How to Overcome a Low GPA and get a Scholarship to Graduate School

GPA is probably the biggest criteria that can make or mar your graduate school scholarship application. Unlike other Criteria such as Test scores (GRE/TOEFL/IELTS), Research profile, Work experience, Recommendation/Reference letters that can be improved on post-graduation, GPA is cast in stone after graduation. There is no changing it. To very honest, a low GPA is a problem when it comes to graduate school and scholarship applications, but it is not an insurmountable problem. In this post, we would discuss different ways one can possibly surmount the problem of a low GPA when applying for graduate school scholarships.

How to Email a Professor and Ask For Funding After You Have Been Admitted to Graduate School

In a previous post, we talked about How to Write a First Email to a Professor for Graduate School. In this post, we would be talking about a different scenario, where you have been admitted to a Master's or Ph.D. Program but the admission offer/decision letter did not make any funding or scholarship offer to you. This scenario is quite common these days. Many departments will make funding or scholarship offers to some applicants, these usually come in the form of Fellowships or Teaching Assistantships. The Graduate Coordinators then encourage others to seek for funding or scholarships in the form of Research Assistantships from individual Professors within the department. So if you are reading this and you are in this situation, you really should not worry as there are a whole lot of people in your shoes and it is still very possible to secure funding or a scholarship and I am here to tell you how.

How I got a Fulbright Scholarship and Fulbright Scholarship Tips

Written by: Leanna Pohevitz

My name is Leanna Pohevitz and I am currently an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) under the Fulbright Scholarship in Brazil. I am on my second Fulbright, this year serving as both an ETA and leader or mentor to the incoming ETAs. I work at the Universidade do Estado do Pará in Belém. I support the faculty and students at the public university, teaching lessons or parts of lessons about various topics not limited to North America cultures, linguistics, literature, and teaching strategies.

I am honored to share my story of application, dedication, and acceptance.

How I got the Commonwealth Scholarship Twice

Written By: Chidinma Obieze 

Hi, my name is Chidinma Obieze and I am a 2-time Commonwealth scholarship award winner. First one was as a commonwealth shared scholar at the University of Bristol in 2016 and second as a distance learning scholar with the University of Liverpool. The Commonwealth scholarships have changed my life in so many ways and I am here to tell you how!  

Two Nigerians among Stanford University's 2019 Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Two Nigerians Ayo Dada and Olamide Oladeji were among the 69 scholars that won the prestigious Knight-Hennessy scholarship at Stanford University. The Knight-Hennessy scholarship is poised to develop both the depth and range of subject expertise to confront the numerous grand challenges and opportunities of the future. Knight-Hennessy Scholars receive full funding to pursue graduate study at Stanford. They both join Solomon Oyakhire, an alumnus of the University of Lagos, who was the only Nigerian recipient of the scholarship in the first edition in 2018 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Stanford School of Engineering.

How I Got a Chevening Scholarship and Chevening Scholarship Tips

Written by: Sarah Egbo

Hi there!

I am Sarah Egbo, a graduate of Information Resource Management from Babcock University, Ogun State, Nigeria.  I am currently pursuing a Master’s Degree at the University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom, under the Chevening Scholarship Scheme. 

How to Prepare for an Interview with a Professor for Graduate School

If you are here it is probably because you have done a good job in your graduate school application so far. Professors are very busy people and would not ask for a chat or interview on Skype or Google Hangout if they do not think you are a very good candidate and stand a very good chance of being admitted to into their program and succeeding there. Celebrate your pyrrhic victory if you wish but the battle is not over yet. This is a good thing happening for you and there is absolutely no reason you should be tensed or be scared. So how should you prepare for this interview or "chat" to absolutely blow this professor away?