While the cost of education can seem overwhelming, thousands break financial barriers each year through determination, preparation, and strategic planning to secure their desired scholarships.

Many universities offer generous financial aid to qualified international students. Applying early, meeting deadlines, and submitting complete documentation significantly improve the chances of success. Success begins with understanding the types of scholarships available, including merit based, need based, and government funded programmes.

To learn more about how to secure a place in one of America’s Little Ivies with a fully funded scholarship, I spoke with Tanvir Hasan, a second year student at Connecticut College, USA.

Deciding to pursue an undergraduate degree abroad

As he completed his school and college education under the NCTB curriculum, he began thinking about university life during class 11, where to pursue his degree, how to pursue it, and what aligned with his instincts and strengths.

Bangladesh’s education system, for Tanvir, felt like a choking hazard.

“According to the education structure of this country, I will never feel good about it. For example, I love Economics at heart, but I cannot explain that to any university without appearing for exams on Bangla grammar. As everyone appears as an undergraduate once in a lifetime, why cannot I try my best at least once for myself? Those critical conversations and reflections pushed me into researching study abroad.”

He had a clear goal in mind from the start. “Around 2022, I committed to myself that whatever happens, I will pursue my studies abroad.”

At the outset, he made a shortlist of universities. Initially, he focused on the Little Ivies, as they matched his affordability pattern and subject preferences. Liberal Arts was Tanvir’s primary interest, and he wanted to pursue a degree where financial aid would be awarded.

“I had to undertake comprehensive preparation, which included appearing for the DSAT. Apart from this, since applying in the USA is holistic to some extent, I had to work simultaneously on essay writing, managing letters of recommendation, understanding the entire process, collecting logistics, and so on.”

Despite all this, he could not qualify on his first attempt. However, he did not give up.

The second time, after taking a one year gap, his preparation was more intense and holistic. He focused on extracurricular activities to include in his application, analysed his previous application to identify mistakes, conducted more research on universities, emailed continuously, improved his English writing for essays, and ultimately prepared himself confidently for acceptance.

Generally, for USA applications, the scenario is quite different. One has to create a balanced list for a safer approach. According to our interviewee, “Generally, 20 universities can be applied to. To some extent, we can make it 25 to 30. Eventually, we have to identify dream universities, among which two to three are rich schools, a few target schools, a few safety schools, and the rest are based on research and other considerations.”

When asked why Connecticut was one of his first choices, he shared, “Connecticut aligns with all the things I wanted from my college. It provides adequate benefits, the Economics programme is quite good, and my research at that time ensured that it offers high financial aid. It prefers community engagement, and the number of South Asian students it admits boosted my confidence regarding my profile.”

Ensuring the scholarship

A compelling essay often plays a decisive role, allowing students to share their goals, challenges, and vision for the future. Authenticity and clarity can set an applicant apart from intense competition.

Alongside a strong essay, a high DSAT score is important for scholarship consideration, although scholarships do not depend solely on the DSAT.

He scored 1490 on the DSAT, which significantly helped him secure the scholarship. Additionally, extracurricular activities such as debating helped him build a strong network.

“There are many people who have helped me brick by brick. I was privileged to have these people, for whom I am grateful.”

“Researching universities, analysing them, reaching out to people studying abroad, communicating with them, asking for help, and utilising free resources were the best possible means for me. Overall, everything made my journey smoother.”

With the help of a strong essay and a high DSAT score, Connecticut College provided him with a fully funded scholarship covering his total tuition fees, dormitory fees, and meal costs.

Bangladeshi students are not accustomed to regularly writing essays according to international standards. On this, Tanvir affirmed, “If someone wants to write an effective essay, he or she should start by writing for themselves first, alongside journalling. Reading extensively is also important.”

His essay was a form of commentary that presented a story.

Advice and mistakes to avoid

Strong academic performance is essential, but grades alone are not enough. Scholarship committees also value leadership, community involvement, extracurricular achievements, and personal resilience.

Starting preparation as early as possible is the best approach. He advises that students should first ask themselves whether they truly want to study abroad.

If they are fully determined, they must defy the odds, especially by remaining mentally strong during the admission phase.

He reaffirmed, “Reaching out to the right person can open up a thousand opportunities.”

“You need to remind yourself why you started, and you need to stick to the plan,” concluded Tanvir.