The students who helped shape MIFT
A scholarship path is easier to describe on paper than it is to navigate as a student. Knowing the requirements is one part of it. Connecting them to a major, a university list, and the work ahead is another. We wanted students already on those paths to have a place in shaping MIFT, alongside the research and product work.
A student from every path
We brought in at least one student from each current scholarship path covered by MIFT. From Aramco, we brought in a student at Penn State and a student at New York University (NYU). From the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, we brought in students at schools such as NYU, the University of Southern California (USC), and the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC).
They are contributing to MIFT’s development as students with experience of these paths. Including more than one program and campus helps us think beyond a single version of the scholarship journey.
The same university, a different path
NYU appears in both the Aramco and Custodian groups. That detail captures something important about planning: a university name alone does not tell the whole story. The scholarship path, intended major, and application requirements are also part of the picture.
For an applicant, choosing universities and understanding a scholarship route are connected decisions. A school can be appealing for many reasons, but building a useful list means considering how it fits the path you are pursuing. MIFT brings those decisions into the same workspace.
Giving the plan somewhere to live
That connection runs through the tools in MIFT. Scholarship guides give you a place to explore the paths. My Schools lets you save universities and rank your list, so the options you are considering have a home you can return to as your thinking develops. You can keep an option on the list while you learn more about it, then adjust its place as your priorities become clearer.
The roadmap helps organize the next steps into tasks. Application tools support work on the materials you need to prepare and review. Together, these tools connect research, choices, and preparation, so you can move between understanding your options and working on your applications.
Involving students helps us keep the person using those tools in view. The aim is a process that makes sense from the applicant’s side: understand the path, organize the possibilities, and see what needs attention next. These are product goals, shaped alongside the experience students bring.
Experience adds context
A student can bring a personal view of navigating a scholarship path. Official program and university information remains the reference for requirements, eligible options, and deadlines. We use those sources alongside student perspectives when thinking about how MIFT should explain information and support planning.
Building around the decisions that matter
Including students across the paths we cover is part of how we approach development. It keeps us thinking about the connections between a scholarship, a university, and the preparation ahead, rather than looking at each tool in isolation.
The work is to make those connections easier to follow. A saved university should sit within a broader plan. A next step should relate to something you are trying to achieve. And the workspace should help you keep track as that plan becomes more specific.
Your future. Your next move.
The students helping shape MIFT bring their own experience to the development process. You bring your own ambitions to the platform. Our role is to give you a clearer place to explore your options, organize your plan, and take the next step.