Into perspective: Scholarship student at UTwente

by Chakhsu

“Be grateful for every opportunity you get in life. Do not fear when the time comes to take a leap of faith. If you can move to a different country and start from scratch, you can do anything in life.”

~Tufail Kaladia

The University of Twente in Enschede has a lot of scholarship students annually. There is an opening for these scholarships at the start of every year and only a select few receive it. In this edition, we will get to know a 23-year-old student from Mumbai, India. His name is Tufail Kaladia and currently he is pursuing his Masters in Chemical and Process engineering. Tufail had received admission in 3 countries: Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands. However, only the University of Twente had offered him a scholarship. Moreover, the not-so cold weather compared to the two Nordic countries and the cycling infrastructure lured him to this institution.

During the orientation phase for where to do his Masters, Tufail visited the University of Twente’s well-maintained website which had multiple types of scholarships available for different students. The scholarship he was offered is called ‘University of Twente Scholarship (UTS)’ and all students around the world are eligible to apply. However, there are some criteria that must be met in order to receive it and these vary depending on your study program. For the latest updates regarding the aforementioned criteria, you can visit: https://www.utwente.nl/en/education/ scholarship-finder/university-of-twente-scholarship/ The scholarship amount varies between 3000 and 22,000 Euros per year.

Studying a graduate program in Chemical and Process engineering can be difficult and stressful, so in order to avoid the stress some free time is necessary. In his free time, Tufail likes to watch anime, socialize with friends, go for walks and simply enjoy nature. Since consistency is a major part of the scholarship, spending time doing different things helps in focusing. Students must maintain an average grade of 7 during the first year of their studies in order to keep the scholarship. To ensure consistency in his grades, Tufail prefers having study sessions with his friends as they keep him motivated to study longer.

Some tips might help students that plan to apply for scholarships in the future. According to Tufail, preparing a strong letter of motivation is key, in which you highlight your reasons for choosing the UT, what you want to achieve in life and how studying at the UT will fulfill that goal. The University of Twente Scholarship intake takes place in 2 rounds and each round has a different application deadline. In order to maximize your chances of receiving the scholarship, Tufail suggests submitting your application well before the deadline for the 1st application round may increase your chances.