Applying for scholarships: The harsh reality

Scoring a scholarship is no walk in the park given the amount of competition these days, much less one backed by the government. A netizen known as Hoshiya who has experienced the rigor and challenges of chasing these highly coveted "academic deals" sheds some light on the application process:

" I scored 4As and 3Bs in total. (4H2 AABB, GP B, HCL/PW A) I had many leadership appointments in school (CCA leader, student councilor, vice house captain and other appointments as well)


If you wish to apply for a government scholarship, your chances with the most prestigious government scholarships (PSC Scholarships) are close to zero if you score anything less than 5As. That being said, even if you did score 5As, you need to possess outstanding CCA records. I believe there are exceptions to this, though they are extremely rare.


Since you have to go through the PSC portal if you are applying for government scholarship, do not be alarmed if you get rejected by PSC because you still have chances with scholarships offered by various ministries.


Overseas government scholarships are considered to be more "prestigious" than local scholarships, and are thus harder to attain. In fact, I think all overseas scholars have a minimum of 5As. (I am a special exception though). I would consider that to be pretty logical, seeing that an overseas education costs a lot more. An US scholar from my batch has a 785k bond and a SAFOS scholar that I know has a 1 million dollar bond.


I am not too sure about the details for private scholarships, but I know you don't necessary have to score straight As to get them.


With regard to the psychometric test being administered, I think it is a requirement for all government scholarships. It is not hard, just tedious.


I have a friend who was offered a provisional PSC scholarship before her 'A' level results are out. She would receive the scholarship if she achieved a minimum of 6As. (Which she did by the way)"


THANK YOU HOSHIYA FOR ALLOWING US TO REPRODUCE YOUR POST.


The Czar (Site Founder)

Dated 31 August 2015


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