Old Girl awarded Imperial College’s top medical scholarship

December 13, 2016

A medical student who left HMSG last summer has been awarded Imperial College’s most valuable scholarship, given to just one candidate each year.

diana2Diana Shroff was “astonished and speechless” to discover she’d been chosen to receive the Fleming/McCowen Scholarship, worth over £3,000 a year.

The academic scholarship is based on an impressive performance at interview, supported by an outstanding research essay.

Harpist Diana has also successfully auditioned for Imperial’s orchestra and been picked to play for the university’s mixed lacrosse team.

She said: “The news hasn’t really sunk in yet.  Imperial only awards one Fleming/McCowen Scholarship and it is very prestigious, so I find it hard to believe that out of over 300 freshers, I was the one selected.

“It has given me confidence that I can keep up with the rest of the cohort and it’s a huge honour – and a significant help financially.”

Diana has already made great friends at university, and been lucky enough to attend a lecture by a very special guest speaker.

She added: “The academic work is stimulating and I’m already getting hands-on experience. There are so many interesting and cutting-edge things going on at Imperial that there is a palpable buzz around the campus.  Apart from my own course, Imperial has some really eminent guest speakers – Stephen Hawking was here just recently giving a fascinating talk about black holes.”

As well as performing in London with Imperial’s orchestra, Diana will be given opportunities to tour abroad with the group.

She said: “I’ve only just started playing with the orchestra, but already it’s clear that high standards are demanded, which makes it all the more rewarding. We have a professional conductor and guest soloists – it’s a great musical experience and there could be exciting times ahead.”

Having been part of the Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools family since her days at Inglefield House, Diana believes it was much more than just the high teaching standards which helped her to succeed.

She added: “The most obvious benefit of HMSG is the academic quality, which helped me to gain the grades I needed to get into Imperial in the first place – but there are also all the other intangible benefits.

“The wide range of extra-curricular activities has improved my time management and given me the confidence to tackle new experiences.

“The LAMDA Public Speaking course also helped in giving me interview, presentation and debating skills.

“Being part of the Habs family has helped to break the ice when meeting students from other Habs schools, and the HMSG Old Girls who are already here at Imperial have given me a great welcome.”