Leveraging the area(s) of your strength in scholarship application

You do not have to tick all boxes perfectly to win a scholarship, its more about leveraging on what is available.

Your strength is the area(s) of your ability where you have demonstrated and achieved the most outstanding results. It can also be an area(s) where you have expressed maximal potential for success. To leverage means to take maximum advantage of something. Hence in scholarship perspective, leveraging the area of your strength implies taking maximum advantage of the qualities and qualifications at your disposal. Simply put, it means to make the most of what is available to you at the time of application. Most people (not just scholarship applicants) are more concerned about what they do not have, neglecting to make the most of what is at their disposal. But you do not have to tick all the boxes perfectly to be successful in a scholarship. Its more about leveraging on what is available at the point of application.

There are multiple elements that make up a scholarship application. Each element is as quite important as the others and contribute cumulatively to the success of the application. Though some of the elements carry more weight than others when it comes to scaling and final decision. Every scholarship body have their rating or scaling system for applications and are kept confidential in most cases. But with an approximate guess, one can easily identify the elements that are likely to have more significant impact on the application. However, be aware that every element counts and should be leveraged adequately.

Some scholarship like the Commonwealth will usually request the following input from the applicants: academic background, motivation letter (including challenges you have to overcome to academic success), personal statement( in most cases, it is the same as motivation letter), development plan and implementation strategy, leadership and volunteering experience, work experience, publications, affiliation with professional bodies. Some of these requirements (like publications and belonging to professional bodies) are not a must have but can be an advantage if available. I could remember been asked during my commonwealth shared scholarship application to list a maximum of 20 publications (no minimum though). I tried publishing my undergraduate research before the deadline but to no avail, so I left it blank. I was worried that that single element could affect the outcome of my application, but it was successful at the end. Probably I was able to leverage other areas of my strength extensively, but God’s factor was key.

How do I identify and leverage my area of strength?

Every element that constitute a scholarship application is a potential area of strength. I have identified some of these areas based on my experience and will try to explain how you can leverage them.

Personal background

If you are from a background where the value of education is trivialised and you were able to breakthrough to academic success, that can be a great source of motivation for you and an area of strength to be leveraged in your essay. Therefore, when presenting your essay on motivation or personal statement you can leverage extensively on that by stating the challenges you faced and the opposition you have to overcome to success. You can also express your passion in ensuring that young adults from similar background are supported to attain higher education through community awareness and other possible means. In the first issue under motivation I expressed how I was able to attain higher education even though my parent did not see education then as that important.

In another instance, if you are from a less privileged background or you experienced financial limitation at any stage in your academic journey and were able to breakthrough to academic success notwithstanding, that can be leveraged too. On that note, you can passionately express how you were able to overcome such challenges without having significant impact on your academic performance.

 Here is an excerpt from my motivation essay on how personal background can be leveraged. “Growing up in a rural environment, I witnessed situations where the majority of the rural populace usually find it very difficult to afford the basic necessities of life like; food, clothing and shelter talk less of sending their kids to school. To me it was the grace of God and personal determination to excel against all odds that have brought me this far. To this effect, I have committed myself to ensuring that I acquire the needed knowledge and skills to contribute to the eradication of poverty in my community and the country at large through sensitization, education and empowerment.”

Academic grades

Apart from the good grades which your academic transcripts have detailed, you can also reflect on particular modules where you have achieved good grades and express how your fascination for them is the major compelling factor for deciding to specialise in that area. For instance, if you studied civil engineering and you are very good at structural analysis and design compare to other subjects, you can leverage on that. However, this might not be applicable in most cases especially when you are applying to a course that relate to modules you were not very good at. In either way, you can always figure out how you can leverage you grades with respect to your peculiar situation.

Voluntary leadership experience

Leadership skills are one of the significant qualities scholarships bodies like Commonwealth usually look out for in their applicants. These skills developed through experience, testify to your ability to produce valuable results by managing people and situations. On leveraging them, it is important to identify all stages in your academic journey (prior to the scholarship application) where you have had the opportunity to lead through service. I could remember covering in my scholarship applications all my leadership experience (identifying the impacts I made) from primary school to university and during my National Youth Service. Your leadership experiences also include those acquired through volunteering for a good cause either as a student or a community member. So, ensure you them leverage all if no limit is provided.

Work experience

Almost all scholarship applications have section where you will be required to provide the history of your work experience. Most applicants usually under leverage this section. If you are a fresh graduate, chances are that you have less work experience related to your career interest. But unlike job application where only relevant work experience is necessary, in scholarship application, you can list meaningful jobs you have done even if there are not directly related to your career path. For instance, if you engaged in menial jobs like salesperson during semesters break in support of your academic finances, it will worth mentioning them under you experience. That shows you were committed to your academic progress despite financial limitations.

Research experience

Most scholarship applicants (especially for masters) are fresh graduates with little or no research experience apart from their undergraduate project. However, others might have some experience working in a research-oriented organisation prior to applying for scholarship. In that case you can leverage the experience in your development plan by expressing:

·        how the research you have been working on relate to the course you intend to study,

·        limitations to the research (if any) and how the scholarship will give you the platform to further your interest in a global standard research environment, and

·        how the outcome of the research will contribute to the development of your home country, stating the implementation strategy you intend to adopt.

Awards and professional certifications

Awards are proofs of your academic, leadership and professional achievements while certifications show that you are actively involved in learning and developing your career in the chosen field. You can leverage on them in your application. Been a member of professional bodies is another area you can leverage to strengthen your application. You can provide the information in your CV if no section is specified for them on the application page.

On a final note…,

While it is important to leverage your areas of strength in scholarship application, you must ensure that the information you are providing are authentic and a true representation of your experience. Ensure that you are following the instruction and guidelines provided by the scholarship body in preparing your application. Dedicate good amount of time to writing unique application essays and avoid plagiarism. A falsified document or claim can dent your scholarship winning chances and perhaps you land the scholarship, you may stand been prosecuted in the future.