A Pakistani Student Wins the Chevening Scholarship to Pursue Her Master's at the University of Cambridge

Hello everyone! My name is Oneir Raza. I am from Pakistan. I have been working in the field of education and development for the past 3 years. My passion and interest in understanding the intersection of gender, technology, education, and development led me to pursue a Master's in Education, Globalisation, and International Development from the prestigious University of Cambridge.

Chevening Scholarship Details

I won the fully funded Chevening scholarship award which covered the university’s tuition fee, living expenses with a monthly stipend, air ticket, and visa fees. It was a very generous award from the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Educational Background

I completed my bachelor's in International Relations in Pakistan. I graduated top of my class with a 3.91 GPA and was awarded a Merit award and a Chancellor’s gold medal. My educational background and GPA helped me seek out opportunities in multiple fields. Even though my degree was in International Relations, I could still explore other fields since the degree gave me ample exposure and opportunity to grow.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Chevening Scholarships and the University of Cambridge?

I started looking at different scholarships when I was in my undergrad and Chevening was one of them. I did a lot of research to fully understand the scholarship and the kind of scholars they are looking for. Additionally, I spoke to people who had already won the scholarship and looked through their profiles to understand the scholarship better. The Chevening website and LinkedIn were my best friends when it came to seeking out more information about this scholarship. For the UK, I needed to take the IELTS exam; I mostly took practice tests online and watched YouTube videos to do different sections. While I practiced the full tests, I also timed myself and scored them at the end matching them with the answers online. I ended up achieving a score of 8.5.

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

I am actually quite happy with the way I did things and the way they turned out to be. Maybe I will believe in my abilities more.
 

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

Be consistent and do as much research as you can. This is a very easy scholarship to get if you are truly confident in your abilities and have understood what they are looking for. Also, don’t lose hope if you don’t get it the first time; Chevening has no limit and you can keep on applying until you get it. What’s there to lose? :)