thumbnail photo by Shubham Sharan on Unsplash