How a Nepali Scholar Won the Fully Funded SINGA Scholarship to Pursue a PhD in Infectious Diseases at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore

I am Manoj Chamlagain, an international student from Nepal at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). I was born in a rural hilly district of Panchthar in eastern Nepal, where there are no schools more than a primary school within one hour's walking distance from my home. However, the geographical and infrastructural limitations in my hometown have not curtailed my dreams of pursuing higher education. Since August 2023, I have been pursuing my PhD degree at NTU Singapore. My PhD topic is related to infectious diseases. The disruptive wave of COVID-19, while I was an undergraduate student, heightened my interest in infectious disease-related topics.

Singapore International Graduate Award Details

I was awarded the Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) by NTU Singapore to pursue my PhD studies for four years. This scholarship covers the full tuition fee, a one-time settling-in allowance, a one-time airfare grant, and a competitive stipend every month for four years. The international awardee receives a tax-free stipend of SGD 2,700 per month before passing the PhD qualifying exams and SGD 3,200 per month after passing the PhD qualifying exams. The stipends are paid for 48 months, and one usually appears for PhD qualifying exams within 12 to 18 months of matriculation. One-time settling-in allowance is SGD 1,000, and One-time airfare grant is SGD 1,500.

Were You Offered any Other Scholarships?

I was awarded a Postgraduate Studentship at a rate of HKD 18,360 per month for four years when I was awarded it in 2023 to pursue my PhD studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Even though I did not accept it, I have decided to share this information publicly to let the prospective graduate students know that there are scholarships available at CUHK as well.

Educational Background

I pursued my undergraduate degree from 2019 to 2023 in the Department of Biology at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), where I graduated as the Valedictorian in 2023. In HKBU, I studied a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Biology (Biotechnology Concentration) with a minor in Applied Mathematics. I graduated from HKBU with a CGPA of 3.77 out of 4.00. I was offered the Full Admissions Scholarship by HKBU for my undergraduate studies, which covered the tuition fees, guaranteed on-campus accommodation at a heavily subsidized fee, and provided a generous stipend of HKD 50,000 per annum for four years. On top of that, I was able to receive numerous one-off scholarships, ranging in tens of thousands of Hong Kong Dollars from this university based on my outstanding academic performance.

During my undergraduate studies, I explored various research areas by working on multiple research projects, which helped me refine and choose what kind of field I liked the most for my PhD studies. I utilized every summer break to hop into some lab in HKBU or overseas and get research experiences, all of which were fully funded (including flight tickets, accommodation, and living costs) by HKBU. In the summer of 2020, I worked on a research project in HKBU co-supervised by Professor Lei-Han Tang and Professor Liang Tian, while in the summer of 2021, I pursued a research project supervised by Dr. Pan-Jun Kim in HKBU. With such research experiences in Hong Kong, I wanted to explore the research environment in other parts of the world.

In the summer of 2022, I travelled to the United States to pursue a research project supervised by Professor Roger Ruan at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Moreover, in the summer of 2023, I travelled to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (HUJI) to pursue a research project supervised by Professor Doron Steinberg and mentored by Dr. Ronit Sionov. I realized research related to infectious diseases (ID) excited me the most after having diverse research experiences as an undergraduate student. However, experimental research related to ID takes slightly longer due to many subsidiary optimization steps involved. PhD study is one of the straightforward ways to pursue a challenging research question in ID with a reasonable time of four years. Hence, I decided to apply for a PhD topic involving experimentation with microbes at NTU Singapore under the supervision of Dr. Kevin Pethe.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Nanyang Technological University?

How Did You Find Information About Scholarships and Nanyang Technological University?

I found information about Scholarships and Institutions via multiple sources that span university fairs, recruitment trips from universities, popular university ranking systems, university professors, and university websites. Moreover, since I did my undergraduate studies in Hong ong as an international student, I became aware of the global institutions and scholarship opportunities from many supportive international friends across the globe.

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

I took standardized tests and language tests before applying for undergraduate and graduate Programmes. Before applying to HKBU, I took the SAT test but scored a modest score of 1390 out of 1600. I did not submit this score to HKBU because the university already recognizes the GCE A-Level exams I took for my high-school degree, where I had performed relatively well. I also submitted a score of 7.5 out of 9.0 in the IELTS Academic Test as proof that I was a fluent and good user of the English language. Before applying to NTU Singapore, I appeared for the GRE General Test and TOEFL iBT. My score in the GRE General Test was 319 out of 340 (Verbal Reasoning: 153, Quantitative Reasoning: 166). In TOEFL iBT, I had scored 113 out of 120, with each section no less than 25. I submitted both GRE and TOEFL scores for my graduate school application.

I tried to prepare for the test score from various sources, including YouTube videos. However, I realized multiple sources created multiple confusions on the strategies to crack these tests. Then, I bought the official books prepared by the test designers themselves and perused them from A to Z. Moreover, I purchased the mock tests from the official designers of the tests, which I believe helped me test my potential before the real test. Furthermore, I practiced vocabulary from the mobile apps designed by Magoosh. This approach gave me more clarity, and I believe it helped me get sufficiently good scores.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Singapore International Graduate Award?

I applied for the scholarships before the deadline and made sure all the documents were ready by then. I sought help from my undergraduate final year project supervisor, Dr. Pan-Jun Kim, in refining my statement of purpose and personal essay. Moreover, I revised them multiple times after listening to suggestions from friends and family members, as well as senior students who had successfully secured such scholarships. I started preparing for my SINGA scholarship application 18 months before the application deadline when I was still a third-year undergraduate student. I also perused the scholarship websites to understand the scholarship objectives and requirements. Such information helped me to plan and prepare my application efficiently.

How is (was) Your Experience at Nanyang Technological University?

I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience at HKBU due to fun friends, empathic management, and excellent opportunities. My time in NTU Singapore is also going incredibly well for similar reasons, such as caring friends and a supportive supervisor.

How Do You Rate Nanyang Technological University Academically and Why?

I believe HKBU and NTU Singapore each have their own merits academically. HKBU is a relatively small liberal arts university, which offered me a close community where each person knew others on the campus. Moreover, it was noticeable that professors put excellent effort into delivering their lectures and catering to students’ individual needs. The university management focuses on holistic, whole-person development of its students. Even though it is a liberal arts university, it is not a secret that HKBU is also research-focused. The university hosts many top 2% scientists in the world as its full-time faculty members. Talking about NTU Singapore, I think it can be easily considered a world-class academic institution with excellent research capabilities as highlighted by often publication of research work conducted in this university in top journals such as Nature and Science. Moreover, I feel the professors here are excellent, well-trained, and empathetic.

How Does Nanyang Technological University Support International Students? 

Both HKBU and NTU Singapore offer at least one year of on-campus housing for international students. I feel both universities respect the principle of equal opportunities, where no students feel discriminated against in potential opportunities for just being international students. Moreover, both universities support international students by organizing events such as an international students’ festival and confluence to celebrate diversity on campus. Moreover, there are plenty of opportunities to learn other local languages for foreign students in these universities via free language exchange programmes.

Are Your Classes Conducted in English or the Country’s Native Language? 

 The mode of instruction for both my undergraduate studies and graduate studies is in the English language.

Would Potential Students Have Any Problems Academically, Not Knowing the Native Language of the Country

The potential students should not have any problems academically if they are proficient in the English language, both in Hong Kong and Singapore. Both Hong Kong and Singapore are considered international cities, with most of the population being able to speak some form of English. In addition, the language of instruction at HKBU and NTU Singapore is English. Hence, not knowing the local language, such as Cantonese in Hong Kong, would not affect one academically. Moreover, not knowing languages such as Mandarin Chinese, Tamil, or Malay would not affect an international student academically in Singapore.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

 I think there were four things that made my application stand out. 1. Outstanding academic performance, Research ability/ potential, Communication and interpersonal skills, and Leadership abilities. Most importantly, multiple overseas research experiences as an undergraduate student must have made a positive impression, as it shows how I evolved as a researcher.

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

 If I were to go through the process again, I would have learned the local language more seriously so that it could help me interact with local people more often outside of my university, especially in Hong Kong.

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

 There are three cliché advice yet highly important ones I would like to give to those looking to apply for a similar scholarship.

1. Plan early. As Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. Set clear goals and work for them.
2. If you think you cannot do it, just do it. Do not let anyone tell you: certain universities, programmes, or scholarships are out of your reach. They are not. Keep the friends circle who are encouraging, not the discouraging ones. There are a multitude of factors that affect any scholarship's outcomes. As said by Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist: “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Just give the BEST shot in whatever scholarships you are applying to; the results might surprise you.
3. Apply to as many scholarships as possible locally, nationally, and internationally. If you apply for many scholarships, you will increase your chances of winning one. I believe the winners of most scholarships are not always the best of students, but those who have an information edge. This is an information age; look out for as many scholarship opportunities as possible by talking to senior students, attending university fairs, and perusing reliable scholarship databases online. Maybe someone knows the scholarships that are available, which the best performing students might not know sometimes.