Deadline: November 8, 2017
The Scholarship Portfolio of the Oxford Africa Society is running a mentorship programme for applicants to Oxford. A select number of prospective applicants from Africa will be assisted by a mentor during their application process. Applicants will be matched with a fellow African student who has studied or is currently studying at Oxford in the same academic area. The mentorship is tailored for the Oxford application process, but what you learn will also be relevant for applications at other top UK universities.
One of the primary objectives of the University of Oxford’s Africa Society is to increase the number of African students at the University of Oxford. The Africa Society is a student-run organization, offering support to African students at Oxford and seeking to foster the development of a stimulating, comfortable and familiar space for Africans at Oxford. In part, the Society aims to achieve this by broadening the opportunities of access for talented African students.
Programme Structure
The programme will be split into four sessions, each covering specific aspects of the application process. Sessions will take the form of video/phone calls, whenever possible. Mentees are expected to submit relevant documentation seven days prior to the session to allow the mentor to review the application material. Mentors may choose to email written feedback on the day of each session. Dates for sessions to be confirmed.
- Session 1: Introduction and Funding: This session will allow the mentee and mentor to get to know each other, and allow the mentor to introduce the application process. Further, the specific requirements of various scholarship applications will be discussed. Mentees are expected to have already identified scholarships for which they are eligible. List of scholarships can be found here, here and here.
- Session 2: CVs and reference letters: In this session the mentor and mentee will discuss a draft of the mentee’s CV and speak about the importance of reference letters and how to manage referees.
- Session 3: Writing a personal statement: In this session the mentor and mentee will discuss a draft of the mentee’s personal statement.
- Session 4: Any additional issues – to be determined by mentor and mentee
What the Programme offers
- A mentor of similar regional background and/or in similar field of study
- Review application documents
- Support with questions about the academic programmes in Oxford
- Advice on securing for funding
- First-hand insight into what to expect from living and studying in Oxford
What the Programme does not offer
- Filling application forms
- Writing essays
- Payment of application fees
- Funding
- Guarantee of an offer of a place
- Binding feedback on your application
Eligibility
- Open to any African thinking about studying at Oxford Univeristy.
Application
If you would be interested in applying to be a part of this mentorship programme, please send a one-page word document with the following information to [email protected] by Friday 3rd of November.
- Name and Surname
- Nationality
- Undergraduate university and graduate university (if applicable)
- Most recent academic transcript
- Intended course of study
- Reason for applying to the University of Oxford (300 words max)
An initial cohort of 10 mentees will be selected from amongst the applicants. Applicants will be notified of the Africa Society’s selection decision by Monday 6th of November.
Note that neither the Africa Society nor any of its mentors can take any responsibility for the success or otherwise of a mentee’s application
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For more information, visit Oxford University Africa Society.
