Deakin Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship Recipient, Anna Shustser from Belarus, Shares Her Journey of Securing a 100% Scholarship to Study Data Science at Deakin University, Australia

My name is Anna Shustser, and I am proud to represent a small community of Belarusians here in Australia. My journey through high school has been shaped by multiple moves around Belarus with my family. I had to change 3 schools within 1 academic year. Just as I began to settle, we relocated again, this time to a different continent, Australia, where I completed the remainder of my high school experience. Nevertheless, such a thorny path only helped me thrive, as I managed to take on extra projects, competitions, and BCS-level courses while handling my main studies.

My family played a pivotal role in shaping my vision of my professional future, as both my parents were successfully working in the IT industry. Coming from such a tech-focused background, my interest in coding and mathematics grew exponentially. For a long time, I knew that I would join the IT industry, yet I kept looking for a niche to settle in. That's where our cross-continental leap helped me make the decision. As my whole family ended up studying and upskilling upon arrival in Australia, I took notes of their studying materials and learnt with them. With such exposure, this became the moment that helped me define my future and settle on Data Science. Therefore, I'm currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Data Science with a focus on finance.

Deakin Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship Details

I received an offer for a 100% Deakin Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship at Deakin University, Melbourne (VIC). The Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship is a scholarship designed for international/foreign students who are rising leaders of their generation and would like to pursue their studies in Australia. There are 2 branches of the scholarship for the full course duration: 50% and 100%. Recipients are also granted exclusive access to the Vice-Chancellor's Professional Excellence Program (VCPEP) with a private academic mentor and a variety of events with representatives of big companies (Bupa, PwC, Microsoft) for learning and networking. Finally, recipients are provided a priority placement for the on-campus accommodation.

The scholarship is open to any higher education level from a Bachelor's to a PhD. The scholarship is very competitive, but definitely achievable, as from my experience with VCPEP, the average number of recipients is approximately 20 students combined from both scholarship branches per intake. The minimum academic requirement is 85% (or equivalent) in previous studies, which should be maintained throughout the duration of studies at Deakin. If the application is unsuccessful, the applicant is automatically considered for another scholarship (Deakin International Scholarship worth 25% of tuition cost). In my opinion, the acceptance rate is very generous, and academic excellence is not the only criterion, so definitely make a courageous step and seize the opportunity.

The application process is completed straight through the Deakin International Admissions Team at least a month before the intended course start date.  After my application result came back, I signed a few necessary forms and officially became a Deakin Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship recipient. While I accepted this scholarship, I was also offered 3 different scholarships at other institutions in different states. To be specific, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) offered me the following scholarships:

- QUT International Merit Scholarship  (25% ongoing coverage)

- QUT Excellence Scholarship – Academic (valued at $30,000),

- Western Sydney University offered me a $6000 multiyear scholarship for the duration of the course.

Educational Background

Regarding my past education, I was at Coorparoo Secondary College (Queensland, Australia) for the last 2 years of my high school experience. As I finalized high school in Australia, I took local final exams, which I used for my university application. I received a 98.85 ATAR (which means that my results were higher than those of 98.85% of students in my state). I received the highest marks in my cohort in 3 subjects (Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics, and Environmental Science). I also received a 7/7 GPA for the QUT unit I undertook while in Year 12. At the end of the year, I was ranked 1st in my school.

My educational background, both in Belarus and in Australia, has greatly helped me to apply to competitive universities and later study within my area of interest. By the time I was ready to apply to universities, my portfolio was filled with a variety of extracurricular projects, including coursework and competition entries, as well as leadership skills development through tutoring and contributing to the school's dance community. Additionally, I believe I chose a great combination of subjects to complete in Year 12, as they represented a combination of my strengths, interests, and industry-related areas. Therefore, not only did I enjoy exam preparation, but I also learnt useful concepts for future use.

Studying hard in these subjects brought fruitful results on paper and allowed me to spend more time on external projects. Thus, my academic background definitely left a positive impact on my further academic journey.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Deakin University?

As upon arrival to Australia in Year 11, I already knew that I wanted to do a course related to IT, I started researching local universities. Using the good old Excel spreadsheet, I would write all the information about the university, from the available courses to university ranking and accommodation opportunities. Every weekend, I dedicated a few hours to thorough research, went to Open Days and Expo's, and explored campuses online. When the application time came, I had to prepare school transcripts, personal statements, recommendation letters, and certificates. I participated in many competitions and extracurricular projects throughout my entire life, so I referred to them in my application. I was lucky, as I did not need to take an English language test like IELTS, as I spent the last 2 years studying an English-based curriculum. However, in still took the following standardized tests:

QCE External Examinations:

• General English (A)
• Mathematical Methods (A)
• Specialist Mathematics (A)
• Physics (A)
• Earth and Environmental Science (A)
• Modern History (A)
• Russian Language (A)

As I was planning to study a course centered on mathematics and coding, I specifically prioritized both mathematics subjects and General English, as they were my weaker areas. Studying hard during classes definitely helped me reduce the workload left to complete at home, but I had a goal of spending 3 hours after school on the most urgent tasks. For me, practice was key. I would even go so far as to complete practice tests and past papers from other states with different curricula. I had a full stack of printed tests and handwritten essays, and I would really recommend that every student complete their tests on paper with a timer on occasionally. I would also suggest that students seek patterns and general solution algorithms in tasks to develop a clear thinking process for certain parts of the exams. As for seeking further understanding, I would really recommend YouTube, Textbooks, and asking your peers or teachers for help. It is never a sign of weakness to ask for help, but rather an act of strength and resilience to learn despite hardship.

I might sound controversial, yet exams come and go, while the memories and connections you make in the final year are something you will be looking back at with a big smile. Dedicating time to things I really enjoy and people I cherish saved me from losing motivation in the face of struggles. I even managed to attend a concert in another state just 2 days before my first External exam. While I don't encourage everyone to party the night before exams, don't forget to enjoy life! It will start running a lot faster once you've entered the university, so try not to lose some of the precious moments.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the 100% Deakin Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship?

I would say the hardest part about this process is the detailed research you end up completing to find the perfect combination of a university and a scholarship. As Australia has limited scholarships for Belarusian students, I mostly focused my research on the scholarships provided by universities. As I was still somewhat unfamiliar with the marking criteria and scaling across the state for external exams in Australia, it was challenging to estimate the final marks I would receive after graduation. My highest and lowest guesses were almost 20 ATAR points apart. Thus, my final selections included a diverse range of courses and scholarships. As for the next step, I focused on applying to the universities through the local tertiary admission centres. While completing the course application process, I was also preparing all the necessary documents for the scholarship application.

Apart from the standard form and academic transcript, scholarship applicants are also expected to submit a personal statement and two references.  My final preparation stage before submitting the document package was writing a personal statement, which took me 4 separate documents before I was satisfied with the result.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

In my opinion, 2 key features made my application stand out: my extracurricular activities and the way I was represented in the recommendation letters by my teachers. My performance at school definitely played a role, yet I believe that external academic projects and experiences showed my deep interest in unstoppable learning and yearning for exploring beyond the comfort zone of practice examples and tasks of the same pattern. Even my personal interests might have played a role, as I managed to grow both as a community member and a true leader, and neatly presented it in my personal statement. As for the recommendation letters, I do believe that it is important to find a referee who knows you well and is interested in seeing you shine. I was extremely fortunate to have both referees as my teachers, who were more than eager to write the letters and help me achieve a goal I had long aspired to. It was truly uplifting to receive the letters that portrayed me in the best light and to have their support throughout the application process. By the time I sent the application, I was pleased to see that I could present my personal image on paper in the best possible way.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again? What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

From my own experience, ensure that you provide your referees with the theme of the recommendation letter, any important skills, features, and activities to note, as well as the preferred focus areas. Try to request these letters early enough (for example, a month before sending all the documents) to ensure that the selected people have enough time to draft and complete the letters. Do not rush through the process of writing your personal statement, as you want to highlight the best and most interesting aspects of your personality and life journey.  There are numerous tutorials online on how to stand out; yet, we're all unique, and so are our personal statements. Trust the process and don't expect the first attempt to be the final result. After all, it is a challenging process to condense everything you know about yourself into 500 words or fewer, so be patient and keep trying.

After all, even if you do not get exactly the result you expected, it is the journey, the skills you learn, and the connections you make that matter. Don't give up, and you'll definitely reach the stars.