
Sara Clarke-Habibi
My Education
Cambridge
PHD | Education
Cambridge
MPhil | Education
University of Toronto
BA | Ethics, Society, and Law
Research
Cambridge
Doctoral Researcher

Sara Clarke-Habibi recently completed her PhD in Education at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar and doctoral fellow of the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She has worked as a lecturer, trainer, project manager and consultant for universities and civil society organizations in Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Germany, Israel-Palestine, Mexico, Switzerland and USA on education reform, development, peacebuilding and youth empowerment. Sara holds an MPhil in Education Research from Cambridge (UK), an MA in Conflict Resolution from LIU (Switzerland), and a BA in Ethics, Society and Law from the University of Toronto (Canada).
3 Tips for a Winning Personal Statement
Sara Clarke-Habibi, PhD - Gates Cambridge alumna
Admissions and scholarship panels at top universities see hundreds, if not thousands, of applications every year. The vast majority are from students with excellent academic track records. So how can you stand out in the pile? By have a great personal statement! Here are three tips for writing personal statements that have helped me, and can help you, to win multiple top scholarships!
Tip #1: Show how your life experiences and hobbies have helped inspire your academic and/or career choices
Applicants are often encouraged to highlight their extra-curricular activities as a way of showing their admissions and scholarship panels that they are well-rounded individuals. But simply mentioning your hobbies is not enough to capture the attention of your assessors. It’s really important to bring your life experiences and hobbies to the front and centre of your personal statement and, more especially, to show how you’ve learned from them as part of your career path! To illustrate, consider the following example:
- Bad: “As for hobbies, I like to travel internationally. I also sing in a local choir.”
- Good: “By travelling the world, not just as a tourist but as a volunteer, I have gained an enriched understanding of different cultures and of different perspectives on issues like education, economic survival and social well-being. This has inspired my interest in promoting the values and skills of social entrepreneurship. A big part of successful social entrepreneurship is knowing how to work effectively in teams. Here, my experience of singing in a really good choir comes in handy. It has taught me that creating a highly functioning and unified team depends not only on dedication and passion, but also on deep listening and disciplined self-expression.”
Tip #2:Cite key voices in your field of study to show you’re already thinking like a scholar
You can show your assessors you’re ready to hit the ground running by reading ahead in your field! Citing some leading thinkers in your personal statement shows you’re not only passionate about your field but serious about making an original contribution. Consider the following example:
- Bad: “I’m interested in studying how contact between people of different racial and religious backgrounds can help break down prejudices and intolerance.”
- Good: “Allport’s (1954) ‘contact theory’ has inspired 60 years of interventions aimed at breaking down prejudice between racial and religious groups. But more recent research like that of Insko (1990) and Pettigrew (2008) has shown that contact alone does little to improve intergroup relations when economic and power inequalities between the groups remain unaddressed. This is one of the reasons why I’m passionate about exploring the potential of social entrepreneurship as an innovative means for transforming intergroup conflict.”
Tip #3:Tell them how you’re going to use your scholarship to improve the lives of others
Whether you’re planning to work in a lab, conduct social research, start your own tech company or curate art installations, it’s important to help the university and scholarship selection committee understand how investing in you means investing in improving the lives of others! Consider the following example:
- Bad: “I’m interested in second language learning. Having English language skills is important for getting access to international education and economic opportunities.”
- Good: “I’m interested in making second language learning more accessible to students from low-income backgrounds who are disproportionately excluded from international education and economic opportunities. By introducing intensive English language instruction in underprivileged schools, I believe low-income students will have greater chances to break out of the poverty cycle by getting increased access not only to international but also domestic employment markets. I plan to focus part of my studies on developing and evaluating the impact of the not-for-profit organization I created in Mexico which advocates for and supports the placement of English language teachers in underserved districts.”
There are lots of other great tips on the Dyad Resources page, so take time to check them out too!
Best wishes,
Sara Clarke-Habibi
- Look for a Masters’ program that combines theory and practice. Some programs include experiential workshops or encourage internships with international organizations and NGOs as part of your studies. This will give you a professional head start!
- Reach out and make contact with professors, lecturers and students from the program you’re interested in. It will give you a chance to show your interest, to learn more about whether it's the right program for you and to begin building those invaluable relationships that will enrich your academic experience and strengthen your professional network.
- Familiarize yourself with some of the international organizations, NGOs and think-tanks working in your particular field and region of interest. Spend some time watching their introductory videos, reading their news items and most recent reports. This will help you to understand the main issues and priorities they are working on and make you familiar with the specialized language they use. International fields evolve rapidly, so building your background understanding is important.