We excel in supporting and mentoring young people from developing countries to make their next great leaps in their careers. Our platform is run entirely by a team of experienced advisors and recent scholars from diverse backgrounds who have won prestigious international scholarships.
At IGSI, we understand just what it takes to secure a fully funded scholarship. Based on our experience, we have perfected different strategies and tactics to help you make your career leap through a scholarship award or mentorship.
We have partnered with inspiring young people across the globe and experts who have overcome various hurdles in their domains, countries to inspire, encourage and motivate every scholarship applicant that it is possible!
IGSI currently supports (services below) applicants at various stages of their application, beginning from choosing the right course and to review relevant application documents. Primarily, we support prospective Masters and PhD students only. Please scan through the various support we offer and book an appointment online or get in touch with us. Read more......
Scholarship Application process
For many, securing a fully-funded scholarship it can be a daunting task, but with the right insight, tips and approach it is usually straightforward. We aim to leverage on our previous experience and support prospective graduate students in need of help.
Review of scholarship application documents
Scholarship application documents are (but not limited to) specific writeups required as part of the scholarship application process like personal statements, essays, motivation letters, CVs.
We expect that these are already drafted by the applicant at the time of requesting a review. Otherwise we ask applicants to read our blog on ‘How to write a personal statement’ and develop a draft statement ahead of a request for support.
Proposal review
We can help answer questions about how to develop a perfect proposal (usually MRes/PhD) or offer a review of an already developed proposal to be submitted as part of a scholarship application process. In these sessions we aim to offer generic advice to support your scholarship and do not write proposals on behalf of anyone. These sessions are typically led by a current PhD student (with relevant experience), PhD holders or Professors who voluntarily support this initiative.
One -on-one chat with a scholarship advisor
This is a 1-2 hours session with one of our inhouse scholarship advisors or recent scholarship beneficiaries who are keen to support their colleagues navigate through scholarships application. Ideally, these sessions are aimed to help an individual develop a suitable strategy towards scholarship application, including scholarship selection, choosing a suitable course, developing a personal statement and other specific details an applicant may have.
These could be booked as a one to one session or as a group session (usually 2-5 persons). For the group session we typically advice buddy up with anyone who needs similar support, although we can allocate you to a session with persons in need of similar support.
Other scholarship questions
Different scholarships have different requirements, but the good news is our team is so diverse with a vast breadth of experience to answer every question/essay that is required as part of your application. For example, you have received a scholarship award in the UK but want to speak to anyone who has studied the UK before to give you a few tips.
Scholarship webinars
We run a series of free webinars each month that cover all aspects of scholarship applications. A few examples are on ‘Effective personal statements’; ‘Getting a PhD scholarship-tips and tricks’ and ‘Writing PhD proposals for funding’. Please see upcoming sessions here and/or listen to recent sessions on our YouTube channel.
We provide a limited amount of grant/support (currently up to USD 500) to applicants who may fall short of funds to finance critical aspects of their journey to beginning their studies.
A few case scenarios we have recently considered include:
Abdoul (Senegal) successfully won an international scholarship for his MSc in the United Kingdom. However, he ran short of funds to undertake the IELTS exam.
Jean (Burundi) was unable to raise funds for his flight to Sweden where he has received an award to start his Masters.
Christine (Kenya) needs a grant of £100 to partially fund the high visa costs and TB test costs in her country.
We reserve the right to decline application if sufficient or correct information is not provided. Each request is handled on a case-by-case basis. The core of our support is currently focused on low-income economies, especially sub-Saharan Africa. Please fill our small grant application here.
Training
Our ‘graduate skillshare’ programme provides recent/ongoing PhD graduates with opportunities to share their core technical knowledge or skills gained as part of their postgraduate study (Masters/PhD programme).
We endeavour to support individuals who don’t have the opportunity yet to complete a specific postgraduate program to leverage on knowledge banks of those who have completed their Masters/PhD.
The training opportunities run as virtual webinars skills and can be signed up to by anyone. We believe in the saying “Never stop learning” even in the midst of obstacles.
Beginning November 2021, here are some examples of trainings that are lined up from recent graduates who have volunteered to run these sessions. Nearer the time, we will provide details on how to book these sessions. However, you can contact us to show interest in attending or leading a specific session listed or of your interest not listed. Read more......
Training
Facilitator
Dates
Cost
Details
MSc Medical statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine –An Overview
O.L, PhD Biostatistics Student
01 November 2020, 1200-1300hrs GMT
Free
This is a recent graduate perspective on the fantastic course at the prestigious LSHTM. The course and its recent graduates highly sought globally.
The issue found to be including both physical generic levitra mouthsofthesouth.com and mental health.
Introduction to STATA
[part of MSc Epidemiology, MSc Public Health, MSc Med stat]
I.S & O.L, Statisticians & MSc. Med Statistics Graduates, LSHTM
08 November 2021, 1200-1500hrs GMT
USD 40
STATA is a powerful statistical software used in various fields. This is an introductory class to equip you with skills to start your statistical analysis journey using STATA. This session will be followed by an advanced session.
GIS in Public Health
[Part of MSc Public Health]
TBC
14 November 2021, 1200-1500hrs GMT
USD 40
Skills in GIS are increasingly in demand especially in healthcare. This is a practical session to start you on the software and draw some fancy maps, at least for a head start.
R for data science, an introduction
[Part of MSc Data Science]
TBC
TBC
1200-1500hrs GMT
Free
Fundamentals of R for data science. Prior knowledge of R is recommended but not necessary.
An introduction to Machine learning & AI
[Part of MSc Data Science]
NM, MSc Data Science, University of Edinburgh
TBC
Free
This is a general introduction for anyone who needs to gain skills in Machine learning and AI. The session is based on recent graduates knowledge gained from the MSc in Data science
MSc Health Economics, an overview
J.K & R.N, Health Economists,
MSc Health Econ Graduates, UCL, LSHTM
TBC
Free
This is a panel discussion with recent MSc Health economics graduates from different universities globally. If you planning to take on this degree, this is a great session to attend.
Note: Not seeing a relevant training? Recommend it to us and we’ll definitely put it here soon.
Most training sessions will be free or payable in the case of advanced modules requiring previous knowledge. Nonetheless we have free places for students especially from sub-Saharan Africa in payable sessions.
We are looking forward to recent graduates to deliver any training that was a core element of their postgraduate study they consider useful.
Career advice
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any” ~ Alice Walker
In our experience, this is chief among reasons why many fail to harness the power of scholarships – they think they cannot, they feel their study options are limited. We have developed this support package to give you “a brain to pick, an ear to listen and a push in the right direction” especially with regard to postgraduate study options.
A few of the many things we emphasize:
You can do a masters degree in several disciplines that are not necessarily related to your undergraduate course. So forget the thought that if you did a BA Education or Psychology then those are your Masters study options.
We encourage you to embrace a bit of diversity with your career. For instance, having done a degree in Law, choose a specialty in Law or a combination of law and another discipline or a totally different discipline if you want to switch careers (it is possible!).
Then comes the question, what are some of the best options to explore for my field? and the answer is, speak to one of our career experts or previous Masters and PhD graduates.
For most people, a one hour session maybe the perfect jumpstart. Book available sessions here. Here’s some scenarios we’ve been involved with lately:
I (and many others, maybe you?) want to change their career at somepoint (for various reasons). What then do we say? A Masters degree of your choice is a great place to start. And scholarships are available! But why then do most people think they have to do another undergraduate? or stick to a job or freelancing they don’t like? No idea. We will help explore ideas.
I didn’t like my undergraduate degree, or now that I’ve started working, it doesn’t look like my real interest.
I did an undergraduate in Maths, Education, Psychology, Sociology, Supply chain logistics etc. and I want to be involved in a career related to what I studied in a slightly more challenging environment than what is available in my country.
I am at crossroads…I want to do a masters, I am not sure in what.
PS: Remember, we provide a brain to pick on, your job is to TAKE ACTION! We leverage on our experience to push others in the right direction based on our exposure, experience or both. This is to say we are not personal coaches. We only clarify certain facts and give you a brain to tap on for the perfect push. For many, this is just what they need. That means we will only spare time for someone who is going to take the steps. We don’t fault anyone. Why? Sometimes we all need a helping hand, and we extend a hand to you!
Mentorship
We have established a huge international network of recent scholarship recipients, researchers, academicians and industry experts who are willing to share their experiences and/or support ‘younger’ individuals in the careers where they have made significant progress or accomplishments.
Our first-of-a-kind mentorship scheme aims to put you in touch with a skilled mentor or a current scholar who has broader interests as you in a career or field. This is an excellent opportunity to leverage on a mentors experience to develop mentees’ confidence, and improve on aspects of scholarship applications and informed decision making.
Successful mentees will need to commit to attending four virtual sessions (timelines agreed between mentor and mentee) and demonstrate an interest in postgraduate study opportunities for example evidence of scholarship applications. As a prospective mentee, please note that all our mentors are very busy and have kindly agreed to offer their support voluntarily. We therefore insist that mentees must be respectful and have reasonable expectations. All our mentors are highly resourceful and will certainly point you in the right direction of help.
Note:
We expect a We expect a high level of commitment and seriousness from applicants, and therefore we assess their clarity of mentorship need. For example, if for an individual who needs support writing a personal statement, we point you to several resources on our website, Youtube channel, upcoming webinars or to book a support request. If applying for a PhD, please mention this clearly.
We believe not everyone needs a ‘mentor’. If you need specific support or have specific questions, please consider making use of the information on our blog or services on our platform (below) which are usually free or sometimes payable (to aid in maintenance of our website) depending on your preference.
All prospective mentees should clearly identify the reasons, objectives for which they would gain benefit before being matched to a potential mentor.
If you (or someone you know) would like to be a mentor on our platform, please email us intl-pgscholarships@outlook.com orsign up here. We are continuously building our network and welcome new collaborations. Prospective mentees should sign up here. Feel free to contact us if you need a mentor or not based on your needs.
What our beneficiaries say
Eye opener
“I truly appreciate learning more about internal scholarships through the webinars. My eyes were opened to a new range of opportunities. In addition to this I am grateful for the practical support I got from IGSI, while working on my personal statement.”
Zindzi, A.
Msc Ultrasound, UK
Fellowship application
“The webinars that I attended were extremely helpful in conditioning my mind for success beyond my lab career. I implemented the knowledge that I received therein and coupled with IGSI guidance, I bagged the IAVI fellowship. I strongly believe that IGSI initiative is a step in the right direction.”
Awuor S, Kenya
IAVI HIV/TB Fellowship recipient
Most reliable platform for graduate scholarship opportunities
“Opportunities for students in developing countries to get international scholarships are available. However, finding them and coming up with a stellar application is always a challenge. IGSI posts authentic, fully funded scholarships and trains students on how to write excellent personal statements for their application. This is an amazing platform for many African students looking for scholarships. Kudos IGSI!!!”
Muasya W., Kenya
Msc. Bioinformatics
Fantastic support
“I’m grateful to IGSI for giving me a free review of my motivation letter towards my application for University of Nairobi scholarship and Gandhi Smarak Nithi Fund.”
Kiptanui G., Kenya
Msc Geology
Great support
“IGSI were very helpful with the review of my proposal. There were so many things I had not thought of to include in my proposal that they pointed out in the feedback they gave me. I had a couple of one-on-one session which really helped me to refine my proposal. Many thanks @IGSI team!”
Faizal, M (Tanzania)
PhD Scholarship support
Would recommend IGSI to anyone
“IGSI helped so much with my scholarship application. I strongly believe that their support during my application, the review of my personal statement and feedback helped me to secure my scholarship.”
