How Celso Renan Barbosa Soares Lima Secured a Partially Funded Master’s in Chemical Engineering at Chimie ParisTech-PSL, France Through the Campus France Eiffel Excellence Scholarship

My name is Celso Renan Barbosa Soares Lima, 26 years old. I am an Engineer by Chimie ParisTech-PSL and an Industrial Chemist by Unicamp (Campinas State University). My degree program in France was focused on Industry 4.0 (Applied Data Science & Machine Learning), Management (Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Consulting), and Chemical Engineering.

It all started when I was 13 in Fortaleza. I started doing Science Olympiads. What began as a simple way to challenge myself became a passion for science - especially chemistry- culminating in a bronze medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in 2017 and a Gold Medal at the Ibero-American Chemistry Olympiad(OIAQ) in 2017. This gave me a very solid technical foundation and guided me to pursue a degree in chemistry. However, I soon realized that I didn't want to stay confined to a laboratory, and I found in the partnership between Unicamp and ParisTech the way to explore new areas.

The selection for the double degree program in ParisTech had 7 stages. It started with Unicamp’s selection based only on grades and the participants' CVs, followed by ParisTech’s selection based not only on those aspects but also on motivation letters and recommendation letters. The next step was a math, physics, chemistry, and biology test. After that, the approved candidates were invited to an interview in English or in French. If the candidate is approved, He/She should rank the universities by preference. The universities give a response to the candidate if they are interested. In the end, the candidate receives the approval letter if the interest matches and the university agrees to receive the student.

After the university recruitment, it starts the scholarship process. For the Eiffel Scholarship, the French university chooses who are the best candidates who are allowed to apply. A very similar process is done with a CV, motivation letter, recommendation letters, and grades. After that, you receive the approval letter in the case of a good result.

Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Details

Each university in France, for example Chimie ParisTech, has a number of Eiffel scholarships to give each year.

Name: Campus France Eiffel Excellence Scholarship.

Amount: 1200 Euros/month

Educational Background

My grades at Unicamp were 9.4 / 10.0, I was one of the best students in the course.

My educational background prepared me to apply because it gave me a very solid CV. In 2021(the year of the application), I had already participated in international competitions(Olympiads), Junior Enterprise, Voluntary Projects (Leader of a Kitchen Soup and Visiting Prisons), and Voluntary Research Projects in Unicamp(my university) and in UFC(university of my state) as a High School student.

All of that gave me the confidence to apply and get the scholarship. Besides, in 2021, a friend of mine with a very similar background got it all, so I imagined it would also work well for me.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Chimie ParisTech-PSL?

How Did You Find Information About Eiffel Excellence Scholarship and Chimie ParisTech-PSL?

Unicamp has a site called DERI. It is the Direction of International Relationships of the University. It publishes all the exchange programs.

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

For the Eiffel Scholarship, they were not required, so I didn’t take them.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship?

I contacted every alumnus I knew that tried or had been admitted to the university. That gave me a lot of support to produce the best motivation letters possible and also to be well prepared for the whole process.

How is Your Experience at Chimie ParisTech-PSL?

The Social and academic experience weren’t good.

How Do You Rate Chimie ParisTech-PSL Academically?

I would give a 6 out of 10.

I didn’t like the academic experience that I had, but I value the experience of living in France and the specializations that my studies gave me. It opened my mind to many things.

How Does Chimie ParisTech-PSL Support International Students?

We had webinars before arriving, help with opening bank accounts, and events to integrate with the other students, so I would say that this part is good.

Are Your Classes Conducted in English or French?

In the Country’s Native Language, French.

Would Potential Students Have Any Problems Not Knowing French?

Yes, even if you get there already with a B1 or B2 in French, you will have difficulty adapting, but after a while it will work well.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

The Scientific Olympiads

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

I would maybe try to change my ranking of universities. If I got the opportunity to go to Mines ParisTech, my academic experience could be better.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Build a strong curriculum, competitions, research, voluntary work; do everything you can. Besides, don’t forget the languages; stay sharp in English and French.