What higher education does Chester have. Man with a capital h
Ekaterina Shatalova, student master's program in English Literature Oxford University told how to get full scholarship from the Hill Foundation and how to get into the best university in the world.
How did you come up with the idea of going abroad? Was it scary to apply to one of the best universities in the world?
Of course, the idea to go to study abroad has always been there, especially when you are studying to be a translator (I graduated in 2011). I thought about it in 2014, I even started filling out an application on the website, but then the Sochi Olympics began and I went there as a volunteer translator, and then I completely turned around with work and left these thoughts for some time. Last year, my friends and I went to travel around England, looked among many cities and, and then I decided that it was time. Oxford was not my priority, I wanted to study in London. I applied to five universities, three through the Chevening Scholarship, and Oxford was the last in this trio. I applied to the rest in the hope of getting university scholarships. I chose universities by ratings and content of programs. Please note that filing an application with top universities worth the money (60-70 pounds).
How was the preparation of the package of documents? What difficulties did you face?
The package of documents is almost everywhere standard. Diploma translation, personal statement or research proposal, two recommendations, sometimes a summary. For Oxford, three recommendations and two scientific articles are needed. As a result, four universities accepted me (without a scholarship), Chevening did not select me, and Oxford provided its Hill Foundation scholarship for Russian researchers. You do not need separate documents for it, just indicate in the application that you would like to apply for this scholarship. The only condition I had was to confirm the level of the language international test. For example, IELTS. I prepared for this exam for a month and passed with 8 points (I needed 7.5).
You are a humanities student who received one of the most prestigious scholarships to study at the best university in the world. Tell me, what superpowers do you need to have in order to achieve such success?
I do not have any superpowers, but I am a very meticulous and assiduous person and I had a research base at the university. The only advice I can give is not to wait and not to waste time, now I regret only one thing - that I did not apply immediately after graduation. If anyone is interested, here is a link to my blog.
Tell us, how was your move to Britain?
Then, after passing the exam, there were a lot of letters and a huge number of all kinds of documents, without which it is impossible to apply for a visa. But in the end, everything was done, the visa was received, the tickets were bought. Housing is provided by the college (paid from my scholarship), but this is not a room on campus, but a separate three-story house for two with a kitchen and bathroom.
How long did the admission process take in general? From deciding to apply to receiving the coveted acceptance letter?
In September, I started working on documents, and I filed the last deadline already, probably, in December. They sent the decision in March, and the decision on the scholarship - in April. So less than a year
What are your plans after graduation?
Under the terms of the scholarship, I have to spend a year in Russia, but I would like to continue my research and write a doctoral thesis.
