Chevening Scholarships: How It All Began From Brunei Darussalam

The following article was written by Ms Andrea Yin Cheng Tay, a 2011/12 Chevening Scholar currently studying Masters of Science in Economics at The University of Nottingham.

How it all began from Brunei Darussalam

Everything feels like a blur image and that time has accelerated without you knowing it. I can still remember my relief when I received my University of Nottingham offer in time for the Chevening Scholarship application deadline. A few weeks later I received an e-mail that I have been shortlisted for the interview. The excitement starts to bubble inside!

I geared myself up for the interview over the next two weeks, remembering how I had always wanted to pursue my Masters after completing my degree. At the British High Commission Office I was facing three strong interviewers. It was very challenging indeed to convince the panel why you should be the chosen one and how it will benefit not only Brunei Darussalam as well as the United Kingdom but also yourself. Economics has always been  a huge interest of mine since my secondary years and I’ve always yearned to take my education one step higher to help myself perform better in my career.

At the end of my interview, I had mixed feelings about what the interviewers thought of me but I was content that I had done my very best. The interview was on a Wednesday and the selection results were going to be out in a week. The call came unexpectedly on Monday and I could barely hear the words with the sound of my heart beating, and yes, I have been selected! I was ecstatic but being a very cautious person, I refused to fully indulge in the news unless I could see the formal award, ticket confirmation and until the day I was at the airport. Cecile from British Council assisted me in all the necessary paperwork.

At that time, I was still working as a Project Manager at University Brunei Darussalam and I had to hand over all my duties in a month. Simultaneously I had to deal with packing, searching for accommodation, familiarising myself with UK’s transportation system and also celebrating the festive Hari Raya season. It was definitely an honour to attend the Chevening Welcome Reception at the British High Commissioner’s Residence, with Mr Rob Fenn along with my family and getting to meet my interviewers – Mr Julian, Miss Maznah and Cecile, Miss Sunny as well as previous Chevening recipients.

Suddenly everything seemed to fall in place and before I knew it, I was already at the airport. It was then that it really hit me that I was going to be separated from my families and friends for one whole year to pursue my dream.

Arriving in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom has always been well-known for its high quality education and research excellence. It was definitely the greatest opportunity to study here as a Chevening Scholar from Brunei Darussalam. I am a relatively independent person therefore I did not worry much about adapting to a different culture and being separated so far away from home. I expected myself to adapt very quickly both individually and educationally. Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport, getting the Travelex Cash Passport (Advance Allowance) prepared by the British Council was absolutely efficient and convenient. After exhaustingly moving my luggages across terminals, friendly representatives from the University of Nottingham were there to greet me and guide me immediately to the coach transfer to Nottingham.

It was very early in the morning, and it took three hours to get to Nottingham. Then there was the sign, North Entrance, University of Nottingham! When I arrived for the International Programme, we soon found ourselves making friends with people who live in the same halls.

The welcome programme was over the weekend and it was then the actual challenge begins. We were moving towards our permanent accommodation, living with complete strangers and managing our own lives. I felt homesick and scared. Due to the new accommodation, I had no utensils and ingredients to cook. So I went to any Asian cuisine restaurants, and you realised that your favourite Curry or Buttermilk Chicken, ‘Mee Goreng’, and ‘Teh Tarik’ are not in the menu. Even with all other fast food outlets around, you crave for your local ‘Ayamku’.

The courses then started, and there I was staring at the whiteboard. There were so many things that I vaguely remember from my degree that I did three years ago and being a Masters student, it was expected to have those pre-requisites. Pursuing a Masters of Science in Economics requires a lot of mathematical skills differentiating it from the normal Arts Programme. I felt so lost at the beginning, unsure of what to do.

For the first few weeks, I familiarised myself with all the new changes including the unpredictable cold weather. I miss my families, friends and the comfortable lifestyle I left behind. I found myself doubting my ability and forgetting my purpose. But here I am now, getting used to a whole new culture and enjoying my study experience at the UK. This is all thanks to the support from my loved ones back home, the BruNotts Society (Brunei-Nottingham), and my friendly course mates from all over the world.

An additional benefit of studying at the UK, is the gateway to a limitless genre of societies and sports. There are more than 200 societies and 77 sports club provided by the Student Union.

I am currently a member of the Economics Society, Travel Society, BruNotts Society, Belly Dancing Society and I play netball with the BruNotts Team. I also take every opportunity I can to visit other cities, as there is so much to explore with the United Kingdom’s heritage and also neighbouring European countries.

Being a Postgraduate student, managing my time efficiently is very important especially when you are abroad. You will need to balance your studies, prepare for your dissertation, educational and social societies, household chores, cooking and your social life. Now being here and given the chance to experience it, I see the benefits of studying at the United Kingdom and I am trying to make the best out of it. Therefore, I advise anyone who is interested in pursuing their Masters to set aside some time and apply for the British Chevening Scholarship. You will never know what is in store for you!

A great reminder: the University admission offer letter takes roughly six to eight weeks and do your IELTS exams ahead. Also, the application for Chevening Scholarship 2012 is open until 23 January, 2012.

– Andrea Tay YC
MSc Economics
University of Nottingham
Chevening Scholar 2011

If you are a Chevening scholar or alumnus and you would like to submit a blog entry, please get in touch. You can get in touch with me, Declan Byrne, via the Chevening Community website, the official Chevening groups on Facebook or Linkedin or you can contact your local British Embassy/High Commission. Entries should be 700 to 1000 words please. Remember that you can link to your own blog page if you have more to say. We would be particularly interested to hear about the experiences of the UK from our 2011/12 scholars.