Niteesh Kumar Upadhyay is the founder of legal website Knowledge Steez. He has done his LLM from WBNUJS, Kolkata and is a recipient of various scholarships including Hague Academy Scholarship, GAJE Turkey, GAJE Mexico, ILEC New York, RENE CASIN France etc. He was awarded with the title of Social Change Maker 2015, Young Humanitarian Award 2017, and Youth for Human Rights Award 2017.
Let’s take a look at his views regarding the set-up and importance of an online platform which can cater to the needs of law students and the formula to attain desired scholarships for foreign studies.
“I started Knowledge Steez when I was doing my LL.M to provide a platform for law students where they can get access to all the upcoming events, scholarships, fellowships, internships etc. because there was no such platform available to me and I had missed many opportunities because of lack of awareness and hence this idea of starting Knowledge Steez came to my mind and here it is today, one of the leading websites among law students. Knowledge Steez team is spread throughout the country and abroad as well and the team is actively conducting legal aid campaigns and other events in their region.”
Not everyone can afford to pursue higher studies or to do masters from abroad and therefore there is a need for such a platform which provides them with complete details regarding scholarships compiled at one place and described in simple language because it is both exhaustive and time-consuming to search for scholarships on the internet and students might miss out on some good opportunities because of lack of awareness. Furthermore, a thorough knowledge of drafting a “statement of purpose” and “letter of recommendation” is also very important.
“My perception is that Statement of Purpose for sure is the first impression on the mind of the scholarship committee and it is the major reason for acceptance or rejection of an application. All the students are advised to keep in mind that your SOP should reflect your very purpose of studying that subject and what your past experiences are in the field. One is not supposed to boast about himself/herself and just write down what is actually true. The entire process of writing down a statement of purpose or a personal statement is time-consuming and it will help students to actually know themselves better and also know what they want to do in the future and how they want to pursue it.”
I believe that the trend is changing gradually, but there are institutions at present which provide scholarships to meritorious and needy students. Apart from specific institutions, there are various organizations and trusts which assist meritorious students with funding. Consultation agencies have gained importance over time due to the fact that they simplify the work for a student, but students can get things done on their own as well. My website Knowledge Steez provides information regarding various scholarships along with the detailed procedure to apply for the same. Any student can very easily manage to apply for the desired scholarship and it is preferred to apply on your own because the entire process of application is exhaustive and will give you a different experience.
Currently, digitalization has revolutionized the entire learning process and it is a very powerful tool for law students. They can easily access upcoming events, scholarships, news portals, and job posts. Apart from this, students can access books, journals, study material, and case laws from the internet. Therefore, I can say that the internet is playing a vital role these days in transforming the way of learning.
All the best to all the law students reading this for their future and there are many excellent opportunities awaiting you, just keep yourself updated and keep working hard. Explore all the possible opportunities on your way and utilize your time wisely.