Navigating the Application Process and the Lessons I Learnt Along the Way

This blog has been co-written by Omkar and The University of Edinburgh. Omkar is currently studying MSc Advanced Chemical Engineering at the University, and is originally from India.

Hello, my name is Omkar and I'm doing my Masters in Advanced Chemical Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. I started my course in September 2024. I did my Bachelors in Polymer Engineering in Mumbai, India and worked for three years before applying to study at Edinburgh. In this blog, I’ll talk about how the application process was for me and share some of my top tips.

I found all the information about applying for the programme, course fee and funding on the University Degree Finder web page. It was all fairly easy. My course fee was £35,300. While there was no application fee, I had to pay a deposit to confirm my seat once I received the offer. All of this was stated on the programme web page along with information on scholarships and how to apply for them. There was also an email address you could contact.

In terms of the application process itself, my advice would be to start early. For example, I started to think about what I wanted to do and looking at different university websites in November 2023, a year before I started. I'm currently doing a Masters in Chemical Engineering but my background is in Polymer Engineering, which is related but slightly different. I had some doubts about being accepted based on my undergraduate qualifications. So, I got in touch with the university. I sent an e-mail to the programme director and he replied within a couple of days, encouraging me to go ahead with my application. He underlined that the ultimate decision would be with the admissions committee but advised that it would still be good to apply. Based on my experience, I would say, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

In terms of the personal statement, I would recommend taking the time to carefully read the information on the website, noting carefully when they describe what skills you need to have. Then it’s a case of trying to pick from your experiences and highlighting the ones that match. In my case, it was highlighting my specific interest in the carbon capture module along with the coursework in general and explaining how my experience had shaped me up to be able to successfully study it. I made sure I talked about The University of Edinburgh’s renowned research in this area and how that really made me want to study this particular module. So basically, it’s a matter of writing about how your interest correlates to your particular degree.

Making the application

Another important piece of advice; it's good to apply as soon as possible. I applied in December and got my acceptance letter by the end of January. This gave me plenty of time to prepare everything else, including organising my finances and accommodation.

I'm self-funding my studies and since I had previously worked for three years, I was able to fund my living expenses through my savings. I’m paying my tuition fee using a loan.

Deciding how to fund your Masters

When I started thinking about applying and was looking at the fee structure on the website, I realised that not a lot of funding options were available to me, which is why I went ahead with self-funding. However, if you want to look for funding opportunities like scholarships, you have to start thinking about everything including the application process very early.

For example, I got my offer in January 2024 (for a course starting in September 2024), but even then, I found I was already too late applying for many of the scholarships. Thankfully, I did find some scholarships at a later date and I was able to apply for those. But those would cover, say, roughly from 5 to 10% of your tuition fee.

Your application experience and timeline will differ depending on your circumstances but, hopefully, this has given you an idea of what you need and when.

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