There are many ways to start your studies in Taiwan. Many people come to Taiwan to learn Chinese through the Chinese Language Centres (華語中心), which are semi-autonomic schools attached to the mother universities. Others choose to enjoy the "full" experience of studying in Taiwan, becoming students of Bachelor's, Master's or PhD's students at various universities in Taiwan. And when I say various, I mean it.

Ready for graduation yet? (Photo by Vasily Koloda on Unsplash)

There are hundreds of universities which accept international students to their programmes. And what I love about Taiwan is that most universities get international students to attend the local programmes (taught in Chinese). While, of course, the classes are taught in Chinese, you need to know it very well, I love the fact that if you have sufficient language skills (proved by a language course), you can join the degree with no issues – one of the reasons why I find Taiwanese universities so welcoming of international students.

I started my journey with Taiwan with government-subsidised Chinese courses in the summer of 2016 (one month long) at Sun Yat-sen University(國立中山大學) in Kaohsiung, which was offered in cooperation with Taiwanese representatives in Poland and my alma mater university – University of Warsaw. This wasn't a scholarship per se, so I jump directly to the Huayu Scholarship Award (by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan)  I received in 2017/2018 and the Taiwan Scholarship (by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan).

Traditional Housing in Jiufen Taiwan (Photo by Y K on Unsplash)

The scholarship application procedures are very well explained on the official websites of the ministries and at the Taiwanese missions in your country (or region). In short, the applicant must prepare a bunch of documents (be mindful which ones have to be notarised and legalised), apply for the scholarship first, and wait for confirmation. Meanwhile, it is recommended to use it for the universities (choose a few), but don't worry, you can change your mind until the last confirmation date (which for me was late May).

Let's jump from what documents you need to how to "do" them. Passport, diploma, grades etc., depending on your country and previous university (or school),  follow the guidelines, and you are good to go. I don't need to tell you having good grades is a  big plus for any scholarship application, but if you slacked off in the first year or so, make it up, or you might lose your chance to study abroad!

The three main areas where you "matter" are:

1. The recommendation letter(s)
2. Study plan
3. Motivational letter (or a short bio)

All of these are essential to pay attention to! The recommendation letter(s) gives a perspective of who you are, what you achieved and where you are headed from a person who (in general) is senior to you and observed your academic or personal growth. I believe the best choice as to whom should write the letters is up to you. Still, I recommend choosing one academia-related person (maybe your favourite lecturer) and one letter from a working environment (former boss/manager or a teacher you assisted in research or lessons).

The study plan is the trickiest one, as it is challenging to know what you will do until you start doing it. Luckily, I wanted to continue researching the Taiwanese Aboriginals, this time in more economic and social aspects, so I knew exactly what I wanted to study. One and a half years later, I am writing my Master's thesis on an entirely different topic. So, as you can see, you don't have to be very strict with it. I advise the study plan to be well-written (no typos!), structured, and show you can plan and hopefully execute things. Don't dive into the world of fancy and academic words. Be true to yourself, and showcase how awesome you and your ideas are!

The motivational letter comes easily to people that "are good with words". Not necessarily! Putting your words and wishes onto paper (especially if there is a word limit) can be daunting. I'm not too fond of that, as it diminishes me as a person but instead puts me into a category of X, Y or Z. Alas, they maketh me do it. And so I did. In the letter, I recommend that you genuinely tell why you want to study in Taiwan, your motivation, and what you can bring to society (even if it is only "a nice person").

That's about it. A simple guide on how to apply for a Taiwanese Scholarship. And be sure to check other scholarships; maybe your dream university has one that is separate from the fantastic governmental programmes. Good luck, and see you in Taiwan!