How to write a personal statement for a scholarship application.

A personal statement is a short essay that reflects your best qualities, usually in the context of school or job applications.

Something you should know when applying to schools, scholarships, or companies for a job is that the institution wants to know what kind of person their candidate is. Personal statements have this purpose: not only what they say about themselves, but also of how they say it. 

Let’s see together the steps to write an effective personal statement:

Step 1: Introduction

Write an introduction about you and your personality. You should write why you are interested in the degree programs you’re applying for and, if appropriate, your recent experience with the course topics. A strong personal statement starts with sentences that show who you are and can help encourage the recipient to read further. 

For a university application, discuss what parts of the program or school align with your passions. Your university introduction should be a full paragraph.

Step 2: Body

The body of your personal statement is all about your relevant skills, interests and experiences. Write about personal details that relate to the course. You could write about: your achievements, relevant skills or academic goals. Usually who is applying for an advanced degree should write two paragraphs when discussing the professional experience and skills they have in their chosen field.

Step 3: Conclusion

Create a conclusion that leaves a strong, lasting impression on the prospective university admissions officer. It should be a clear restatement of why you applied and what you hope to achieve with the experience. It should also push the reader to take action on you as a candidate. In the conclusion you can do a summary the whole statement and link back to the most important previous points.

Step 4: Review

Once you have written your personal statement, take the time to proofread and edit it. Read your personal statement aloud to hear how your writing sounds and check any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Now you’re ready to apply for your scholarship! Following these simple steps will give you a solid base to start but remember they’re not enough to get you in: you should use all you have to impress the universities’ recruiters and stand out from all the other candidates.

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