Picture an applicant who lost a parent in secondary school, sold provisions at a roadside stall to pay for a diploma, and graduated with a second-class lower. Her draft essay opens with "I come from a poor family and life has been very difficult." Every line is true. It still reads like a hundred other essays, and it tells the committee almost nothing about her.
This guide shows you how to write about a hard background so the reader sees a capable person, not just a sad situation. It applies to personal statements, motivation letters and the "tell us about yourself" boxes on most scholarship forms.
What the committee is actually reading for
Funders usually want to answer a few questions: Will this person finish the programme? Will they do something useful with the degree? Do they need the support? Your hardship speaks to the third question only. The first two are answered by what you did in response to the hardship.
So treat the difficult background as context, not as the argument. The argument is your judgement, effort and direction. Check each scholarship's own instructions, because some ask directly about financial need and others do not ask at all.
Step 1: List events, then pull out actions
Take a sheet of paper and make two columns. In the left column, write what happened to you: a family bereavement, a gap year caused by school fees, years of strikes, a business that collapsed, moving cities. In the right column, write what you decided or did next.
- Left: "Father died in my final year of secondary school." Right: "Took over tutoring neighbours' children to cover my WAEC fees."
- Left: "ASUU strike stretched my degree." Right: "Used the time to learn data analysis online and built a small project for a local clinic."
- Left: "Could not afford a laptop." Right: "Used a cybercafé and phone to complete a free course, and kept a record of certificates."
The right column is your material. If it is nearly empty for an event, leave that event out of the essay.
Step 2: Choose one thread, not your whole life
A 500 to 1,000 word essay cannot carry a full biography. Pick one thread that connects a hard experience, something you did, and the course you want to study. For example: seeing how poor record-keeping hurt your mother's trading business, then studying accounting, then helping small traders, then wanting a master's in development finance.
When the thread is clear, you can mention other hardships in a single sentence or skip them. You are not hiding anything. You are editing.
Step 3: Structure that works
A simple structure for most statements:
- Opening scene (one short paragraph). Start with a specific moment, such as sitting outside the bursar's office with an unpaid fee slip. Use concrete detail, not a general statement about poverty.
- What you did (one to two paragraphs). Describe actions and results. Numbers help when they are real: how many students you tutored, how long you did it, what you earned or produced.
- What you learned and how it shaped your field (one paragraph). Link the experience to the course, not just to your feelings.
- Why this scholarship and what you will do with it (one to two paragraphs). Be specific about the programme and your plan afterwards.
- Short close. One or two sentences pointing forward.
If you are also preparing for an interview, the same material feeds your answer to the funding question. See How to Answer "Why Should We Fund You?" in a Scholarship Interview.
Weak versus strong framing
| Weak version | Stronger version | Why it works better |
|---|---|---|
| "My family is poor and I suffered a lot." | "After my father's death, I tutored six children each evening to pay my WAEC fees." | Shows action and responsibility |
| "I have no one to help me." | "I paid for my final-year project myself and asked my supervisor for weekly feedback." | Shows initiative without begging |
| "This scholarship is my only hope." | "This scholarship would let me study full time and return to build the clinic data system I started." | Gives the funder a result to invest in |
| "I was forced to take any job." | "Working in a pharmacy taught me how stock errors affect patients, which led me to supply-chain study." | Links the experience to the course |
A worked example (hypothetical)
Take a made-up applicant, Ngozi, applying for a master's in public health. Her first draft has five paragraphs about her family's money problems and one line about her goals.
She rewrites it. The opening is the afternoon she carried her sick younger brother to a clinic and waited four hours because records were lost. Next paragraph: she volunteered at a community health centre for two years during her degree and helped move patient cards into a simple register. Then: she wants to study health information systems. The money problems shrink to one sentence explaining why she could not afford a postgraduate programme without funding.
The hardship is still visible, but now it explains her direction. That is the shift to aim for.
How much detail is too much
- Trauma and graphic detail: You do not owe anyone every detail. State the fact plainly, then move to what you did. If writing it is painful, a short factual line is enough.
- Health or family conditions: Share only what is relevant. Be careful about private information of other people, such as relatives' illnesses.
- Blame: Avoid blaming schools, the government or relatives. Describe conditions without turning the essay into a complaint.
- Gaps in your record: If a low grade or a gap year came from hardship, one honest sentence of explanation is fine. Then show later evidence of improvement.
Common mistakes
- Exaggerating or inventing. Committees can ask for documents, referees or interview detail. A made-up tragedy can end your application, and it can follow you. Write only what is true.
- Copying sample essays. Many scholarship essays circulate online, and reviewers recognise familiar lines. Use your own details.
- Ending on the problem. Finish with what you plan to do, not what you lack.
- Ignoring the question. If the prompt asks about leadership or your career plan, do not answer with a life history.
- Making the essay about gratitude only. Thanking people is fine. A funder still wants evidence of ability.
- Not letting anyone read it. Ask a teacher, lecturer or a friend who does not know your story to tell you what they remember afterwards. If they remember the suffering but not your goals, rebalance.
Support the story with evidence and referees
The essay should match the rest of your file. If you write that you tutored children for two years, a referee can confirm it. If you say you built a small project, link to it or describe it in your CV. When a referee can describe the same strengths your essay shows, the story becomes believable. If you need help with that, read How to Ask a Busy Boss for a Strong Recommendation Letter.
Some scholarships also ask for proof of financial need or other documents. Follow the official instructions of each one and do not submit anything you cannot document honestly. For places to look for programmes that fit your situation, see Fully Funded Master's Options for Africans: Where to Look.
Edit checklist before you submit
- Does the first paragraph contain a specific scene or fact, not a general statement?
- Can you point to at least two actions you took, with results?
- Does the essay name the course and say why you chose it?
- Is the word count within the limit stated by the funder?
- Is every claim true and supportable?
- Have you removed blame, begging language and clichés such as "since I was a child"?
- Did someone else proofread it for grammar and clarity?
Frequently asked questions
Should I mention my financial situation at all?
Yes, if the scholarship considers need or if it explains a gap or a choice. Keep it to a few factual sentences and show what you did about it.
Will writing about hardship give me an advantage?
Not by itself. Funders differ in what they weigh, so check the selection criteria on the official page. A strong plan and track record matter in nearly every case.
What if my life has been fairly comfortable?
You do not need hardship. Write about a problem you noticed, what you did about it and why you want the course. Do not borrow a harder story than your own.
Can I reuse the same essay for several scholarships?
You can reuse the core story, but rewrite the opening, the "why this programme" section and the ending for each one. Generic copies are easy to spot.
Your next step
Tonight, fill in the two-column list from Step 1 and circle the one event with the strongest action beside it. Write a 150-word opening scene from that single moment, then build the rest around it.
Scholarship details, deadlines and eligibility can change. Always confirm on the official website before applying, and never pay anyone who promises to "guarantee" a scholarship.