This is a online public lecture hosted by the Economic Society on 14 August 2016. The lecture is prepared and presented by Dr. Samaa Hazem Hosny on how to look for a suitable postgraduate degree, scholarship, how to apply for one, how to write your CV and personal statement, recommendation letters, and other tips. (c) Copyright of the material to Samaa Hazem Hosny 2016

1. Step By Step Guidance to
Study Abroad
Dr. Samaa Hazem Hosny
Assistant Professor at Cairo University
Harvard University contact person in Egypt
samaa.hosny@feps.edu.eg

3. Useful General Tips
• Be patient and open to learning along the
process
• Do your research thoroughly
• Give yourself enough time: usually you need 9
to 12 months of preparation (if not more!)
• Read the websites of schools, programs, and
scholarships very very well
• Ask: alumni, program directors, educational
advisers,…etc.
14/08/2016 The Economic Society

4. How to get a scholarship at a university
abroad?
• Stand alone scholarships
• Scholarships for a certain discipline or research topic
• Scholarships for a certain country
– DAAD – Germany
– Chevening – UK
– Ford Foundation – Worldwide
– Fulbright – USA
– JICA – Japan
– KOICA – Korea
– …etc
• Scholarships for a certain topic
• Scholarships for certain students (criteria)
• Scholarships from the university itself

5. How to apply for it?
• Read the website of the university/school
• Select your preferred program from the
program list
• Check the link [APPLICATION]
• Read the instructions and required
documents
• Application is done online + some
documents need to be sent by snail mail
as hard copies.

6. Do all scholarships require fluent English,
IELTS or TOFEL ?
• It depends: Read the website

7. where do we get IELTS and TOEFL? Can we
prepare for them without courses?
• IELTS – British Council
– http://www.britishcouncil.org.eg/en
• TOEFL and GRE– ETS
– https://www.ets.org/
• GMAT –
– http://www.mba.com/global
• Yes, you can study online: For eg.
• GRE book
– https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/practice_book_GRE_pb_revise
d_general_test.pdf
• TOEFL iBT test samples, practice tests
– http://demo.toeflibtcourse.com/

8. Is it essential for all scholarships to get GRE
(graduate record examination) or GMAT (graduate management
admission test) ?
• Read the website of the program

9. Is there a certain age to apply for scholarship?
• Read the website or brochure
• Some of them yes
– eg. Chevening max 32 years old, Sawiris for MBA
• Most of them no
– eg. MOF for Harvard and MIT

10. How to write a biography for scholarship ?
• Read their website and see what they are looking
for in a candidate
• Read their areas of research
• Read their mission and vision
• Get a professional to help you if needed
– Educino http://www.educino.com/
– TCA http://topchoiceadmissions.com/
– Newton Educational Services http://www.newton-
prep.com/
– Someone who went there before you
– …etc

11. Resume and CV writing for
application
• https://vanderbilt.optimalresume.com/
• http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/index.php/conte
nt/download/67154/1241426/version/1/file/S
killSheet_Resumes.pdf

12. How to get a recommendation letter?
• Tailored to the program
• Tailored to you
– i.e. Someone who knows the program you are applying to and
your motive behind joining it
• Someone who knows you really well
• At least one academic and one non-academic (some
programs require all to be academic)
• There is NO One-size-fits-all recommendation letters!
• DON’T go to a famous figure who barely knows you or has
no time to write enough about you
• Preferably someone who has studied in the same country
or same university

13. How to write an essay ?
• Check the questions indicated in the application
• Why do we want you?
– Past experience, vision for the future
– What are your strengths?
• Why do you want us?
– What in the program or university are you specifically
looking for?
– How is the university or program going to fill in the
knowledge gap that you need?
• What is your plan upon completion of the
program?

14. How can we evaluate the university we are
applying for? And if it does fit me ?
• Google:
Top schools in [DISCIPLINE]
• Top 500 universities in the world
• Programs
• Faculty
• Alumni
• Extracurricular activities
• Percentage of international students
• City and neighborhood
• …etc

15. Is there a fee for the application?
Yes for MOST universities and programs, but
NOT ALL of them. Check their websites.

16. Specifically, how to apply for Harvard
University scholarships for Egyptians?
• Check this link
http://www.mof.gov.eg/english/pages/mith
arvardscholarships.aspx

18. Any
Questions? 