Your Motivations, Motives and Self-esteem
There are important questions you should consider with all sincerity as you prepare for scholarship applications. Your motivation, motives and self-esteem are some of the critical factors that influence the strength of your application.
So, ask you yourself these questions:
·What are my motivations?
·What motives do I have for applying to that scholarship?
·How confidence am I in my ability to succeed?
Your Motivations
Your motivations are the reasons for approaching situations in a particular way. It keeps you focused on the goal amidst challenges. It is associated with your past experiences that influence your decisions and actions. Everyone has their own source(s) of motivation. To some it might be their past successes or breakthroughs. To others it might be the kind of background they come from and their desire to change the narrative by being a positive catalyst. Note that in this context, your motivation is different from motive. I will elaborate on the latter later on.
A short story to illustrate this point…
I grow up in an environment where much value was not accorded to education, not even by my parents (was not their fault anyway, they did not know better). Growing up my father has always wanted me to learn his trade and in the long run, take over from him. My senior brother went to learn a trade immediately after his secondary school and I was supposed to thread similar path. I was so much interested in education even though I did not know much about the importance then. I was told that it will be difficult to pass WAEC (West African Examination Council) given my then secondary school history of poor WAEC results but I did. My success in the exams coupled with the advice from my tutors compelled my father to support my ambition for higher education.
Post-secondary school, I was told that JAMB (Joint Admission and Matriculation Board) exam will be another difficult hurdle to cross but I crossed in style. Some told me that gaining admission to my chosen course in a federal university will be difficult but that was not my case. While in the university, some advised me not to accept the proposal to become my ‘Class Representative’ as the responsibilities that comes with it will have negative impact on my academic performance but I did anyway and still graduated as the best student in my class.
These experiences (challenges, breakthroughs and successes) and many more have always been a great source of motivation for me. Note that motivation can be in various forms, even from the little things that we easily overlook or trivialise. A friend of mine reminded recently duringa long conversion of how I started a tutorial class tagged ‘Busy Brain’ back in secondary school; where I brought together students of like minds to teach and prepare ourselves for WAEC after normal school hours. She told me that the class was really helpful to her. I was so proud of myself that I could initiate such an idea at that time. Therefore, your motivation might also come from people you have assisted in the past to attain success and your desire to gain knowledge to reach more people. So, find those things that motivates you and leverage them in your application essays where necessary.
Yes other peoples’ (mentors, role models, parents, senior colleagues etc.) successes, achievements or breakthroughs can inspire you to aspire but when it comes to doing the real work required in scholarship application, self-motivating experiences or desires are very important for sustainability in the process.
Your Motives
Your motives are the intents behind your actions and wrong motive can ruin your chances of winning a scholarship.Having a good motive that aligns with the objective of a scholarship is very important. Most full scholarship, like commonwealth are usually aimed at training leaders that will contribute to the development of their country in return. But when you see a scholarship as an ‘escape route’, you elude yourself of the opportunity to think critically and come up with realistic essays (developmental plans, Statement of Purpose or Personal Statement, Career plans etc. as the case may be) in support of your application; simply because you have no intention of implementing them.
The reviewers of scholarship applications are well experienced and can spot when your essays are written with the wrong motive (not passionate and realistic). So, when you are preparing to apply for a scholarship (especially one that requires you returning home at completion), see it first as an opportunity to gain critical skills and knowledge to be a development catalyst and structure your application with such mindset.
I have come across couple of prospective scholarship applicants, who usually ask questions like:
·If I win the scholarship, will I be allowed to stay back and work for some years after the program?
·Is a must I return to my country after the program?
·Will I be allowed to stay back after the program if I get a job?
·Can I move to another country immediately after my program?
Well, I think your primary focus should be on winning the scholarship with the right motives. If a scholarship expects you to return to your home country afterwards, it will be more beneficial to focus your mind on creating implementable ideas or plans in line with the expected knowledge and skills to contribute to your country development. Then after winning the scholarship, you can possibly think otherwise.
Your Self-esteem
How confident are you in your abilities to be successful?
A good self-esteem is essential in scholarship application. You must be confidence in your ability to succeed. You have to believe that you are good enough, you possess the desired qualities and you are born to win. If people are telling you that you are not good enough, ensure that you are not also saying that to yourself too. You are your biggest fan and never lose confidence in your ability to success no matter the challenges. A low self-esteem (lack of confidence in one’s abilities) will make you present a shallow application. The fact is that your application (essays) reflects you and your personal convictions. To develop a better self-esteem, you also need to surround yourself with people of positive mindset.
There will always be applicants that might be better qualified or experienced than you. So do not allow the illusion that ‘you are good enough’ to affect your self-confidence and subsequently the strength of your application.
After I won the commonwealth shared scholarship, I realised that there were applicants who were far more qualified than I do and should have stand a better chance. I know that there is a place of God’s grace and favour, but you must first do your work well with confidence. I will elaborate on the place of work and grace subsequently.
