Rebecca Martina Mueller is the lucky winner of the QS Connect Masters Scholarship in 2019.
The scholarship, worth US$2,000, is awarded every year exclusively to a student who has taken part in the Connect Masters scheme. Connect Masters is a free service which is part of the QS World Grad School Tour, and allows prospective postgraduates to meet face-to-face with university representatives from around the world in order to professionally discuss their next steps for their career and studies.
We caught up with Rebecca to find out more about her study plans and the difference this scholarship will make.
What are you planning to study, and why did you choose the university you’ve applied to?
I will study MSc Marketing with a focus on consumer marketing at Henley Business School, a department of the University of Reading in the UK.
I was looking at a lot of different universities and compared rankings as well as course content, entry requirements, accommodations, tuition fees and locations. But it was hard to make a decision, because there were so many universities to choose from.
Therefore, I decided to attend the QS World Grad School Tour in Frankfurt in November 2018. I believe that, although you can find a lot of information online, it is always better to directly talk to people and ask your questions. Attending the event really helped me narrow down my choice.
In the end, I decided to go with Henley Business School because it has a very interesting program, a good reputation and it offers guaranteed accommodation on campus. Talking to Chris Rice, Head of Recruitment Marketing from the University of Reading, answered a lot of my questions and helped me make my decision.
What do you hope to gain from your degree? How will it affect your career plans?
After I gained my bachelor’s degree from the University of Mannheim in Germany, I started working as a Marketing Assistant in February 2017. Even though I've gained a fair amount of practical experience in marketing by now, I felt as if something was missing. I believe I cannot realize my full potential without a well-rounded master’s degree that focuses on marketing and consumer behaviour.
My long-term goal is to work in a leadership position in a globally active marketing or market research company and I reckon studying MSc Marketing at Henley Business School will help me achieve this goal. I'm looking forward to learning more about how organizations can use psychology to understand consumer behaviour and gain insights into consumer behaviour from different perspectives.
Also, in studying this course, I hope to enhance my critical thinking capabilities and hone my intercultural competence. I think this master degree will help me on my career path as it is an additional career advancement opportunity.
How did you find the scholarship application process? How many sources of financial aid did you approach?
At first, I was a little overwhelmed with the sheer amount of scholarships available. It was hard to browse through all of them, which I had to do because I was not eligible for many of them. But then I learned about the different QS scholarships available to people who had attended a Connect Masters event.
The application process was really easy and I heard back very quickly. I applied to several QS scholarships and the scholarship program offered by my chosen university.
What was your experience of a QS event like? What were the highlights of your time there, and what would you recommend to future attendees?
The QS World Grad School Tour in Frankfurt was well organised and very informative. I really enjoyed talking to the representatives at their booth but my highlights were the one-on-one meetings that were scheduled beforehand. It was a great opportunity to have a few undisturbed minutes to ask questions without worrying whether the booth was too crowded or whether I was keeping others from asking their questions.
I would definitely recommend future attendees take part in these sessions and talk to universities that might not be on their radar. My advice is to stay open-minded and give all universities a chance. I am happy that I did!
What difference will this scholarship make to you? How would your plans have differed without this financial support?
The scholarship will enable me to breath a little easier. The tuition and accommodation fees in the UK are rather expensive, so every pound I can save is a real help!
My plan without this financial support would not have differed much because I would have started my studies with or without the scholarship, but I would have applied to more scholarships or would have looked for a part-time job. I saved some money for my studies, but it's not enough to cover everything, so I'm really grateful for this scholarship.
What advice do you have for other prospective students who are applying for scholarships?
Start your applications as early as possible and apply to as many scholarships as you can – and stay positive!
Many students miss the deadlines or seem to think they have no chance of getting a scholarship. It's easy to get discouraged after a few rejections, but there are so many different kinds of scholarships – so do your research!
The more applications you write, the better you get at them. And if you keep applying, chances are you will get one!
