Top 3 Insights from Sontsa Initiative’s Higher Ed Speaker Series 1 with Ugyan Choedup, Ph.D.
On March 23rd, to kick off the Higher Ed Speaker Series, Sontsa Initiative hosted Dr. Ugyan Choedup, who provided valuable insights on navigating the road to higher education for aspiring Tibetan youth.
Dr. Ugyan received his PhD from the Department of History at Pennsylvania State University. Prior to pursuing a Ph.D. in the United States, he completed his M.Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, in 2015. During the session, he briefly introduced his research works focusing on the issues of identity, nationalism, and modernity in the context of early exile Tibetan history. He then talked about his educational experiences and gave valuable tips, which, whether you are pursuing a Ph.D. in History specifically or any higher Education in general, will benefit from.
Here are some key takeaways shared during the session:
Start your preparations early!
Dr. Ugyan mentioned that certain parts of the application process, including cover letters and writing samples, cannot be done efficiently in a short period of time. Thus, if you know you need to submit these materials to the university, start planning several months ahead. He also added the need to reach out for recommendation letters early. If not, it could lead to missing an application deadline, which will lessen your application scope.
Find connection!
One important thing Dr. Ugyan stressed during the session was conducting background research on your schools of interest and finding faculty members who share similar interests with you. Do not just look at the name of a university or its location; dive deeper into its departments and courses the university provides and read books and published works of your interested faculties.
Be Proactive!
Once you have done the research, reaching out to individual professors to express your academic interest is very important. Remember, do not just talk about yourself but also mention how your research interest broadly aligns with the professor’s (and department’s) area of expertise and interest. Show them that you have done your basic homework.
Well, these are not an exhaustive list of what to do and what not to do for your application process, but rather, these are valuable tips coming from the vast experience of Dr. Ugyan. The Sonsta Initiative is honored to have him as our first guest of the Higher Ed Speaker Series.
Sontsa Initiative is a voluntary Tibetan youth-led initiative that provides Tibetan students in exile with free tools and mentorship to ace their undergraduate college application in the US. We hope to promote awareness of higher education opportunities in the US and to expand the understanding of education beyond formal schools to promote creativity in our society.
Learn more about how to pursue higher education in the United States as a Tibetan from India and Nepal by adding @sontsainitiative to your social media and reaching out for any assistance you may need. Also, consider visiting Sontsa Initiative’s YouTube channel for past workshops and webinars.
Our next Higher Ed Speaker Series will be on March 31st at 9:00 pm IST, 11:30 am EST, with Tenzin Yangkey, a first-year Ph.D. student of Geography at the University of Colorado.