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Since young, I have always wanted to pursue my tertiary education overseas. Besides being attracted to the prestigious high-ranking universities that are located in the USA and UK, I am also intrigued to experience a different kind of education system. I believe that through studying abroad, I will be able to obtain these experiences and gain exposure to different lifestyles and cultures. However, I did not want to burden my parents to fund for the expensive college fees and high cost of living overseas. Therefore, I had set my sights on the various overseas scholarships that are on offer. Throughout my high school years, I worked hard to excel in both academics and extracurricular activities. I was also actively participating in volunteer programs as one of my biggest passions is to reach out to underprivileged communities and provide aid to them. While waiting for SPM results to be announced, I also researched for scholarship opportunities and tried to prepare the necessary documents beforehand such as my personal resume, certificates, and testimonials so that I would be able to focus on other components once the scholarships are opened for applications.
After obtaining my SPM results, I immediately started on my scholarship applications. As I have clearly established my area of interest since my upper secondary days, I knew what I was looking for and only focused on applying for scholarships which offer the fields of study that I am interested in. (Staying true to my Chinese roots, I love money. As such, I wanted to pursue something in the business/finance/economics field, basically anything money-related.) I also prioritized some applications over others mainly due to the different closing dates. For example, the Bank Negara scholarship was only opened for one week after SPM results were announced. After completing the application process, I waited anxiously for calls to attend interviews. During this period, I also read up about the experiences by previous scholarship applicants as well as the types of interview questions that were frequently asked.
I managed to secure two scholarship interviews, which are from Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (YTN) and Petronas. For the YTN Overseas Scholarship, the interviews were held individually. We were assigned to different interview rooms based on the courses which we applied for. As far as I know, the interview questions were random and different for everyone. They can range from personal questions to know more about your character and personality to technical questions about the company’s background and why you are interested in the selected course. For me, the interview questions were more focused on my extracurricular activities and family background.
On the other hand, for the Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP), the interview process was very different from YTN’s. The interview was done in groups and we were only asked to present a case study after a group discussion. After doing my best in the interviews, I could only keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.
I am extremely grateful that I was eventually offered both the overseas scholarships. Petronas gave me an offer to study A-Levels in Kolej Tuanku Jaafar before pursuing Economics in the United Kingdom whereas YTN offered me to study the American Degree Transfer Programme at INTEC Education College before pursuing Business Analytics in the United States of America. After weighing my options, I decided to take up the offer from YTN as I believe that I would enjoy the US learning style more as I am not really fond of an exam-based education system.
Based on my experiences, I believe that confidence is key during scholarship interviews (but be careful not to be overconfident).
Besides that, be genuine in your personal statements as well as during interviews because the evaluators would definitely know if you are faking it. Keep in mind that the other applicants are also as qualified as you when it comes to academic results and extracurricular achievements, therefore, your unique traits and qualities (aka your X factor) would definitely help you to outshine the rest. At the end of the day, companies are looking for individuals who possess qualities and values that are in line with theirs. Most importantly, keep your options open. Although I would recommend you to only apply for courses that you are interested in so that you would be able to fully concentrate on these applications, do not limit your options too much. Remember to always have a backup plan so that if things do not work out the way you hoped it would, you would still know what to do next. Last but not least, if you have tried your best and Lady Luck is just not on your side, do not give up or dwell on it because when a door closes, another one opens. Keep improving yourself so that when future opportunities arise, you will be prepared to snag them up. Good luck!
Michelle Chew Shi Jie, a Yayasan Tenaga Nasional Scholar, is currently completing the American Degree Transfer Program in INTEC Education College, Shah Alam before flying off to the United States in July 2020 to pursue a Business Analytics degree. Michelle has the habit of skipping while walking whenever she is happy and you can always spot her proudly donning a bow on her ponytail. Mickey Mouse, bubble tea, and volunteering are the three things that Michelle is passionate about.