chevening essay questions 2022

The Wave of Study in Abroad

विद्या विनियोगात् विकासः (vidyā viniyogāt vikāsaḥ)

Breakdown of Chevening Essay Questions: A Comprehensive Guide

Navigating the Chevening scholarship application can be a rewarding yet challenging process. Among the crucial components are the essay questions, which provide an opportunity for you to showcase your aspirations, experiences, and potential. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down each of the Chevening essay questions and offer insights to help you craft compelling responses.

1. Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.

Focus: Demonstrating Leadership and Influence

This question aims to gauge your leadership abilities and potential to effect positive change. To answer effectively:

• Provide Examples: Share specific instances where you demonstrated leadership, whether in your academic, professional, or community endeavors.
• Highlight Influence: Discuss how your actions influenced outcomes, motivated others, or brought about change.
• Connect to Future: Explain how your leadership experiences align with your future goals and how the Chevening scholarship will further develop your leadership potential.

2. Chevening Scholarships are awarded to individuals with demonstrable leadership potential who also have strong academic backgrounds. How do you intend to use your Chevening experience to develop your leadership skills and create a positive social change?

Focus: Linking Academic Excellence and Leadership

Here, the focus is on your academic prowess and its relationship to leadership and social impact:

• Link Academic and Leadership Goals: Explain how your academic pursuits are intertwined with your leadership aspirations.
• Social Impact: Discuss how your Chevening experience will enable you to contribute to positive societal changes.
• Specific Plans: Outline tangible actions you’ll take to enhance your leadership skills during and after your studies.

3. Network with people of different nationalities and backgrounds. What can you learn from others? How will this enrich your experience as a Chevening Scholar?

Focus: Embracing Diversity and Networking

This question emphasizes cross-cultural collaboration and the value of a diverse network:

• Learning from Diversity: Highlight the benefits of interacting with people from various backgrounds, including new perspectives and insights.
• Enriching Chevening Experience: Explain how these interactions will contribute to your personal and academic growth as a Chevening Scholar.

4. What influence do you hope to have on your home country or region as a result of studying in the UK?

Focus: Positive Impact on Home Country

This question assesses your vision for the future and your commitment to your home country’s development:

• Specific Goals: Outline the specific areas you aim to impact upon your return.
• Alignment with UK Study: Explain how your UK education will equip you to address challenges in your home country.

5. Please explain why you want to study in the UK and why you have chosen your selected course(s).

Focus: UK Study and Course Choice

This question explores your motivations for studying in the UK and the relevance of your chosen course:

• UK’s Strengths: Discuss the UK’s academic excellence, resources, and opportunities that attract you.
• Course Relevance: Explain why your chosen course aligns with your academic and career goals.

6. Summarize all relevant leadership and service-related achievements in which you have participated.

Focus: Leadership and Service Achievements

This is an opportunity to succinctly list your notable leadership and service accomplishments:

• Concise Presentation: List achievements in a clear and organized manner.
• Highlight Impact: Briefly explain the significance and outcomes of each achievement.

Navigating the Chevening essay questions requires a thoughtful approach that showcases your unique qualities, aspirations, and commitment to positive change. By addressing each question’s specific focus and providing well-structured responses, you can present a compelling case for why you are an ideal candidate for the Chevening scholarship. Remember to tailor your answers to highlight your strengths and alignment with Chevening’s values and objectives.

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• Sep 17, 2020

Part 2: Applying for the Chevening Scholarship (Essay Tips)

Updated: Oct 14, 2020

This serves as Part 2 of the Chevening Tips, in the event that you would like insight in as far as what is Chevening and an overall insight on what is required to apply, kindly have a look at Part 1: Applying for the Chevening Scholarship (FAQ).

Applying for the Chevening Scholarship Series

Three Years a Charm: Becoming a Chevening Scholar

Part 1: Applying for the Chevening Scholarship (FAQ)

Disclaimer: Note that the advice given here below is my own personal opinion and not that of the Chevening Secretariat or the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office .

When applying for the Chevening Scholarship, you will be required to submit four written essays, each a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 500 words.

Quick Tips on how to write your 4 Chevening Essays:

When writing your essays, use the STAR and SMART approach.

Ensure that you cover the bases in each of your essays, mentioning the most important elements.

Your essays have to be truthful, concise, and well-written.

Ensure that you tell a story when writing your essays, you can add bullet points to list achievements and highlight career goals however there should be a flow.

Ensure that any stranger can make out what you are trying to say, making it clear what you are talking about. When making references to data or situations from your home country, be sure to mention the country's name.

Refrain using words like our and their, and opt to name what you are talking about.

Use Grammarly to spell check your work and ensure that your grammar is correct.

STAR Approach - Derived from Muse

Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.

Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.

Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.

Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.

SMART Approach - Derived from CFI

Specific: Well defined, clear, and unambiguous.

Measurable : With specific criteria that measure your progress toward the accomplishment of the goal.

Achievable: Attainable and not impossible to achieve.

Realistic: Within reach, realistic, and relevant to your life purpose.

Timely: With a clearly defined timeline, including a starting date and a target date. The purpose is to create urgency.

Four Essay Topics

Leadership and Influence

Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer. - Question as per the Chevening Website

Using the methods explained above (STAR AND SMART Approach), ensure that you speak on the times you have depicted leadership traits, the leadership positions you have occupied and the times you have displayed a position of influence. These can range from managerial positions, leadership in organizations (NGO's included), or in your day-to-day life. In addition, you can touch on what leadership ambitions you have and how this ties back to your community.

It is important to ensure that the examples are impact-driven and not only for self-gain.

Chevening is looking for individuals with strong professional relationship-building skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Please explain how you build and maintain relationships in a professional capacity, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future. - Question as per the Chevening Website

Writing your networking essay is primarily about showing clear examples of the relationships you have built, how they were established, and how you have managed to maintain them. In addition, highlight how these said relationships have been instrumental in your personal development and the work that you do. Ensure that you are able to glean from every example the skill acquired and how these skills will be useful to you in the future as a possible Chevening scholar. This essay, in essence, is to show that you have the ability to use the opportunities given to you in a tangible and impactful manner.

Career Plan

Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer-term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country. - Question as per Chevening Website

This essay provides an opportunity for you to layout an immediate 2-year plan, and a 5 to 10-year plan. Your plans need to be attainable and should speak to your ambitions as laid out in your career plan. The most important tip for when writing out your career plan, is to ensure that when you touch on your professional experience, it not be written as though it is a Curriculum Vitae but rather speaking on impact, journey, and career trajectory. You too are welcome to link your journey thus far, to how this informs your next career move, namely pursuing a masters degree. You should depict an understanding of what you want to do in the future, how this is tangibly attainable, and what your ambitions are long term.

Studying in the UK

Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses, and explain how this relates to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future. Please do not duplicate the information you have entered on the work experience and education section of this form. - Question as per the Chevening Website

Do not duplicate your career essay in this essay, however, you can link the information. You will also be required to list the three universities you will be applying to, the name of the courses at the said universities, and why you chose the particular university.

Tip: Depending on which course you intend to study, google the top-performing universities in the said field to inform your university choice. Then ensure that the universities you would like to attend are Chevening partner universities, before finalizing your list of your three chosen universities.

Bonus: I have asked three scholars who have managed to successfully be chosen for Chevening before to assist with proofreading 3 prospective scholars essays before submission. Kindly note that these will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. This available to a total of 9 prospective scholars and no more. Only the 9 successful prospective scholars will be contacted. If you are not contacted, unfortunately, the 9 spots were already taken.

To get your essays proofread - please fill in the form at the link here .

(Available to ONLY the first 9 applicants)

Proofreading volunteer scholars (each reading 3 prospective scholars essays EACH)

Rosalia Shiimi - Rosalia holds a BSc Honours Degree in Geology and a Certificate in Investment Management from the University of Cape Town. She is currently the Acting Grade Control Geologist at Vedanta Zinc International’s Gamsberg Operation. She is a part of the 2021/2022 Chevening cohort, pursuing a Master of Science in Applied Environment Geology at Cardiff University.

Abel is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and former Head of Internal Audit. He holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science and Postgraduate Diploma in Internal Auditing. In addition, he too is a Section Chairperson and Branch Executive member in SPYL and serve on the NCCI Windhoek Trading Committee. He will be pursuing a Master of Arts in International Relations at the University of Birmingham.

Hilja Eelu - Hilja is a UCT molecular biology graduate and a previous recipient of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellowship. Having been awarded both the Chevening and Commonwealth scholarship, she will be pursuing the MSc Control of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine starting September 2020, thanks to the Commonwealth scholarship.

Additional Reading Material

Essay Tips from the Reading Committee of Chevening

Essay Examples

Writing an effective networking essay

My Application for Chevening Scholarship

Chevening Leadership Essay

How I won the Chevening Scholarship - Part 2: Writing your Essays

From One Powerhouse to another

Twitter - @MavisBraga

Instagram - @MavisBraga1

Facebook - Mavis Elias

Website - www.mavisbraga.com

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Thoughts Left Unspoken

Writing Chevening Essay: Breakdown Those 4 Questions

Writing an essay for Chevening scholarship was not an easy task. But surely, we need to invest our time to write, revise and polish it. The whole writing process took me 1.5 months, but let’s not use this as a standard as anyone can have different situations.

In this post, I’m going to breakdown each question and share how I answered my Chevening essay. It is surely not the perfect one, but I’d like to share what I think essential when answering those four questions. I also did a mentoring program for Chevening applicants 19/20 and some of my mentees were accepted! Having said that, I’m sure there are some of my tips that you can use.

Disclaimer. This post does not reflect on the Chevening Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and its partner organisations. This story is just my experience and personal thoughts working on Chevening’s essay.

Without further ado, let’s go through each question.

Leadership and Influence 

One of the common thoughts that most applicants have about leadership is the position; the title. I would say, no. The title is a legitimation that you have the power to lead, but beyond that, I think the most important thing that Chevening really look is the impact of your leadership. They are also looking for a potential leader. So, it does not matter if you don’t have a Manager, Head, Leader, etc in your resume as long as you can showcase your influencing and leadership skills by giving examples.

Before start writing, think about what leadership accomplishments that you had. List all down and select two to three examples that gave great impact and made you learn the most. Each question only allows 500 words hence we really need to be careful to choose which experience to be put in the essay. If you can, try to put examples in different cases and environment to show that you have a range of leadership experiences.

As I already mentioned in the previous post about general tips for writing Chevening  essay, it is important to give an introduction. Although this is just a suggestion, if you’re unsure where to start, you can try with what you believe about leadership or a brief about what kind of leader you think you are. After that, you can link to your leadership experiences, supporting your statement about the leadership that you write in the introduction. Build an engaging introduction is also crucial to make the panel stay reading your story. Remember, they read thousands of essays, at least you want to keep them engaged with your essay.

In my case, my first sentence in the intro was: I believe that the leaders are not born, but made through a process of hard work.  I then supported this statement by briefly telling several experiences during high schools and how it has been forming me primary wisdom about leadership. However, this is not my highlight of the leadership experience that I want to tell the panel. Hence, I used a linking sentence such as  I apply this wisdom to excel my role in current employment, but my training is never complete. The linking sentence could also serve as a bridge to the next thing I have on my plate and build the story’s flow.

Then, I wrote two examples of my leadership experiences which are happened in my office using Situation, Task, Actions, Result (STAR) structure. Read about this here . I would say give more portion for “action” because the more specific and detail you give, the more panellist know you hence more room to asses you.

I wrote one success story about my experiences in leading an early-stage start-up company. When you write a success story, make sure that you’re really specific about what you did, what steps that you did differently to achieve the goal? Did you face challenges? How did you overcome the challenge? Did people doubt you? How did you convince them to finally follow your leadership? I wrote about making an unpopular decision which I deemed a huge challenge; I should do it otherwise it won’t do any good for the company. From this story, I took an angle on the lesson learned and how it contributed to mature my emotions.

When you write about result, if you can, give a quantifiable result to justify the impact. However, the bottom line is to justify your impact. Tell them that there are people who benefited from the projects that you led — it could be personal or organisational.

Another thing is to mention your lesson learned. What you learned from each experience that contributes to your personal development. I personally think this is critical to show that you’re a human and a growing person. We all know that leadership is not a one-day skill, it takes years to sharpen it hence mistakes are okay to be mentioned as long as you can turn the “angle” into supporting your story.

Finish the essay with a closing paragraph which amplifies Chevening’s role in developing your leadership skill. What is your aspiration, in regards to leadership skill, if you were accepted as Chevening scholar? State this briefly and do the same for the next 4 questions.

I would say that the networking question was a bit difficult for me to elaborate. Why? Because again, Chevening is looking for someone whose networking skills could create an impact. So, in my opinion, it’s not about showing off how big your network is or how often you attend networking events, instead of how you use your network to create a greater impact.

Using the same approach as in question 1, answer the question by STAR structure. Started by an introduction, get into the main body and finish with closing.

In my case, I was using my exchange program to South Korea during undergraduate study as a chance to meet new friends — where one of that friend was playing a great role of me working at an early-stage startup company, a place where I highlighted my  leadership skills in the first question. The company is obviously has been a place for me to create an impact on the team and communities. For instance, a collaboration opportunity with external media to provide cross-content and it would give us huge traffic for the website.

Emphasise the impact you’ve created because of the networking you did. Give two to three networking skills and experiences that you have and again, be detail. Highlight that the impact is not only beneficial for you, but also for another side that you network with.

In the closing, you should elaborate Chevening’s role in your networking skills, you can try to relate how Chevening would expand your networking and how will you use Chevening networking if you were accepted as Chevening scholar.

Studying in the UK

While questions about leadership and networking are more to dig your skills and capability in becoming a potential future leader, in my opinion, questions about studying in the UK and career plan are crucial to showing your cause, passion and how do you stay true with that. This can be a very critical part that would differentiate you from other applicants I guess, as I would say that Chevening is looking for people who would serve and build their community. So, it is important to answer the last 2 questions coherently.

To make your essay coherent, try to answer these questions as a base for you to answer questions number 3 and 4.

• What is my passion/concern?
• What problems do I want to solve?
• How will I solve the problems?

My ultimate advise for this part is don’t write more than 50% for the courses and campus rank. Write more about you: your passion, area of expertise, problems found in your field and what is your vision — which supposed to be related with your expertise area. Think about why taking a master study in those three sp ecific courses and universities is going to help you to achieve your vision. This information is really helpful to link and congruent your story in the question no.4 (career plan). 

In my case, I used a fact that the growth of digital start-up in Indonesia has been astonishing recently but it is not followed by the success rate of a startup. If you want to use a fact, don’t forget to put the source. I outlined that the major problem was startup founders mostly great in building products yet tend to ignore other managerial skills such as people development, sales and finance (again, I put source). I then linked this statement to my personal experience working in an early stage start-up company where I had limited experiences or skills which happens to be a similar situation like startup founders. Hence, a degree in innovation and entrepreneurship would give me a balanced set of technical skills and knowledge in building early ventures.

From previous paragraph, I answered three basic questions to outline my background. Who am I? — A start-up early employee, what is my passion? — early venture development, what problems do I want to solve? — the high rate of startup failure rate and how will you solve it? — a degree in innovation and entrepreneurship by Chevening scholarship as one of stepping stones and followed by action plans that I will write in the question no.4

After outlining the “background” story about you, you can write the three courses. Highlight the reason why you choose them, it can be the campus ranking, curriculum, or professors/projects. I chose Warwick University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship because of the curriculum, the final project worth 50% of the final grade in which devoted to developing the business innovation carefully.  The school also placed the second rank of best Entrepreneurship master degree in the UK, after Oxford. My second choice was Imperial College and the third was the City University of London.

By the way, another advise choosing the school, besides research the course and its curriculum, do find out about the whole campus. Think about the facilities, clubs/societies, opportunities, the lifestyle (or living cost), nearby attractions, the city it’s located, etc. Ask current students about living in your designated campus, how do they like the campus and its surroundings? How about life after campus? I’m saying this not because I dislike Warwick University, instead, the campus has its own art centre and biggest sports centre in Coventry — which is realllly cool, but I would say Coventry itself doesn’t have many attractions to offer. But for the bright side, that really helps me to focus on my study and save money (it’s true!); it forces me to travel to other places more often hehe.  I would share my travel stories in other posts. Coventry also not too far from London and Birmingham, the two biggest cities in the UK. It’s easier for me to jump on opportunities in UK startups scene.

Career Plans

One thing I always shared to Chevening applicants who asked me to proofread their essay is: make a clear plan and breakdown into short term, mid-term and long term goal. Ensure each breakdown is contributing to your long-term goals if that makes sense? This way, it shows that you know how to get there. In my case, I wrote for immediate plans (2 years after study), the next 5 years and beyond 5 years. Make sure that your career goals are answering your concern and supporting your passion (stated in question no.3) which forms a more congruent essay.

As you need to relate your career goals to what the UK Government do in your country, you need to research. This might be different in every country and it might change year by years. You can start the search from the official UK’s government website ( http://gov.uk/world/name of country/news). Research thoroughly and try to link what you can contribute through your career goal.

Another thing to highlight is state how Chevening is one of the paths you would greatly benefit to take you to your future goals. How would you apply things you got from Chevening (the scholarship, the network, the education, the international friends) in your future career path? In my case, I outlined that I would use network from Chevening alumni to open access for mentors who can guide and share expertise to founders in establishing a new business.

As this is the last question, end the whole essay with a strong “punchline”. Keep elaborate Chevening, you can try to summarise outlined your aspiration by being a Chevening scholar. In my case, I mentioned that I still have to acquire deeper knowledge in innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as expanding my network to collaborate together in solving the problem. I acknowledged that from previous experiences, I gained valuable lessons in networking and leadership, however, I believe it’s still not enough. I then closed with thus, by being a Chevening scholar, I believe I would be (fill in the blank). 

I hope this article helps you! I also want to highlight that this is just my personal experience and thoughts, it might be not relevant for different courses; many of my Chevening friends pursue a course that I don’t know it exists 😀 (but that’s what I like about Chevening: they acknowledge that future leaders can contribute in any field). Lastly, write the essay with all your heart, write what you feel right and true. Good luck, keep fighting and believe in yourself!

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Published by laurensiairma

ESTJ; my stories are on my own perspective. View all posts by laurensiairma

61 thoughts on “Writing Chevening Essay: Breakdown Those 4 Questions”

[…] breakdown of each question is posted here. However, there are some important points I want to point out when you work for Chevening […]

Thank you! That’s really inspiring!

what a magnificent breakdown kak, terima kasih 🙂 *udah pinter cantik pula idamaannnnn huaa

Haha thank you! Goodluck!!

Thank you so much! My leadership essay exceeds the word count of 500, will the reading committee consider my application? this is my biggest concern, please leave me a reply if you know about the issue.

HI Mohammad, I think it will be best to stay at 500. Panellists read thousands of essays, they probably do skimming reading and you don’t want to leave them uninterested if your story is too long. It’s our challenge to make our essay is engaging and effective within 500 words. It’s hard indeed, but just be direct and straight to the answers asked in the questions. Hope it helps.

Thanks a lot for your all your tips! I’m glad I bumped into your blog. I have a tiny question related to essays 3 and 4: when I write about the efforts of the UK being made in my country, do I need to cite/quote the, let’s say, the FCDO and put their reference somewhere? I’m wondering since I think the link itself would take away many words out of my 500 word count. Or is there a specific format I should stick to? Thanks once again!!

Hi Mitch. When I cited the source, I just write “according to xxx research in 2015 (for example)..” and then put the whole link in the footnote. Actually there’s no specific format about citing (As this is not academic essay) and I guess this format worked well. Hope it helps!

Amazing guidance, many thanks for sharing this with us confused youths. I am working for an educational Facebook page in Vietnam (which works to aid scholarship applicants in their process and is currently having over 41 000 followers). May I translate this entry into Vietnamese and share it on my page? I will credit you with this link and send you the draft before publishing Thank you in advance,

Hi Anne, thanks for reaching me out. Yes, sure you can 🙂 Please head to my Instagram @laurensiaimce and dm me. Thank youu!

Thank you so much for such an amazing and detailed information.

Dear Linos, Thanks for the kind word!

Thank you. Your insights shed bright lights on what panel really look for and what they expect. It is my first year applying for Chevening. The process itself offers so much excitement. I am a language teacher and want to develop myself as leader and influencer in education. Could I contact you directly to get help for my essays? thank you.

Hi Bekzod, yes you can head to my Instagram and leave me a dm. Thank you!

Thank you for this! Its a wonderful detailed and helpful article!

Thank youuuu!

Thank you so much Lauren, your posts has been really helpful. Please do you know if Chevening also supports for non partner universities

Hi Isaiah, they support non-partners too. If Im not mistaken, what makes different between partner and non-partner is the scholarship ratio between chevening and the sponsors (partner). For awardee, there wont be any impact.

priceless informaion!!!

Thank you 🙂

Thank you for this article Lauren, please can I send you a mail

Hello ! I am a student applying for Chevening . This is my first time. I have no IG or FB. May i have your mail ID? I request you to proofread my essays and offer feedback. Many thanks, M

Hi, please contact me via linkedin: Laurensia Irma Saraswati. Thank youu!

A very thoughtful article! I am also applying for Chevening scholarship this year. This article gives me a lot of insights into my essay

May I ask you to proofread my essays kak? Thanks a lot!

Regards, FM

Hi Faisal, thank you so much for reading my blog! I’m currently unavailable for proof read, so sorry! Good luck for your application!

Hi Abdibasid, thank you for reading my blog too! Good luck for your application!

Hi Laurensia, thanks for sharing this insightful article. Just curious in your opinion, is it better to write all three courses or can I just focus to one course only?

Hi Dee, so sorry for late reply. I wrote all three courses but I explained the first choice slightly more than other two. It’s because I really like my first choice and highlight what I need to study there. Hope this helps.

Hello Laurensia, I am beyond grateful to you for this detailed article!. I tried to reach out to you on LinkedIn but it seems that it’s not possible to contact you via instant messaging. I hope you get to see my request.

Hi Assia, yeah we connected through Linkedin right? 🙂

This is a beautiful guide, if followed carefully with a mother luck, one can get the scholarship I believe. Thanks a bunch

Hi James, thank you so much for reading my blog. Good luck!!

Wow ! Just perfect post. One of the best posts I have ever read about Chevening. Heartfelt thanks ♡♡

Hi Marwa, thank youuuu!!

Thank you so much for this, your guidance was invaluable!

Dear Akeyo, thank youuu so much for the kind words. Good luck on your application!

Dear Laurensia, This is the most flexible article i have ever read for Chevening application. I have a question regarding experience as i have more than 6 years of experience which is totaling 11,000 hours (35 hours / week). The minimum requirement is 2,800 hours but i want to know is there any upper limit. if i show the full 11,000 into my application. Would it impact or not? Waiting for your reply. Thanks

Hi Sagheer,

Thanks for reading my blog! As far as I know there is an upper limit, but I forgot what the number is. Btw, if the system already recorded that you have min. 2000 hrs of working experience, you’ll be okay!

Thank you Laurensia for your reply. Yes i checked Chevening website they said a range of minimum 35 to maximum 60 hours per week. So what i understand is that i can add maximum employers as far as the time spend per week at each employer does not exceed 60 hours per week.

Halo, Kak Lauren! What an inspiring article :)) Kak Lauren, would you please be my mentee for Chevening 🙂 I do really need someone to review my essay. Hopefully you can be my mentee. Thankyou in advance :))

Hi Ratri, Apologies for late reply. I’m soo sorry I’m currently unavailable for becoming a mentor neither proofread assistance 😦 Good luck in your application!

HeyLaurensia, Loved the the detailed article. I used the contents in your blog to edit my essays. Thank you so much.

Hi Maryam, thanks for your kind word! Good luck for your application!

Dear Laurensia, I am so excited to read your blog which has a completed information for potential applicants. I have question that i have worked more than 11,000 hours and if i want to show them in full does it have a negative impact on my application? Is there any Upper limit for working hours?

Thanks the insights

hello Laurensia, Thank you for this help! I want to ask if it’s okay to write UK in essay or we have to in full (united kingdom)? another qn is that, is there a problem when one chooses one course at all three universities or we have to choose three courses as well?

That was very usefull I think if this essey included some bullet piont can be more ataractive. Tank you .

Halo kak,… Ketika kita copas essay ke sistem chevening,sebaiknya antar paragraf diberi spasi (di-enter) atau tidak ya? Apakah hal ini mempengaruhi? Terima kasih

Apologise for very late reply. Aku dikasih paragraf dulu, supaya bacanya enak. Jujur gak tau mempengaruhi atau nggaknya, cuma at least buat akunya sendiri, aku jadi bisa baca lebih jelas. Hope this helps!

Hi Laurensia, thank you for such great tips on writing the chevening essay. I have been applying for chevening scholarship for the past 3 years and I am not shortlisted for interviews. I was wondering if you would be able to give me points on my essays? It would be great help for me. Thank you!

great explanation, really help me to start my essay! i’ll just bookmarked this, then

Thank you! Goodluck!

Hello, I am really glad i came across your blog. My questions are, I was given admission in only one University and that is the course i really wanted, can i just focus on that one course? I also want to know, what to know the most challenging stage for you. How long can the process of writing the essay take? Do i need someone to guide and coach me physically?

Hi Simon, thanks for reading my blog. I think, based on Chevening requirement, we still need to provide 3 courses. Perhaps you want to include similar courses in 3 different campus? Because as far as I know, if applicants can’t obtain the unconditional acceptance letter from the first choice, then they can submit LOA from the second choice.

The most challenging stage while writing essay was connecting the dots. I had several leadership & networking experiences, but struggled to showcase which one to put in the essay(since I only have 500 words). I know what to study, but difficult how to link it with future career and past experiences. I got helped by a friend and together we dig down what should be included in the essay, what is not. The process itself was more like a journey to know more of what I’m good at and my aspiration is.

For guide and coach, it depends on you. If you think you really know what your passion is and have clear aspiration, then maybe no need. Sometimes coach/mentor helps to connect your dots, it is you who should discover the dot itself.

Hope it helps, good luck!

thanks a lot forthis great article Laurencia, I wanted to know how we can get the university admission ? in the website part where you can search the available courses , they don’t show them you have to write the name or the university or course ? thnks for your help

Hi Hamza, you can find the course & campus list here: https://www.chevening.org/scholarships/find-a-course/ the list has a direct link to the campus website.

thank you so much be blessed

Thank youu!

Hello Dear Laurencia,

I hope that you are doing well and that Eid passed in a good way for you and your family , how can I contact you please it’s urgent , thanks a lot I made comments in the past but you don’t respond

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• FindAMasters
• How I Won a Chevening Scholarship – 10 Tips for Success

If you’re planning to do your Masters in the UK as an international student, chances are you’ve already heard of the Chevening scholarship. The UK government’s international award scheme is highly prestigious due to its competitive selection process. My cohort (2018-2019) had over 68,000 applicants from 168 countries, but only 1,800 of us made it! Chevening scholars attain academic and professional growth, extensive networking opportunities, the UK cultural experience, and lasting positive relationships with the UK. And we get to join an exclusive alumni network! How cool is that?

The selection process takes roughly a year, and comprises application, interview, conditional offer, final award and pre-departure briefing stages. I won’t lie, the process will demand exceptional mental and emotional strength, but don’t let that deter you from this life-changing opportunity.

Personally I’m glad I went through the process, and I am now enjoying my Masters here in the UK. If you’re thinking of applying yourself, here are some tips from my experience!

#1 It’s not just about you

Chevening wants you to use the knowledge you gain in the UK to give back to your home country, not just to advance your own career.

Remember that scholars carry the reputation of Chevening and their home countries, so they are encouraged to look beyond themselves. That’s why we cannot apply to remain in the UK immediately after our studies (instead, we’re expected to return home and work for at least two years).

#2 Check the eligibility criteria

You’d be surprised how many people overlook this obvious requirement. You’ll need at least two years’ work experience and an undergraduate degree equivalent to an upper second-class 2:1 honours degree in the UK.

Don’t forget to check admission criteria when browsing courses and universities, as it helps to apply to these at the same time. Note that some universities may also charge non-refundable application fees.

#3 Observe the timeline

The Foreign Commonwealth Office releases a timeline for the selection process each year. Follow them on social media ( @CheveningFCDO ) so you don’t miss out on vital information. You must be physically present at certain stages (e.g. interview and pre-departure briefing) so it’s best to keep travel plans in check.

#4 Research, research, research!

You can either choose to apply to three similar courses at different universities, or three different courses at one university. Any recognised UK university and course is fine, provided it is a one-year taught postgraduate course which leads to a Masters degree. You cannot change your choices later on, so this is your one chance to pick something that matches your development goals.

#5 Write your essay with conviction and consideration

The essays you’re asked to write will be an important part of your application. Think about what you want to say and believe in yourself! I had initially contemplated applying for public policy and governance instead of journalism, but I quickly realised I could not convince myself that the subject was the best choice for me. If you cannot convince yourself of the justifications you are making in your essays, how can you convince the selection panel?

For essays that stand out, explore other potential angles on a topic instead of stating the obvious. In the leadership section of my essays, the easy route would have been to talk about my leadership skills and how I benefited from them. Instead I highlighted how good leadership can inspire and contribute to human capital development. Draw on your experiences where need be but keep examples short and let the word limit steer you to be concise. For after-study plans, it may help to refer to the UK’s efforts in your home country that are aligned to your field of study.

#6 Don’t duplicate, don’t cheat!

The folks at Chevening want to know who you are as a person, not just your qualifications and career plans. Never get someone else to write your essays because your interview session will revolve around the points you made in them. Beware using repetitive answers as well. It’s easy to fall into this trap as the essay questions are related to each other. Instead, work your essays in such a way that they complement each other, and have a coherent flow.

#7 Prepare to elaborate

It’s easier to justify courses in a field of study that you are already involved in, but Chevening doesn’t stop you from choosing a different course from your current career path. If you’re making the switch, you must explain why this is beneficial to your future and how you expect to cope. Talk about your academic / professional background and mention relevant experiences that led you to this decision.

#8 Choose your referees carefully

Many applicants choose one academic and one professional referee, but it’s fine to provide two professional ones instead. I approached two bosses who I believed knew me better than professors who might not recall some kid they taught many years ago. Contact your referees when filing your application because if you make it to the interview stage, the referral letters must be submitted before your interview date.

#9 Check if you need language qualifications

I’m of little help here, since I was exempted from this requirement. What I do know is that you must provide proof of language qualifications (unless exempted) as part of three required documents within a set deadline to secure a full award. If you’re putting off taking the language qualification exams until after the conditional offer, plan well so you can get the results before deadline.

#10 Don’t delay

As with all other applications, do not leave anything until the eleventh hour. The online application system can slow down badly as the deadline approaches, so try to get things sorted well ahead of time. This year, the deadline is 1 November 2022 .

If you need more guidance, I’d suggest you keep an eye out for Chevening workshops. In some countries, the British embassy hosts workshops featuring past scholars and guest speakers. I attended one in Malaysia, where I learned more insider tips on what makes a successful Chevening application. I hope you find these tips helpful, and please don’t be put off applying for the Chevening because the prize is worth the fight. Good luck!

Editor's note : This blog was first published on 08/02/19. We've checked and updated it for current readers.

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• Chevening Scholarship

What are the essays for Chevening?

In my book, I explained the details of Chevening selection procedures. Please check the following page out. Chevening Scholarship step-by-step guide

Essay topics in 2022

In 2022, the Chevening Committee asked candidates to write the up to 500 words essays about the following topics.

• Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.　
• Chevening is looking for individuals with strong professional relationship-building skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Please explain how you build and maintain relationships in a professional capacity, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future.
• Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses, and explain how this relates to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future. Please enter new information and examples here and not duplicate the information you have entered on the work experience and education section of this form
• Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer-term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country.

How should I prepare for Chevening essays?

To be honest with you, I spend a lot of time to write my essays before applying. These essays are significantly important, so if you are serious for Chevening scholarship, I would recommend for you to spend hours to structure your essays. I would like to give you some tips for your Chevening essays.

1. Understand Chevening Scholarships. 2. Structure you story behind four essays. 3. Develop your achievements/skills before your application.

Let me explain one by one.

Understand Chevening Scholarships

Chevening community is looking for a specific type of leaders. You need to explain how your experience and personalities fit to a Chevening leadership style. If you do not understand the leadership style, you cannot explain how good you are. I would like to strongly recommend that you understand the concepts of Chevening community by reading its websites or talking to Chevenors. I have advised several Chevneing applicants before, but many people did not understand this point. Therefore, their essays did not make any sense. It does not matter how good you are. You need to fit to Chevening style.

I explained the details what you need to understand and where you need to read in Chevening websites. Please check this out my book on world wide Amazon sites in your country.

Structure you story behind four essays

Chevening committee requires four different essays about leadership, networking, schools, and career plan. Many people write four different essays, but please remember that all four essays need to be connected as your story. You have a dream. You have worked for it to make your dream come true, but you realized something is missing. This is why you need to study at a British school. Right? Many people forget this point and write unconnected essays. You need to express your ability with four essays. This is not easy, but if you do a brain storming before writing essays, it is possible to structure your essays well as I did. I always advise my applicants this point. Some of my applicants passed document selection procedures.

Develop your achievements/skills before your application

Chevening has high standards. You might not have full experiences/skills which Chevening committee requires. If you realize you do not have it before application, you are lucky! You can get some experiences to support your skills. For example, if Chevening is looking for an influencer, you can start tweeting in Twitter or LinkedIn to support your career goals.

In this article, I introduced the essay themes and three tips to write Chevening essays.

• Understand Chevening Scholarships.
• Structure you story behind four essays.
• Develop your achievements/skills before your application.
• Chevening Scholarship step-by-step guide

5 Chevening Scholarship interview questions and how to answer them

If you are an international student who aspires to study in the UK, you will have heard of the Chevening Scholarship. This  prestigious international scholarship allows some of the brightest international students from eligible countries to pursue their master’s in the UK for free.

One factor that will influence your success in securing the scholarship is to ace your Chevening Scholarship interview. Preparing for any scholarship interview — especially for prestigious international scholarships such as Chevening — can be stressful and challenging if you are unsure what to expect or how to best answer the interviewer’s questions.

Fortunately, the  Chevening website  and  YouTube  are great places to search for tips and tricks from past Chevening scholars on how to answer the common questions that interviewers will ask during the interview process. 

We draw on their advice for this list on acing your Chevening Scholarship interview:

The interview is an important part of the Chevening scholarship application process. Source: Niklas Halle’n/AFP

Top tips on acing the Chevening scholarship interview

1. “tell us about yourself.”.

Keanu Reeves famously said: “Sometimes simple things are the most difficult things to achieve.” Likewise, some of the most challenging questions to answer are straightforward ones.

For Argenis Toyo, a Chevening scholar from Venezuela, one of the first significant challenges of the interview process was when his interviewers asked him to describe himself. Toyo advises applicants to consider what sets them apart from others when presenting themselves to the interview panel.

“This is not a list of what you have done, this is about who you are and how that impacts your country,” he explains.

In Toyo’s case, his research into architectural technology allowed him to create a positive impact in communities by involving people in sustainable projects. In his interview, he highlighted his work on educating young students about new design tools.

2. “Tell us about your leadership experience.”

Kerry-Ann Harriot, a Chevening scholar from Jamaica, shared that she used the CAR method (Context, Action and Result) and storytelling approach in answering this question. 

“My example was about leading the implementation of a platform as an answer to an organisational problem,” she explains. “I started about what my observation was, how did it impact the organisation, what I did, who I led and influenced decisions, and what the results were.”

In her YouTube video, she also provides a script on how she tackled this specific question. Click here to view it.

3. “What are your career goals?”

Most applicants who have researched the Chevening Scholarship know that this is a popular question that interviewers will ask during the interview. However, this question can still catch many applicants by surprise.

Sithabile Daka-Mungobe, a Chevening scholar from Zimbabwe, explained that the political situation in her home country was a barrier for her to set a specific career plan. She did not let that faze her and gave strong examples of how she was working towards her broader goals.

“Despite there being clear eligibility criteria for my long-term goal of being a judge in the higher courts, political interference makes it more of a fantasy than a reality,” she shares. “[I highlighted] my ability to give back to my community through various volunteer activities with UNICA-AfroEdge and other community-based organisations.”

4. “How will you engage with the Chevening community?”

A big part of the Chevening scholarship is the chance to join a  vast alumni network . As Kuseme Iseh shares, you must show how you can contribute to this community as a Chevening alumnus.

“While answering this question, I highlighted how I was going to volunteer for the Chevening community and add value to every other Chevening scholar that I met. I talked about how I was going to network and build valuable relationships so we could come together to achieve a task in my field,” shares the Chevening scholar, who works as a Nigerian lawyer.

She also suggests that applicants emphasise how they can use the scholarship to network and give back to their local community.

5. “What is your backup plan?”

Laith Abdin, a Jordanian scholar, shares that this was the most challenging question he faced during his interview.

“As you can imagine, I was mentally focused on the exact opposite, and it took me a few seconds to make the switch,” he says.

While it may seem like a strange question, having a backup plan indicates the applicant’s strong commitment to their goals — a quality that Chevening seeks in their scholars. Abdin’s advice is to be genuine at whatever question that interviewers may ask during the interview.

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How to successfully apply for a Chevening Scholarship

Tips for Chevening Essay Questions, New

Written By: Shaher Hamdan, Reviewed By: Dr. Marwa Hamdan

Table of Contents

Tips for Chevening Essay Questions

Essay questions are considered the major criteria that determine the strength of your application and contribute a ton in the selection decision.

Essay questions are a good chance to show your leadership and communicating skills which are the core features of the perfect applicants, even more important than academic excellence. There’s a useful style which we recommend to follow when writing the essays called STAR. It stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. We highly recommend using this style to present your examples either on Leadership or for speaking on networking skills. And each essay should be systematically organized and consist of introduction, body and a conclusion.

 It’s recommended to write a draft on a separate document and let someone proofread it before submitting your application, also it is important to highlight your relevant activities from your studies or professional background, any project or initiative that you have been actively involved in. In addition to voluntary work which is a very important factor for Chevening scholarship.

NEVER COPY PASTE in your application as it would be easy for them to notice it since they use accurate software tools which detect copy paste plagiarism. 

There are a total of 4 essays, each should be between 50-500 words;

1)  leadership essay.

It’s considered to be the most important essay question in the application in which you are expected to talk about your role as a leader throughout your different study years in both school and university, work and your life in general. Give examples of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them and what lessons you gained from these king of situations and how to utilize this experience in the future. This essay should include examples as the following:

• The scenarios in which he played leadership roles.
• How he managed good team management skills in different projects.
• How he led community projects on a fixed budget.
• How he considered the opinion of every member and negotiate among them.
• How he worked with different personalities and led successful projects.
• How his leadership project contributed in the long term and brought a positive change in his community.

2) Networking skills essay

In this essay you should mention your networking and personal relations at the national as well as international levels,talk about how you deal with the people in a variety of professions including government and international representatives, public authorities, and academia and show how you are familiar with a different culture, age groups, socioeconomic classes. Show your interest in improving your network skills by involving in the alumni community and all the different activities and how you will learn and apply your skills in the future to benefit your home country.

3) Why do you want to pursue your studies in the UK essay

In this essay you will start by describing your field of study and career and how they are related to your chosen courses and what these courses have to offer for your improvement and what makes UK universities so special for you specially in your field of study and how big your knowledge will increase by studying these courses in the UK. the candidate should mention his interest in cross-cultural understanding. And finally show how all this is related to and necessary for you in order to achieve your goals and plans for the future.

4) Future career plan essay

Chevening is basically looking to invest into future leaders and influencers, so your essay should demonstrate that:

• You will be a leader in your chosen field and you will bring a great impact once back.
• You should be clear and specific regarding your future plan.
• You should have realistic goals.

There are common styles that successful candidates usually follow:

• Short term & long term career goals.
• It is advisable to elaborate further in your answer as which sector you are planning to work at:
• In the academic filed: For instance working to improve education at Palestinian universities.
• In Governmental field
• In local NGOs
• In the international NGOs
• Starting your own business.You can add any other relevant field where applicable
• Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country. 
• You should mention your career plans that show how he is going to support his community or country.
• All Goals should be smart enough and realistic.
• A candidate’s plans should include a social, academic, and professional approach.
• You must relate your skills, volunteer activities, and work experience to your career plans.
• A candidate should show his interest in International research that would contribute to the community.

Reference letters

Chevening requires 2 letters of reference..

• A referee must know the applicant either professionally or in academics.
• Reference letters would be verified by the British council once a candidate gets shortlisted.

Still more to come, Our next article regarding Chevening Interviews  will be published soon.

Keep follouing our CHEVENING SCHOLARSHIP page: https://mdguidance.com/category/chevening-scholarships/

Here  is an overview of the application and selection process, so you always know what’s going on.

Tips for Chevening Essay Questions, New Tips for Chevening Essay Questions, New Tips for Chevening Essay Questions, New Tips for Chevening Essay Questions, New Tips for Chevening Essay Questions, New Tips for Chevening Essay Questions, New Tips for Chevening Essay Questions, New

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How to win a chevening scholarship 2022 | fully funded.

Chevening Scholarship 2022: An Early Notice The Chevening Secretariat has informed everyone that applications will start on August 3rd, 2021, and finish on November 2nd, 2021. Chevening is a fully funded UK government scholarship for a full-time one-year master’s degree program in the UK. We’ll show you how to get a Chevening Scholarship in this post.

There is no requirement for professional work experience. Last year, 1800 Chevening Scholarships were awarded to students from various corners of the world. Due to the COVID-19, Chevening removed the English Language Requirement such as IELTS or TOEFL last year.

This year, we’re not sure what they’ll do. Any country can apply for a Chevening Scholarship. There are no restrictions based on the country. For all countries, the deadline to apply will be the same. The scholarship will pay for your housing, tuition, fees, airline tickets, books, stipend, and travel expenses, among other things.

So don’t worry, you won’t have to pay anything. However, in order to be selected for the Chevening scholarship for the year 2022, you must dedicate the majority of your time to this. We’ll walk you through the entire procedure, including requirements, Chevening scholarship hacks, and what it takes to obtain a Chevening scholarship.

Read About : Best Countries to Study Without IELTS 2021

How to Win a Chevening Scholarship?

Application Tips for Chevening Scholarship Chevening has a high level of prestige because of its long search. They received nearly 68,000 applications from 168 countries in 2020, but only 1,800 of us were accepted. You have the option of choosing from over 12,000 master’s courses offered by over 150 different institutions of higher learning. At least three courses must be listed on your Chevening application. The One-Year Master’s Program includes all courses.

Pro Tip: To ensure admission, apply to at least 5 to 6 institutions. This is because if you don’t get accepted to any of the universities listed on your application form but get accepted to a 4th university (not included on the application form), your scholarship may still be secured.

If you’ve been invited for an interview, you can tell them about the fourth university to which you’ve been offered admission. NOTE: If you are applying for Chevening at this time, you do not need to have a letter of acceptance from your university. In your application, give preference to universities where you believe you have the best chance of being accepted. However, you might change your mind during the interview stage.

The application, interview, conditional offer, final award, and pre-departure briefing stages of the selection process take around a year. I won’t lie: the process will test your mental and emotional strength, but don’t let that stop you from taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Chevening won the hearts in this scene. You do not need to have any work experience to apply to Chevening. Applicants for Chevening Scholarships must have at least two years of work experience.

Read About : Study in Australia Without IELTS 2021

The following types of work experience are eligible for Chevening:

Full-time employment

Part-time employment

Voluntary work

Paid or unpaid internships

Freelancing

You do not have to complete the work experience requirement in a single job. To achieve the requirement, applicants can submit up to ten separate employment periods. Please provide the periods that make up the biggest amount of hours worked if you have held more than ten roles. Chevening Scholarships – two years’ work experience = 2,800 hours.

How to Win a Chevening Scholarship Interview?

You’ll have around an hour during the interview to persuade a panel that you’re deserving of this wonderful opportunity. Here are a few general guidelines to keep in mind. If you are selected for a Chevening Scholarship interview, you will be invited to meet with the British embassy or high commission in the city/town where you live.

Book a Morning Slot

If you are chosen for a Chevening Interview for the scholarship, you can schedule an interview time window. Make every effort to schedule an appointment in the morning. Teachers, judges, and interviewers are known to be tougher when they are tired, according to studies.

Imagine having to interview 5–6 people every day for 15 days straight. You’d be sick of it by the end. As a result, you should catch the panel first thing in the morning, when they are in their best mood.

Be Consistent with your Essays

The interview panel will spend the most of the time asking for further information to clarify the points you made in your essays. You should know everything there is to know about your essays. Consistency is essential in your essay (especially when discussing your passion and motivation), since it gives the appearance of self-assurance and genuineness.

You should dive deep into what you wrote, dissecting not only your experience but also your logic and motive (why and how you performed specific things), passion, and ambitions (what drives you forward). The panel will not ask you to repeat what you’ve already written, but rather dig deeper into the details to determine your genuine motivation.

Examples of Chevening Interview Questions

Why am I interested in Chevening?

Why am I interested in studying in the United Kingdom?

Why did I choose this particular course of study?

What makes me think of myself as a leader?

My Short term and long-term professional goals (especially linking it to what the UK is doing in my country).

How will my country benefit from my experience and expertise in the future?

Essay Questions

There are four essays in all, each of which should be 500 words long.

1st essay is about candidates networking skills

On a national and international level, a candidate should describe his networking and personal relationships.

He should discuss how he interacts with people from other professions, such as government and international representatives, public officials, and academia.

He should talk about how he is conversant with many cultures, age groups, and socioeconomic strata.

He should give a quick explanation of the length of time he has been in long-term relationships.

He should go into further detail on his communication abilities in several areas.

2nd essay would ask you about your leadership qualities

A candidate should describe the situations in which he has acted as a leader.

In several projects, he showed good team management skills.

He described how he managed community projects on a tight budget.

How he weighed in on each member’s viewpoint and negotiated among them.

How he led successful projects while working with a variety of personalities.

How his leadership project benefited his community in the long run and resulted in a positive outcome.

3rd Essay would ask you about future career plans

A candidate should discuss his career goals and how they would help his neighborhood or country.

All objectives should be well-thought-out and achievable.

A social, academic, and professional approach should be included in a candidate’s preparations.

A candidate’s skills, volunteer activities, and employment experience must all be mentioned.

4th essay would be about why you want to pursue your studies in the UK

Although the desire to study in the United Kingdom differs from person to person, the reasons for doing so must be valid and reasonable.

The United Kingdom has a strong reputation for one-year master’s programmes.

The United Kingdom is home to some of the world’s greatest universities.

The United Kingdom is a top academic country.

A candidate’s interest in cross-cultural understanding should be mentioned.

A candidate must have an interest in international research that will benefit the community.

Reference Letters:

A candidate is required to submit two letters of recommendation.

A referee must be familiar with the applicant on a professional or academic level.

Once a candidate is shortlisted, the British council will verify reference letters.

I believe that if you follow the following guidelines, you will be able to make your application stand out. More information about How to Win a Chevening Scholarship can be found by conducting a search.

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Chevening Scholarship Essays

This sample is a guideline on how to apply for the Chevening Scholarship Essays.

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Gemechis Djirata

The Free School

This document is an example of a motivation letter, also known as a motivation essay. Key words: personal letter, personal statement, motivation essay, motivation statement, scholarships, college applications.

Michael Whelan

During the course of your studies here at Southern Cross University you will be required to prepare many written assessments. These will take several forms including scientific reports, essays, literature reviews, laboratory reports and project proposals. All of these require specific skills in research, writing, and presentation, and you will generally be advised of the different requirements by the individual Unit Assessor. Despite this variety, there are some general principles which can be applied to nearly all forms of written work.

Usamah Hussain

Adrijan Seferi

Natilene Bowker

Welcome to Academic Writing! This resource has been designed for Massey University students who are new to the conventions of academic writing. Many students, including extramural, internal, and both domestic and international, may fi nd this book useful, especially as the examples provided are not limited to a specifi c discipline. The book offers advice and guidance on how to write university assignments, including a section on the writing process with particular reference to essays. Another section deals with the basics of report writing, incorporating subsections on business report writing as well as lab report writing. When writing university assignments, referencing the work of others is integral, hence there are sections on integrating the opinions of authors into your assignments, as well as how to construct a Reference List at the end of your assignment. As a student for many years, as well as an academic author of research publications, I have designed the book to help new...

Muhammad Rifky Mubarok

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Application timeline

The process of selecting Chevening Scholars takes a minimum of eight months from the application deadline to when applicants are conditionally selected for an award. Here is an overview of the application and selection process, so you always know what's going on.

6 August 2024

Applications open at 12:00 UTC

Read our application guidance , and then apply via your country/territory’s page.

5 November 2024

Applications close at 11:59 UTC/ GMT

The deadline for applications is 5 November 2024 at 11:59 UTC/ GMT (midday UK time).

From 6 November 2024

Applications are sifted against eligibility criteria..

Read about Chevening’s eligibility criteria .

Mid-November 2024 to January 2025

Reading committee assessments

Independent reading committees assess all eligible applications. Their scores and rankings are then passed back to local British embassies/high commissions.

Mid-February 2025

Applicants shortlisted for interviews.

Once the embassy/high commission has reviewed the applications that were passed on to them, they produce a shortlist of those who they will invite to interview. Notifications will then follow. Congratulations if you make it this far. To prepare for your interview, please read our interview guidance .

19 February 2025

References and education documents deadline.

Shortlisted candidates will be requested to submit two references and their education documents prior to their interview date. Read about what we require from your references .

26 February to 25 April 2025

Interviews take place

Candidates from all over the world are interviewed by panels at British embassies and high commissions.

From June 2025

After months of preparation and trepidation, successful candidates will experience jubilation when interview results are announced from June onwards.

11 July 2025

Offer deadline.

The deadline to receive and submit at least one unconditional UK university offer is 17:00 BST (UK time) on 11 July 2025.

September/October 2025

Studies begin in the UK

2025/2026 Chevening Scholars commence their studies in the UK, and enter into an international network that they’ll be a part of for the rest of their lives!