In April 2021, for our tweet chat on scholarships in the US, we hosted Adeleye Samuel, a PhD Fellow at Rutgers University and founder of FCL Network.

We discussed issues around scholarships in the US and the discussion was both delightful and enlightening. The advice shared were concise, carefully considered, and somewhat easy to follow.

Here we have compiled some of the major points we discussed during the tweet chat on how to access scholarships in the US.

Are there certain information or requirements to consider before beginning a Scholarship application to schools in the US? 
Yes, A lot to consider. First, take quality time to research the schools, their rankings, and the availability of Funding. And in your research, you have to pay attention to the following :

1. What are the university’s requirements? General and specific. when I say specific, I mean program-related – This is the most important step because you will be able to match your profile with the school you are aiming for. There is no need for haphazard aiming, trying several lucks. An application is supposed to be targeted and specific to every school and program. Aim at schools at different levels relative to your profile. When I applied to Rutgers University for my PhD, I had a grade point of 4.76 for my Bachelor’s degree, 5.0-grade point for my Masters, coupled with my Research experience, and about 20 Local publications. I targeted top schools like Havard, Upenn, Rutgers, but also considered what we call “Safe Schools”  When you apply to Rutgers University Molecular Biosciences program, the most selling point is that you have to have at least 2 years of research experience. So, the candidate has a lot to do to find out what your program requires, because there is no single rule.
2. Find out the additional requirements like TOEFL, GRE, etc. Remember that these are very good pointers. Especially schools that require them. I have several Mentees who got PhD offers directly from bachelors with Quality GRE scores. I always remember telling a certain Mentee who got into Washington University Cancer Biology Research Programme that she should make a table showing the Name of the program, GRE(Y/N), TOEFL(Y/N), App Fee, Program-specific req, General req, Supervisor needed(Y/N), Funding available(State amount), and Ranking.

There seems to be a lot of postgraduate Scholarship opportunities but this can not be said for undergraduate scholarships. How should people applying for undergraduate Scholarships in the US go about it?
Though I have little information about undergraduate funded positions, I know some people target high SAT scores, TOEFL, and Excellent A level exams + WAEC(Straight As in the case of Nigerians). What this means is that they can do a similar strategy to what I mentioned earlier, just that the requirements vary.

Research experience is one major factor in getting Scholarships in the US especially in the Sciences, and knowing our poor research experience here in Nigeria, what ways can we make up for this deficit in our Scholarship application?

1. Excellent Test Scores. GRE, TOEFL scores. These go a long way to speak about your potential to sit down and learn.
2.  Get soft skills. Understand the transition in your field and get a soft skill in that regards. You can learn coding with R, Python, Matlab, etc as your program requires.
3. You can volunteer. I volunteered in a Lab for 1 year before getting a research position in the same lab. Go for a non-paid volunteering position.
4. Read!!! You can come up to speed with what is happening in your field so that when you write, you will use the jargons in the field. I missed this when I was applying. Target a supervisor, read papers, email them your contributions, ask them questions in their papers, seek a continuity or a knowledge gap. All these are possible from Nigeria.

Now, what are the common pitfalls to avoid when applying for Scholarships in the US?

1. AIMLESS and HAPHAZARD APPLICATION: Not reading what the program requires is a major pitfall. Some programs have specific requirements e.g 1000 word-essay, GRE, you must have a supervisor, etc. if you contact a supervisor when you are not supposed to, that’s automatic rejection. While contacting a supervisor is a good strategy, doing that on social media is a RED FLAG
2. ESSAY RECYCLING. I will not forget to say that essays are supposed to be specific. I have seen people sending an essay to Washington University with the University of Massachusetts in the essay. Lol. Application is a full-time business and you must be very exact with your applications.
3. FINDING SHORTCUTS- There are no short cuts. You must be ready to do what is required. Except you have the fund to pay for yourself, there is no short cut to getting funding. Larger work and responsibility is on the applicants than the mentors.

And here are some of the questions asked by the audience during the tweet chat:

With a Teaching Assistantship, does one need more available funding options to secure a US student visa?

It all depends on what your funding covers. Some are partial while some are full. You have to be specific. For some schools, I know that you will get all you need if you get a full funded teaching assistant position and do not need extra funding.

Okay, thank you. What if a Teaching assistantship covers tuition, stipend and health insurance, what are the chances of securing a visa?

Your chances at this point depending on how you present yourself to the Visa Officer and your prayers.

How do researchers looking for scholarships in the US get information on the schools they can apply to for assistantships?

Times Higher Education has a list. Filter it by program and skim through each based on ranking. Twitter and LinkedIn are also good places where you can get instant information about funding.

Is having a GRE better than TOEFL or IELTS?? If you have to choose between the 3, as a prospective scholar, which would it be?

The program you are applying to will determine which is suited best. GRE and TOEFL/IELTS do two different things. One shows your analytical skill while the other shows how much you can command the US or British English Language. It is important you verify from what program you are applying to know what they need the most.

If you get PhD scholarships in the US as a BSC holder does that mean you are covered for masters and you don’t need to do masters again? 

The euphoria of getting Masters is a thing that is very common in Nigeria. You can get a Masters along the line if you really want it, However, a PhD caps it all.

Publications and volunteering experience seem to be important when applying for scholarships in the US, how do you make up for this if you don’t have one yet, what kind of volunteering or leadership experience is required?

1.  Publish your Undergraduate research.
2. Go to your school and volunteer with professors or lecturers that are doing active research. Make input and you will be part of the publication. That was how I raised my number of local papers while I was in Nigeria.

If you have any queries regarding education abroad or if you need any assistance with processing your admissions, our study abroad counsellors are always willing to guide you.