"Dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep.” And thoughts result in action.” ― Abdul Kalam A. P. J.
I also had a dream - which is "Higher Study in abroad with scholarship".
In this blog, I will share my journey towards my dream and some tips for securing the Erasmus scholarship and the higher study scholarship for Masters program in Portugal.
All these started back in 2010 when I was completing my graduation in Bangladesh. I have organized all the required documents and also passed the IELTS with 6.5. I looked for information about Erasmus Mundus on internet and choose three Masters programs under Erasmus Masters program matching with my academic background. Before keep going on about my dream, let's familiarise with Erasmus.
What is Erasmus Mundus?
Erasmus Mundus is an international Masters program organized by the renowned universities in Europe. At least three higher education institutions (HEI) both from EU countries and third countries associated to the Programme (previously called Programme Countries) participate in this program. There are also scholarships for students to take part in these prestigious programmes; which covers the cost of a student’s participation in the programme, travel and a living allowance. The masters programs covered in this program are available in this link.
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Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Courses
Deadline of the application varies according to the program itself.
I didn't succeed in 2010. Applied again in 2012 after completing my Masters degree. But, I didn't go through this time as well. But, I didn't give up, because I knew that this is a very competitive scholarship program. Hundreds of thousands students apply to this prestigious program every year. Finally, my dream came true in 2014. I started my Erasmus journey with Spain and finished it in University to Padova (a best-ranked university in Italy and high-ranked university in the world) with a Joint Masters Degree. I have also been featured in a blog post of Erasmus. I feel very fortunate to have this academic track record in my academic life. It opened up scope for me to be connected with international research scholars and now build up my academic network and afterwards securing my PhD.
Some myths of Erasmus Mundus Scholarship:
- You have to be an extraordinary applicant -FALSE.
- Need to have high CGPA - WRONG.
- Study gap decreases your chance - WRONG.
- Poor IELTS score shrink your application merit - WRONG.
WHAT YOU NEED TO/SHOULD HAVE?
- Your strong determination and desire.
- Good knowledge about the program you are applying to.
- A MUST good MOTIVATION LETTER where you should briefly describe the above two points along with the your future goal after completing the program.
- In case you have study gaps, then cover this gap by acquiring some professional experiences and justify this in the Motivation Letter.
- Extra-curricular activities, training, workshops etc.
- A well-organized Europass CV (MANDATORY) highlighting your achievements and academic qualifications and others if you feel necessary.
- Fulfilling all the requirements mentioned in your desired program.
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I am sharing a format of SoP/Motivation Letter with you.
If you need further information about Erasmus Mundus or other scholarships in general, feel free to contact me via this link.
I wish you All THE BEST and GOOD LUCK to fulfill your dream.
Cheers 🤘✌️
Bishwajit Roy PhD
Post-Doc researcher
Climate Risk Management Research Group
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes
University of Lisbon, Portugal