How Al Fayed Johnathan Barakat, a Guyanese Scholar, Secured a Fully Funded Master’s in Clinical Psychology at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom Through the Chevening Scholarship

My name is Al Fayed Johnathan Barakat, and I am from Guyana, South America. My academic and professional journey has largely been centred around psychology, education, and mental health.

I hold a BSc in Psychology from the University of the Southern Caribbean in Trinidad and Tobago, and I have spent several years working across different areas of psychology and education. I have experience teaching Cambridge AS and A-Level Psychology, and I previously worked within the Mental Health Unit of Guyana's Ministry of Health, where I was involved in mental health interventions, psychological assessments, training, and programme development.

I was also fortunate to gain experience outside of psychology through professional and leadership roles, particularly in project management, events, communications, and education.

I am currently pursuing an MSc in Clinical Psychology at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, supported by the Chevening Scholarship.

My decision to pursue further education in clinical psychology came from wanting to bridge the gap between my academic understanding of psychology and the realities of mental health in communities like Guyana. I became increasingly interested in not only understanding psychological difficulties, but also in how we can develop better systems of prevention, assessment, intervention, and research.

For me, studying abroad was never simply about obtaining another degree. I wanted to gain exposure to different approaches to psychology and mental health and ultimately think about how those experiences could contribute to the development of mental health services and psychological practice back home.

Chevening Scholarship Details

I was awarded the Chevening Scholarship, funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

The scholarship supported my MSc in Clinical Psychology at the University of Exeter.

Chevening is a fully funded scholarship programme, so the award covered the major costs associated with studying in the UK, including tuition fees, living expenses, travel, and other eligible costs associated with the scholarship.

What made the scholarship particularly meaningful to me was that it was not solely about academic achievement. Chevening looks for individuals who demonstrate leadership, networking, and a clear vision for how they intend to contribute to their communities and countries. That aligned very closely with the kind of professional I wanted to become.

Educational Background

My academic journey began with an Associate Degree in General Psychology from the University of Guyana, followed by a BSc in Psychology from the University of the Southern Caribbean in Trinidad and Tobago.

My undergraduate education gave me a strong foundation across areas such as abnormal psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, physiological psychology, research methods, and statistics.

However, I think my preparation for postgraduate study came from more than just my academic qualifications.

Over the years, I have been able to combine academic psychology with practical experience. I have taught psychology to secondary-school students, worked within the mental health system in Guyana, conducted and supported psychological assessments, developed training programmes, and worked with people from very different backgrounds.

These experiences helped me understand that psychology cannot exist only within textbooks. The theories and research we learn have to make sense within people's actual lives, communities, cultures, and circumstances.

Assosicate GPA: 3.1

Bachelor’s GPA: 3.37

I would also encourage other applicants not to become overly focused on having a perfect academic record. Academic performance matters, but postgraduate scholarship committees are also interested in what you have done with your education and what you intend to do with the opportunities you receive.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the University of Exeter?

How Did You Find Information About the Chevening Scholarship and the University of Exeter?

I approached the process quite deliberately. I spent a significant amount of time researching universities, programmes, scholarship opportunities, entry requirements, course structures, and funding options.

I used university websites, scholarship databases, information sessions, social media, and conversations with people who had previously studied abroad.

One of the most important lessons I learned was that finding a university is not the same as finding the right university.

I wasn't simply looking for a prestigious institution. I was asking myself:

• Does the programme fit my career goals?
• Does the university have academics working in areas that interest me?
• Will the research opportunities help me develop?
• Can I see myself contributing something to that institution?
• And perhaps most importantly, how will this degree help me contribute when I return home?

That helped me become much more intentional about where I applied.

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

I did not take the SAT, ACT, GRE, or GMAT for my postgraduate applications.

For my applications, my existing academic qualifications and the specific requirements of the universities were sufficient.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Chevening Scholarship?

The Chevening application required me to do something that I think is extremely important for any scholarship applicant: I had to really understand my own story.

Rather than simply listing everything I had accomplished, I had to think about the connection between my experiences, my leadership, my goals, and the impact I wanted to make.

I spent a lot of time reflecting on questions such as:

Why psychology? Why me? Why now? Why the UK? And what happens after I return home?

I also researched Chevening itself. I wanted to understand what the scholarship valued rather than simply trying to write what I thought the selection committee wanted to hear.

How is Your Experience at the University of Exeter?

My experience at the University of Exeter has been both academically challenging and personally transformative.

Moving from Guyana to the UK was a major adjustment. I was entering a completely different academic and cultural environment, and there were moments when I had to learn how to navigate things that I had previously taken for granted.

Academically, the MSc pushed me to think much more critically about psychology. It exposed me to advanced research methods, clinical approaches, neuroscience, statistics, and research that challenged some of the assumptions I had developed during my undergraduate studies.

One of the most valuable aspects has been being surrounded by people from different academic, cultural, and professional backgrounds. It has reminded me that psychology is not experienced in the same way everywhere.

My time at Exeter has also allowed me to become more confident as a researcher. My dissertation work has involved analysing EEG data in the context of depression and ketamine treatment, which has given me exposure to areas of psychological science that I had previously only encountered at a theoretical level.

I reviewed my experiences and identified specific examples of leadership, collaboration, challenges I had overcome, and situations where I had made an impact.

I also asked people I trusted to read my application and give me honest feedback. That was particularly useful because sometimes we are so close to our own experiences that we don't recognise what makes our story compelling.

How Do You Rate the University of Exeter Academically?

I would rate the University of Exeter very highly academically.

What I particularly value is the combination of research intensity and practical application. You are encouraged not just to learn established knowledge but to question it, evaluate evidence, and think about how research can translate into practice.

For me, that has been particularly important because I want my career to sit at the intersection of clinical psychology, research, education, and mental health development.

What Did You Pursue After the Chevening Scholarship?

I am still completing my MSc, so I see this period as an important transition point rather than the end of the journey.

My long-term goal is to return to Guyana and contribute to the development of psychology and mental health services, while continuing to build my career across clinical practice, teaching, research, and programme development.

I am particularly interested in areas such as mental health, trauma, domestic violence, psychological research, and improving access to psychological services.

I also want to contribute to education. Having already spent several years teaching psychology, I see an opportunity to help develop the next generation of psychology students and practitioners in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I think what made my application stand out was the coherence of my story.

I wasn't applying simply because I wanted to study overseas.

There was a clear connection between where I had come from, what I had experienced, what I had already done, what I wanted to learn, and what I hoped to contribute in the future.

I also think I was able to demonstrate leadership in different ways. Leadership wasn't always about having a particular title. Sometimes it was teaching students, sometimes it was working within mental health services, sometimes it was developing a project, and sometimes it was simply taking the initiative to create an opportunity where one didn't previously exist.

I also tried to be honest about who I was.

I didn't want my application to sound like I had everything figured out. I wanted it to demonstrate that I had ambition, but also self-awareness; that I had achieved things, but still had a lot to learn.

And I think that authenticity matters.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

If I were going through the process again, I would probably start earlier.

The scholarship application process can feel overwhelming because you are trying to balance university applications, scholarship applications, personal statements, references, deadlines, and your existing responsibilities.

I also would have spent more time documenting my experiences before starting the application.

We often underestimate the things we have done. When you are asked to provide specific examples of leadership or impact, it helps to have a record of projects, responsibilities, challenges you have overcome, and outcomes you have achieved.

Most importantly, I would remind myself earlier that the application does not need to make me sound perfect. It needs to make me sound like me.

What Advice Would You Give to Someone Applying for a Similar Scholarship?

My biggest piece of advice would be: don't apply just because you want the scholarship. Apply because you know what you want to do with the opportunity.

Scholarships like Chevening are extremely competitive. There are many applicants with excellent grades, impressive CVs, and extensive professional experience.

What can distinguish you is your purpose.

Before you start writing, ask yourself:

What problem do I care about? What have I already done about it? What do I still need to learn? And how will this opportunity help me create a bigger impact?

I would also encourage applicants to tell their story through specific examples rather than general statements. Don't just say that you are a leader. Explain a situation where you demonstrated leadership. Don't just say that you care about your community. Explain what you have actually done.

And finally, don't convince yourself that you aren't qualified before the scholarship committee has had the opportunity to make that decision.

I came from Guyana and applied to study at a world-class UK university. There were certainly moments when I questioned whether my background and experience were enough.

But I learned that your background isn't necessarily a limitation. It can be the reason your perspective is valuable.

The scholarship gave me an opportunity to leave Guyana, but more importantly, it gave me an opportunity to return with new knowledge, new relationships, and a much broader understanding of what is possible.

Final Note

Looking back, receiving the Chevening Scholarship has been about much more than studying for a master's degree. It has challenged me academically, professionally, and personally. I have had to adapt to a new country, meet people from completely different backgrounds, question what I thought I knew, and become more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity, but I also see it as a responsibility. The real value of a scholarship is not just what happens while you are studying. It is what you do with the knowledge, relationships, and opportunities afterwards. My hope is that when I return to Guyana, I can use what I have learned to contribute meaningfully to psychology, mental health, education, and the wider community.