How to write a scholarship personal statement

Your personal statement is your chance to stand out and show us what makes you unique. To help you write a strong and authentic statement, we’ve put together some tips on how to plan and write your responses effectively.

Planning your scholarship personal statement

Before you begin writing your personal statement, you should:

Carefully read the required information for the scholarship and check you’re eligible before applying
Research the course you’re applying for so you can explain why you want to study it
Check the word count limit on the application form as these can vary. Scholarship personal statements usually consist of three to four questions depending on the scholarship you’re applying for so plan carefully to make sure you include all necessary information in your response
Check the opening and closing dates of scholarship applications as scholarships open at different times and for different periods, with strict deadlines.

When you have finished planning your scholarship personal statement, use our undergraduate application system or postgraduate application system to find the scholarship you'd like to apply for.

Looking for inspiration for your personal statement? Take a look at this example of why this student chose to study at Sussex.

Why have you chosen to study your specific course at Sussex?

I have chosen the MA in Environment, Development and Policy at Sussex because I am passionate about sustainability and environmentalism in the Global South, where I am from. In my country, I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of climate change and the ineffective, or even damaging, government and institutional responses to this global issue.

I am interested in the optional modules, such as ‘Doing Gender in Theory and Practice’ and ‘Critical Debates in Environment and Development’, as these will offer me the opportunity to explore the intersection between the natural world and sociocultural phenomena and the interrelation between climate crisis work and social justice initiatives.

The University of Sussex, which is home to the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme, is the ideal place to begin my Masters, and I am excited to develop my critical and analytical skills in order to return to my home country better equipped to tackle some of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.

What to include in your personal statement

Your scholarship personal statement should explain why you want to study your chosen course and the skills, experience and qualifications you have to become a successful student.

It’s your chance to show us your enthusiasm and motivation for studying with us.

Here are some of the questions we might ask as part of the scholarship personal statement process:

Describe your academic achievements
Explain how the scholarship will help you achieve your career aspirations. Your answer should give us a clear understanding of how the scholarship will support your studies and help you achieve your goals
Why have you chosen to study (course name) at Sussex?

Why should you receive this scholarship?
What impact would the scholarship have on your experience of studying at Sussex?
What are your personal strengths and how will you develop personally at Sussex?
What contribution will you make to Sussex’s community?
Describe any work or extra-curricular activity you have undertaken which relates to your chosen degree.

Showcasing your skills and experience

Take a look at this example from a student describing their extra-curricular work and how this relates to their chosen degree.

Describe any work or extra-curricular activity you have undertaken which relates to your chosen degree

After finishing my A-Levels, I undertook a summer internship at a local theatre who specialise in producing plays with young people who are struggling at school. During this internship, I gained experience in facilitating theatre productions, set design and in scriptwriting. It was a very rewarding experience to help young people reach the goals they had set for themselves at the start of the experience and to have helped them build their confidence, make friends with their peers, and produce a play which they developed around their interests and life experiences.

After finishing the internship, I am hoping to take this experience with me into my degree course and I am now particularly excited to take modules such as ‘Theatre for Changing Times’, which will allow me to explore some of the themes, like social exclusion, which I saw impact the young people who I worked with over the summer.

Checking your personal statement

After writing your scholarship personal statement, take a break before reviewing it so you see it with fresh eyes. Here’s some tips on how to review your personal statement:

answer the questions in full, making the most of the word count
check that you’ve focused on the question, keeping your answers clear and concise
check your work for spelling errors. Get a friend or family member to proofread your personal statement
try reading your personal statement aloud as this will help you identify repetitive language or sentences which lack clarity
look out for any cliches or overused statements and replace them with your personal experiences.

Making a difference: Why should you receive a Sussex scholarship?

See what this student said about their plans for the future in their application.

What are your ambitions and plans for the future?

In the future, I plan to work in a pharmaceutical or biotech company, helping to translate research into real-world therapies. I am especially interested in exploring drug resistance and how to overcome it in areas such as infectious disease.

In the long term, I aim to be involved in the design and testing of new drug candidates, working with multidisciplinary teams to bring new therapies to market. I also see myself contributing to research that improves the efficiency of the drug discovery process, especially through the use of computational tools to predict how compounds will interact with biological targets.

Ultimately, I want to play a role in the development of drugs that not only treat diseases but also improve the quality of life for patients. The MSc in Drug Discovery, Design and Synthesis will give me the hands-on experience in drug synthesis, computational drug design, and structure-based drug design that I need to achieve these goals while also equipping me with the theoretical knowledge I need to support my work.