7 Proven Steps on How to Write a Good Personal Statement for Scholarship Applications (And Win)
Let’s be honest for a second. The dream of “Japa” (leaving the country for better opportunities) is alive and well for millions of Nigerian students.
You have calculated the exchange rate. You have looked at the school fees for that Masters in the UK or Canada, and your calculator almost exploded. The only way forward for most of us is a scholarship.
But here is the problem: Thousands of students from Lagos to Maiduguri have First Class degrees. They have 5.0 CGPAs. So, what makes you different?
It’s not your grades. It’s your story.
Your personal statement is the only place where you stop being a statistic and start being a human being. It is your chance to tell the scholarship committee, “I am worth investing in.” Yet, so many brilliant students mess this up by writing generic, boring essays that sound like they were copied from a cybercafé template.
Here is how to write a good personal statement for scholarship applications that actually gets you noticed.

1. The Hook (Stop Starting with “My Name Is”)
Imagine a scholarship reviewer. He is tired. He has read 500 essays today. Then he picks up yours.
If your first sentence is “I am writing to apply for the MSc in Public Health,” he is already bored. He knows why you are writing; that’s why he is holding your paper.
You need a hook. Start with a moment that changed your life.
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Boring: “I have always been interested in computer science.”
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Killer: “I wrote my first line of code by candlelight during a three-day power outage in Sango Ota. As the screen lit up, I knew I had found my escape.”
See the difference? The second one grabs him by the neck. It shows passion without screaming “I am passionate.”
2. Show, Don’t Just Tell
This is the golden rule of writing.
Don’t tell me you are hardworking. Show me how you combined selling pure water with studying for WAEC and still made 7 distinctions. Don’t tell me you are a leader. Describe the time you organized a tutorial group for your classmates during the last ASUU strike because lecturers were absent.
Scholarship bodies like the Chevening Scholarship explicitly look for evidence of leadership, not just claims. Give them receipts.
3. Turn “Nigerian Problems” into Superpowers
We all know the struggle. The endless strikes, the “sorting” culture, the frustration of checking your result on the portal only to see “network error.”
But in a personal statement, these aren’t complaints. They are proof of resilience.
International universities love students who survive against the odds. Did you struggle to get materials for your final year project because the library at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) was under renovation? Explain how you traveled to another state just to get data.
It turns a negative situation into a story of grit. It says, “If I can succeed in Nigeria, I can succeed anywhere.”
4. Connect the Dots (Why This Course? Why Now?)
You must draw a straight line between your past, your present, and this scholarship.
A common mistake is applying for a scholarship just because it pays well. The reviewers can smell that desperation. You need to explain why this specific course is the missing link in your career.
If you studied Agriculture at the University of Ibadan (UI) and now you want to study Data Science, don’t just say you want to switch careers. Explain that you want to use Data Science to predict rainfall patterns for Nigerian farmers. Make it make sense.
5. The “Give Back” Strategy (Don’t Just Japa)
Let’s keep it real. Most scholarship boards (especially government ones like PTDF or Commonwealth) are not funding you so you can run away and never come back.
They want to know how your education will benefit your home country.
Even if your secret plan is to stay abroad, your essay must show a clear vision for Nigeria’s development. Will your degree help solve the malaria crisis? Will it help fix the power grid? Be specific. Vague promises like “I will help the youth” won’t cut it.
6. The Brutal Edit (Killing the Big Grammar)
“I hereby wish to elucidate my propensities for academic excellence…”
Please, stop.
You are not writing a letter to a colonial master. You are writing to a modern human being. Using “big grammar” doesn’t make you look smart; it makes you look like you are hiding something.
Use simple, direct English.
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Instead of “elucidate,” use “explain.”
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Instead of “utilize,” use “use.”
Keep your sentences short. If you find yourself writing a sentence that lasts three lines, cut it in half. Clarity is king. Resources like the British Council often emphasize that clarity and communication skills are top criteria for their opportunities.
7. The “Auntie/Uncle” Review Test
By the time you finish writing, you will be blind to your own mistakes.
Give your essay to someone else. But not just anyone. Don’t give it to that friend who will just say, “Omo, you try o.”
Give it to a mentor, a lecturer, or a senior colleague who has won a scholarship before. Ask them to be brutal. Ask them, “Does this sound like me? Is it boring?”
Final Thoughts: Your Story is Valid
It is easy to feel intimidated when applying for global opportunities. You might think your life in Nigeria isn’t “fancy” enough compared to students from Europe or America.
That is a lie. Your unique perspective is your biggest asset.
The resilience it takes to navigate a Nigerian university is something students in the West can’t even imagine. Package that strength. Polish that story. Submit that application.
The worst they can say is no. But if you don’t apply, the answer is already no.