commonwealth shared scholarship essay sample

Discover our blogs

Defence and Security

Energy and Sustainability

Environment

Manufacturing and Materials

School of Management

Transport Systems

Top five tips for a successful Commonwealth Shared Scholarship application

The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship has now opened for applications at Cranfield for 2021. But while this scholarship is a life-changing opportunity it is important to remember that it is one of the most competitive out there. Cranfield University receives thousands of applications from those hopeful of studying a Master’s degree with us in the UK. With only a much smaller number of scholarships on offer how do you stand out from the crowd and give yourself the best chance? Read our top five tips:

1. Can you apply?

Closely read through the eligibility rules to ensure you can apply for the scholarship. You must firstly be a citizen (or granted refugee status) and resident of an eligible Commonwealth country. Secondly, you must have an intention to study one of the eligible Master’s courses at Cranfield University on a full-time basis. You must have not already studied or worked for more than one year in a developed country.

2. Don’t miss anything

At Cranfield the first thing you must do is submit an online scholarship application , you do not need an offer of admission. Make sure you answer all questions – when asked for your undergraduate result please put in a GPA or classification. If you have not yet finished your undergraduate course please enter your predicted score. Make sure you apply separately to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission through their online application system . You must make both online applications by 9 April 2021.If you do progress to the next stage you will be asked to make an application for admission to Cranfield University.

3. What does the question say?

It is important to be clear on the information that each question is asking from you. The submission should be focussed on the future and how you plan for this scholarship to make an impact on your career and the development of your country. Therefore, you should not spend a lot of time telling us about your previous study or experience, or spend time describing your chosen course at Cranfield and the modules you will study – we already know the content of our courses! We want to know about you.

4. Not too much, not too little

Ensure you have a balance between putting enough information to address the question but not too much that the key points of your answer are lost. Your submission on the online Cranfield application form should be approximately one page. If your submission is longer than this you risk being marked lower than others that have more concisely answered the question.

5. Make sure you stand out

We know you are excited about the opportunity to study at Cranfield. For a successful application you will need to inspire us about your plans to make an impact with a Cranfield degree behind you. Tell us what you can do to improve conditions in your home country and change people’s lives for the better. You may have a desire to study further on a PhD course or become a teacher but these plans on their own may not be enough to win that elusive scholarship nomination. We know from previous years that many people have these same goals. Tell us what else you will do in order to catch our eye.

I hope you have found these tips useful. I wish you the best of luck with your application. Please check our website and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website for more information and contact [email protected] if you have any further questions.

Sam Goodwin

Written By: Cranfield University

Categories & Tags:

Leave a comment on this post:

Thank you for this educative piece Mr Goodwin.

Thank you for the information.

Hi Sam, I need the link to apply for common wealth scholarship from Nigeria. I have secure an admission to study Military Vehicle Technology starting 6/ 9/2021.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You might also like…

Sourcing country analysis – a guide to Library sources

Helen Holmes 2024-08-23T15:59:15+01:00 23/08/2024 | Tags: bmi , country information , FitchConnect , gme , knl , mirc , passport , SOMLibrary , web-mirc-economics |

For those researching a country, you will find that country information tends to take two forms:  Analysis - country reports are descriptive reports covering most areas of interest on a country. They contain an analysis ...

Bank holiday hours for Library Services: Monday 26 August

Karyn Meaden-Pratt 2024-08-19T11:55:57+01:00 19/08/2024 | Tags: bank holiday , barrington , knl , opening hours , SOMLibrary |

Library Services staff will be taking a break on Monday 26 August for the bank holiday. You will still be able to access all the resources and help you need via our library website. The 24/7 ...

Finding competitor analysis for companies

Karen Stokes 2024-08-23T13:17:24+01:00 14/08/2024 | Tags: Bloomberg , capitaliq , company financials , company information , factiva , fame , ibisworld , mirc , peer analysis , SOMLibrary , web-mirc-company , web-mirc-finance |

Often when you are researching a company, it will be useful to compare it to its peers. Here are some resources you can use to find and compare competitor companies. Peer Comparison and Peer Analysis ...

MSc student Alessandra Khaing Oo: My experience as a woman in the motorsport industry

Antonia Molloy 2024-08-08T12:16:29+01:00 08/08/2024 | Tags: advanced motorsport mechatronics , motorsport , motorsport industry , red bull , women in engineering , women in motorsport |

Alessandra Khaing Oo will graduate from Cranfield University with an MSc in Advanced Motorsport Mechatronics in September 2024. Here, Alessandra talks about her journey from Myanmar to the UK, how she ...

The practices of sustainability in banking are driven by a host of organisational factors

Tammie Argent-Peters 2024-08-08T12:11:58+01:00 08/08/2024 | Tags: banking , corporate and social responsibility , economics , finance , sustainability |

It is intriguing to know that the revenue potential for banks supporting the transition to a sustainable future could average $100 billion annually by 2030. [1] The concept of sustainability has been gaining popularity among banking leaders, ...

A celebration of life and Computational Fluid Dynamics

Violeta da Rold 2024-08-08T12:09:43+01:00 08/08/2024 |

On Friday 28 June 2024, our Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC) held a special afternoon event in memory of Stephen Billett, a cherished alumnus of the very first cohort of our MSc in ...

Sign up for more information about studying master’s and research degrees at Cranfield

Privacy overview.

• Undergraduate
• Short Courses
• Online Courses
• Masters/Postgraduate
• Postdoctoral
• Study in Africa
• Study in Asia
• Study in Australia
• Study in Europe
• Study in USA
• Fellowships
• Internships
• Volunteering
• OD Live Series
• Young Person of the Month
• Success Stories
• General Tips
• ODIC 2023 Application
• ODIC Judges
• ODIC 2023 Winners
• ODIC 2022 Winners
• ODIC 2021 Winners
• ODIC 2019 Winners
• ODIC 2018 Winners
• ODIC 2017 Winners
• ODIC 2016 Winners
• Australia and Oceania

5 Tips for Winning the Commonwealth Scholarship Award

By Damilola Olisa, 2018 Commonwealth Scholar

The Commonwealth Scholarship is a very competitive fully funded scholarship open to applicants from any of the Commonwealth countries and it is handled by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK. As long as you are from a Commonwealth country and have not spent more than one year in a developed country, you are eligible to apply. The application requires much time considering the many stages involved; ranging from securing admission for either Master’s or PhD programme in any of the UK universities, applying to your nominating agency for nomination, applying for the scholarship on CSC Electronic Application System (EAS), securing nomination from your nominating agency and lastly securing confirmation of award from the CSC.

In my own case, getting the Commonwealth Scholarship award is more than a dream come true. And I have been getting numerous questions on how I got nominated for the Commonwealth Award by 5 nominating agencies (4 UK Universities and Nigeria’s Federal Scholarship Board FSB)  when most applicants often struggle hard to secure even one nomination which is needed to secure the award. Eventually, I settled for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship award to study MSc Communication for Development at the University of Reading. Meanwhile, I remember that in 2017 when I first applied for Commonwealth Scholarship, I was rejected by all the three universities through which I applied, but the story changed in 2018. My story then revolves around from being rejected in 2017 to securing 5 nominations in 2018.

Hence, in this post, I will share some tips with you on how you can win the Commonwealth Scholarship award.

• Research into the Commonwealth Scholarship

First thing is you need to understand that there are different forms of Commonwealth Scholarship awards. Currently there are more than six kinds of Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships. So it is your duty to carefully research into which of the scholarships you are eligible for and fits your career goals. In my own case, I targeted only the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship (General) and Commonwealth Shared Scholarship because they were the only Commonwealth scholarships for Master’s degree programmes. Similarly, I researched into the nominating agencies and the peculiar requirements for each of them. In all, I will advise you take enough time to look through the official Commonwealth Scholarship website and other blogs for all necessary information you might need about the scholarship.

• Feel free to get a previous Scholar to mentor you

This actually worked perfectly for me and it was the reason I had multiple nominations from UK universities and even Nigeria’s nominating agency (Federal Scholarship Board). In my preparations for 2018 round of application, I decided to speak with previous Commonwealth Scholars who directed me on how to present better applications. I even went as far as getting copies of their own application in order to proofread and draw ideas for my application. From this exercise, I discovered better ways through which I could improve on my application.

• Carefully answer your essay questions, especially your home country benefit essay

A number of people have asked me how I was able to get nominated for Master’s degree programmes which were not directly in line with my undergraduate degree. For example, I was nominated for MA Religious Studies and Global Development by University of Leeds despite having my first degree in Mass Communication. The simple secret was I presented unique home country benefit essays which were peculiarly appropriate for each Master’s programme. You need to let your nominating agency and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission realize what impact you aim to achieve on your home country if offered the scholarship. You should provide facts about a specific problem in your home country which you intend to solve and how you intend to do that. This is very important. You should also provide realistic measures you intend to take to solve the problem using knowledge and skills gathered from studying in the UK and even how you intend to measure your results from time to time. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission takes this particular essay in high esteem. And this is where most applicants, especially Frist Class holders, miss it. They wrongly believe that having a First Class is the major ticket for getting the Commonwealth Scholarship. Even with a Second Class in your first degree, you can win the scholarship if you present a perfect overall application.        

• Engage in quality volunteering activities, publish academic papers and join professional bodies

During the course of filling your application on the CSC Electronic Application System (EAS), you will discover that there are different sections for all of these. Although they are not compulsory, they are the things that add value and weight to your application. After I realized why my 2017 application was not successful, I channeled efforts towards improving in these areas. I engaged in numerous voluntary activities, published a number of academic journal articles and joined relevant professional bodies in my field and career. In essence, the Commonwealth Scholarship application is what you diligently prepare round the year for. Another round of application for 2019/2020 will open by Oct/Nov 2018, so you must begin your preparations from now.

• Make your entire application coherent

By ensuring that your application is coherent, I mean let there be logical interconnection with various segments of your EAS application. Your entire application should be targeted at proving that you have the capacity of influencing positive social change using skills and knowledge acquired in the UK upon return to your home country. Each segment of the application should be in tandem with your overall goal. Even if you are applying for a field different from what you studied in your first degree, you can join professional bodies in the new field or take some short courses to prove knowledge in the new field.

In sum, the Commonwealth Scholarship is a life-changing opportunity for you to change your life and as well as your home country. It will influence your career positively. Winning the award totally depends on you. Please note that winning the award is a job on its own and you have to give it your best.

Applications are open for the following:

• Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships 2023/2024 for Study in the UK (Fully-funded)
• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2023/2024 for Doctoral Study at a UK University (Fully-funded)

For more articles, visit OD How-To .

Opportunity Desk is the one stop place for all global opportunities. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @opportunitydesk

Related Posts

Travel, work, and personal growth., tips for salary and benefits discussions., networking 101: how to expand your professional network and land your dream job..

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Scholarly Commons

• < Previous

Home > Faculty Scholarship > Faculty Publications > 1754

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Plenary power: teaching the immigration law of the territories.

Cori Alonso-Yoder , George Washington University Law School Follow

Document Type

Publication date.

Immigration law dominates national headlines and policy debates while immigrant communities struggle to secure legal representation. Law students are increasingly aware of these issues, often bringing lived experiences of the immigration system into the classroom. As immigration law professors seek to engage these students with doctrinal and clinical coursework, they often struggle to incorporate policy priorities and executive actions that shift with the political winds. In this tumult, many immigration law professors fail to realize that there is an entire body of U.S. immigration law they are not teaching-the immigration law of the U.S. territories. Indeed, many professors may not know that two of the five territories are not even subject to U.S. immigration law. Yet, the operation of immigration law in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands offers a wealth of examples that reinforce existing themes and concepts in immigration law. This essay lays forward some of the central concepts taught in immigration legal doctrine and describes the immigration systems of the U.S. territories, including those that are exempt from federal immigration law. It then ties the legal principles at play in each system, including the central concept of the federal political branches' "plenary power" over the territories and noncitizens alike, to topics presently taught in immigration law coursework.

GW Paper Series

https://ssrn.com/abstract=4874897

Recommended Citation

Alonso-Yoder, Cori, "Plenary Power: Teaching The Immigration Law Of The Territories" (2024). GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works . 1754. https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/faculty_publications/1754

Since August 19, 2024

Included in

Law Commons

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines

GW Law Links

• GW Law Home
• Jacob Burns Law Library
• GW Law Faculty Directory
• Faculty in the News

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright