Women-in STEM Scholarships:
They don't want a flower, they want the STEM
One of the main factors in underrepresentation in certain professions is lack of access to education. This is the case with the massive gender gap worldwide when it comes to the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or STEM. In an effort to close this gap, the British Council has recently launched the Scholarship for Women in STEM, one of the most comprehensive funding schemes available in the world, providing promising young women from disadvantaged background with the means to soar over the countless hurdles laid out before them. So what exactly is the Scholarship for Women in STEM, who can apply and how?
Closing the gender gap
For far too long, women have not been given the same opportunities as men. Gender inequality has been predominant across every aspect of life, including science and academia. While women have been closing the gap in some disciplines such as the humanities and psychology, the abyssal disproportion in STEM fields makes it clear: there is still much to strive for. The acronym STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, referring to the hard sciences and applied sciences often considered the foundation of progress, the bread and butter of modern civilization. Whether directly through admissions bias or indirectly through cultural norms and expectations, STEM disciplines reflect a significant gender gap: according to data from the UN Scientific Education and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), fewer than 30 percent of researchers worldwide are women and only 30 percent of female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in Information and Communications Technology (three percent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (five percent), and engineering, manufacturing and construction (eight percent).
With these unsettling facts and insights in mind, more and more governments, organizations, and institutions are coming up with ways of encouraging women to study STEM disciplines. Among these, one shines bright: the British Council has established its very own scholarship for women in STEM. The scholarship programme aims to increase opportunities in STEM for young women. Amending this problem is not only a matter of fairness or justice towards half of the world's population, but beneficial to us all. One can only imagine what the future might hold if we were to harness the intellectual and creative prowess of all members of society, whether in STEM fields or otherwise, whether male or female.
What exactly is this scholarship?
Launched two years ago, the British Council's Scholarship for women in STEM works in partnership with 26 UK universities to support women from the Americas, South Asia, South East Asia, Egypt, Turkey and Ukraine, who are interested in pursuing a Master's degree or early career fellowship in a diverse range of STEM-related subjects. The scholarship seeks out women with a background in STEM, who are in financial need and who will inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in STEM.
This all-inclusive scholarship covers full tuition fees and living expenses, travel costs and visa and health coverage fees. Not only that, but it provides additional financial support for applicants with children. And to cover all bases, the scholarship can also provide additional funds for English language support and courses, placing brilliant young women in the ideal conditions to fulfill their potential.
The hope motivating this generous support is that selected scholars will thus gain a foundation to launch their careers in higher education and research in their home country, and promote and enhance science and innovation in their home country. The UK’s universities are amongst the world’s leaders in STEM subjects. Besides financial support, the scholarship programme tries to maximize scholars' exposure to this expertise in the UK’s renowned STEM research sector. The programme also ensures scholars create strong and lasting connections with the UK through active engagement in the alumni network, directly contributing towards the success of this programme in future iterations of the scholarship.
Who exactly are you?
If the Scholarship for Women in STEM suits your goals, next you should consider whether you are the right candidate. The first and foremost criteria of elibigility are gender and country: you must be a woman hailing from one of the following countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The scholarship is particularly interested in helping out women whose identities include multiple intersecting factors, including race, class, and religion, and women who are mothers. In addition, you should be able to demonstrate financial need, meaning that without the support of the scholarship you would not be able to pursue your academic goals.
Furthermore, you should be able to take up a course of study in the UK for the coming academic year. If you intend on taking up a Master's degree, then you should have at least a relevant undergraduate degree. Otherwise, if you're looking for an Early Academic Fellowship, then you should have completed all components of PhD in the last three years. In both cases (Masters or fellowship), your selected field should fall within the STEM range. For example, the University of Nottingham offers the scholarship for the following courses: MSc Drug Discovery; MSc Clinical Nutrition; MSc Environmental Leadership and Management; MSc Renewable Energy and Architecture; MSc Biotechnology; MSc Physiotherapy; MArch Architecture and Sustainable Design.
Besides the eligibility criteria, the scholarship is on the lookout for candidates that stand out. You ought to show academic potential based on your past achievements and future goals. When it comes to past achievements this includes your grades in previous studies, as well as awards, research projects, and publications, to name a few. As for future achievements, an essential indicator would be your passion, commitment, and vision driving you to take up the Masters course or the fellowship. You should be active in the field with work experience or a proven interest in your subject area.
How to apply?
Once you know the British Council Scholarship for Women in STEM is the right programme for you, it's time to prepare you application. Unlike with most scholarships, you will have to apply through a specific institution. 26 universities provide the British Council scholarship. First you should check which of these you are eligible for based on your country of origin, using the British Council website. Once you have identified the relevant universities, you can check the courses for which each institution offers the scholarship. This can also go the other way around: if you have identified a course you are interested in, you can use the same web page to check if it is valid for the scholarship.
Once you've chosen a course supported by the scholarship, the first thing you have to do is apply to that course. After all, you'll need an academic offer to study at the university, before you can apply for the scholarship. After receiving an offer of study, you'll be able to apply through the scholarships section of the university's website. The process and documents required vary from university to university; the same goes for the deadlines, although most fall between the end of March and April.
Maximizing your chances with Chancellor Education
While the British Council's Scholarship for Women in STEM provides a unique opportunity for many bright individuals to accomplish their goals, the convoluted application process can deter even the strongest of candidates. Understanding whether you are eligible, knowing how to start and application, and making sure the documents are not only submitted on time but that they are correct and stand out over other strong candidates – all of these encourage getting all the help you can get to maximize your chances. For these reasons, applicants turn to Chancellor Education to help them secure a scholarship. The state-of-the-art education consultancy applicants from the very first step to the very last, both for study programmes and scholarships.
This hands-on, high-resolution counselling can help you identify whether you are eligible for the British Council Scholarship for Women in STEM based on your personal information and career goals. The service helps identify the relevant study courses and universities providing the scholarship. Next, they develop a customized strategy for applying to the scholarship. This includes laying out the timeline and deadlines, gathering all the required documents, including personal statements, CV, and references. They also make sure the application is as competitive as possible through proofreading, editing, and expert consulting. Should the scholarship process include an interview, Chancellor Education also helps coach shortlisted candidates for the interview. With unmatched expertise, Chancellor Education accompanies its clients every step of the way. This method maximizes your chances of obtaining the prestigious Women in STEM scholarship in order to study in the UK.
The British Council Scholarship for Women in STEM offers a unique opportunity for brilliant women of developing countries to fulfill their aspirations. By giving them access to education in society's valued STEM professions, women might just gain the power to rectify a centuries-old injustice, to thrive and inspire other women and men to thrive, and to join the ranks of scientists, inventors, and engineers who are creating a more prosperous future for us all.