Loughborough University, University of Leicester and University of Leicester - courses choice

Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses (Chevening)

I am eager to gain specialized training in management

My interest in management was sparked when I joined the bank and worked with the Small Business Unit where I had the opportunity to participate in the Agent Banking scheme. Seeing how neglected and rural communities are on charity and aid from the west and from urban settlements and how these communities actually have initiatives that just require fueling/funding evoked my passion for SME development, community banking to be precise. I know that if I rely solely on my Chemistry degree I would probably be unable to advance to the top management position which I hope to achieve. My main purpose for applying to Chevening is because I am eager to gain specialized training in management to broaden my perspective in Business Studies which would enable me to combine my technical skills and management knowledge to achieve my future goals. My three university choices are Loughborough University, University of Leicester and Brunnel University London.

Loughborough University is known for high-quality teaching, research, and study. It is also ranked the 10th best university in the UK. I am impressed with the curriculum and the opportunity to take several electives will give me the freedom to take courses in Small Business, Global strategic management and Business forecasting which is required to evolve my viewpoint in community banking which I plan to pursue in future. I would also have the opportunity to take part in group work and practical sessions to evaluate my performance and also gain constructive feedback about my work from my fellow students.

University of Leicester is my second choice because of the flexibility and diversity of the modules available. The school is also an approved Partner of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and offers a dual award with MSc Management. Therefore, in addition to being a Chevening awardee, I will also be part of the membership community of over 100,000 chartered managers. This will give me the opportunity to gain insight and make lasting connections thus strengthening the partnership between the UK and Nigeria.

Brunnel University London is situated in London, the leading global city known to contain the World Heritage sites as well as ancient British History. It is also the most populous city, therefore, I would have the opportunity to interact with a diverse range of people and culture. In addition to the fact that the course content covers all the important areas in Management, Brunnel Business School also offers the Co-innovate collaborative program which provides support to SMEs, start-ups, and entrepreneurs. Studying here will give me the opportunity to provide real value to the businesses they work with, applying my skills and know-how to projects that will lead to bottom-line enhancements for those businesses thus shaping me for my future goal and improving my marketability upon my return to Nigeria.

Onyinyechi, create a balance in your formatting presentation. Either place your academic background as your opening statement and the reason why you had to undergo a career change via a masters degree then place your professional requirements as your closing paragraph, or you can reverse the presentation of the said positions in the essay in order to balance the look on the page.

Avoid using useless information such as the ranking of the university in the UK or world heritage sites or the population of the city. Instead, focus on the core curriculum of your masters program, which you must specifically mention in the essay. Always make mention of how your current professional experience has prepared you for the course. You need to specifically mention your professional training because your academic background is far removed from your current profession.

When you mention specific organizations like the CMI, make sure that you connect it with your current profession either by explaining that the organization has an existing network in the community bank you are working in or, that you plan to create a chapter of that in Nigeria in order to promote training and fostering a partnership badly required to improve the existing system. You have to think about how your professional career will be improved by your completion of each course and represent it. You are not sure which university will be approved for your acceptance so this is a major discussion point you have to highlight. It is part of the consideration process even if you have already received a notification of acceptance from one of the 3 universities.