Michal
Prause

I come from Hronov, a small town in eastern Bohemia. After graduating from the Jirásek Gymnasium in Náchod, I started a Bachelor's degree in Economics at the Institute of Economic Studies at Charles University. My big goal was to go abroad for a semester, which I did twice. I went to the University of Limerick in Ireland for a semester as part of the Erasmus programme and the following semester I studied at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the USA thanks to an inter-university agreement of Charles University. I completed my undergraduate studies with honours in June 2015 with a thesis on theoretical models of pay-to-play lobbying. Since September 2015, I have been studying for an MSc in Financial Economics at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

I am very grateful to the Martina and Tomas Krsek Foundation for their generous financial support, without which I would not have been able to afford my studies at Oxford. My interests include ice hockey, debating competitions and running.

How do I get a scholarship to study abroad?

Each year, the Krsek Foundation, will pay the tuition fees of 10 students admitted to master's degrees in engineering, natural sciences, economics, history and political science at one of the top universities listed below.

The scholarship is conditional upon confirmation of admission to a master's degree programme at one of the following schools. The maximum age of the applicant is 25 years.

Only students with Czech citizenship can receive the scholarship.

The application form includes:

• CV of the student in Czech language with information about his/her studies and experience so far
• portrait photograph in print resolution
• information about the school to which the applicant is admitted
• an essay (3,600 characters) in Czech describing why the applicant wants to go to the school, what he/she expects from it and what he/she wants to do after graduation
• proof that the applicant's and his/her family's financial circumstances do not allow them to finance their studies (e.g. copy of tax return)
• confirmation that the student has applied for a scholarship at the school of his/her choice but has not been awarded (or has only been partially awarded)

The Krsek Foundation will select the candidates according to the information provided in the application form and conduct interviews with the finalists (the interview includes a psychological-intelligence test)

Tuition fees will be paid directly to the school account.

The candidate will undertake to fulfil the following conditions:

• To hold at least three lectures for Czech high school and university students about their experiences, opportunities and advantages of studying abroad (the lectures will be organized by the Foundation) during the next 2 years.
• To produce an essay of 5,000 characters each year for five years on a topic assigned by the Foundation.

In general, the scholarship is awarded for the first year of the Master's degree.