Applying for a Scholarship

Has anyone got any experience of applying for a postgraduate scholarship, I'm wanting to apply but have no idea what I could write about which isn't generic. My talking points are...

What would the award of a postgraduate scholarship mean to you?

What are your expectations for your learning from your MA/MSc course?

What are your career ambitions and how will a postgraduate qualification assist you in achieving them?

I haven't had experience applying for postgraduate scholarships but I have successfully applied for a postgraduate bursary and a couple of travel grant awards, all of which ask similar questions.

My main piece of advice would be to be specific - relate everything you say back to your project and your needs or goals, as opposed to offering generic platitudes. So if the scholarship will be the difference between you being able to complete a postgraduate course or not, make sure you say so and explain exactly why that is. This can feel a bit awkward to start with but it's important to be clear about why you are applying to the scholarship and what you hope to get out of doing so - as well as what you would lose by not receiving the scholarship.

It might help to break down the questions a little also. So instead of 'What would the award of a postgraduate scholarship mean to you?' think 'What do you hope to do with the knowledge and experience you gain on your postgraduate course? How will completing a postgraduate course help you achieve your wider goals? What extra opportunities might receiving the scholarship afford you that you could not otherwise pursue? What would you be prevented from doing if you didn't get the scholarship?

Without knowing your individual circumstances, it's hard to be more specific than that. My other piece of advice would be to ask a trusted tutor or peer to review your application before you submit - there's definitely an art to grant/bursary/scholarship applications and it can take a few drafts to get it right, especially if there is a word limit.

Best of luck with the application!

Amy

Thank you for your advice! There is a 750 word limit (250 for each question) but currently struggling to hit it without sounding to cliche.