My journey as a BIG Scholar
Manuel, a BSc (Hons) Mathematics student, is a BIG Talent Scholar from El Salvador. BIG Scholarships are open to students from around the world who have medalled in international Olympiads.
By Manuel Cabrera
Being a BIG scholar has been a life-changing opportunity, and I couldn’t be more grateful to experience that at the University of Edinburgh. Everything started back in late 2023, when I was notified that I’d been pre-selected for the BIG programme of the Global Talent Fund, thanks to having won a bronze medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in 2021.
Still, being a Latin American student applying to the UK isn’t always easy, mainly because most UK universities don’t recognise many school-leaving qualifications from Latin America or parts of Africa. In my case, I had a Salvadoran baccalaureate, which made the application process a bit more complicated. That’s where the university really stood out. They showed just how open-minded they are by offering me a place through a scheme designed specifically for students whose school qualifications aren’t internationally recognised but somehow stood out in other ways, whether through academic achievements or a strong personal statement. Waiting for decisions was definitely stressful, but it all paid off. Now, as I’m writing this blog, I’m about to start the second year of my Mathematics degree.
My time as a maths student has been full of learning, and both personal and professional growth. The university has amazing facilities, beautiful buildings, and a very strong mathematics program. During my first year, my mandatory courses were Linear Algebra, Calculus, and Proofs and Problem Solving. If you’re familiar with the IMO or the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad , you’ll notice that last one is basically just a fancy name for “Intro to Olympiad Math”, so naturally, it ended up being my favourite. Moreover, thanks to the flexibility the university offers in course choices, I was also able to take half of my first-year courses from the School of Informatics.
Outside of academics, Edinburgh is a city where you’ll never get bored. I’m an active participant in the Edinburgh University Salsa Society (I even performed once!), and I’ve gone to several of their social events around the city. The university really cares about its students – we even have our own student hub in Bristo Square called Potterrow, which is managed by the Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA). It’s a great place to hang out, grab some food or drinks, and take part in all kinds of activities with other students.
On top of all that, being a BIG scholar has been a great experience. Even though we’re all at different universities across the UK, there’s a strong sense of community. We all met once in London, where we had lunch at a Turkish restaurant, took a walk through central London, and even rode the London Eye – all expenses covered by Global Talent Fund (GTF).
As a BIG scholar, you also get access to internship opportunities that can really boost your CV. Right now, I’m interning at GTF, and part of my work includes attending the International Olympiad in Informatics 2025 (held in Bolivia this year!) to help promote GTF and its programs. I’ve also had the chance to work with data: cleaning, analysing, and visualising it in order to contribute to GTF’s research on the economics of talent. I’m really glad I took that data science course back in my first semester.
Overall, my time as a BIG scholar at the University of Edinburgh has been the best opportunity I’ve ever had, and I’m doing my best to make the most of it.
Learn more:
Mathematics BSc (Hons) | University of Edinburgh Degree Finder
