How to write a winning personal statement for a Master's/PhD scholarship:
Many scholarship programs ask you to submit a personal statement.
It's often the first document in your application package the evaluators read.
This means you have a lot riding on your personal statement.
It's often the first document in your application package the evaluators read.
This means you have a lot riding on your personal statement.
But before you start drafting your personal statement, you must know what it is and what it is not.
A personal statement/personal essay is different from a statement of purpose or research statement, which is a topic for another thread.
A personal statement/personal essay is different from a statement of purpose or research statement, which is a topic for another thread.
A personal statement is a story about how your past experiences (personal and educational) have shaped your worldview and made you the person you are today.
And based on these experiences, how you envision your future 5 to 10 years down the line.
And based on these experiences, how you envision your future 5 to 10 years down the line.
A personal statement asks for:
Your own unique vision
for your own self.
Not for your family, not for your friends, and not for your country.
Your own unique vision
for your own self.
Not for your family, not for your friends, and not for your country.
Put differently, a personal statement asks you to answer the following question:
What do you *want* to do with your life?
What do you *want* to do with your life?
One way to understand it is to think about:
what you *want* to do in life
and NOT what you *need* to do
You may *need* a 9-to-5, minimum-wage job to put food on the table, but is it something you *want* to do?
What is it that you want to do?
what you *want* to do in life
and NOT what you *need* to do
You may *need* a 9-to-5, minimum-wage job to put food on the table, but is it something you *want* to do?
What is it that you want to do?
Figuring out a vision for yourself is one of the hardest things you will ever do in life.
It's because most of us are taught to go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, and die.
Not much of a vision, eh!
It's because most of us are taught to go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, and die.
Not much of a vision, eh!
You must have a vision for your self.
There is only one person in the world that can tell you what your vision is or should be.
And that's YOU!
Your parents, friends, colleagues, professors β no one can help you create a vision for yourself.
There is only one person in the world that can tell you what your vision is or should be.
And that's YOU!
Your parents, friends, colleagues, professors β no one can help you create a vision for yourself.
But vision is a bit tricky.
You don't want to say in your personal statement that your vision is to bring peace to the Middle East, or end world hunger, or cure AIDS.
Though admirable, saying things like these will make you look cocky and over-ambitious.
You don't want to say in your personal statement that your vision is to bring peace to the Middle East, or end world hunger, or cure AIDS.
Though admirable, saying things like these will make you look cocky and over-ambitious.
You also don't want to say your vision is to do a Master's/PhD and then get a "good" job with a generous salary.
That would make you look naΓ―ve.
You want to appear ambitious but grounded, confident but humble.
That would make you look naΓ―ve.
You want to appear ambitious but grounded, confident but humble.
Once you've figured your vision, the next step is to formulate a plan to execute it.
You must have a plan no matter how tentative or provisional.
You must have a plan no matter how tentative or provisional.
Let me give you an example:
While growing up in a low-income household, a young woman named Nadia saw her mother get old and lonely.
As a college student, her vision is to do something to decrease her mother's loneliness.
It's a simple vision, but it's Nadia's.
While growing up in a low-income household, a young woman named Nadia saw her mother get old and lonely.
As a college student, her vision is to do something to decrease her mother's loneliness.
It's a simple vision, but it's Nadia's.
She decides to give tuitions, saves up, and buys her mother a smartphone.
She teaches her mother how to watch videos and play games on the phone.
As a result, her mother's loneliness decreases and she starts feeling happier.
She teaches her mother how to watch videos and play games on the phone.
As a result, her mother's loneliness decreases and she starts feeling happier.
While waiting for a bus one day, an idea comes to Nadia's mind.
What if there were an app that connected lonely, old people and brought them together in real life for a conversation?
Nadia reads up on mobile apps and starts learning how to make one.
What if there were an app that connected lonely, old people and brought them together in real life for a conversation?
Nadia reads up on mobile apps and starts learning how to make one.
She teams up with some friends and makes a low-budget prototype.
The prototype fails.
But Nadia keeps working on it.
She realizes if she had better training and equipment, she'd be able to make a much better product.
The prototype fails.
But Nadia keeps working on it.
She realizes if she had better training and equipment, she'd be able to make a much better product.
She looks up universities with programs that provide this kind of training.
She realizes that one particular university (say, Stanford) has a Master's program that could help her.
She looks it up and realizes she can't afford to attend Stanford.
She realizes that one particular university (say, Stanford) has a Master's program that could help her.
She looks it up and realizes she can't afford to attend Stanford.
Nadia, ever the resourceful woman, looks up scholarship programs that could fund her study at Stanford.
She realizes Fulbright is one such program.
She realizes Fulbright is one such program.
She decides to apply for a Fulbright scholarship.
In her personal statement she writes about:
β’ Her vision
β’ Her plan and failed attempts
β’ Her inability to attend Stanford
In her personal statement she writes about:
β’ Her vision
β’ Her plan and failed attempts
β’ Her inability to attend Stanford
Fulbright people read her application and award her a fully-funded scholarship to attend Stanford.
So, two things you need to write a winning personal statement are:
β’ a vision for yourself
β’ a plan to execute that vision
And that's about it.
β’ a vision for yourself
β’ a plan to execute that vision
And that's about it.
Found this thread useful?
1. Scroll to the top and retweet the first tweet to share it with your friends who are planning to apply for scholarships this year.
2. Follow me @MushtaqBilalPhD for more threads on how to win scholarships.
1. Scroll to the top and retweet the first tweet to share it with your friends who are planning to apply for scholarships this year.
2. Follow me @MushtaqBilalPhD for more threads on how to win scholarships.
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