Have you been asked by the scholarship committee to provide a personal statement for a scholarship? Are you clueless on how to draft a statement of purpose for scholarship? Do you need a perfect step by step guide to get you started? Say no more! We got you covered. Today, you will master the art of writing a winning personal statement.
You will learn the following:
- What is a scholarship personal statement?
- Types of Personal Statement topics
- Parts of a Personal statement for scholarship
- Perfect step by step guide to writing a winning scholarship personal statement
- Tips on scholarship personal statement: Dos and Don'ts
- How to structure and format a personal statement
- Sample example of a personal statement for scholarship
- Sample example of personal statement for scholarship pdf
- Personal statement for scholarship application examples
- Conclusion
What is a Scholarship personal statement?
A personal statement for scholarship is a short content that conveys the message that you are a perfect candidate for a scholarship in an undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate programme. In your personal statement for scholarship 500 words, you will be providing solid evidence and examples pertaining to your experience and motivation. Your personal statement will explain why the particular programme is the right one for you, how it's connected to your personality and previous studies and what changes you would make in your society if you follow the programme.
The purpose of a personal statement is to invite the admission committee to get to know you better. You are to convince the admission committee that you are a good fit for a chosen degree. The aim is not to impress the application committee. Rather, the goal is to point to the kind of student you are. Like sample scholarship application letter for masters degree, you have to do some self - reflection to figure who you are and your future goals. When you do that, you can easily transfer your individuality to the essay.
Check out: How To Write A Letter Of Intent For Scholarship (4 PDF Sample LOI Example)
Six (6) Types of Personal Statements Prompts
As earlier mentioned, your personal statement should share something about you. It should include aspects that have not been found in your résumé. It should indicate how deserving you are of the scholarship. It should be geared towards the scholarship provider's goals.
Usually there are various topics for composing personal letter for scholarship. You would choose one category prompt and develop your personal statement. Your choice of topic will determine the parts of your scholarship personal statement.
Prompt (1): Why do you want to attend this institution?
Simply let the committee know why you are interested in that institution. Focus on what makes the programme or scholarship so unique. Does it offer career services and facilities? Is it known for talented professors that you want to learn from?
Prompt (2): Overcoming a Problem
You will be asked to identify a problem or a failure you encounter. In personal statement for scholarship sample doc,this is where you will share how you overcame it along with the lessons you were able to learn. It could be bullying, addiction, loss of a family member or a close friend, moving to a new city etc. Share it and let the committee know the stuff of which you are made up.
Prompt (3): Creative topics
Some universities offer special, think - outside - the - box topics. They could be as tricky as "What can be actually be divided by zero?". In sample personal statement for scholarship application pdf like this, you could consider each question on its own. Brainstorm innovative ideas and see which ideas you feel passionate about.
Prompt (4): A Personal History of You
This topic asks you to relate an event in your life that incited a period of personal growth. You could also pinpoint a person who had a catalyzing effect on you and made you have a new understanding of yourself. Your first job, a unique talent that you have or a personal goal you achieved can be very catching ideas for your statement of purpose for scholarship application sample.
Prompt (5): Brainstorming New Ideas
This category of topics is about understanding how you relate with novel and diverse perspectives. You could refer to a time when you questioned a long - held belief. The reasons for changing your perspective could make a great scholarship personal statement for scholarship 500 words pdf. Universities want to know how you handle differences.
Prompt (6): Your Future Goals
What does your future look like? Do you want to be a professor? A chef? A journalist? This personal statement for scholarship application examples pdf prompt reflect on what you would like to become professionally. Through this topic, the scholarship committee wants to know how the scholarship would help you learn what you need to acquire so that you can achieve your career goals. They want to measure your level of awareness, vision and determination.
Parts of a Personal Statement for Scholarship
After you choose your topic, you may be tempted to quickly proceed with writing your sop for scholarship samples. Pause!!! You have one more step to take. You need to create an outline. An outline will help you to coordinate your thoughts and ideas. It will guide the direction of your writing and you would not be rewriting your content countless times.
There are two ways to create your outline. There is the process outline and the passion outline. If you want to discuss your personal growth, the process outline will help in explain the journey of your personal growth (before, during and after stages). If you want to share your passion, use the passion outline to relate various experiences that shaped you in becoming more competent.
After creating your outline, you can safely proceed with the sections of your statement of purpose for scholarship pdf.
Introduction Paragraph:
For example, say you are preparing a sample personal statement for fulbright scholarship. The introduction is the most sensitive part of your personal statement. Do you know why? You would need to grab the attention of your commitee and keep them reading. You could use a rhetorical question, a quick story, a surprising fact or simply a short explanation of what you will talk about in your content.
Body Paragraphs:
This part depends largely on your choice of topic and your choice of outline. If you are discussing about overcoming a problem, a personal history of you or your future goals, use the process outline and share the lessons, your background and your long - term career goals.
If, on the other hand, you choose to discuss a newly adopted idea, why you want to go to the school, or something creative, deploy the passion outline to think outside the box and relate your unique perspectives on life.
Just make sure that you are authentic, unique and use copious examples in your personal statement essay for scholarship.
Conclusion:
What if you are concluding your statement of purpose for fulbright scholarship? This is not just the part where you summarize the previous paragraphs. This is the point where you leave a lasting impression on your reader. Use a call - to - action or a hope for the future to explain why this scholarship is important to you.
Read: How to Write a Good Scholarship Thank You Letter (8 PDF Sample Examples)
The Perfect 8 Step - by - Step Guide to writing a Winning Personal Statement for Scholarship
Still concerned about how to start your example of personal letter for scholarship? Don't worry. Here is a step - by - step manual that can guide you from the minute you sight the essay prompt to the minute you hit "Submit".
Step One (1): Read your Prompts
Carefully read your topics. Understand what the scholarship committee is asking of you. Before choosing the prompt you want, try to grasp what the personal statement for university scholarship
should be like. Check carefully if there is anything like "Write on your topic in three pages of 600 words"!
Step Two (2): Be on the lookout for additional information
Are there rules and guidelines for additional information that may not be in the prompt? You need to read them carefully. Ascertain the kind of formatting that is required, when the scholarship application statement due date is or what you may need to submit with your personal statement.
Step Three (3): Brainstorm Novel Ideas
Don't rush to write the personal statement for applying scholarship with the first idea that pops up in your head. Consider various ways to answer the prompt you chose. Jot down all the ideas that come to mind and review them later.
Step Four (4): Outline your personal statement
Organize essential points and concepts of your content. As it was suggested earlier, this will help you coordinate your major ideas so that you won't forget them. In that way, you will write the best statement of purpose for scholarship.
Step Five (5): Create a mouth - watering introduction
When writing personal statement for scholarship, keep your thesis concise but at the same time, arrest the attention of your reader. Be more concerned about your story and less worried about big vocabulary. In a simple way, try to communicate the core concept of your content.
Step Six (6): Be yourself when writing the body paragraphs and conclusion
At this stage, make your scholarship statement example personal and relatable. Simply, write what you know. Find a way to share why your choice of topic is significant to you. Let the body paragraphs reflect your personal knowledge, experiences and passion. Make your essay as specific as possible and customize it to fit the scholarship.
Step Seven (7): Revise your personal statement
This time, re-read your personal statement sample for scholarship pdf with a critical eye. You can read it out loud and listen to the flow. Is it consistent? Is it logical? Is there a room for reworking?
Step Eight (8): Proofread, edit and hit "submit"
Look specifically for spelling and grammar errors. For example, say you are writing a fulbright personal statement example. Find a friend who has a strong command of the written word and can completely address the people alongside the content. Finally, submit your personal statement in the chosen electronic form (docx or pdf).
Tips: What TO do when writing a personal statement
- Start your personal statement for college scholarship with a captivating sentence so as to arrest the attention of the admission officers.
- Relate outside interests and passion of your course.
- Ensure you write what comes naturally.
- Have a close family relative or friend to proof read it.
- Be specific and express everything in short paragraphs.
Tips: What NOT TO do when writing a personal statement
- Don't attempt to sound too savvy.
- Don't procrastinate. Prepare the statement purpose for scholarship ahead of the deadline.
- Don't duplicate information from your resume.
- Don't spend too long on the introduction.
- Don't be dishonest. Yet, don't involve too much negative information.
Consider : How To Write A Good Scholarship Acceptance Letter (5 PDF Sample Examples)
Personal Statement Formatting
Now, here in Scholarship Tab, we say that the personal statement format for scholarship is as important as the content. So here is how to do a thorough formatting of your statement of purpose for scholarship sample.
Your personal statement must:
- be between 500 - 700 words.
- have short sentences of not more than 25 - 30 words.
- be between 1 - 2 pages.
- have a maximum of 47 lines.
- use headings (optional) to break up the content, eg "How did I develop my passion", "Why I wish to study in this college"...
- use Arial or Times New Roman font and size 12 - 14 px.
- be left - aligned and have 1.5 px line spacing.
Sample Personal Statement for Scholarship Application
Did you think we would leave you without a sample? Not a chance. Here is a personal statement sample for scholarship
of Melissa, a student applying for Masters in Creative Writing. Read and learn:
“Can you compose a story for me? I am a keynote speaker at a conference. I want to start with a story and arrest the attention of my audience. Can you handle that for me?” That was a favor asked by my endearing lecturer in my university days. I could tell that he reposed confidence in my writing skills. So, for the umpeenth time, I agreed to assist him in storytelling. Let me explain how I became the capital helping hand of many keynote speakers.
I always remembered myself with a pen and a piece of paper. I wouldn't tag myself as an enchanting speaker. But I was surprisingly celebrated for my essays in school. My maths teacher would always frown each time I murdered the solution of a mathematical equation or geometry on the board. However, you could see the English teacher's face light up whenever she praised my writing performance to my parents. Miss Katherine, my English teacher, soon became my muse for acquiring a bachelor's degree in English Literature in my early 20s.
In high school, my writing prowess was noticeable even amongst my peers. Soon, I was dragged to theatre stage plays. Was I asked to perform? Not exactly! I was asked to write theatre scripts. In time, the refreshing and full - of - life dialogues stole the hearts of the returning audience and we would always win.
In my university days, I worked as a copywriting intern in an advertising agency. One of our clients was a Non - Governmental Organization (NGO) aimed at combating the effects of gender inequality. I was particularly touched by their projects. So I gave my very best in composing a thought - provoking content for their publicity. I was soon informed that the NGO gained immense popularity in a short period of time. I was elated. One day, the founder of the NGO called me while I was on a break. I still remember her words:
“I just want to thank you for the article you wrote for us. Thank you, Melissa for sharing your talent. You have helped thousands of women gain confidence in what we do and feel protected. You should be proud of yourself!”
That one - minute call revealed my life time purpose - to put the bemoaning thoughts, unmet requests, unrealized dreams and unattended needs of unprotected women in writing. This propelled to establish my magazine called WWW - Writing for Wonderful Women.
That's why I want to study Creative Writing. I want to develop my niche in the publishing world. I know that with the lecturers of this program, I will sharpen my research and writing abilities. With your help, I could facilitate my dream - my dream of airing the views of less privileged women with a pen and a paper.
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Statement of Purpose for Scholarship Sample pdf
Did you like the above sample personal statement for masters scholarship? Do you want to remain inspired and get the best out of it before you write your own? Here is personal statement for scholarship pdf. Download it, digest it and compose your own masterpiece! Download statement of purpose for scholarship sample pdf
Sample Letter Examples Personal Statement for Scholarship
We understand that there are specific scholarships whose personal statement need to be tailored. We want to share them with you as we desire nothing more but for you to excel. Here are some leading examples:
Sample Fulbright Personal Statement
Fulbright is a popular US cultural program that aims at improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy and intercultural competence between the people in the USA and other countries.
Here is a sample example of the personal statement to get the fulbright scholarship.
PTDF Scholarship Personal Statement Sample
The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) aims at qualifying graduates and professionals in the field of engineering, geology, science and management in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria. Do you want to become a PTDF beneficiary?
Write, edit and download your ptdf scholarship personal statement sample here.
KGSP Statement of Purpose
The Korean Government Scholarship Program statement of purpose kgsp is designed to equip international students with opportunities to study at higher educational institutions in Korea for academic degrees. So you would need to compose a thought – provoking personal statement for kgsp
Check out this link and see how a well accepted kgsp statement of purpose looks like.
CFA Scholarship Personal Statement Sample
The CFA Institute Scholarships are intended to promote the highest standards of ethics, education and professional excellence. There are various types of scholarship such as access scholarship, women's scholarship or regulator scholarship.
If you are eligible for any of the above, download the tailored CFA Scholarship personal statement for scholarship examples.
Nus Merit Scholarship Personal Statement
What about the nus merit scholarship personal statement? The program is a highly coveted scholarship that targets high calibre of individuals that showcase academic excellence and outstanding leadership qualities.
If you have presented and excellent record of leadership, check out the sample nus merit scholarship personal statement
Sample Scholarship Personal Statement for Masters
Are you interested in getting a masters degree? Were you asked to provide a thrilling personal statement?
Check out this smashing sample scholarship application letter for masters degree pdf
Conclusion
So, as you can see, with the proper guide and excellent personal statement samples, your personal statement will help the admission officers to know more about you as a student, your goals and how the scholarship will help you continue your education. So write memorable personal statement essay examples for scholarships that stand out among the hundreds of other submissions.