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The Chevening scholarship is a route to studying in the UK for people all over the world. It offers the brightest and best the opportunity to study for a Master’s at a British university. Since 1983, Chevening has helped over 50,000 professionals pursue their studies and become leaders within their communities and sectors.
Chevening scholar Olivia Rondonuwu grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her background was in journalism and she dreamed of studying social policy in the UK. But her path to becoming an international Master’s student wasn’t a straightforward one.
Olivia knew several successful people working in journalism who’d been awarded Chevening scholarships. As a journalist, she’d interviewed high profile people who were alumni of LSE. Her ambition was to become one of the female leaders in the Indonesian media, focusing on Indonesian social policy.
“I had been thinking about the scholarship for ten years,” she says. “My dream was to study social policy at the London School of Economics, but of course, I couldn’t afford it.”
Competition for the scholarships is fierce, as Olivia discovered the first time she applied to the Chevening scholarship. She got to the interview stage, but she wasn’t successful. Then she applied again - and this time, she didn’t reach the interview stage.
However, Olivia wasn’t deterred from pursuing her dream of studying in the UK - and on her third application for the Chevening scholarship, her persistence paid off. “I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “It didn’t seem real until I got on the plane to London. It had been such a long process - I was so happy to finally be going to study in the UK.”
So how was Olivia’s first day in London? “It was horrible,” she laughs. “The weather was awful, and my bus got stuck in a traffic jam. In Indonesia, if you’re in a traffic jam, you can just get off the bus and jump on a motorbike taxi – but in London, you can’t do that! And at lunchtime, it seemed like the only option was cold sandwiches – British people love bread!”
As Olivia started the MSc in Social Policy and Development, doubts started creeping in. Had moving to London to study been the right choice for her after all?
Imposter syndrome affects a lot of students who are studying at top universities. At times, they can feel that they don’t belong there. And Olivia felt that, as an older student, she was at a disadvantage, compared to other students who’d gone straight into the Master’s from their undergraduate degree. “I was thirty six,” she explains, “so I was older than a lot of the other students. I felt that I was too old to be there.”
Luckily, it didn’t take Olivia long to shake off these doubts. As the course went on, she was able to recognise the value of her experience as a journalist, and gain in confidence and self-belief.
“You have to look inside yourself,” she explains, “and find the confidence to say, I’m a future leader.” And of course, she’d been waiting for so long to study at LSE - meaning that she really appreciated every moment, and was able to make the most of this amazing opportunity.
Once Olivia got over her imposter syndrome, she found herself gaining more and more confidence, thanks in part to the academic culture at LSE and the focus on critical thinking. “It was quite different from Indonesian academic culture,” Olivia explains.
“Here, you are encouraged to think more critically about your opinion on a topic.” She found that building her critical thinking skills helped with her self-belief. “Once you have the confidence in yourself, it helps you to dare to be different,” she says.
The other thing that Olivia loved about her Chevening experience was meeting other students from all over the world. “I was amazed by how international the group was - there were students from Latin America, from Afghanistan,” she says. “It was very competitive, but very international.”
Studying in the melting pot of a London university was a fantastic way to build a global, professional network.
Before Olivia travelled to London, she was given lots of advice by the UK embassy in Jakarta. “They warned us about the weather,” she says. “They even recommended getting a special lamp in case we suffered from seasonal affective disorder!”
But when Olivia is asked what her words of advice were for other international students, her answer is perhaps surprising. “Be brave and embrace it, the bad and the good,” she says. “Enjoy every minute. Yeah, some days the weather will be grey, but enjoy it! It’s all part of the experience of studying in the UK. So enjoy every minute - learning, networking, living in London.”
Though she will admit – she still doesn’t like sandwiches for lunch!
In order to study at a UK university and apply for a UK student visa, you’ll need to prove your level of English. PTE Academic is a fast, reliable, computer-based test that is accepted by 99% of UK universities and the UK Home Office as proof of your English language skills. You’ll typically receive your scores in just two days - so you won’t have a long wait for your results, and can get on with the application process!
Learn more about how PTE Academic can help you study in the UK.
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
Ready to get started?
Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
