Winner of the QS-EDHEC Business School Scholarship 2015

Each year, QS and EDHEC Business School partner to offer exclusive business school scholarships to support students enrolling in an MSc or MiM program at EDHEC.

Covering 50% of tuition fees, the QS-EDHEC Business School scholarships are awarded to applicants who demonstrate high levels of academic excellence, alongside a clear vision of how studying at EDHEC will help them achieve their educational and professional goals.

“As always and for all our candidates, EDHEC is looking for talented students with excellent GPA, GMAT and English score results,” says the school’s international admissions manager, Darya Leshchenko. “When granting a scholarship, EDHEC also considers students’ motivation, creativity, passion for France, EDHEC and the particular program choice, and many more factors that make the student stand out.”

This year, the first applicant to have impressed the scholarship committee is Valentina Sandulova from Russia, who will commence the MSc in Management Studies at EDHEC later this year.

Preparation for an international career

Since completing an MSc in International Economics at the Russian State University of Trade and Economics in Moscow two years ago, Valentina has been working as a sales manager at international retail group Auchan. This role gave her the opportunity to spend eight months working in France, where the company is headquartered.

Keen to gain further experience of working and studying abroad, Valentina researched a range of master’s programs across Europe – ultimately choosing EDHEC due to its strong reputation and curriculum.

One of France’s prestigious grandes écoles, EDHEC has campuses in Paris, Nice and Lille, as well as international branches in London and Singapore. Valentina will be based in Lille, and says she’s looking forward to experiencing new styles of teaching and learning, and expanding her understanding of the business world beyond Russia.

“Having had a great educational background and internship experience in a leading French company both in Russia and France, Valentina expressed a great desire to develop her professionalism in the fields of business innovation, international corporation management and leadership in a cross-cultural environment,” Darya Leshchenko says. “We’re proud to be able to help her achieve her objective.”

The power of personal recommendations

While online research obviously played a role, Valentina’s story is also proof of the power of word-of-mouth recommendations. While she was searching for international programs, a friend told her about the QS World Grad School Tour event in Moscow. She went along and met Darya Leshchenko, who was there representing EDHEC, and found out about the scholarship scheme.

While she had been prepared to make a significant investment in this next stage of her development, Valentina says the scholarship makes a big difference, as she is self-funding her remaining study costs.

For others seeking international scholarships, Valentina advises all applicants to start by clarifying their own motivations and goals. Next, she points out that patience is essential, as multiple applications (and rejections) will usually be required. And finally – especially for those who are also in full-time employment – she emphasizes the importance of good time management and organization, to ensure all deadlines are met.