MA Contemporary India Graduate Sudarshana Srinivasan from India Shares Her Journey of Studying at King’s College London, UK, as a Chevening Scholar

I am Sudarshana Srinivasan. I’m an education professional from India with over a decade of experience working in the sector. From classroom teaching to curriculum design, teacher professional development, and state-wide reform, I have worked across all layers of the system and in different parts of India. My work revolves around translating policy priorities into actionable models, particularly in under-resourced and socio-culturally diverse settings.

I pursued an MA in Contemporary India at King’s College London. Having studied History (Honours) during my undergraduate degree and later completing the Teach for India Fellowship, I was keen to understand why India’s education system continues to face persistent challenges. Studying India’s development trajectory since independence provided critical insights into the country’s socio-political and economic evolution, and how public systems were designed to serve a deeply diverse population.

Chevening Scholarship Details

• Scholarship name: Chevening Scholarship by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office- United Kingdom
• Institution: King’s College London
• Amount: Fully funded (travel, tuition, and a monthly stipend)

Were You Offered any Other Scholarships?

I did not apply for any other scholarship. However, I was offered a grant of GBP 5,000 towards my tuition fees by the King’s India Institute at King’s College London.

Educational Background

My Bachelor's degree was in History Honours, which I pursued from Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), Delhi University. I graduated with a First Division. My educational background allowed me to approach the Master's with some academic rigor. However, working on the ground for two years after my bachelor's was a significant contributor to my application process. Having a mix of theoretical and practical knowledge proved invaluable, especially since my Master's was in Contemporary India.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to King’s College London?

How Did You Find Information About Scholarships and King’s College London?

I first heard of Chevening through my mother (who had heard of the award for degrees in journalism). I learnt more about it through the scholarship website.

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

The only test I was required to take was IELTS. Since I am fluent in English, I did not need to prepare extensively. However, I practiced many sample questions (the listening section in particular) in the run-up to the test. A practice booklet with a CD was available for this.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Chevening Scholarship?

To apply for Chevening, I did the following:

• Ensured I met the eligibility criteria
• Took note of the documents I would require (including how many reference letters I would need)
• Reached out to my referees and sought their time for the same, so that they would submit the letters in time
• Studied the application closely to understand what exactly was being asked
• Worked on multiple drafts of my answers and had different people read them and offer feedback. It was important that I convey my experience effectively, instead of getting lost in lengthy narratives.
• Ensured I had my application ready well before the deadline to avoid any last-minute panic

How is (was) Your Experience at King’s College London?

My experience at King’s College London taught me plenty. The academic rigor really opened my mind up to the world of academia, and to be able to access world-class resources in the libraries of not only my institution, but across London made it all the better. Apart from the academic aspect, living in the UK helped me build connections with some incredible people from across the globe. This has helped inform the work that I do in many ways since there has been a lot of cross-learning made possible through the network built. Chevening also catapulted me into an international community of leaders and go-getters, a lot of whom continue to inspire me.

What Did You Pursue After the Chevening Scholarship? (Work, Further Study, Research, or Something Else?)

Chevening requires scholars to return to their home country and work for a minimum of two years on completion of the scholarship programme. I returned to India and began working with a Parliamentarian from a Himalayan state.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I feel it was the clarity I had in why I wanted to study what I wanted to study. There was a clear link between what I had done academically and professionally till the point I applied, and the value I saw my Master's adding to my trajectory going ahead.

With education being my core interest, my reflections from my work as a Teach for India Fellow (where I spent two years teaching in a highly under-resourced government school) helped shape how I saw my experience blending with the course I wanted to study and how this would inform my future professional path.

My application was in alignment with Chevening’s emphasis on public service and contributing towards long-term impact in my home country.

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

When I applied for Chevening, my first course preference was Comparative Social Policy at the University of Oxford, followed by Contemporary India at King’s College London and South Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. In hindsight, my Oxford choice was driven more by the aspiration to study at the university than by a strong academic or professional rationale aligned with my other two choices.

I did not receive an offer for that course, and during my Chevening interview, I was asked to explain why I had included Oxford and a course that differed from the rest of my choices. While I answered honestly, it made me realise that I could have been more intentional and coherent in how I selected and ranked my course preferences.

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

Your Why:

If you’re applying for Chevening, I would ask that you think deeply about why you want to study the course of your choice and why you have chosen particular Universities over others. Having a clear sense of the work you have done before and how it relates to the Master's course of your choice, and the work you hope to do in the future, is critical.

Additionally, Chevening and studying a Master's in the UK opens up immense opportunities to network with people from around the globe. It is important that you think of how you can leverage such a network and ensure that there is cross-learning that happens.

Answering Questions and Receiving Feedback

While writing your application, be open to receiving feedback from different people. See how it reads from different perspectives and points of view. Always put yourself in the shoes of others while re-reading your responses. This will help you think about your application from the point of view of someone who is being introduced to you for the first time.

Read the questions carefully and make sure you answer what is asked. We may sometimes get carried away in explaining all that we have done and lose sight of what has been asked. As you proceed through your response, keep revisiting the questions and make sure you have attended to the sub-questions as well.