The Bridge Budapest scholarship was certainly one of the most inspiring part of my life. The whole thing started with a completely insignificant step. I submitted my application to the Bridge Budapest fellowship. Of course it took a couple of hours to put everything together, but what does it matter now? Specially compared to what I got in return. A month spent at one of the most successful Hungarian startup companies, Prezi. I’ve been in the US for two months, but the most important lesson can be summarized in four words: It is worth trying. We must seize the moment, find the opportunities and live with it.
But how do you become a Bridge Budapest fellow? Here’s my six-step guide for success.
First, be prepared that you will not win.
Statistically you have 1-2 percent chance to win. So don’t start packing for San Francisco after you have clicked on the Send my application button. Go on with your life, find other things to be excited about, so if you don’t win you will not be disappointed.
Speak English fluently.
This is a must. Sooner or later they will test you on it, and besides you will most likely work with native English speakers, and international teams.
Put time and effort into the Tasks.
One way to find out about your talent and motivation are tasks. Before you get to be invited to a personal interview, you will be assigned one or more tasks. It can be a test or a pitch in Prezi or anything else that is relevant to your field of study. One way to make yourself distinct from the rest of the applicants is to put a lot of time and effort into these tasks. This shows dedication, which is one of the most important qualities these companies are looking for.
Chill out
It is a long process, but don’t worry it is worth waiting for.
Be prepared
Do research on the company you will be interviewing for and try to find out what they look for in participants. You have to know why you want to be working for a startup and trust me “because it is cool” is not best answer.
Be memorable
Be the guy/girl who had that awesome video, made a unique Prezumé, designed a webpage just to introduce him/herself, had a really creative solution for the tasks. This is the hardest of all, but try to be unique and distinctive in any positive way you can. Within hundreds of applicants this is the best you can do to be selected.
Good luck for next year!