Profiles of successful scholarship winners
The following individuals spoke to Dominic Dean, Project Officer for Postgraduate Scholarships, about their individual experiences, and what contributed to their success in their application for funding.
Carlos Zepeda, Department of Politics and International StudiesFunding: Warwick Postgraduate Research Scholarship (Chancellor's Scholarship)Carlos Zepeda is a current PhD student in Warwick's Politics and International Studies (PAIS) department, and was a successful applicant for a Warwick Postgraduate Research Scholarship (WPRS) for entry in 2010, becoming one of 45 successful applicants from approximately 600 applicants in total. How and why did you decide to apply to Warwick for your PhD? "I first decided to to come to Warwick when I decided that if I was going to devote all my energy and efforts to do a PhD, I would like it to be in a progressive, high quality research institution - if possible, among the best in the world. I started by asking professors and PhD students on my field of work, (I worked at Oxfam International) which universities and departments they regarded as particularly interesting for issues on politics, development and social sciences in the world. I then contrasted these comments using the international University League Tables, which I came across in a quick review through the Internet. The outcome was always the same. The UK universities were among the best in the world, within Europe and within the UK, the University of Warwick was by far one of the best universities I could apply to. I was particularly happy with the Department of Politics and International Studies and the high class research that my supervisor Prof. Jan Scholte was doing there: www.buildingglobaldemocracy.org . It was a combination of research and praxis which I very much liked." "I found out about the Warwick Postgraduate Research Scholarship (WPRS) by visiting the University of Warwick’s website and putting in the search engine: “scholarships”, as easy as that. I also found out more about this scholarship scheme by engaging with my potential supervisor asking him about alternatives for funding in my area of research." "The preparation I did to apply for the WPRS scheme was to present, in the best way possible, the research and professional capabilities I had in support of my application. I think the key was to be concise and clear in describing what my objectives were for my research proposal and how my academic and professional experience fit perfectly with the nature of my research, the supervisor I had selected and the research interests of my supervisor and department. I would definitely advice new applicants for the WPRS scheme that they should first of all concentrate on developing a clear enough and refined research proposal for the doctorate. I think it orders your mind and your objective, because then you can work on promoting it. You can do this by trying to contact professors and people from the department you are applying for in order to gain support for your research and feedback on how to make it better. At the same time, I would invest time in making visible the academic and professional experience/ strengths on your CV that highlight why you are the best candidate for achieving successfully this PhD research. "I think any international student should be aware of how stressful and detailed the process for a visa application may be, even if you have a scholarship that provides for most of your living expenses. I think it is good to be very clear from the start that although the WPRS is a positive, robust financial support towards making your research possible, it is not necessarily enough to satisfy the requirements listed by the UK immigration officials to guarantee your entry in the UK. It is vital that you, at the same time you apply to this scholarship, apply for additional complementary scholarships to make a safer, less stressful application. Depending on your nationality, research field and topic, etc, you may be liable to apply for a pool of different scholarships from different sources. A good start could be by searching for charities in the UK and sending them your research proposal + CV to see if they are interested in supporting you e.g. http://www.ukcharities.org/ I would also recommend talking with your potential supervisor to see if you could teach or be a research assistant in exchange for additional funding support." Katherine Scarth, Department of English and Comparative Literary StudiesFunding: Warwick Postgraduate Research Scholarship (Chancellor's Scholarship)How and why did you first choose Warwick for your PhD research? "When I was researching PhD programmes, I knew that finding the right supervisor would be an important part of my decision. I emailed many potential supervisors one of whom was Professor Jackie Labbe in the Department of English & Comparative Literary Studies at Warwick. Jackie has an impressive body of research in my areas of interest, Romanticism and women’s writing. I had found her work particularly useful during my master’s and I knew my PhD thesis would carry on from that work. Jackie’s response to my initial emails was the most encouraging I received from a potential supervisor—right from the beginning, she was engaging with my research, asking me questions and suggesting possible directions. I also choose Warwick because I was looking for a department and university that had a strong reputation and was also in a location accessible to libraries and academic events throughout the UK." How did you find possible sources of funding? "I was aware of the WPRS when I made my initial application to Warwick. However, I applied to the university just a bit too late to make the deadline in the year before I started. When I arrived, I signed up for the WPRS list that notifies you when the new round is open. As the next deadline approached, the competition was also advertised in the English department." How did you prepare your application? "I revised my CV to ensure that I could easily and accurately include the most up-to-date information in my application. I tried to be creative and draw out writing, editing, research and other experiences that I could list in the publications category even if they didn’t necessarily relate to my thesis or even to literary studies. I spent a lot of time working on the research proposal and personal statement—I found it helpful to start it early, so that I could leave it for a few days and come back to it with fresh eyes. Of course, it’s important to make your application as error free and professional looking as possible." What advice or support did you find to help you prepare? "I found the WPRS information meeting in the English department organized by Karen O’Brien extremely useful. It was helpful to know exactly what to include and where to put it on the application. An important thing I learned was that I could list experiences that are not strictly academic in the publications category, and that it’s important to make the most of the experiences I have had. Also in terms of listing previous scholarships, it’s helpful to highlight how competitive the scholarship was—for example, by giving the success rate and the scale of the competition (university-wide, national, etc.). It was also essential to get feedback from my supervisor, especially in relation to the research proposal." Is there anything you know now that you wish you had known at the start of the process? "I would have applied earlier to the University and WPRS so that I could have secured funding for my first year. I would also have had more people read my research proposal. I recently applied for other funding and had a lot of people read the proposal, including academics in the department and PhD students at different levels. This was extremely useful—I received excellent feedback which was helpful not only in revising my proposal but for refining my thesis’ main argument. Of course, you want to remember that it is your project and that you don’t need to take all suggestions on board, but input from a variety of people (including non-specialists) can raise new perspectives on your work, and non-specialist readers help to develop your clarity." Have you secured any alternative/additional funding as well as your WPRS? "I’ve received funding for presenting at conferences and for co-organizing a conference. I’ve also received a Chawton House Library Visiting Fellowship. In terms of organizing conferences, the HRC at Warwick funds postgraduate students in the humanities. For the conference I’m co-organizing Picturing Women’s Health 1750-1910, we emailed bodies that would potentially be interested and secured funding from the Centre for the History of Medicine at Warwick and the British Society for Romantic Studies. I also hear about a lot of sources of funding through list servs related to my fields of interests (these are generally organized through societies)." Any other advice for scholarship applicants? "I would say that it’s a good idea to start doing things that you can list as publications as early as possible. For example, start presenting at conferences and find writing or editorial opportunities (online writing or volunteering for a journal could be a start). Ideally, do some research assistant work."
Francesca Scott, Department of English and Comparative Literary StudiesFunding: Warwick Postgraduate Research Scholarship (Chancellor's Scholarship)How and why did you decide to apply to Warwick for a PhD? "Doing a PhD at Warwick was an obvious choice for me. I had already done an MA in Pan-Romanticisms in the same department, and had built up a good rapport with my supervisor. I wanted to continue the work I had started with her and develop some of the ideas from my dissertation." How did you find out about funding? "I first found out about the scholarship from the Arts Faculty skills programme, at a seminar usefully titled ‘Thinking about doing a PhD’. Once I had all the relevant information, I went straight to my supervisor—I knew she would be honest with me and help me to explore every possibility." How did you prepare for, and apply to, WPRS? "I spoke at length with my supervisor over the course of several months, before I put my application together. I read extensively into the subject, trying to feel my way into the field of research as much as possible. I also approached several other members of the department for their advice and asked as many people as possible to read over my ideas. It was a lengthy process of drafting and re-drafting before I finally had an application I was happy with. I wanted my proposal to be original and exciting; a new thought in what was otherwise a well-trodden area of research. I also wanted to portray my enthusiasm and determination, and sincere passion for what I felt was a truly fascinating field. Sources of support could be found not only in my supervisor, who was always my first port of call, but also other PhD students who had already gone through the process. They could help me out with little tips and information that I had not thought about. The Graduate School website was also invaluable to me at this time—a constant point of reference." Is there anything you wish you had known at the start of the process? "I would advise any person thinking of applying for a scholarship to ask as many people as possible for their help and advice, and to establish a good relationship with your supervisor and mentor, who will guide you through the process. Think carefully about what others might think of your proposal: it is original? Is it interesting (to people other than yourself)? How does it engage with surrounding research? What will it bring to the research community at Warwick? The funding process is long and intimidating, but well worth the try!" |
Contact DetailsTel: +44 (0)24 7657 5533 Fax: +44 (0)24 7652 4170 Email: graduateschool at warwick dot ac dot uk
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