As hard as it is to believe, 2020 is almost at an end. This is one of the amazing experiences I had in it.

One of the responsible things to do when a year is ending is to reflect on it. What accomplishments you have made, what challenges did you face, what did you learn, and how you can make the remainder of the year count.
One experience that I can definitely share, and hopefully it would be beneficial to readers, is being awarded the 2019 Bertelsmann Tech Scholarship and receive the Deep Learning Nanodegree from Udacity, completely free of charge. And this year, Bertelsmann Tech is opening another scholarship application, which you should definitely try if you have a passion for data and cloud tech.
Many people have asked online what it was like to apply for the Bertelsmann Tech scholarship, win it, and complete the Nanodegree from Udacity. Also, what benefit can one receive from achieving all that? So hopefully this article can help answer some of those questions that you might have.
Let’s begin!
1. What exactly is the Bertelsmann Tech scholarship
Well, Bertelsmann is a media, services, and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. Their CEO, Thomas Rabbe, spoke that it was their mission to empower many individuals across the world with the increasing demand for digital skills. They work together with Udacity to provide free nanodegree courses that would otherwise be expensive if paid in full personally.
In 2019, they offered nanodegree in Data Analysis, AI/Deep Learning, and Data Science. This year, they are offering three new programs. I’ve included the link below if you want to find out more.

2. Applying for the Scholarship
Last year’s application required applicants to write short essays about (1) why should you receive the scholarship, and (2) what do you plan to do with the skills that you will have acquired in the scholarship or how you would have benefitted from this scholarship. We were also asked about our confidence in our Python skills.
This year though, the application is a lot more simple and easy. You simply need to answer a few questions about yourself and your current skills in Python and SQL.
3. How the selection is done
There are two main stages that you have to pass in order to receive the full scholarship.
The first one is the application stage. There are thousands and thousands of people around the world applying, and only about 10k-15k are accepted into the three programs, that means about 3–5k for each ND program are selected to pass the application process.
The second stage is called Phase 1. Phase 1 is where you are given the basics or fundamental courses of the ND program that you applied for. To see which candidates can actually finish the entire course. The duration is about 3 months, the same as last year. Of the 3–5k applicants, only about 300–500 (10%) are awarded the full scholarship, i.e. Phase 2, where the awardees begin the full ND program and finish the remaining courses.
That’s it. after that, it is up to the scholars to finish the ND in 6 months.
Below is the timeline for this year’s scholarship

Do not be fooled, these time window may seem long, but participating in Phase 1 and Phase 2 is not as easy as it seems. Especially with Covid-19 pandemic. It took me longer than I expected to finish the course thanks to Covid-19 and the "new normal" everyone had to adapt into.
4. My Experience
Now, we get to the fun part. I will share with you my story from applying all the way to graduating.
4.1 Application process
In 2019, I chose the Deep Learning program because I believed the resources (learning materials, forums, tips and tricks, best practices, etc.) for Deep Learning are still harder to attain than the other two if I chose to learn by myself in other online courses or websites.
I wrote the essays and submitted my application. One or two months later, I received this.

I was so happy and ecstatic that my application stood out and I got accepted into Phase 1.
The key was that I had to really know what I want out of the program and why I (and also Bertelsmann) would benefit from this receiving (and giving) of scholarship.
So, if there is another scholarship with the similar application process, the key here is that You really, really have to sell it.
But this year is a bit simpler, and therefore in my opinion, harder. Why? Well, with no essays in the application and only a few checkboxes, it can be different to set yourself apart from the competition.
But, that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying, am I right? 🙂
4.2 Phase 1
This is where the fun of the Bertelsmann Tech scholarship begins.
So, in each ND program, the students were gathered into three global Slack groups, each according to the program that they applied for. And each student had been given access to the basics or foundational courses for their ND programs.
The instructions for this phase, and to get to Phase 2, were simple and straightforward.
We had to pass the fundamental courses in time AND actively participate in the Slack groups.
Sounds simple right? Complete the course and participate in the group Slack for 3–4 months, easy right?
Not so fast,
Because it was "easy" and "simple", everyone could easily do it, i.e. the competition is also fierce and it was easy to slip up. The most common slip ups people made were:
- They finished the course so fast, got bored, and no longer participated in the group
- They finished the course in time and participated in the group, but not enough
Mistake #1 was likely due to boredom, urgent matters in the office, etc. The point is they did not consistently participate in the Slack group. Mistake #2 is the most dangerous. Because many people did finish their course in time, they did participate in the Slack groups, but they got drowned by those who were way more active. Some of them even complained to Udacity, saying that they disagreed/protested the selection outcomes for their friends. These highly active people usually participate in study group sessions (we called them Study Jams), posted in the Slack groups on a daily basis or a few days in a week, either useful thinks, answers to other student’s questions, motivational quotes, or possibly even a funny meme to relax.
The point is, the ones who passed onto Phase 2, were those who"madly" wanted these scholarships AND they showed it. In ALL 3–4 MONTHS of Phase 1.
What did I do in Phase 1? I gathered with my fellow Indonesian scholars after office hours, worked together in the course, organized and participated in regular meetings, and kept working on it. I even published one of the projects I made from the skills I got in Phase 1.
And after a lot of hard work, those 3–4 months felt way longer. But it was worth it, especially with this e-mail.

4.3 Phase 2
Now the real hard work begins.
There were 5 main courses, 5 projects that we had to submit before 17th of Sept. Plus one extracurricular if one feels extremely motivated. Working on these 5 projects were not the biggest challenge. It was Covid-19.
The world was thrown a huge wrench into its machine and everyone around the globe had to adapt to a "new normal", including in Indonesia. Work from office from 9 AM to 6 PM turned to Work from Home with longer, random work hours. Sometimes it was still the same, other times you had to work from the moment you opened your eyes until 10 PM. It was really unpredictable. I couldn’t plan my time properly. I had to prioritize my work first, of course. Since many people were laid off because of the pandemic.
I had no choice but to work on my nanodegree late at nights and weekends full time. It was exhausting.
Nearly six months had passed. In the end, with the help of praying, coffee, Google, and Udacity’s mentors and student hub, I managed to finish it before the big deadline and graduated. Plus I managed to do it without sacrificing my health.
4.4 What did I get
That was the process and journey in 2019’s Bertelsmann Tech Scholarship and Udacity’s Deep Learning ND. I was also asked, what benefit did I get from doing all this. Here are some of them
- I met and befriended lots of awesome people with the same drive and passion during the scholarship and nanodegree. We exchanged ideas and awesome topics and motivated each other to progress. I still have contact with some of them. Who knows how we will benefit from this network in the future. And who knows whom you might meet in 2020’s Bertelsmann Tech Scholarship, too
- No doubt the skill and knowledge was as good as I thought. The lecturers, mentors, and student hub were so amazing. The lectures were relatively easy to follow and understand. The practice projects were also very intuitive, they also provided the solutions as well in case we get stuck with one or two lines of codes or the concept behind them.
- The projects were very unique. The experience I got from working the Nanodegree projects were unbelievably so good. The problems were unique. The cases were real. Udacity also provided students with 99 hours of GPU enabled workspace to run our codes and model faster than using our own private laptops. They also gave us a set of clear objectives for us to achieve in the project (min accuracy, max loss, clear and concise explanation of our logic/thought process). No other online course could have provided the same experience for me.
Overall, it was an amazing experience. Udacity did not exaggerate the term nanoDEGREE for their Deep Learning ND. It almost felt like a mini master’s program. One that I recommend to others to achieve.
Last words
Hopefully, this post is helpful to those who want to apply and learn in the Bertelsmann Tech scholarship and Udacity ND, or at least motivate you to keep learning.
"Stay hungry, stay foolish" – Steve Jobs
"Stay safe and healthy" – Anyone with common sense