School of Economics alumnus Hanson Chong Zhi Zheng, who graduated with the BSc (Hons) Economics in July 2022, has been awarded the prestigious Khazanah Global Scholarship to pursue his MSc in Social Research Methods at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK.
Hanson will begin his Master’s this September and the course will focus on developing sophistication in research design and quantitative and qualitative research methods in various social science disciplines. Specifically, it will cover how to design, conduct, analyse and report a social research project. Hanson is interested in building capacity for rigorous impact evaluation frameworks in local non-profit organisations tackling a myriad of social issues ranging from poverty to education to sustainable consumption.
The application process for the Khazanah Global Scholarship consisted of five stages involving both online assessments and virtual interviews. In the first stage, Hanson provided a personal statement that outlined how his studies and future plans align with the national agenda. It was the most important piece of the application for him to stand out from the crowd, and the subsequent interviews were mostly questions based on the personal statement. The second stage consisted of online tests on verbal, numerical, and moral reasoning skills. The third stage was a virtual interview focusing on how he satisfied some key traits of a Khazanah Scholar. In the final two stages of virtual interviews with the Yayasan Khazanah management and board members, respectively, Hanson said the interviews were almost like a conversation about him, the course that he was passionate about studying, and his personal goals and ambitions.
"The best advice that I can give is to centre your application around how you fit into the goals of the scholarship provider. You can mention your background, passion, past experiences, current study plans, and future goals, but you must demonstrate how all of them tie back to contributing to a better Malaysia in the longer term, which is the goal of Yayasan Khazanah. In order to do that you must read the application guidelines carefully. I have also found having conversations with different mentors very helpful in helping me structure my application,” said Hanson.
“Hanson, who graduated with a first-class honours in his BSc (Hons) Economics, was also the winner for three School Prizes 2022: School Prize for Overall Performance in Undergraduate, School Prize for Best Achievement (Year 3), and Best Dissertation Award. The School of Economics, University of Nottingham Malaysia, is proud of Hanson’s achievement,” said Dr Teo Wing Leong, Head of the School of Economics.
About Khazanah Global Scholarship
Khazanah Global Scholarship is a prestigious award that offers opportunities for bright and high-achieving Malaysians to pursue postgraduate studies at selected leading universities abroad. Upon completion of their study, recipients of the scholarship will be provided with leadership trainings and a job attachment at leading organisations in Malaysia. The scholarship is funded by Yayasan Khazanah, which is established by Khazanah Nasional Berhad – the sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia with the aim to grow long-term wealth for the nation.
Posted on 28th July 2022