Due to some technical difficulties, the article had to be posted by using the profile of Indonesia Mengglobal’s Editor for Europe (as can be read under the article). Please note, however, that this article is written by Kevin Surya Widjaja, whose profile reads:
Kevin is currently reading Chemical Engineering undergraduate degree at University of Cambridge, UK, with Jardine Scholarship. He was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. He is passionate about manufacturing, energy and FMCG industry.
We are trying to resolve the problems as soon as possible. Meanwhile, please find Kevin’s article below:
Dear readers,
United Kingdom is one of the most popular study destinations for Indonesian students. Currently there are more than 2,500 Indonesian students studying in the UK. However, as Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) currency continues to weaken, the financial pressure for Indonesian students to study overseas continues to worsen. As per today (15th Pound sterling) and IDR is sitting at IDR 19,926 for GBP 1. This is almost 30% increase since 2012 where 1 GBP is approximately IDR 15,000. One question that I’ve always received from prospective students is does UK universities offer scholarships? Unfortunately, there are not many scholarships available for international students from the universities themselves. If there are scholarships from the universities, most of them would not be enough for the students to sustain a living overseas (i.e. it is a grant rather than scholarship). One option is to seek scholarships from corporations. However, the corporations may ask the students to sign an employment contract as a payback for the scholarship. Many students are reluctant to do this as it limits his/her employment options.
Today I would like to share with you one scholarship provided by a conglomerate corporation named Jardine Matheson. It provides full scholarship that covers tuition fee and stipends. It even provides a return flight ticket from your home country to the UK. Best of all, it does not require you to work for them after your graduation. Also, it is not rare to hear that someone lost his/her scholarship because he or she does not perform in the university. Jardine Scholarship does not do this unless you fail the degree. Sounds like free money huh?
Jardine scholarship is a scholarship endorsed by Jardine Foundation, which is an education trust formed by Jardine Matheson group to mark the company’s 150th anniversary. anniversary. So who is Jardine Matheson? Jardine Matheson surprisingly has a very strong tie with Indonesia in the business world. It is considered as one of the top 3 UK investors in Indonesia. So, what does Jardine own in Indonesia? It owns 50.1 % of the biggest and most awarded corporation in Indonesia: Astra International. It employs more than 170,000 Indonesians in the company and has subsidiaries in many industries: Automotive, financial services, heavy equipment, agribusiness, IT and infrastructure.
So, what does it take to apply for Jardine scholarship? Jardine scholarship is only available for prospective undergraduate students who come from countries, which Jardine Matheson has business units in. This includes Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, UK, China, and many more countries. Not only that, but also, the scholarship is only available for prospective undergraduates who applied to University of Cambridge (Downing, Magdalene, Peterhouse and Trinity College only) and University of Oxford (Exeter, Oriel, Trinity and Queen’s College only).
The process is relatively simple. First of all, you have to apply to either University of Cambridge or University of Oxford (you can’t apply to both, this is forbidden by the UCAS system), which means you are required to fill in the UCAS form. The university application process takes place between June to October every year. Once done, you can proceed to apply for Jardine scholarship. Complete and submit the application form that can be found in Jardine’s website (1). Once done, wait for a preliminary interview that should take place near you. This usually happens in November/December. If you are in Indonesia, you should be invited to Astra International’s head office. The interview is conducted in a very casual way and in English language. Most of the questions are about you as an applicant (i.e. competency questions). Once you passed this interview, you will be invited to Hong Kong for a final interview in January. All expenses including hotel and flight tickets are paid from wherever you are in this world. The final interview is usually a panel interview. There will be four to five senior management members, who will sit in front of you and take turns to ask questions. They will ask you about why you choose a certain degree and how will you contribute back to the society once graduated. This sounds scary but the key is to stay calm and composed. There will also be one short essay to be written and the topic differs every year. The topic is usually about current social issue especially poverty and social responsibility. If you passed these too AND more importantly, obtained an offer from the university you applied, then congratulations! You are now part of Jardine scholars, a team of 168 scholars (to date) since 1982.
I have told you much of who, what, when, why and how to apply for Jardine scholarship. Now, it is your turn to take action and succeed. I wish you all the very best.
Useful websites:
(1) http://www.jardines.com/community/jardine-foundation/applications.html
(2) http://www.jardines.com/community/jardine-foundation/tenure-and-condition.html
(3) UCAS information: http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works
(Photo credit: Sourced from Flickr website, picture taken and owned by Alex Brown. The picture can be found here.)