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DEMYSTIFYING THE COMMONWEALTH SHARED SCHOLARSHIP ESSAYS

I welcome you all to another edition of our lecture series titled Demystifying the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Essays.

The main essence of this lecture is to guide you in making a competitive application for the

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commonwealth scholarship. As such, experienced scholars have been invited to share their insights into the application.Kindly follow d session wholeheartedly & prepare your questions in advance.Our guest speakers are ready to provide answers to the best of their capabilities. 2/

Lecture Agenda

1. Overview of the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship: Introduction, Benefits and Application for Admissions.
▪️Scholar Faithful ▪️

2. Essay 1 - 7.
▪️ Scholar Faithful▪️

3. Essay 8 - 11.
▪️Scholar Ifeoluwa▪️

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4. How to relate SDGs to CSS essays.
▪️Scholar Esther ▪️

5. Reviewer expectations in evaluating the CSS essays.
▪️Scholar Esther ▪️

6. Other salient points in securing the scholarship.▪️Scholar Esther ▪️

7. Q&A. 4/

Good evening friends, scholars and my co-speakers,
I am so glad to have been invited to share insights on how to successfully apply for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship being an alumnus.
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I remember as far back as 2015 or so when I, Scholar @Lukgaf and others started the ISF group. Then most of us had not even secured a scholarship, but our like minds on obtaining a better education and assisting others in doing same propelled us to start the group.

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Today, we’ve all been awarded scholarships to fulfil our dreams. The group has expended to about 10 groups, with a telegram version, thanks to the hardwork of all the admins. Several others have obtain different scholarships and I am confident you can be next. 7/

Now to the business of the day… sincerely, it is difficult to talk about scholarships through texts being that I am not a typing person (lolz😀😂… I prefer talking to texting) but I will try my possible best. 8/

UNDERSTANDING THE PURPOSE OF THE CSC SCHOLARSHIP
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development, and are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK.

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These scholarships are offered under six CSC development themes:
1. Science and technology for development
2. Strengthening health systems and capacity
3. Promoting global prosperity
4. Strengthening global peace, security and governance
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5. Strengthening resilience and response to crises
6. Access, inclusion & opportunity
Purpose: To contribute to development needs of Commonwealth countries by providing training for skilled and qualified professionals and academics and to contribute to UK higher education 11/

and foreign policy aims by encouraging collaboration & links. BENEFITS OF THE COMMONWEALTH SHARED SCHOLARSHIP
👉🏽One of the most prestigious and competitive scholarships in d world.
👉🏽Network: Since it was established in 1959, over 30,000 individuals have held a Commonwealth
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Scholarship or Fellowship

• Fully Funded: Each scholarship provides (Approximately above 20 million naira in just one year)

• Approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award

• Approved tuition fees – funded by the CSC

• Visa fee
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• Stipend (living allowance)
• Warm clothing allowance
• Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation
• Study travel grant towards d costs of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
• Excess baggage allowance, up to an annual approved limit 14/

when returning home
• Reimbursement of the cost of a mandatory tuberculosis (TB) test
• If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £478 per month for the first child, and £118 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, 15/

if you are accompanied by your children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK
WHAT THE CSC IS LOOKING FOR IN A CANDIDATE

The CSC just like any forward looking organisation is not into wasteful investments. The CSC invests a huge sum of money for each
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scholar _ (over 20M per scholar)_ so as any wise investor, they must ensure that their investment will yield a good return on investment (ROI)

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Thus, the CSC is looking for a candidate that shows promise on a good ROI. b4, I go into stating what I think the CSC is looking for in a candidate, it is wise to make it clear here that what I express represents my opinion and does not necessarily express the opinion of the 18/

Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. This is not an exhaustive list but here is what I think the CSC is looking for in a candidate.
1. The CSC is looking for an individual that is passionate about making a difference in their community, country and world at large through
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the knowledge and skills they hope to gain in the UK.
2. Your *leadership prowess * and the potential you’ve to make impact and influence the world around you positively towards sustainable development and in making the world a better place than you found it. 20/

3. Commitment: they are looking for individuals that are commitment about their goals and visions as proved by previous achievements and initiatives they’ve taken part in. 21/

4. Creativity and Originality: I often say, creativity and originality are the hallmarks of a true scholar. This is why you must tell your story and not copy that of others when writing your essays. Remember, they’ve been in this business for several years and
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they can detect a copy and paste or generic essays. Make yourself stand out by telling your unique story in a creative and original way.
5. Problem solvers: the CSC are interested in knowing if you even know or understand the problems around you.
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Remember, you cannot solve a problem dt you do not know. You must show through data(from WHO, World Bank etc.)that you know and understand the problem around you and you think you have the potential to solve that problem giving the knowledge you will gain from the scholarship.24/

6. Diversity and Well-roundedness: as a scholar, it is important for you to be well rounded and not just be a lover of books. So do well to sell yourself as a well-rounded individual that has been involved in other activities other than academics. 25/

7. Talk about your extra-curriculum activities, leadership positions you’ve held and the impact you’ve made. Also talk about innovative things you are doing in your community and how you’ve worked with people from diverse backgrounds, tribes, religion and so on. 26/

7. Vision: without vision d people perish. Your vision should not be focused on you alone. Your vision should include those around you and the CSC hopes to understand how your vision aligns with the sustainable development goals and the development goals within your country. 27/

OVERVIEW OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS

The application process is in two phases.

1. University application: you must apply to study one of the approved courses in their respective university. 28/

Example: you can apply to study MSc Sustainability Energy and Development at Durham University since it is on the list of eligible courses.
cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/commonwealth-s… 29/

2. CSC application: you then need to apply to the CSC and submit your application for that specific course at:
fs29.formsite.com/m3nCYq/wfeafyw… 30/

Admission Requirements for most UK Masters Programmes

Candidates must satisfy the following conditions:
1. Undergraduate degree from a recognized university
2. University certificates and transcripts,
3. National passport (personal details page) or any document showing 31/

Proof of Citizenship;
4. Detailed CV;
5. Recommendation letters from 2 lecturers
6. Personal Statement 32/

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We are back...

CSC APPLICATION ESSAYS – HOW TO DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU’RE ​DT CANDIDATE THE CSC IS LOOKING FOR.1) How your proposed study relates to: a) development issues at the global, national and local
level?
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b) development issues connected to your chosen CSC theme and the wider sector?
(200 words)
• To successfully answer this question you should identify a need in your community that you will like to solve.
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Or challenges of access to health care in your community. Or financial exclusion of people, fraud and poor financial regulation. The idea is to find a problem you are passionate about solving.
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To show its indeed a problem, you will have to quote reliable data from trusted authorities like WHO, World Bank, National Bureau of Statistics, Government newsletters, published articles, etc. Quantify the problem you intend to solve.
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• This problem should be related to your chosen course and you should show that the modules you are to take in that course will prepare you adequately in providing the needed solution. 37/

• After relating it to your chosen course, you need to relate it to issues at the global, national and local level. Your best bet is linking it to the sustainable development goals, African Agenda 2063 and other developmental goals within your country and community. 38/x

2) How you intend to apply your new skills and qualification when you return home? (100 words)

This is indeed a very wonderful question, you see, the CSC is expecting the you go back home and effect a positive change within your community.
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To successfully answer this question you must link it to the first....

The problems/needs in your community/country that you’re passionate about solving
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The skills the course you’re to take will afford you and how you’ll best use it in solving the problems plaguing your society.

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For example,

If the issue is poor financial regulation and fraud that you want to solve. And you’re taking a course like FinTech or Cyber Security or Finance.Then you’ve to show the skills you’re to gain: eg in Financial regulation, malware detection using machine learning,42/

And how you’ll apply them... in the government sector working for the CBN or as a lecturer training students in the fields, or as a consultant helping businesses secure their payment platforms or a combination of all.
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Be creative and state ways you intend to apply the skills you’re to build
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3) What you expect will change in development terms following your studies, including: a) the outcomes that you aim to achieve? b) the timeframe for their implementation? c) who the beneficiaries will be? (250 words) 45/

Remember SMART

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Time bound
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What you want to achieve... pass it through the SMART function... ask yourself... is it

specific (the problem or outcome you want should not be generic... eg I will make Nigeria a better place. That is too generic a vague
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It should be specific... eg I intend to train 100 Nigerian youths on modern technologies in less than 2 years.
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It should also be measurable... meaning once you attain it we should be able to know you’ve attained it.

It should also be realistic and time bound 41/x

When will that dream or Goal or outcome be achieved? 10 years after your studies? Two months after? Or 2 years after? In addition, you must know who will benefit from it... is it corporate companies, government, students, business owners, SME ceo? Etc 42/x

4) How the impact of your work could be best measured? (100 words)

Remember SMART now we find a specific question on the M -Measurable 43/x

How can we know that the goal, vision or development Impact you’re planning has been achieved?

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If you’ve written down your goals and vision in a SMART way then it becomes easy to say how you will measure it. But if you’ve not written your goals in a SMART way then it becomes difficult to answer this.

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This is the beauty of the CSC essays. All the questions are linked. Answering one very well will help you in answering others well.
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For example, let’s assume you’re taking an MA in Education and your goal is to help students better understand science concepts through the new pedagogy that you’ll learn in the UK
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Then to measure your impact on return home... you’ll say that you’ll give a test to the students after teaching using normal teaching pedagogy and then another test to the experimental group after using the new pedagogy and compare their performance to see improvement.
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This is simply a quasi-experimental research design
So depending on your goals you’ll be able to say what you can use in measuring the impact.
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This also depends on your field of study so one size doesn’t fit all

Refer to the lecture transcript when it is out (around next week) for the remaining part 50/