[5 min. read]

It’s that time of the year!

Undergraduate and post-graduate programmes open their applications around this time and close them around December for next year’s intake.

It got me thinking about a time like this two years ago in 2019 when I was preparing to begin my scholarship applications for my Master’s. Because I’d always known that I wanted to study for my Master’s abroad on a full-ride scholarship (all costs like tuition, rent, food, travel etc. are covered), I at least had a clear filter for what I was looking for.

So I ‘budgeted’ 3-4 years to find and get accepted to a program that fit my criteria. That meant I had till latest 2022 to get something to work. Giving myself that deadline made me more focused and determined to get it done.

As you may or may not know, applying for any school-related opportunity requires lots of time commitment. Depending on the university, you may be required to write multiple 500+ word essays, collate and upload a whole range of documents and even sometimes pay a fee.

I was ready. The first thing to do was to find programs that aligned with my career goals - which at this time circulate around global media, data journalism, fact-checking and 360-degree journalism (meaning I want to acquire skills that allow me to be a well-rounded journalist - video, audio, writing etc.)

Using these resources, I started my search:

1. Opportunity Desk

2. Youth Opportunities

3. Opportunities for Africans

(There are many more resources out there, but this is a good place to start - make sure you do adequate research to find legitimate sources!)

I made a list of 3 universities and ranked them from the one I wanted most to the one I wanted least. All were good programs, but not all fully fitted my initial criteria, so that’s what determined my ranking.

Then I began applying. A few hacks;

• Always ask for an application fee waiver if the university requires you to pay in order to submit your application. Most will accept

• Always apply to more than one program. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Remember, your next chance to try again in case it doesn’t work out is a whole year away

• Start with the application that requires the least amount of work. The satisfaction of finishing one will motivate you to go on to the next

• Have all your basic documents scanned and saved on your computer. Scans of your ID, passport bio page, a passport photo, your CV, previous school certificates etc.

• Always read the FAQ pages of the university application website. Sometimes they even give specific examples on how to write some of the documents they’re asking you for

Out of the 3 I applied for, I got rejected for both the program and scholarship by the first; I got accepted for the program but rejected for the scholarship by the second; and very surprisingly, one worked out fully. Though 2019 was the year I officially began applying for Master’s programs, I had actually attempted applying for the Erasmus Mundus Journalism program in 2018 so technically I got accepted on my second try which brings me to my main point.

The school application process requires patience above all else.

Remember, I had initially ‘budgeted’ a maximum of 4 years for this process. I was just lucky that it worked out before my deadline.

In the next few posts, I’ll cover how to write a good application essay (at least from my own experience), details on how I answered the Erasmus Mundus Journalism program questions and a few more tips and musings from my application experience. If you have any specific requests, please leave them in the comment section below!

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