Scholarship : how to get scholarships

 Dear Aspirants: I am sure you read Waqar bhai's post about Italian Scholarship Rejection and I have personally noticed that Pakistani Students are not represented in such a majority in US universities either. While I pursued my Undergraduate Degree in the US and now doing my Ph.D. there, I have noticed this dilemma, and tons of mentors have brought it to your attention as well.

T have other mentors that Scholarships are Competitive not because there are many students but also because you are competing against international talent too.

If you can not make the effort to open the link and read the requirements for the program then I can not comprehend how do you comprehend that you can sustain and do well abroad

If you are so uncertain about giving IELTS/TOEFL, constructing SOP, creating your CV, Giving the GRE, Making a Research Proposal; that we hope that someone just gives us all the information and we do not have to do much then we will continue to lack and be underrepresented

We need to think this fact that we must quit running after acceptance letters. I have seen students just mindlessly asking for an acceptance letter from professors that have research not even close to what they want to pursue.

Students continue to send the same email to every professor and then ask, WHY ARE WE REJECTED?

We do not take time to read the profile of the professor, read their research, read some of their papers and try to understand what are their active projects because we claim that "IT WASTES SO MUCH TIME".

If you think that doing hard work is waste of time than let me tell you that trying to find the shortcut is the biggest waste of your time because to achieve success NO SHORTCUT EXISTS

SO HOW TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM?

Try to spend some time reading the requirements of the program. Do not blindly apply as soon as you see the word "FULLY FUNDED"

Stop chasing acceptance letters and try to find a perfect match with you and the lab you want to do research in. 

Please start working on your profile by constructing a compelling CV, SOP and other material ahead of the application deadline. If you start gathering your documents days before your deadline than you will not be able to carefully make sure that you have fulfilled all the requirements

Do apply to multiple programs on the same SOP, IT IS NOT GOING TO WORK IN YOUR FAVOR

If you are applying to US, know that GRE is not some sort of a foreign BEAST! The test is designed for humans by humans and not for robots. We all take these exams and we all can do well, if we put the same dedication as we put in things that are of interest to us

If you can spend hours browsing the internet then you should also be able to spend hours trying to find scholarship opportunities

PLEASE understand the importance of RESEARCH! It is rather impossible to get into PhD if you have no research experience. Instead of sitting and blaming your country, your institutions, and other people, start taking responsibility of your actions!

If you did not have the opportunity to do research, you must do an internship or a job relevant to your field before you apply for PhD!

Do not assume someone knows that you know the skills. If you do not mention that in your CV, I can not know that you have Research Skills

MORAL OF THE STORY: Let us stop blaming others for our failure and take responsibility of our actions! Work hard! There is no success if you can not take the time to work hard! Failure should not disappoint you but let it teach you!he Biggest Problem is: TRYING TO FIND A SHORT CUT

Study in Italy: basic guide

 Study in Italy -- For Beginners --FAQs

An Old guide but good for basic queries..

.. 

I did lot of research during search for fully funded PhD .

I hope this works for you. 

This article is only for itlay.

The only good thing about Italy is that it gives scholarship in Masters Level.

Q1. Which university should I apply for?

These are the universities:

1. Politecnico di Milano (Polimi) http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/what/prospective-students/

2. Politecnico di Torino (Polito) http://apply.polito.it/index_en.html

3. University of Trento http://international.unitn.it/engineering

4. University of Venice http://www.unive.it/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=10497

5. University of Bergamo http://www.unibg.it/struttura/en_struttura.asp?cerca=en_didattica_internazionalizzazione_02

6. University of Rome http://web.uniroma2.it/home-en.php?newlang=english University of Rome, Tor Vergata

7. University of Siena

8. University of Milan, Torino, Padova etc etc.

Further you should try Google and http://www.universitaly.com/index.php/

Q2. Can I get scholarship?

In the Politecnicos and Trento, the scholarships are assigned automatically and randomly, there is no other separate form to be filled. No one can tell if u will get scholarship if u have 75% or 100% marks. It is random, its Italy!

In Polimi and Polito another need based scholarship is available, in Polimi it is DSU and Polito it is EDISU. For DSU you can apply online the application opens in July. The procedure of DSU and EDISU is explained in another document in the group documents. You can find it in “files section” of the group. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/197164200312640/files/)

EDISU you will have to arrive to Italy to get.

If assigned DSU or EDISU or Uni scholarship, all your living expenses are covered including fees.

There are other similar scholarships in other universities with different names like OPERA etc. I have no personal experience of that.

Q3. Living Expenses:

Initially after arrival, the expenses are like this:

1. 260 euro stay permit fees

2. 400 euro normally house security fees, refunded when you leave the house

3. Rent of first month normally 200 - 300

4. University fees

5. Other food and transport expenses depend on you but around 150

6. Then the expenses come down to 300 - 350 per month.

7. In some cases it can be 250 per month if you are living with many people, but it depends.

Q4. Jobs: (Side jobs / Post education jobs)

No side jobs unless you know Italian language, even in that case it is not assured. It is not like UK or Australia. So if you are coming here relying on getting a side job DON’T COME.

After completion of education there are chances of getting jobs. It is luck, also Italy is not EUROPE EUROPE, it is like OK you can call yourself Europe. It is more like Pakistan of Europe. So you might be jobless for long time(I had been), and you might find a great job(some have got them) immediately. But still there is no security that yes now you will be rich.

Jobs normally pay 1200 euros a month, internships 600 and side job if you can get pays between 600 and 1200.

In Polimi you can apply for a 150 hours paid on campus job, there is a selection based on CV etc, and then you can work on campus, it is assigned once in a year. But the probability of assignation is less, so don't count on it.

Q5. Whether or not you should come:

If you are assigned scholarship then come, if not, then look at you financial condition and decide, in case of no scholarship, no job, the worst case scenario, you will need around 350 euros per month for yourself plus your university fees so it is not that cheap. In that case if you can go to Canada or Germany that will be better.

Here is a list of countries you should go to, in descending order:

Switzeland > Australia > Canada > Germany > Norway > Sweden > Denamrk > Netherlands > Austria > Italy.

The only good thing about Italy is that it gives scholarship in Masters Level.

Advice: Don’t care about ranking of university, don’t select a university, select a country. It’s the country that will provide good future, job security etc. Otherwise you can graduate from Polimi ranked 27 in the world but since you are in Italy, either remain jobless or if you are lucky earn the minimum scale of Europe.

How to get scholarship in Europe

 How to keep getting scholarships (and jobs) in Europe? 

5 tips and tricks from someone who did it. 

Here are five tips that I will give you if you want to survive in Europe and keep getting scholarships (and jobs).

1. Do not go after PR

Many Pakistani students come here and forget about the career they have. Instead, their focus is on getting permanent residence in the EU. Eventually, some of them do get a PR but everything comes at a cost. Their career is compromised, and they have to work odd jobs their whole lives. In contrast, I focused on my career. Therefore, changing countries within the EU was not a problem for me. Of course, that means I do not have PR, but that’s the sacrifice I am willing to make.

2. Do not focus on rich countries only

Everyone wants to study and live in Germany. No doubt that it has many job opportunities but also high competition. Also, the living standards in Germany are not as good as in Mediterranean countries like Spain and Italy. People are social and happy. The food is good and the weather is nice. Yes, the salary won’t be as good as in Germany but no country is perfect. If you really like Germany or the US, go for it. But if you just want to live somewhere nicer, there are other options.

3. Money vs. career mindset

Some people want to earn money, and some want to achieve their dreams (and earn money). The difference is in the preference. If money is what you are after, you will end up doing odd jobs and earn that money. But this will happen at the cost of your career. In short term, it is good to earn some cash, but investing your time and energies in you career will get you much further. Learn more skills, work on some nice research projects or volunteer. All of them will help you much more than some odd job. If you really need the money to survive, try freelancing because that will increase your skills and knowledge. That’s what I did when I was unemployed.

4. Learn an EU language

Yes, we all want to live in English-speaking countries but so do the millions of other people who speak English. The result is high competition and no place for average students like me. If you learn an EU language, your chances of getting employed can sky-rocket in the EU. Not to mention how it will make your life easier and worth living here. Research shows that learning a new language is also very good for the brain so you will become more intelligent.

5. Integrate into the EU

How to learn a language and culture of a country? The easier option is to enroll yourself in a language course but the best solution is to integrate yourself into society. Hang out with the locals and enjoy life. The famous proverb goes; when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Practice your language but also show your interest in their country. There is nothing wrong with being patriotic but sometimes we become too obsessed with our country and only want to talk about Pakistan. Show some interest in the country where you are living also. If Pakistan is perfect, there is no need to come here.

Here you go. Hope these tips help you enjoy your stay in the EU. Let me know what you think and if I missed something.