Interview: A 2024 Cranfield Admit

📍 Interviewee background

Nono

Bachelor's: National Taipei University

Major: Business Administration

Average: GPA 3.73 / 4.0

Relevant internship: HCT Logistics (新竹物流) internship

IELTS: Overall 7.5

Admitted to:

Cranfield - MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

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📍 Why apply only to Cranfield?

For me, choosing a university isn't just about its global ranking. I need to look more closely at whether the school puts its rich resources to full use in the field I'm interested in. I also care about how well the school performs in specific areas. Location is another factor: I look at whether the surrounding area has enough amenities and whether it's close to a thriving big city, so I can move smoothly into the workforce after graduating. Most important of all, though, is the curriculum. I want one that focuses on practical application so students get real hands-on experience rather than just theory. That kind of education does more to make students competitive in their future careers.

📍 The work I put into applying

When I chose to study supply chain, I was a business administration major with no background in the field. But in my junior year, after careful thought, I bought a set of supply chain fundamentals courses on Coursera. The set covers all the major areas of supply chain in five Modules, and finishing it gave me more confidence in the field, especially a strong interest in logistics within the supply chain. To gain practical experience, I applied on my own initiative for an internship at HCT Logistics the summer before senior year. During the six-month internship, I built up a lot of hands-on logistics experience while improving my communication, leadership and collaboration skills. To keep improving, I also kept my English up by reading foreign news and papers and taking online speaking classes.

📍 Is an IELTS prep school worth it?

I knew I needed a systematic way of learning to pick up IELTS test skills and techniques faster, so from the start I decided to prepare through a prep school.

📍 Which prep school would you recommend?

I chose 戴爾 prep school because it has branches in the north, center and south, so I could keep up with the course when I went back to Taichung over winter and summer breaks. Its monthly mock exams also gave me valuable chances to assess myself. While preparing for IELTS, I found that the reading vocabulary, writing templates, and the answering logic and techniques for listening and speaking that I built up in the weekly classes helped me enormously when studying on my own after the course ended. This kind of systematic learning not only made my test prep more effective but also gave me a solid foundation for the challenges that came later.

📍 How to prepare for IELTS?

First, I strongly recommend not spending a lot of money on past papers, because there are plenty of free PDF versions online to download and print. For reading, I practiced with the free materials on the British Council website, which include reading tests on all kinds of topics. I also followed BBC, Bloomberg and other foreign media on IG, forcing myself to build vocabulary while using my phone. For listening, I spent 30 minutes a day listening to 6 minutes English on the BBC Learning English channel. The idiomatic words and phrases in it help not only with listening but also a lot with speaking. I also listened to TED-ED a lot, because every topic is interesting and keeps learning from getting dull. For speaking, I took speaking classes on Amazing Talker. Talking with native speakers not only helps you get the logic of speaking but also teaches you more advanced phrases and sentence structures. For writing, I'd first time myself writing, then go to the writing9 website to look at the arguments and phrasing of high scorers to improve my writing.

📍 How to choose a study-abroad agency

For me, quick replies, professionalism and a good attitude are what matter when choosing an agency. In the complicated process of preparing applications, having to wait a long time for a reply to every question really slows things down. I want an agency that responds to my questions quickly and offers solutions that work. Professionalism is another important factor. I don't want to be told only surface-level information; I want in-depth, practical advice. I've come across agencies that didn't really consider my needs and only recommended countries or graduate schools they partner with, ignoring my own opinions and academic level. That kind of unprofessional attitude bothered me, so I wanted to find an agency that truly cares about students and gives useful advice.

📍 A few words for everyone

If you're planning to apply: the most important things are keeping your grades up and preparing for IELTS early. Starting your CV and SOP early only helps, and it lets you produce higher-quality content without rushing. The summer between junior and senior year is also a good time to find an internship in a related field to strengthen your résumé and improve your chances of admission. If you're applying now: trust your choices & trust that good things will happen.

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