How To Prepare For Chevening Scholarship: A Guide

If you have applied for the Chevening scholarship, or you are still planning to apply for the scholarship, then this timely guide is for you.

In this article, I will show you how to prepare for Chevening scholarship, so as to increase your chances of being shortlisted among your contemporaries.

It is our strong view that this winning tips below on how to prepare and consequently win the Chevening scholarship will be of great help to you in your adventure of being a chevener.

Hence, if you are ready for all these tips, then, by all means, read on to discover our proven tips below.

Also Read: How To Apply For Chevening Scholarship

Chevening Scholarship: A Quick Background

When it comes to scholarship programs, Chevening has made a name for itself as one of the most iconic scholarship programs out there in this 21 century.

This scholarship is duly managed by the British high commission, for all the commonwealth countries in the world.

Chevening scholarship was established in 1984. Ever since then it now enjoys a global alumnus of over 50,000 beneficiaries, who through this scholarship scheme have made their dream of studying abroad a reality

 

It should be noted here that most Chevening beneficiaries are actually at the leadership positions in their various sectors, helping to guide their countries economy, and contributing to global peace and progress.

This comes as no surprise as Chevening aims at locating ambitious students with leadership potentials through the essay section of the scholarship.

You should also note that the selection criteria for the scholarship differ on a country basis.

Hence, of the 50,000+ candidates that applied for the scholarship last year, close to 2,000 applicants were awarded the prestigious scholarship.

If really you really want to learn some of the things that made this select few stand out among the rest, then read on because you are about to discover their winning strategy from my personal experience.

Winning Tips For Chevening Scholarship

When it comes to scholarships,  there are certain guidelines that every successful applicant normally follow before they are eventually shortlisted for the award.

Below is our list of winning tips that can help you better prepare and position for winning this prestigious Chevening scholarship program.

Have A Definite Purpose And Direction

You must first pose certain basic questions to yourself, and attempt to answer them as objective as possible.

You should first ask yourself the following questions about the Whys: Do I really need a master’s degree? If yes, why?

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Why exactly did I choose the university that I chose, and why did I leave the rest? Is the course that I chose one in the direction of my future dreams?

Also Read: How To Win A Commonwealth Scholarship

Try as much as possible to be objective while answering these questions. If you can confidently provide cogent answers to these questions, then know that you are prepared to proceed from there.

Your Knowledge Bank

There is no way you can scare through the Chevening application processes to be shortlisted for the award if you have not invested a lot of time online reading everything you could possibly read about Chevening scholarship.

Yes, this is one area where the winners begin to separate themselves from the rest of the crowd. Chevening is a serious business, treat it as such with everything you’ve got.

You must increase your knowledge about Chevening from the persons who have won the scholarship abroad, to the ones within your country.

Build relationships with them, so that they can help give you some insight into how to better prepare, thereby increasing your confidence base.

You must desire to know everything you could possibly know about this scholarship, from its origin to the persons who sponsor it.

Take it through its development over the years, its past leaders and every other thing in between. No knowledge they say is a waste. This will eventually set you apart from the rest, believe me on this.

Be Determined

Honestly, going through the application process of Chevening is really not the easiest thing on earth to do, as it can mostly be so daunting.

But you can’t afford to give up along the way. You must discipline yourself until you get to the finishing line.

You are generally given the option to select 3 universities and 3 different courses during your application process, with the hope that at least one of these universities will give you an unconditional admission letter.

Hence, you must research carefully the courses that you have chosen to determine if any of them align with your track records, which is related to the UK government priority areas in your local community or country as a whole.

It could be a stressful process though, but what option do you really have? Learn never to take any of these for granted.

Write A Winning Chevening Essay

Since there are thousands of people across the whole commonwealth countries in the world applying for this scholarship, you should know that the scholarship is highly competitive.

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At such, the one thing that makes you stand out among the rest is your quality of the essay that you present to the Chevening board.

Also Read: How To Win A Commonwealth Scholarship

Generally, the Chevening scholarship offers you the opportunity of writing 4 different essays, in which you are expected to sell yourself to them as the right candidate for the scholarship.

In each of these 4 essays, you are expected to use about 5oo words to establish your high points and accomplishments.

How well you are able to present your accomplishments and academic track records is the defining factor that determines whether you will be shortlisted or long-listed at the end of the exercise.

On this, you may want to read our comprehensive guide on how to write a winning Chevening scholarship.

The Flow Of Your Essay

It’s important to establish your track records and other highlights, and how you are the best candidate for the Chevening award.

But more importantly, you must allow your arguments and analysis to have a logical flow. You cant allow your essay not to be sequential, no.

There must be logical coherence between the points in your preceding paragraphs and the paragraphs that follow. Lack of coherence drastically reduces the overall performance of your essay.

Also Read: How To Write Unique Scholarship Essays

Also, ensure that you are consistent with your use of words. Also, use a few of the technical terms in your chosen discipline while writing your essay, but do not overuse these technical terms, so that you will not confuse the reader of the essay, thereby reducing the assessment score of your essay.

The most important thing here to look at for is established your authority in terms of what you have done in the past, what you are doing in the present as well as what you intend to do in the future as a potential leader.

The reason is that Chevening is looking for people with the potentials of effecting changes in their different sectors. Tell them through your essay that you are the right candidate.

However, in the bid to sell yourself to them, do not lie about your accomplishments, as this will certainly backfire. Be yourself, and only tell the things you have really achieved in the course of your life and career.

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Emotional Strength And Capacity

Like i said somewhere in this article, going through this Chevening scholarship is really not the easiest thing on earth to do.

And at such, it requires a certain level of emotional intelligence to start and finish the race, from the essay part through the interview part (for those that made it to this stage).

Your references are another area that requires close attention. You should balance it by using both professional and academic referees in your application.

Honestly, this may look unimportant, but believe me, it’s very necessary just like other highlighted ones above.

Go start talking to your referees about your plans of applying for Chevening scholarship, and the role (referee) that you want them to play in that regard. Be deliberate about it, and you will see them respond accordingly.

Build A Support System Around Yourself

Beyond the help that you can get online lies a system of past and present Chevening scholars, you can easily in reviewing your essays and assessing your level of preparedness for the interview.

You know why? These set of people have actually gone through the system and have succeeded. They are the ones to help you prepare for the Chevening scholarship.

Hence, their wealth of experience can really be put to your advantage, leverage on that and you will become outstanding among the rest.

Honestly, the particular point helped me a lot for the success I recorded during my application process of Chevening.

With these few tips above on how to better prepare for Chevening scholarship, we are confident that once you apply them, your success in this scholarship will be second to none.

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