Defining specific goals, writing great essays, preparing as soon as possible are experiences of international students who have been studying in Wales, England.
Of the options to study in the UK, Wales is one of the interesting destinations. This is an ancient land with more than 3,000 years of history, over 600 castles and six world cultural heritages. Life in Wales is vibrant, modern and safe with Britain's lowest crime rate. Besides, Wales has the most affordable cost of living in the UK, which helps parents and students save money.
Mai Linh, an international student from Cardiff University, Thanh Hang from Swansea University and Doan Minh Thu, a former student of Swansea University will share their experiences to win scholarships to study in Wales.
Define specific goals
Nguyen Mai Linh studies Master in Communication and Journalism at Cardiff University, ranked 6th in the UK (according to Times Good University Guide 2020) and in the top 30 in the world (according to QS rankings World Rankings 2020). Linh won a Chevening scholarship offered by the UK government.
According to Mai Linh, to get a prestigious scholarship, you need to first define your goals when building your profile. 'I asked myself what I have got after a few years of employment, what field should I learn more about, and what I want to do in the future. The next step is to thoroughly research scholarships, ask experiences from former people, and especially, learn about the cooperation strategy between the UK and Vietnam in the future. It will help you to find smart directions for the future career after graduation and coming back to Vietnam. In addition, you also need to prepare for mental and physical health in the process of application.', said Linh.
When preparing for application, Mai Linh also made a list of universities and ranked them in priority order. In addition to the priority on institution and industry rankings, the living environment also plays an important role in her study abroad experience. Chevening Scholarships encourage students to have a wide range of experiences while living and studying in the UK. Finally, Mai Linh chose to live in the city of Cardiff because it is the capital of Wales, the climate is warmer and is a well-known tourism city with many interesting destinations.
Write great essay
Thanh Hang chose to study Communication, Media and Public Relations at Swansea University, Wales because of her admiration for the world's leading television channels and information networks in the UK. Another reason is that Swansea University ranked 5th in the UK and ranked 1st in Wales for this subject (according to The Guardian). Before applying, Hang carefully researched course programmes, teaching methods and made a list of suitable courses and universities. Hang chose Swansea University because of its interesting program, modern facilities, academic and practice study and the lowest cost of living in the UK.
'The scholarship took two rounds – application and interview. I spent most of my time on two essays on the topic of leadership potentials and the ability to build and maintain networks. Essays was limited to less than 500 words per essay, so I focused thinking and choosing the most typical examples that showed my ability. I had written five to six different drafts but still did not satisfy, so I kept writing them repeatedly.' Hang said.
Besides the essay, Thanh Hang also allocates time for preparing for the interview and building profile to impress the admissions committee. Chevening scholarships are available to all UK universities including England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Last year, there were additional ten Chevening Wales scholarships, so Hang confidently applied for the scholarship. Having studied in Wales since September, Hang spent time enjoying the 'green education' environment, which oriented towards green technologies, and dignified the sense of environmental protection. 'I also participated in social and net-working activities as well as environmental protection volunteer programs in order to have practical experience to work in the future', Hang said.
Prepare as soon as possible
It is what shared by Doan Minh Thu, an international student at Swansea University from 2013–14. In order to win a Master's scholarship at this university, Thu started to learn about the graduate program from the beginning of the third year of university. So she had two years to prepare for a scholarship.
'I spent my time preparing for the IELTS exam as well as writing an impressive Statement of Purpose. In addition, I actively participated in social activities to score points with the admissions committee. In the profile, I did not forget to show my desire to study. Let’s show the admissions committee that you deserve the scholarship', Thu said.
To write an impressive scholarship letter, Minh Thu read more than 100 sample letters, made friends with former students to get experience. After structuring and writing the draft, Thu asked for their advice, found more diplomas and certificates to prove.
According to her, currently there are a lot of Welsh scholarship opportunities for Vietnamese students, from government scholarships to full scholarships of institutions, however, there are also many talented young people applying for scholarships. Therefore, the opportunity will be for those who actively and carefully prepare.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Head of Study Abroad in the UK, INDEC Study Abroad Consulting Company, said that Welsh Universities and Colleges have admission departments to support international students in applying scholarships and preparing for applications. The scholarships ranging from 10–100 per cent of tuition fee as well as living expenses are divided into many types of scholarships for each group of subjects, study levels and countries of students. Students can search for information directly on the website, send emails to the admissions department or contact the Vietnam consultant agents authorized by the school for official and latest information.
For students wishing to apply for government scholarships, Ms. Elizabeth George, Universities Wales advises that besides the Chevening Wales scholarship program, you should refer to the Global Wales Post-graduate scholarship program. This program offers 24 scholarships (each worth £10,000) applied to a full-time master's program. Each university in Wales will award a minimum of three scholarships worth £10,000 per scholarship. In 2020, the application form is opened at the end of October. Students are required to apply for a postgraduate program in Wales before applying for a scholarship through website Study in Wales.
List of scholarships at universities in Wales:
|
|
Name of Institution |
Name of scholarship |
Scholarship value (£) |
For level of study/subjects |
|
Scholarship of Global Wales |
For all universities in Wales |
Chevening Wales Scholarship |
7 Full scholarships |
All Postgraduate Taught courses |
|
Global Wales Postgraduate Scholarship |
24 x 10,000 per scholarship |
All Postgraduate Taught courses. Each university in Wales will be awarded a minimum of three scholarships |
||
|
Scholarships of institutions |
Cardiff Metropolitan University |
Cardiff Met Vietnam Scholarship |
3,000 |
Any full time Undergraduate or Postgraduate Masters degree course |
|
Undergraduate Scholarship |
£1200 per year |
All full time Undergraduate Courses including Final Year Top Up courses |
||
|
Vice Chancellor Scholarship |
1,500 |
Postgraduate Masters or MBA |
||
|
Bangor University |
Vice-Chancellor Scholarship |
50% tuition fee |
All Postgraduate Taught courses |
|
|
Professional Experience Scholarship |
4,000 |
All Postgraduate Taught Masters courses |
||
|
Deans Scholarship |
Up to 5,000 |
All Postgraduate Taught courses |
||
|
International Scholarship |
3.000 |
All Postgraduate Taught courses |
||
|
Chevening Universities Wales Vietnam Scholarship |
Full tuition fee |
All Postgraduate Taught Masters courses |
||
|
University of South Wales |
Chancellor's International Development Scholarship |
Up to 2.500 |
UG and PG |
|
|
USW international students progressing to Masters (Progression Scholarship) |
Up to 6.000 |
Students progressing from USW UG to PG. |
||
|
Swansea University |
International Excellence Scholarships (Undergraduate) |
6.000 |
Undergraduate - selected subjects only |
|
|
International Excellence Scholarships (Postgraduate) |
4.000 |
Postgraduate taught - selected subjects only |
||
|
Postgraduate - Subject specific scholarships (various) |
Various (from £2,000 up to £20,000) |
Postgraduate taught |
You can find more detailed information about the scholarship programs above on the British Council website.
