QS MBA Community Scholarship: 2020 Winner Varun Goel

We’re pleased to announce that one of the winners of this year’s QS MBA Community scholarship is Varun Goel.

The scholarship is awarded to five students annually, with each receiving an award of US$2,000. Recipients must attend a QS event and the scholarship must go towards tuition fees.

We caught up with Varun to learn more about the impact this scholarship will have on his studies, as well as his top tips for future scholarship applicants.

What are you planning to study, and why did you choose the school you’ve applied to?

I am planning to enroll in the Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) program at the Said Business School, University of Oxford. It has long been a dream of mine to study at the hallowed halls of the prestigious Oxford University, in particular because its business school offers specially curated experiential programmes for those interested in the social impact sphere.

What do you hope to gain from your degree? How will it affect your career plans?

I have been running a social enterprise that provides organic farming training to farmers across India for the last few years and as I now look to expand the scope and scale of my organisation, I thought this would be the perfect time to brush up on managerial concepts. Moreover, I cannot understate the amazing learning potential you have at your disposal by being part of a global cohort of extremely talented individuals.

How did you find the scholarship application process?

The application process for the QS Scholarships was fairly straightforward, to be honest. For the essay, I took a couple of days to organise my thoughts and chose the instances I believed best represented my impact to the community and just submitted my honest response.

What difference will this scholarship make to you? How would your plans have differed without this financial support?

When you’re working towards financing your master’s degree, every little bit counts. I am extremely honoured to have been awarded this very generous scholarship, which will undoubtedly go a long way towards helping me fund the significant tuition cost of an MBA.

What advice do you have for other prospective students who are applying for scholarships?

My one advice to future applicants would just be to ‘believe in yourself’. I understand it can feel like a daunting task when you think you have to compete with a global pool of applicants. But if you’ve got a solid story and you can put it into words, even long shots can work out. Mine did :)