The fear of self-funding in Europe
Like many economics students at Dhaka University, my dream was to study international public policy in Europe. But my family could never afford €15,000 annual tuition, let alone European living expenses. I knew my only viable path was a 100% fully-funded fellowship. Everyone around me kept discussing Erasmus Mundus, but with acceptance rates below 3%, it felt like buying a lottery ticket.
Tossing out the ChatGPT motivation letters
When I first drafted my statement of purpose, I made the classic mistake that 90% of applicants make: I wrote generic paragraphs like 'Ever since childhood, I have witnessed the effects of climate change in Bangladesh and developed a passion for economics.' When the ScholarGate editorial advisor read it, she was blunt: 'Nabila, the European review panel reads 2,000 essays that start with that exact sentence. What econometric models have you actually used? What datasets have you examined?'
Building our RMG carbon tax working paper
Over three weeks, my mentor helped me take my undergraduate term paper on Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) exports and turn it into a rigorous empirical policy brief. We modeled how upcoming European Union carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAM) would impact export default rates. Suddenly, my motivation letter had real academic teeth. It wasn't just passion—it was an informed economic proposal.
Receiving the Category A award
In March, the official consortium announcement arrived: I was selected as a Category A Erasmus Mundus Scholar. The scholarship pays €1,400 every single month directly into my bank account, covers all tuition across three universities, and includes international flight tickets. Studying in Paris, Milan, and Berlin with zero financial stress on my parents is something I never thought possible when I was photocopying notes at Nilkhet two years ago.