Accepted by Several Universities in the UK, Paula, a Uruguayan National Wins the Chevening Scholarship to Pursue Her Master's Degree

I’m Paula, a communications professional from Uruguay. I’m especially interested in using communication as a tool to drive change, and that’s how I got into working at NGOs, and ultimately, as a Digital Strategist at UNICEF Uruguay. Working there, I discovered my passion for data analysis and communicating data, and that’s how I decided that I wanted to pursue further studies in that field. I recently finished my master’s degree in Narrative Futures: Art, Data, Society at the University of Edinburgh, where I specialised in data storytelling and data visualisation.

Chevening Scholarship Details

I won the Chevening scholarship, which is granted by the UK government. It is a very generous scholarship that covers all tuition fees, flights, visa fees and gives out a monthly stipend. Health coverage is also free when you live in the UK.

As part of the process, I applied to the University of Edinburgh, the London School of Economics (LSE), and the University of Warwick, and got offers from the three of them. I decided to go to Edinburgh because it was the programme I liked the most, and I liked the city.

Educational Background

I have two undergraduate degrees. My main degree is in Corporate Communication (where I had a GPA of 86/100) and I also studied Copy Editing and Proofreading (in Spanish), which is a shorter, 2-year technical degree.

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

The core of the Chevening application is comprised of four essays: on leadership, networking, career plan, and why the UK. I took months to prepare and get feedback on my essays to make sure I presented the best version possible. In parallel, I applied to three universities in the UK, mainly with my personal statements and reference letters. The universities also asked that I take an English exam. I sat for IELTS and prepared it mainly online (for the reading and listening papers), although I also had a couple of lessons with a private teacher to practice speaking and have my writing revised. I attained a score of 8.5.

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

 I think I suffered from impostor syndrome before applying. I worked at UNICEF for seven years and waited until I was almost 30 to apply because I didn’t think I was ready. However, I think I could have applied after working for three or four years at UNICEF. I already had what it took, I just needed to believe more in myself.

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

Seek advice! There are loads of resources online, but also Chevening alumni who want to give back to the community and help others get the scholarship. So, prepare your application with time to make sure you can have it proofread by others. You can look them up on LinkedIn (maybe someone who studied the same thing you want to) or there are Chevening alumni associations all over the world offering advice.

Also, reach for the stars! The UK has some of the best universities in the world. You have 3 choices, so use them wisely: you can apply to a top university and always have a “safer” option in your chosen three. I know people who got into Oxford University with this mindset.