Tips on Applying for a Scholarship

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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/

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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?

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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/

15. 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/