Merit-Based Scholarship Personal Statement for Social Work BSW
- Robert Edinger
- Jan 3
- 3 min read
The prospect of attending the ____ School of Social Work is incredibly exciting for me, my family, and the professionals who have given support in all my educational and volunteer endeavors. However, the realities of financial ability are all-too real for my family and me.
Upon being accepted to ____ University, I discussed financial aid with my parents, and we concluded that I would need significant aid due to my mother and father’s immediate obligations to my siblings who are also in the university. When contacting ____ regarding financial aid, we were shocked to discover an oversight, namely, my not having checked a box on my application materials to be considered for merit-based scholarships. One of the committee members then encouraged me to provide the following narrative for your consideration.
From the time I was incredibly young, I have understood the importance of giving all to my education, and this is evident in my scholastic performance. Growing up with a brother who suffered from ADHD, I was sympathetic to his struggles with education, and this laid a foundation for my passion for social work and helping others. The practical experiences that I have actively sought out have served to complement my developing understanding of social work theory. For instance, I saw a need in my community, an elementary school struggling to build a relevant collection of books for its media center. I turned this need into a creative endeavor, free carwashes for the public in exchange for a donation of books. Building on the success of this effort, I turned to women and children in need, particularly those fleeing abusive homes, not unlike the flight of people in my own Jewish heritage, escaping deadly oppression. To their memory, and the people in my community, I will not let my heritage, the sacrifices made, to have been in vain. To forget would be a greater tragedy. Social work is more than a natural or logical progression for my education and career; it is everything I am and do.
I have been involved as a research assistant for the Associate Chair of Pediatrics, Dr. Armstrong, at university of ____ School of Medicine, on a research project and pediatric neuropsychology clinic activities. More importantly and further convincing me I am on exactly the right path; a social worker observed me working at the hospital where I was serving as a research assistant. She remarked on how well I worked with an 8-year-old autistic boy receiving cancer treatment. Upon hearing of my graduate education plans, she was thrilled, saying that I had that rare quality, the innate heart, soul and spirit, and kind nature to gently reach people who are isolated emotionally and comfort them.
My ability to reach out to people reflects my multicultural competency, as someone coming from a rich heritage with my father from Israel, my grandmother from Morocco, and a grandfather from Egypt. Interning in London, Paris, Prague, and Barcelona, and sleeping over with a Bedouin family in the mountains of Israel have given me an increasing appreciation of who I am and where I have come from. My ability to communicate effectively with people of myriad cultures and creeds will help me to excel in social work for a professional lifetime to come.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my application for a merit-based scholarship.
Merit-Based Scholarship Personal Statement for Social Work BSW
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