I’m sure fellow Malaysians have seen the rather frequent TV advertisements on the Maxis Scholarship for Malaysians. Yeap, those adverts are for the undergraduate Maxis scholarship. The Maxis Scholarship of Excellence that I will be talking about today is not that scholarship. Instead, it is a postgraduate scholarship by Maxis to the world’s most prestigious universities in the United States and the United Kingdom.

According to Maxis, five postgraduate scholarships will be awarded, and these scholarships are valid for study in the following fields: Life Sciences and Engineering, Medicine, Business and Management Studies, Law and Government Studies and the Performing Arts.

For application criteria, I’ll not paraphrase or explain as the web site already provides a succint and clear description:

Ideal applicants for Maxis’ Scholarship For Excellence must have already gained admittance to a top US or UK university and meet the following stringent criteria:-

* Aged 30 years or below

* Achieved a minimum of a 2nd Class Upper Honours (or equivalent) degree from a good university.

* Have a minimum of three years working experience

* Have a strong appreciation and appetite for current affairs (for example, a general knowledge of Malaysia’s constitutional and legal framework, economic levers, government initiatives and nation building philosophies).

* Demonstrate a continuing involvement in extra-curricular activities (team or individual sports; voluntary service; affiliation with a recognized association or society) as well as special achievements in academics, social work or similar contributions.

* Possess the traits of an ambassador for Malaysia, with a sense of loyalty and identification for the country. There should also be evidence of a clear sense of purpose and goals in life, as well as a display of visionary capabilities.

So, to Malaysians that are eligible and interested, you may apply online here.