How Ali, a Pakistani Scholar, Secured a Fully Funded Master’s in Biology at New York University, United States Through the Fulbright Master’s Scholarship

My name is Ali, and I am from Pakistan. While my undergrad was in traditional wet lab biosciences, I decided to switch it up to computational biology & machine learning for my Master’s because I was really interested in learning how to simulate life.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to New York University (NYU)?

How Did You Find Information About Fulbright Master's Scholarship and New York University (NYU)?

My alma mater, NUST, has an incredible culture of preparing students for prestigious graduate programs. We were actively educated about and encouraged to apply to various scholarship programs, including the Holy Grail: Fulbright Master’s Program.

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

I took the GRE as part of my application to the Fulbright program. To prepare for it, I basically just went through the Barron’s GRE prep book and the free online resources offered when you are registering for the test. I always used to time myself when taking a practice test to simulate a real test environment.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Fulbright Master's Scholarship?

I spoke to a couple of Fulbright alumni from Pakistan and asked them for their tips on the application and the interview process.

How is Your Experience at New York University (NYU)?

I loved it! NYU was transformative for me, both personally and professionally. New York City and its ever-moving, high-paced life felt so harmonizing to me, personally, and it propelled me to take on the rapidly-evolving AI-for -bio research at NYU. I learned and grew more as a person and a scientist in those two years than I could have ever expected.

How Do You Rate New York University (NYU) Academically?

Definitely a 10/10. NYU is a world-renowned institute and a force to be reckoned with. It has world-class academic training and computing resources to help us generate high-impact research.

How Does New York University (NYU) Support International Students?

Yes! I always found the resources for international students very, very helpful! Student advisors would always take the time to hear me out and suggest options tailored to whatever challenges I was facing.

What Did You Pursue After the Fulbright Master's Scholarship?

I got an internship after my master's, and that later evolved into a full-time role.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I had a crazy idea. Something so bizarre that no one could have made it up! And I showed a genuine interest in how I wanted to research more about that idea using computational methods, and linked it to what I wanted to do with clear steps. Before my Master’s I had no clue about how machine learning models worked. However, I did have an intuition about how data-driven biology could be used to find drugs and create an impact for high-profile chronic conditions, and I described exactly that.

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

Prepared longer and better for the GRE, and gotten a little more research experience during my undergrad. I have a feeling that that could have made my application much better.

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

Follow your heart! Don’t be scared to be real with yourself. If you have an idea that you know will change the world, speak it up, and let the admissions committee hear out your unaltered enthusiasm for the unknown!