Every year thousands of students around the world dream of studying at the University of Oxford in the UK, and only a few get a fully funded place. Nazifa Binte Harun of Bangladesh has won a scholarship for which just one candidate is chosen each year from eligible applicants in 141 countries. She is now studying for an MPhil in development studies at Oxford’s Department of International Development, with the full cost covered by the university’s ODID DAC Scholarship.
An interest in international development, social justice and the rights of disadvantaged people has shaped Nazifa’s studies and work. Good grades, leadership experience, work in the development sector and the ability to set out clear goals in her application helped her win this competitive award.
From science to development studies
Although she grew up in a traditional social setting in Bangladesh, Nazifa’s family gave her room to think and decide for herself. From an early age she was curious about society, inequality, power structures and human rights. She studied science at first, but her interest in politics, the world order and human society grew. That led her to a bachelor’s degree in politics, philosophy and economics at the Asian University for Women (AUW). While at university she also won a full Erasmus+ ICM scholarship to spend a semester at the University of Trento in Italy. During her stay there she visited 21 European countries on a tight budget, and getting to know different cultures, societies and ways of life broadened her outlook.
After graduating she worked for the development organisation BRAC, and later joined the My Soli Foundation. She also has experience with an international NGO working with adolescent girls at risk of child marriage, and has made documentaries and short films on social issues. These experiences tied her academic interest in development and social justice to real life.
Good grades and leadership
Nazifa graduated summa cum laude from AUW with a CGPA above 3.9. Her results were not equally good every semester, though: where she did not get the grades she hoped for in some courses, she took the chance to retake them and improved. In her Oxford application she highlighted the undergraduate courses directly related to development studies on her CV.
At university she led two important clubs, took charge of an academic team in her first year and worked as a peer tutor helping classmates. These experiences showed her leadership, organisational skills and ability to work in a team. But rather than simply listing titles and roles in her application, she explained what she had done in each and what difference it made.
Clear goals in the statement of purpose
The hardest part of the Oxford application was writing the statement of purpose. Instead of recounting her whole life, Nazifa explained clearly why she wanted to study development, what research question she was trying to answer and how Oxford’s specific programme would help her reach that goal. She divided her main research question into four sub-questions and showed how each related to the relevant courses. She also explained what her experience and perspective could add for classmates and the academic community.
In Nazifa’s view, being accurate and specific in an application matters more than sounding impressive. If a statement of purpose would read just as well with another university’s name in it, that may be a sign it is not specific enough about the university and programme.
Preparing references matters too
About four months before applying, Nazifa contacted her likely referees. She gave them her CV, a list of her main work and achievements, and her reasons for wanting to study on the programme. Because she had discussed her academic interests and future plans with her teachers since her undergraduate years, this preparation was easier.
In her experience, eligible candidates may be considered for relevant scholarships after being admitted to Oxford, but application processes and conditions differ between scholarships, so it is important to check the rules and deadlines. Her advice to Bangladeshi students is not to give up on themselves before applying, and to present their social and cultural experience properly rather than treating it as a weakness. She also advises looking for funding from universities, departments, colleges and other bodies rather than relying on a single scholarship. Nazifa’s path to Oxford shows that winning a place in higher education abroad takes clear goals, real experience, long preparation and the skill to present one’s abilities well, as well as good grades.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report