Hi! I am currently applying for Chevening graduate scholarship programme and would like to hear your feedback on this essay.
Chevening is looking for individuals that will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer. (minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word counts: 500 words).
In this increasingly complex world, an influential leader must be flexible, adaptable, and able to communicate ideas and opinions in an understandable manner. I believe that I have the quality of being such leader based on my past experience in campus organisation and current professional career.
In my second year of university, I participated in a student-led international seminar and conference as a general secretary who was in-charge of formulizing the theme and the concept of the event. I observed that previous committees had had difficulties in translating the chosen themes to the public that resulted in low public engagement. My team and I were motivated to achieve our goal, which was promoting academic discussion that involved the general public. I did an extensive research about social-economic issues in Asia and discussed it with my colleagues. I was able to convince my team to pick a relevant topic of the growing of urban area in Asia by expressing my research-based opinions. It was a relief to find that the seminar and the conference that we had arranged succeeded in drawing public interest and non-academic participants.
Not long after graduation, I took up the challenge to work in Xxxx Xxx Xxx (XXX), which most of the work is done on the field and involves less familiar topics to me, so that I could enrich my knowledge and test out my adaptability skills. I consider this opportunity as a crucial turn since my previous research experience was dominated by desk-research. Driven by my desire to comprehend the issues, I listened to various kinds of people that I met during our visit, especially the local people. I evaluated the information that I received on a daily basis and tried to improve. I found that this method has not just escalated my understanding about the problems on the field, but also strengthened the relationships that I build with the locals beyond professional setting. As one of the consequences, the local people and the government appeared to value my opinions more than before.
Becoming a good leader to other people is a perpetual process since it requires an individual to constantly adapt to new people and environments. Learning from my experience, I perceive that the process is firstly determined by how I lead myself before extending my lead to others. Joining the Chevening program certainly allows me to explore diverse environments that induce me to enhance my leadership skills.
(word count: 404 words)
Essay 1: Leadership and Influence
Chevening is looking for individuals that will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer. (minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word counts: 500 words).
In this increasingly complex world, an influential leader must be flexible, adaptable, and able to communicate ideas and opinions in an understandable manner. I believe that I have the quality of being such leader based on my past experience in campus organisation and current professional career.
In my second year of university, I participated in a student-led international seminar and conference as a general secretary who was in-charge of formulizing the theme and the concept of the event. I observed that previous committees had had difficulties in translating the chosen themes to the public that resulted in low public engagement. My team and I were motivated to achieve our goal, which was promoting academic discussion that involved the general public. I did an extensive research about social-economic issues in Asia and discussed it with my colleagues. I was able to convince my team to pick a relevant topic of the growing of urban area in Asia by expressing my research-based opinions. It was a relief to find that the seminar and the conference that we had arranged succeeded in drawing public interest and non-academic participants.
Not long after graduation, I took up the challenge to work in Xxxx Xxx Xxx (XXX), which most of the work is done on the field and involves less familiar topics to me, so that I could enrich my knowledge and test out my adaptability skills. I consider this opportunity as a crucial turn since my previous research experience was dominated by desk-research. Driven by my desire to comprehend the issues, I listened to various kinds of people that I met during our visit, especially the local people. I evaluated the information that I received on a daily basis and tried to improve. I found that this method has not just escalated my understanding about the problems on the field, but also strengthened the relationships that I build with the locals beyond professional setting. As one of the consequences, the local people and the government appeared to value my opinions more than before.
Becoming a good leader to other people is a perpetual process since it requires an individual to constantly adapt to new people and environments. Learning from my experience, I perceive that the process is firstly determined by how I lead myself before extending my lead to others. Joining the Chevening program certainly allows me to explore diverse environments that induce me to enhance my leadership skills.
(word count: 404 words)
