Studying at Bath with a Women in STEM scholarship

Basrah, from India, talks about getting a British Council Scholarship for Women in STEM and how it’s helping her with her studies.

Why I applied for the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM

The British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM are for women who are interested in STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

It supports women who want a career in these fields, where they are underrepresented right now.

One of my friends applied for the scholarship last year and that’s how I found out about it.

I needed financial aid; I couldn’t afford to study in the UK and pay the fees as well as the living costs. The scholarship also aligned with my passion for working in STEM. I liked that it promoted women’s empowerment.

I looked at other scholarships too as I needed the financial help, but I particularly like this scholarship because it helped towards women’s empowerment.

How it felt to get the scholarship

Getting the scholarship was overwhelming, it was a really joyous moment for me. Obviously, I was so happy!

It gave a real boost to my confidence because I was able to get a scholarship when there was global competition, as well as competition in my own country. Knowing that so many people had applied really helped my confidence.

How the scholarship has helped me so far

The scholarship has helped me so far in covering my living costs. I can focus more on my studies because the financial burden is taken away. I don’t need to work part-time, so I have found some time to do sports as well as some extracurricular activities. I’ve tried shooting and I also joined badminton.

I also feel more confident about getting a job now. I am thinking about job experience here first, and then getting a better job in India. I would like to work as an environmental engineer or a consultant for a company. But maybe I’ll do a PhD, so I’m not sure.

Let’s see what the future brings.

Choosing to do my master’s at Bath

I wanted to specialise in sustainability, and I could see that sustainability was important to the University of Bath.

The University is very aware of its carbon footprint and it’s working towards achieving Net Zero emissions by 2030 for all heating, electricity, University emissions, and refrigerant losses.

I thought Bath would be a good place to learn more about sustainability, with lecturers and experts in their field, at a university that is aiming to achieve Net Zero before the rest of the UK by 2050.

My time at Bath so far

I am really enjoying my time at Bath. The University itself is really nice and that’s just as well as I spend a lot of my time here. Bath is peaceful and safe, so I can go out at night.

It’s great too because the proportion of women and men is equal in my year.

Sometimes my course gets hard. There’s so much coursework too but then it feels all worth it when I get something finished. It gives me that sense of accomplishment because I’m coming from a different country, a different study environment, and an education system that is very different in India.

What I’d say to other women considering applying for the scholarship

Before you apply, it may seem as if you won’t get the scholarship because there’s too much competition. But it’s always worth trying, because you never know. I never thought I’d get it, but I did!

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