2025 marks the fourth year of our collaboration with the Graduate Applications International Network (GAIN) and our annual scholarship info webinars for their mentees!
Four of our Africademics Scholarship Ambassadors joined us as guest speakers for our joint webinar and shared their personal scholarship stories and experiences. In addition, Africademics founder Lena Gronbach gave an introductory talk about the different types of scholarships, where to find funding opportunities, and when to start looking for scholarships and fellowships.
Thank you to Kelvin Ekuri Asu, Furaha Chaula, Temitope Fadipe and Mary Simujayangombe for the valuable and practical advice you shared with the GAIN mentees to help them get started with their scholarship journey!
Five of the key insights and tips from our Ambassadors for scholarship seekers and applicants included:
1. Start early: Finding an applying for scholarships takes time, so make sure you start already prior to applying for university admission.
2. Long-term planning: Think about what you are planning to do after finishing your degree, and make sure you apply for studies and scholarships that fit in with your long-term career plans.
3. Get a mentor: Personal support and guidance from people in your network is the key to success. Don’t try to do it alone – ask for help, especially from professors, lecturers and senior students.
4. Build your portfolio: Most scholarship selection committees don’t just look at your grades. Aspects such as leadership experience, volunteering, community service, online courses and work experience count too.
5. Don’t give up: You will get rejections – and probably more than you expected. That’s part of the game. Don’t take a rejection personally but use it as an opportunity to improve your portfolio and application documents and try again!
