Aditya Tiwari (ASP 24) honoured with the Felix Scholarship to pursue an MSc at the University of Oxford

When I came to Ashoka, I had already known for quite some time that I was enamoured by the prospect of becoming an academic. I love to read, love to learn, and — as anyone who knows me will corroborate — love a good argument. What surprises even myself at times, however, is that I had entered university completely fixated upon becoming an academic economist. Very soon into my bachelor’s degree, I was already working as a research assistant for some of the wonderful economists that Ashoka is home to. I doubt I would have gained this kind of experience elsewhere. But these opportunities are exactly what helped me determine what I really wanted to do.

The university, thankfully, forced me to broaden my horizons. Dabbling in courses from a variety of other subjects, I discovered that the discipline I was so intently pursuing was not as personally fulfilling as I had imagined it to be. Slowly, I was drawn further away from economics and deeper into the social sciences, and my interests coalesced around sociology and anthropology, a major which I found combined the best of history and philosophy with ethnographic fieldwork. It is again to Ashoka’s credit that it allowed me to switch disciplines after already having spent almost two years studying economics.

During my last few semesters at Ashoka, I remember being quite apprehensive about my applications for higher study, which is why I applied to as many universities as I possibly could. My professors, my peers, and my partner were all extremely dependable throughout this process — both professionally and personally. Eventually, my apprehensions turned out to have been unfounded: I was accepted everywhere I applied.

But an admission without very substantial funding, for me, was as good as none at all. So I waited, quite dejectedly, for weeks, until I received an email inviting me to interview for the Felix at Oxford — a pleasant surprise! It was again faculty and friends from across departments who very graciously helped me prepare for the interview; their efforts bore fruit when I was informed in mid-May that I had been awarded the Felix Scholarship.

It is in the nature of this process that it is almost impossible to be formulaic — one always figures out for themselves how to put their best foot forward on an application. Though I’ve been asked to provide some advice that may prove helpful to others at Ashoka, for the reasons outlined above I offer it only as a peer and not as an expert!

One, it helps to apply early (or prepare to do so). I started in early October, hoping to be done by November, but it took me till February to get all my applications in. These applications always take more time than expected, so it is best to have lots of leeway. Relatedly, it is best to ask faculty for letters of recommendation well in advance of the relevant deadlines. Two, the application process does not only entail the last semester at Ashoka — all of one’s time at university builds up to it. It is entirely worth the time to peruse those optional readings, or to spend an extra hour working on those term papers. You may regret not having done so if you end up composing writing samples from scratch! Finally, most importantly, it is important not to beat yourself up over rejection, whether from institutions or from sources of funding. This may come across as a bit of a platitude — and one is under no obligation to accept it from me — but if there is anything I have learned over the past year, it is that parts of the application process can be random and completely unpredictable. It helps to be as optimistic as possible, and to try and bounce back confidently from whatever setbacks may come one’s way.

Aditya (ASP 24) completed a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in Economics, and later pursued an Advanced Major in Sociology and Anthropology during his ASP.