Thread by @forum_isf

How to win 2021 Hong Kong PhD Scholarship
Thread

Good evening. I am Gafari Lukumon @Lukgaf and I would be transmitting today's lecture directly from the ISF whatsapp channel. Stay tuned!

AGENDA
👉Myths/Facts about Scholarship (Onyeka)

👉Why Hong Hong? (Onyeka)
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👉Overview of HKPFS Scholarship (Theroem)
👉 Searching For Supervisors & Building Relationships with Prospective Supervisors (Theorem)
👉Proposal writing and HKPFS Essays
🛑Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology (Theorem)
🛑Humanities, Social Sciences &Business std
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I am excited to be addressing a noble house as this. I thank God for life and his grace. I thank the organizers of ISF for their selfless sacrifices, especially in considering me worthy to interact with beautiful minds in this platform on HKPFS Application.
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I want to say that I don’t have any special training on this. My only qualification is that I had applied to many scholarships for years and finally winning some including HKPFS. And I must say, it is an experience you won’t regret.
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The ghetto boy has not flown on the airplane before this but you see we are flying now. Lol. Last year, I was an audience in the lecture on applying for HKPFS here on ISF, I took the lecture too personal and seriously like I would write an exam on it after.
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Myths/Facts about Scholarships
So many scholarship applicants hold some of the following opinions about scholarship and this affects their morale and attitude to scholarship. Hence, I want to start by debunking some myths based on other people’s and my own experience.
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1.To Win a Scholarship, You Must be Working on Something that relates to or benefits the host country
I have heard so many people say this, and I wonder where they get that idea.
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The fact that the scope of a particular scholarship awardee is on their host country does not make it a rule. Scholarship funders want innovation in research and human development, so wherever that is promised, they would fund you.
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My research is on Africa and Nigeria, there is nothing Asian or Hong Kong inside. But if you can find a link to yours, that would be great. But where you are not able to find, still confidently apply once your work makes a strong contribution to knowledge.
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Moreover, HKPFS is interested in all round human development, that is why it has no bias for science, arts, social science unlike some other scholarships. Are we together?
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Only First Class Students win scholarship.
Of course exam is not always the true test of knowledge. Practically some 2:2 students may be better than some first class.
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However, I will consider it unfair that someone burnt the midnight candle and made a first class only to discover that it is a dead end academic wise.
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But here is the good news: scholarships are given not just on previous degree grade. Other talents, interests, achievements, and backgrounds which may not necessarily crystallize around a First Class Graduate are also considered
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Such things as volunteering, publication, work experience, research experience, community service, etc count.Moreover, some scholarships use cut off system: say from 4.0-above, so that once you cross the cut off, it doesn’t matter the specific grade level,
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you would be considered. Imagine you can speak Cantonese (Hong Kong mother tongue) or Mandarin (Chinese language) and you are applying for HKPFS, you have an advantage that a First Class student may not have –this one is my idea,
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someone who uses it and it works will pay me for patent. Lol. My advice, rather than curse the darkness, light a candle (Chinese proverb). Rather than give excuses, build on your strength because anthropologists say that all modern man (cro-magnon) has 1,600 cranial capacity 16/x

3.Science people are the ones winning scholarships. Nothing for arts, humanities, social sciences
It is possible that there are more opportunities for STEM courses. But there are three groups of scholarships:
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1. Scholarship for science courses, 2. Scholarship for art/humanities/social sciences courses and 3. Scholarship for both arts and science. Rather than spend your time counting how many scholarships are for which group,
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position yourself strategically to win even if it is only one for your discipline because no matter the number of opportunities, no one comes on a platter of gold.
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4.Many People are applying, what is my chance
What matters is not the number of applicant. What matters is how rigorous a scholarship is. A scholarship with less application task and less rigor will have more applicants than a simple one.
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Besides not all who started the application hit the submit button. The application fee and other things will stop some people. I pray you will be unstoppable.
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5.Course-Based Scholarships are easier than the Thesis or Research Based
J. C. Maxwell says that when the going gets to easy, you better watch it, you may be going down the hill. No scholarship is easy, but often times we run away from research proposal.
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And we think we can hide under coursework. As you are doing that, a lot of other people like you are doing that, so even the seemingly easy one becomes more competitive. It is paradoxical, right. smiles.
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Why study in Hongkong

When I got scholarship in Canada and in Hong Kong, I chose Hong Kong everyone kept asking me: ‘why Hong Kong?’ I don’t owe anybody an explanation but here are few facts you need to know about Hong Kong.
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Pay close attention because this is one of the essay questions: why you want to study in Hong Hong
. 1.Hong Kong is one of the most generous countries in terms of financing Graduate Research. Check out the value of Hong Kong Scholarships
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even their studentship is still very much big with a lot of opportunities for exchange program.
2. 4 Out of the 8 public funded universities in Hong Kong are in top 10 universities ranking in Asia. 4 out of the 8 universities are in top 100 in the world ranking.
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It is ranked 12th in QS ranking for the best student cities. You know what this means. 3.Besides the connection you will build, Hong Kong is crime-free. At least it is better than most North American or European countries in crime and violent rate. 27/x

There was protest last year but it has been quelled.
4.The beauty of the city is second to none: Hong Kong has the highest number of skyscrapers (a building with more than 14 storeys) and high rise buildings in the world. 28/x

New York is 2nd, Dubai 3rd, and Tokyo 4th in that order.
5. Hong Kong has a 24 awesome country parks, woodlands and nature reserve which cover about 40% of the land mass. Those interested in tourism and heritage study should know that it has tourist attraction 29/x

and research potential for them.
6. Honk Kong is the world’s 7th largest trading economy. Those of you in economics or business or accounting would understand better what that means.
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The Hong Kong dollar is the eighth most traded currency in the world. Later someone should help me check where Naira is. Hong Kong visa is the easiest to secure.Unlike Canada or America, the graduate school applies for visa on behalf of their newly admitted graduate students.31/x

they send it in sticker form, you put it into your passport yourself.. Hong Kong universities, unlike most Asian countries like Korea, China and so on are 100% taught in English.
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10.Hong Kong has very little or no case of racism. The government takes it seriously because it is a tourist country. They are friendly and receptive to strangers. Except the covid-19 that changed social attitude recently about strangers which is a global thing.
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11.Efficient and cheap transport system with well-knit road network. There is the tramways (for islands only), train, buses, minibuses, taxis for ease of movement.
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Hong is a very quiet and peaceful city that makes it interesting for study. 35/x

Overview HKPFS Scholarship
Established in 2009 by the Hong Kong Research Grants Councilon (RGC), the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme aims to attract best, brightest, and smartest students 😉😉in the world to pursue their PhD degree programmes in Hong Kong’s institutions. 36/x

HKPFS Scholarship is not country specific, neither is it social status specfic. Every applicants are placed on a common ground irrespective of their ethnic background, domiciled country, gender, race, etc
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Participating Universities

HKPFS supports applicants/recipients to pursue their PhD degrees in the 8 Universities listed below; the schools are listed according to their rankings, in a descending order
🛑The University of Hong Kong (39)
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🛑 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (56)
🛑Chinese University of Hong Kong (56)
🛑City University of Hong Kong (126)
🛑The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (129)
🛑Hong Kong Baptist University
🛑Lingnan University
🛑The Education University of Hong Kong
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As evident here, 5 out of the 8 participating schools are well ranked according to THE 2021 ranking. Last year, PolyU was ranked 171😭😭, this year, there was a quantum leap from 171 to 129💪. 40/x

Hence, anyone aspiring to be a beneficiary of HKPFS Scholarship should be ready to work and come out with novel discoveries in his research
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Number of Awards
Last year, Research Grants Council (RGC), provides 250 slots for HKPFS application, meanwhile, this year, the number was increased to 300. This is huge🤫🤫, and I do advise you take the very good advantage of this prestigious opportunity 42/x

Benefits of Scholarship😋

👉Monthly stipend of 26600HKD (1.32 million naira) per month
👉 Research related/travel allowance of 13300HKD (660 thousand naira) per month
👉Free tuition (this is school-specific)
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👉Free accommodation (this is school-specific)
👉welcome package (this varies across different schools)
Arguably, HKPFS is the best scholarship in the world, monetary-wise, but bear in mind that you must work for your money and you must always meet
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Selection Panel

Generally, applications are reviewed by two set of panels namely:

🛑Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology

🛑Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies
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Selection Criteria

Selection panels take into consideration the following in making their competitive selection. HKPFS Scholarship is super competitive and only candidates who can sell themselves to be best (plus God's grace),
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usually emerge as the best. Evaluation are based on the following listed criteria
👉Academic excellence
👉Research ability and potential
👉Communication and interpersonal skills
👉Leadership abilities
👉Cultural Diversity (an attribute specially emphasized by the RGC)
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Application Timeline:

From 1st September 2020 (12 noon HK time) to 1st December, 2020 (at 12 noon HK time)

PS: Kindly don't wait till last hour before submitting your application and also bear in mind that HK is 7 hours ahead of Nigeria (My friend,
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Onyeka lost his HKPFS Scholarship opportunity in 2018 because he made a wrong time zone calculation and didn't meet up with the interview time, please be smart and don't learn from your own experience)
This is my one cent advice!! 49/x

In addition, kindly use Chrome or Puffin browser. If I should advise, I will say Puffin browser is the best option for HKPFS application.
Getting started with your application

First, submit an initial application via UGC's system at
cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/InitAppl…
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to obtain an HKPFS reference number

Second, check the link below and navigate through to visit your school website for further information and details on how to get started.

cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/institut…

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NB: you must include your reference number in your school application so that your application can be treated as an HKPFS applicant and not the regular PhD applicant.
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Mailing a supervisor
Searching for Supervisor

From the link given, or just by putting the name of your proposed school on Google, you can reach the university website, from their, navigate through to reach the faculty/department page of choice,
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check for the academic staff page in your proposed department, then go through the Professors (not assistant professors) among them, when you see these professors profile,
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check if their Research is in alignment with yours and then read one or two of their latest publications on Google scholar. After this, send an email requesting their consent to be your supervisor
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Common mistake:🤔

Many will send lengthy email with plenty attachments, this is wrong and unethical in the academic setting. Professors are busy, besides, Chinese loves speaking their native language and easily get stressed reading or writing in English.
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In short, let your email be brief and succinct. No story, no attachment except CV (2-3pages max👌). E.g
Dear Professor Trump,

I am highly interested in your research area of Network Optimization and Design(I.e. Optimization of supply chain network design). 57/x

I want to apply for the PhD program in Industrial and Systems Engineering, at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.

With respect to my qualifications, I have both B.Sc(first class honours) and
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M.Sc(Distinction) in Industrial and Production Engineering from the University of Ibadan. For both programs, I graduated top of my class. Furthermore, I work as an assistant lecturer in the department of Mechatronics Engineering
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at Achievers University in Nigeria.

Would like to know if you be my supervisor for 2020/2021 HKPFS application..

Thanks for your positive response.

Regards,
Mugabe
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Another format credited to @MurainaL
Dear Professor Xie,

My name is MURAINA, Luqman, a First Class (4.52/5.00) graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria. I have experience as a Research Assistant to lecturers in my undergraduate university till date,
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and I have served as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Sociology& Anthropology, Igbinedion University Okada, Nigeria.

I am applying to your Department of Applied Social Sciences for the 2020/21 Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS); and
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I look forward to undertake my PhD programme under this scholarship programme under your supervision. Having gone through your profile, my interests in Political and Economic Sociology, Social Development; Political Economy; Globalization and Asia Development
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Trajectory align with your reputable works and researches. I have gone through some of your works, particularly your article titled: Do inferences of competence from faces predict political selection in authoritarian regimes and I am optimistic I can strengthen your legacy
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on political economy, chinese politics and electoral politics.
I would love to hear your feedback on the availability of a space to be part of your research team under the HKPFS or any other scholarship funding available.
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Attached here-in is my curriculum vitae.
Warm regards,
Luqman O. Muraina.
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Now, what is the difference between the two emails?
Well, both are good but I do love to recommend the second because the writer was able to demonstrate that he truly read the professor's work, and in addition,
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he was explicit as regards what he reads and what steers his interest to chose that line of research.
So please🙏🙏 don't miss it here

Getting a supervisor is like having an angel coming to ease your life affairs.
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The beneficiaries of HKPFS can tell you more, Hong kong Professors are just too nice and loyal. Once they give you their words, they keep to it. In short, I call men of integrity and fidelity🥰
They do all to make sure you have a successful application.
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After getting a positive response from a supervisor, try and get started by preparing a solid and irresistible application, please prepare the very best of your application.

Package yourself!
Sell yourself!!
Hype yourself!!!
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Cultural Diversity

Just as CSS, SISGP, and many more love candidates that coined their essays towards SDG, HK love to see your essays coined in the direction of cultural diversity.

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Cultural Diversity is key and carries between 15-20mks out of a total sum of 120mks. Here, those with international experience (MSc abroad) have better chance of getting the maximum score. However, u can write something to strongly support ur advocacy for cultural diversity. 72/x

Despite I have no international experience, I drafted something for my supervisor to use as evidence of my advocacy for cultural diversity.

With God on your side, you shall sail through and still get nominated
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Nomination starts from the department

From department to faculty (some nominees would be dropped at this stage)

From faculty to University Research Council (further screening to reduce number of nominees)
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From University Research Council to RGC for final nomination

From experience, awardees are usually max of two in a department.

However, if your application is strong, but still get rejected for further screening by the University Research Council or RGC, 75/x

you can be considered for University Scholarship Scheme or other external Scholarships. Please bear in mind that these external scholarships are good enough to cater for all your needs and still get savings (if you are prudent 🤩🤩 ) 76/x

By 9-17 December, 2020, you should be contacted for interview by your respective academic departments.
Interview
👉Be calm
👉Dress corporate
👉Prepare well for the interview
👉Give a strong justification of your proposal.
👉Sell yourself
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Ask interviewers question after they are done asking theirs.
Secret you can't see on website
References

As for your references, excellent references carry a total sum of 20mks
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Please use referees that can rank you excellent grade (i.e maximum tick) in your reference form

5-excellent
4-very good
3-good
2-fair
1-poor
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If possible, get 100% in this section, it goes a long way in getting an excellent overall score
Other secrets👌

1. Keep in touch with your supervisor always by updating him/her about the progress of your application
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2. Get all your documents ready. These include first degree certificate, second degree certificate, additional qualifications, additional certifications, Al evidences of volunteering/leadership/workshops and many more claimed in your essays.

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3. Get exactly 5 profession certifications, if you don't have, you can package the ones you have and still work on getting more online. I once shared Logistics and Procurement course here. For those yet to do theirs, please take action today and let it adds to your profile
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4. Get ur CV revamped and I do advise 2 pages or at most 3 pages max.

5. Get around 5 publications. If you don't have any now, try and work on getting some before closing date. Submitted and Accepted manuscripts can also be used, incase yours are yet ro be published
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6. Get around 5 volunteering/leadership certificates

7. Get around 5 workshop or conferences certificates to upload

8. Add evidences of everything you claim in your CV and essays.

9. Add statement of class rank for all your degrees

10. Pray to God
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Proposal writing and HKPFS Essays
Many find it hard writing a befitting and an award winning proposal.

The secret is simple and I discovered this myself.
All you need to do is to read quality review papers, your Google scholar should be helpful in this case.
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Get good review papers, with that you see the recent problems in your proposed area.

From the proposal, you get insights into the present day knowledge gap of your Research area and the proposed methodologies recommended by reviewers.
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Rewrite these review papers. Left to me, 2 quality review papers should suffice for this, you should be able to get your proposal drafted from it.

From your drafted proposal, raise
👋research questions
👋Methodology
👋Significance of research
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EXPO
1. PolyU & CityU like and accept more Africans than other schools in HK

Be wise I making your choice and that doesn't mean that you shouldn't check on other universities
2. BRE/CRE at POLYU takes at least 5 Nigerians every blessed year
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BRE/CRE means building/construction and real estate
This department takes general engineering/environmental/management graduates like QS, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Estate management and many more
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3. Please back up all your claims with evidences and upload them under other document section
4. HKUST accepts minimum of 2 NIGERIANS into their Civil Engineering department every blessed year
5. Department of Sociology at HKBU now takes at least one NIGERIAN per year
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Section 3
Proposal Writing and Essay Writing
Liberal Arts, Performing Arts, Creative Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Education and Management
This section is necessary because some disciplines may not be accommodated in what Scholar Theorem explained
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Note that I had shared part of this idea in a different group some time ago, I would be repeating some of the things I said in case you had seen the other one –moreover, I prepared the first one so you can’t charge me for plagiarism. Smiles.
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These are the disciplines often distinguished from pure science (STEM Courses). And the area of proposal and essay writing are issues that border primarily on your contribution to knowledge.
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There are no hard and fast rule about writing award winning and grant winning proposals. Each of these disciplines may have its own nuanced distinctions; however 90% of the proposals that have won awards have:
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1.Currency of Idea
Non scientific disciplines grapple a lot with ideas, so you need to keep them current. Imagine someone asking you to support a project that wants to develop 2G network when the world is talking about 5G network, or kerosene stove or hunch back sited
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television set. These things are out of date. But you have to be careful with currency. Now, that is the difference between scientific ideas of currency –a situation where a new invention totally displaces the old one. In arts, every current idea still retains its communion
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with the past ideas from where it metamorphosed from. Besides, newness is not just in the latest development in a field; it can also subsist in the use of a different approach or method of inquiry to investigate an old existing issue. That leads me to the second point:
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2.Interdisciplinary/ Transdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Approaches
The world is moving to globalization, boundaries are collapsing, boarders are dissolving. One way to make yourself relevant and current in a fast growing world is to see how you can identify a new problem
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If you can’t identify a new one, you can interrogate an old one from a new perspective. To make your work current, cross disciplinary boundaries. See how your work can relate or interpret another close or even distant discipline.
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I saw a guy who is doing a funded research on Geography and theatre –how the depiction of of backdrop scenery in the theatre affects the audience just the way the natural environment affect people who live in it (Performing Arts + Geography).
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My own research is on the impact of technology especially the new media on identity (Technology + Media + Literature)
Recently in Australia, Legitimation Code Theory is a method, theory and approach used to study different things. I attended a zoom class
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where it was used to study standup comedy and it was a funded research. It is being used in the study of cancer, obesity, anything. It is not yet known in Nigeria. The closest it has come in Africa is South Africa.
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Although I presume that by now you all must have had your idea of what you want to research on for this application. In any case, we just have to think out of the box to be current.
Such other areas as the following reflect this burgeoning currency:
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•Digital Humanities
•Medical Humanities
•Artificial intelligence
•Ecocriticism/ecolinguistics/ecotheatre/ecofeminism
•Environmental sustainability
•Text and technology
•Media and new technology
•Terrorism, Violence and Conflict Resolution
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•Marginality/precarity
•Liminality/Border
One can ask what medicine has with literature or drama or history. Remember Nelson Mandela says it usually seems difficult until it is done
Packagin the proposal
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You may have an interesting and current idea but it needs to be neatly packaged to attract attention. Imagine a very beautiful girl wearing a sack cloth. I don’t know how she would look, smiles. Here you need direction from mentors who have gone ahead of you.
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There are different ways that the disciplines above handle their proposal; but despite your area, your proposal should have some of the following parts:
1.Background to the Study
2.Statement of Problem and Research Questions
3.Objectives of the Research Project
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4.Literature Review
5.Theoretical Framework/Methodology/Research Design
6.Potential for Breakthroughs, and Expected Impact of Research
7.Competence of the researcher
8.Work Plan/Study Plan
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HKPFS ESSAY
The essay part is another very very very very IMPORTANT part of this application. Every part has its points. Some of us are always in a hurry to finish up –that has been my problem as a person. When it comes to those essays, calm down.
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1. Reasons for wishing to pursue PhD studies in Hong Kong (about 150 words). Begin your reflection from what I said in section b earlier on why you want to come to study ion Hong Kong, I listed 12 points but the twelve points cannot appeal
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to everyone equally at the same time. For instance, those in architecture may be interested in the skyscrapers, The tourist, archeology and graphic designers in their parks, the nutritionists in the continental dishes, urban planning their interconnected cities.Whatever may
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be your interest, it should be in integrated with the information about the country, about the region you are about to study (every region in Hong Kong is unique for something), about the institution you are about to study, about the faculty you
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are applying to, about your department, about the nature of their research, about your supervisor and his relationship with his research students. For instance, Hong Kong 8 participating Universities have what they call Cross-institutional courses.
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They are compulsory requirement. So you can be in HKBU or CityU or PolyU and have the chance to study, learn, visit, know and network with students and staff of the other 7 universities because you MUST take cross-institutional courses.
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Similarly, you can take courses from any faculty or department of your choice within your university. Another thing is that they are flexible in that they give you the unit load to cover and you decide how and when to cover them.
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They wont say this number of courses per semester. You can also transfer credits from your previous degree if you have a related course that you have previously. They have provision for PhD students to travel abroad and get hands on experience in their penultimate year.
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These facts would help strengthen your essay. Everyone you need something from would be more obliged of they that you understand how their system operates. But do not simply gather facts, weave them into a coherent narrative.
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Seek the help of those who know how to use words, just get something condensed.
The other questions:
2. Long-term career plan, aims and interests for future development after graduation (about 150 words)
3. Contribution that you
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would like to make to the development of research in Hong Kong and to society (about 150 words)
4. Other remarks in relation to the application for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship (OPTIONAL about 150 words)
Are things I feel any scholarship applicant already had.
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It is just a question of modifying them. Here is another trick. Any time you are applying for scholarship and you see something like this question 4. It is usually optional, PLEASE do not leave it. Use it to tell them other things that you have not been able to say in the
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other sections. By conclusion, I would say that scholarship is highly competitive but all we have to do is all we have to do. And all we have to do is enough for us. But we have to make sure that we do all that we have to do. Thank you.
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Refer to our drive for the essay sample
Q1

Group 6

1. thank you for the well delivered lecture Scholar Theorem, On searching for supervisor, I mailed an assistant professor and got a his consent for supervision but you clearly pointed out that we should only professor.
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Should I look for another supervisor or stick to the AP that I already secured. Can this limit my chance of being selected?

2. Can one work on securing more than a supervisor in the same department?

3. Please what is your advice on applying to more than one institution
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under the HKPFS?

A1:

1. An assistant professor can't nominate you for HKPFS, the best he can do is to talk to his boss on your behalf, then you stand a better chance of getting selected

2. NO, one supervisor is OK

3. You can apply up to max of 2 institutions under HKPFS. So you increase your chances by submitting two applications. For other Q&As , refer to the link to our drive when the whole transcript is posted on Monday. Thanks for your attention.
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