I've gotten into Carnegie Mellon University! And to top it off, on 24th of December, MARA has finally agreed to sponsor me under Graduate Excellence Program (GrEP)!
It was quite a journey between applying to Grad school and scoring a sponsor. So hey, sharing here in case you need the information as well!
First of all, most of the scholarships I've looked at require students to receive an offer letter first before considering to sponsor us! I personally thought this is understandable:
1) For post-grads, many may come from the industry. Since the sponsors are sponsoring students studying at a range of countries, it is hard to really filter out those who deserve it - so I guess the best way is to let the universities decide. For MARA, they will only sponsor students from Top 20 universities for UK and US / Top 10 universities in other countries - by subject - so don't just apply at any university, ensure that your university is ranked.
2) There won't be much waiting time to wait for the sponsored students to get placement - what if the offer has been extended but the student was not offered?
Nonetheless, it is still a hassle;
My class starts on the 18th of January and my orientation is on the 12th. And I've been trying to speed up all the required documents. Since I'll be studying in the US, I need an interview with the US embassy. I am unsure if I'll be able to get everything done by then but I'm super hopeful!
Ok back to the scholarship search, most of the sponsors would require commitment when you get back. I am less interested in this since my plan is to build my own tech empire. So the two I found that do not require "job commitment" are:
1) MARA
2) YDD - this still has a service commitment
Just to be clear, both scholarships only sponsor the student - so you need to figure out your family's living expenses yourself.
So I decided for MARA since YDD will only open its application on March. (My class starts on January)
The application is pretty easy and smooth. The only additional item I need to take was TOEFL. (Choice of TOEFL and IELTS) I tried getting an exemption since I already took TOEFL during my undergraduate enrollment, but they don't accept it. This was the only extra thing I had to do. I am also thankful that they added TOEFL - and not just IELTS. If I'm not mistaken, before this year, every one is required to take IELTS. (More so because I am already familiar with the exam structure)
Requirements for MARA (as of to date):
1. Unconditional offer from Top 20 Universities in US/UK or Top 10 Universities in other countries. (If you received a conditional offer - try getting things done prior to the application deadline to get the unconditional offer)
2. IELTS / TOEFL (min 100 points)
3. 3.75 CGPA / at least 3/5 years in the industry - I kind of forgot if its 3 or 5 years hahaha. I've been in the industry for 8 years so this sort of settled it.
4. Other standard requirements like the courses are in the approved list, not being blacklisted, etc etc.
So basically MARA sponsors:
1. Tuition fees
2. Living expenses - around USD$1k above depending on your university's state's living expenses
3. Visa fee
4. Flight ticket
5. Moving allowance - around $1k/once
The length of time it takes between the application closing date and the result is almost 11 weeks. Just so you know, there's a telegram group for GReP students. Many actually received their result within 4-6 weeks. Mine took a lot longer. Hence why I am in a rush to get things done.
Stuff to get done in addition to the form:
1. Passport - Pro tip: if your courses are in the approved list and you meet all the requirements, there's a super high chances that you will be approved; so you can definitely get this done earlier.
2. E-vetting - Pro tip: Fill these in as soon as you got your offer! It might take a while for them to process your e-vetting.
3. Medical checkup
So yes, there you go. I'm leaving this as Part 1 since I'm in the midst of preparing my forms as well. So I'll add part 2 for when I've arrived to the USA.
See you guys there!
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