Q-
How will I Know if you have received my Application
?
A- We will notify you of the receipt of completed
application. (If your application fulfills all our requirements
for sending it for evaluation we will do so.) For both acceptance/rejection
we have asked you to submit a stamped self-addressed envelope.
If your application is not complete and documents or any of
the fields of the application form are missing your application
will be rejected.
Q- When will I know if my application fits all
your criteria and is complete as per your standard procedure?
A- Scrutiny of Applications to check
that it fulfills our eligibility criteria and that all documents
have been attached to the completed form will take place after
the Closing date which is February 15. Applications will be
sent for Evaluation only after the Last date mentioned is
over so it is always better that if you have all the documents
in place before the last date then send all of it together
before the last date of submission, which is February 15.
We assure you that you will get a fair hearing irrespective
of when you application reaches us, provided it is within
the Last date.
Anticipating some of your questions, we are providing
you with the following test cases:
Q- You are a Third Year B.A. Honours student completing your
Graduation in April/May2008. Can you fill the application
for scholarships offered for year 2008 ?
A- Yes
Q- You plan to give your IELTS examination in
December. You have applied to Universities abroad but your
admission will depend on getting through GRE, TOEFL etc. Can
you apply to us for a Scholarship?
A- Yes. The only thing is that your application
to the University has to be attached along with the receipt
that it has been submitted. There is no leeway on that.
Q- What if you have submitted application to the Overseas/
Indian university ONLINE?
A- If you have submitted your application
on line, please take a print-out and send us a hard copy as
part of the completed application form. Universities will
generate you an online receipt as well as an acknowledgement,
often with a number. Take printouts of both and submit. If
you do not, your application will be rejected.
Q- When should I let you know that
my admission to the university applied for has been accepted/confirmed?
A- You must let us know as and when
you receive information confirming your admission. You will
not be short-listed or invited for the interview by the Selection
Committee if you do not have a confirmed admission.
Q- What is the time span between the advertisement
and short-listing of candidates for Interview by the Selection
Committee and communication to you?
A- The first mail you get from us would
be if you send us a self-addressed envelope with a Rs 5/-
stamp so that we can let you know that we have received your
application. We will try, but cannot promise, that enquiries
by email will be immediately answered about receipt of applications.
The second mail that you receive from us will be either that
you are short-listed or that your application has been unsuccessful.
We will notify you if you have been short-listed for interview
by the Selection Committee. In case you receive no communication
from us by May 15, you may assume that your application has
not been successful.
This mail may also convey to you a rejection based on Initial
scrutiny.
Q- How will I know if I have been short-listed?
A- Await notification by Surface mail or
Email or Phone that you have been short-listed in May 2008.
If you do not receive any communication from us by May 15,
2008 then you have not been short-listed.
If you have been short-listed, you are eligible to appear
before the selection committee you will be informed of the
date by email or surface mail or phone. This date would be
in May 2008
Q- What do I need to have at
the time of Interview?
A-You have to submit a confirmation of admission
from the respective Universities at the interview stage. You
are not eligible to appear for the interview without a confirmed
admission.
For the interview, you will need:
1) Documentary evidence of a confirmed admission from the
university of your choice that you must have in hand. You
must let us know as and when you receive information confirming
your admission.
2) Income Certificates
3)Estimate of Family Contribution.
4)This time you bring original certificates
5)You pay for your own travel and pay for your stay
6)All interviews will be held on a single day. The time will
be notified to you by email / phone
7)The Dinner following the interview is Mandatory. This allows
a more informal exchange with the various members of the evaluation
team.
Q- If I am Short-listed, by
when should I expect to be informed?
A- We will give you a clear 20 days
to book your tickets and make your travel and accommodation
arrangements in Kolkata. As per current schedule, the interviews
will be held in June-July 2008.
Q- I am an applicant but am
going overseas before The Paul Foundation draws up its short-list
what should I do?
A- Assuming that you are short-listed,
you will have to make arrangements to appear before the Selection
Committee in person to qualify for inclusion in the final
list.
Advice: You can apply in these circumstances. But
please note that it is mandatory that you be here for the
Interview
Q- What is the time lag between
an e-mail notifying me of my application being short-listed
and interview date on the part of The Paul Foundation ?
A- We will give you 20 days to One Month
to make arrangements to reach Kolkata for the interview.
Q- What if I am not admitted to any university
as yet and they will be evaluating applications only by March.
So, I cannot name a university to which I have been offered
admission by end date of The Paul Foundation scholarships ?
A- Please note that you will need to
send only evidence of application attached with the application
for scholarship that you send to us by the end date of submissions.
Q- Will the evidence of application suffice at the
Interview?
A- No. You have to submit a confirmation
of admission from the respective Universities at the interview
stage. You are not eligible to appear for the interview without
a confirmed admission.
Q- What if I have applied to
more than one university, what happens if I hear about my
admission to the university of my first choice after the interview
with the Selection Committee?
A- In that case, The Paul Foundation
will allow you to make a change in the destination, provided
we consider the university to be suitable
Q- What do I write in the 2000
word essay ?
A- You are expected to write a 2000
word proposal. The content of the proposal is explained below.
Please note that the proposal should not exceed 2000 words,
nor should it be substantially less than 2000 words. In other
words, the proposal should be 2000 words or may be 100 words
more or less.
1. The Paul Foundation requires the applicant
to write a 2000 word proposal that is crucial to the process
of evaluation of the application by the independent body of
experts who are associated in assessing the academic and intellectual
merit of the candidate.
2. The 2000 word proposal is not
meant to be a copy of the statement of purpose that
is part of most applications submitted by candidates applying
to universities overseas. The 2000 word proposal must set
out why you, the candidate, is eager to study your particular
field of specialization, what made you choose that subject
of specialization, what you expect to learn from it and how
this learning will be utilized, what you believe will be the
social, community, intellectual or academic benefit of studying
a particular field within the broader area of the subject.
In other words, if you, as an applicant, are aiming to study
theoretical physics, then you will have to explain how you
arrived at the point where studying theoretical physics was
the only meaningful way of spending your time and for which
you have approached institutions like The Paul Foundation.
You, as the candidate, would therefore need to explain your
understanding of physics, theoretical physics, that particular
aspect of theoretical physics that is your area of specialization
and how pursuing such knowledge would make a difference. The
proposals are not essays in which the applicant meanders
enthusiastically, but in vague terms through the subject without
making specific points as to why you want to study a particular
aspect and spend money, time and effort doing so.
We have posted several samples of Essays in different subjects
in the Application Advisories section that you can study before
submitting your application to us. It is mandatory that you
submit these samples. Your application would be disqualified
if you do not submit these samples of written work.
.
Q- What do I write in the 200
word personal profile I am required to submit?
A- Profiles are meant as an introduction
of the applicant to the evaluators. It must be noted that
the Profile is not a Bio-data nor a Curriculum Vitae. The
applicants personal details – age, academic qualifications,
marital status are all contained within the application form.
The profile is to gain an insight into your aims and personality.
We have posted several samples personal profiles in the Application
Advisories section that you can study before submitting your
application to us. It is mandatory that you submit these samples.
Your application would be disqualified if you do not submit
these samples of written work.
Advice : The essays or examples of written work that
you have done during the period of your undergraduate or post
graduate studies is a way of informing the evaluators about
the standard of your work
Q- What is the criteria an Income certificate should
fulfill ?
A- We require you to submit income certificates
of your parents or spouse. If your parents are retired then
also we require the income certificate to be submitted. If
your father or mother is in business, we require the income
certificate to be submitted. The income certificates of both
parents and/or spouse must be submitted. If your mother, for
instance, is a housewife, but has an income from other sources,
then also we would expect that you would inform us of that
income, duly certified. |
