DAAD Scholar Sharing – Chan Mra Thandar

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DDS would like to warmly congratulate Chan Mra Thandar, Master’s student in the Development Planning Management and Innovation (DPMI) program, August 2021 batch for receiving DAAD Scholarship at AIT. The following is her dream sharing to study abroad, which may serve as a guideline for those interested in applying to study with us.


“Pursuing my Master’s degree abroad had always been a dream for me for many years until I achieved the DAAD scholarship..”

— Chan Mra Thandar , DAAD Scholar 2021

My Dream

Pursuing my Master’s degree abroad had always been a dream for me for many years until I achieved the DAAD scholarship. I have to say I am filled with pride and thankfulness for being a DAAD awardee and making one of my greatest dreams come true. It was 2021 June when I got a confirmation for the scholarship and it meant a lot to me when I was awarded this scholarship. By the time I received this award, I was in the middle of one of the biggest crises of my life and the award just lighted up my way to move forward and overcome the crisis.

In 2019, I first heard about AIT from one of my seniors who also received a DAAD scholarship in 2018 in Italy. Therefore, I even tried to apply for the scholarship in 2019. However, I was hesitant and not confident since I had no working experience at that time but one thing, I always kept in mind is that I will start applying for scholarships after one year of working experience. Therefore, I just followed my plan. My first attempt to apply for AIT and DAAD scholarships was in late 2020 when the Covid situation was at its peak in the whole world. Fortunately, my application was accepted by the AIT and I also got the DAAD scholarship. When I was applying for the scholarship, being accepted by AIT and awarded by DAAD was a long process and it took almost seven months until I got the scholarship. It was just worth the time I was waiting to receive such a prestigious scholarship from AIT. To be honest, I applied to the DPMI program, AIT at first because of the possibility of receiving a DAAD scholarship. However, I have to say I made the right choice choosing AIT and DPMI programs after one year of doing coursework and in the middle of working on my thesis.

One of the favorite things about coursework in AIT is that it gives so much flexibility for students to also choose not only courses from their own programs but also from other programs

Chan Mra Thandar, Master’s student in DPMI program

AIT is One of the Best Choices.

One of the favorite things about coursework in AIT is that it gives so much flexibility for students to also choose not only courses from their own programs but also from other programs. For a person like me who want to pursue degrees in higher education but is not sure about the area of interest, I think AIT is one of the best choices. I came from the political science field in my bachelor’s degree, however, I always wanted to explore subjects related to environmental things. I did get a chance in AIT to explore some subjects such as climate change, natural resource management policy and planning, and environmental impact assessment apart from the courses from my program. In addition, I also found the DPMI program as a strength for students who are interested in the interdisciplinary field of study. The courses ranged from agriculture development, development policy, and practice to NGO management. Moreover, some hands-on experiences from the Development Planning Workshop such as going to the local area fieldtrip in Thailand for observing the activities, and engaging with the communities have provided very practical knowledge for being a development planner. In addition, the program also gives so much flexibility to choose the research or thesis topic.

Chan Mra Thandar, Master’s student in Development Planning Management and Innovation program

Natural and Multi-cultural Campus

I also should not forget non-academic environments when talking about AIT. AIT is literally a beautiful green campus filled with the sounds of nature. Some areas of the campus look like the forest like Student Village. Therefore, I sometimes imagine myself camping in the forest and living in student village 1 (SV1). I sometimes woke up for listening to birds chirping in the morning. Apart from this environmental atmosphere, AIT is a multi-cultural environment with students from different countries and different backgrounds. Therefore, studying at AIT is not only studying from papers, books, and professors but also from students, and friends. Different people always have different experiences to share, so it is one of the opportunities in AIT to learn from each other.

Since I have mentioned a lot about AIT, I also should mention the country where AIT is located. Yes, Thailand is the first even foreign country I have been to and I have been living there for more than a year. Until that, I have to say I am not getting bored of it. Thai people are very kind-hearted people which gives me a warm environment to be able to stay longer. In addition, another favorite thing about Thailand is the food. There are varieties of choices for food to choose from with reasonable prices as well. Moreover, there are always many places to explore on your vacation and holidays in Thailand which will make you never get bored and regret studying at AIT, one of the prominent Post-Graduate institutes in Thailand.

Finally, there is only one message I would like to share, if you are thinking of studying at AIT or applying for a scholarship, you should start doing it now. All our regrets come from not doing things. We always learn something either big or small from all the things we have done in life. Therefore, please always prepare ready the basic documents needed for the scholarship like your graduation certificate and your grading certificate, especially for those people who cannot ask for those documents easily through the institution’s website. Then, start doing what you want to do.

Congratulations

Congratulations again to Chan Mra Thandar, Master’s student in the DPMI program, August 2021 batch for your dream sharing with us. DDS wishes you a successful journey ahead in all your future ventures and endeavors. We would also like to offer our full encouragement and support to you every step of the way.

More about the DAAD scholarship for the August 2023 intake

Get the Direct Link to Apply

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