I just came across this site recently although the PTDF overseas scholarship is not yet on but the early bird they say gets the first worm. I will appreciate corrections to my essay. Thanks and God bless
Guide Questions:
1. Why you wish to acquire this scholarship
2. why you wish to obtain the qualification listed as your choice (for M.sc. candidates) and that of your chosen research area (for PhD candidates)
3. How you think you will benefit in terms of your career and personal development from obtaining this scholarship and the resulting qualification once you have returned to your home country
PTDF SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION ESSAY
Life is not a bed of roses, challenges are a stepping stone to greatness depending on how you deal with it. The good book tells us that if a man crumbles in the face of challenges then his strength is small, if he face it hands down he comes out victorious. This has been my philosophy about life, little wonder i was able to go through the University with meagre financial support from my family. To meet my needs for the semester, i had to work (menial jobs) for at least a month after the resumption of academic activity for the semester, which always leave me at a disadvantage( a month behind my course mates). This didn't deter me, it rather challenged me to go the extra miles so i could graduate among the best in my department. Acquiring a PTDF oversea scholarship will help me to advance my career to attain master's degree, but this time without any financial constraint.
Obtaining a master's degree in Petroleum Geoscience from a reputable University in the United Kingdom will aid in building my career with the already existing template of excellence in the University community. It has always been my dream to be a Petroleum Geoscientist since my first encounter with a Mud logging unit at Halliburton Energy Services Nigeria Limited in Port Harcourt, where i was a helper to a subcontractor to the company. Being a trained Geoscientist in which a master's degree will make me, i will be able to pursue many different career paths that deals with but not limited to Exploration, Discovery of Petroleum, Mitigation of Geohazards caused by human activities such as ground contamination, mineral exploration and waste disposal, Consultation, Advice and Supporting risks assessments for Government and other Organizations who require trained professionals to determine and map out areas of risk and provide appropriate guidance and policy. The opportunity of a master's degree program overseas will help advance my knowledge and field experience, building on my bachelor's degree program with a greater focus on current trend and practice. It will deliver a comprehensive technical grounding in all aspects of geosciences including but not limited to the search and production of hydrocarbons, mitigation of geohazards, quantitative risk analysis. It will also provide vocational training in subsurface and related data acquisition, quality control, interpretation and data integration.
A master's degree program in Petroleum Geosciences will nurture and develop my critical reasoning skills using problem based learning and a wide range of practical exercises. It will give me a first hand experience of typical industrial workflows including the use of software packages. It will also develop essential transferable skills (such as effective report writing, project management, team working) and the ability to communicate and work with cognate disciplines (such as Drillers, Petroleum engineers). On return to the country, the qualification from this study will help the country in whichever path i choose to take. In the production and exploration of hydrocarbons, the country and any Organization i work for will be kept abreast with the new trends and practices in Petroleum Geosciences and this will in turn improve on the current production and exploration of hydrocarbons. In the mitigation of geohazards, the knowledge gained from this study will aid in the reduction of geohazards by providing proper guidance in the disposal of waste and mineral extraction. In the aspect of Consultation, Advice and Supporting risk assessment for the Government or any Organization, the knowledge gained from this study will aid in the proper quantitative risk analysis ( Environmental risk, Economic risk, Engineering risk and Management risk) and provision of proper guidance and policy before and after the exploration of hydrocarbons for the Country and any Organization.
Holt Educational Consultant - / 14,835 
4783 John, your first paragraph is not very relevant to the given 3 prompt questions. You should just remove that and focus on developing the remaining 2 paragraph, with the addition of a new paragraph as required by your revision and edits. What I find severely lacking in this essay is a positive and clear direction for your future in relation to the development of your country. You lack the reference to a career path going forward within a specific field. Your essay is taking too much for granted in terms of general considerations when the prompts are pretty specific about its requirements, the first of which is that you have a clear academic interest in the pursuit of a professional goal.
Consider the work you did as a helper, then think of what sort of personal ambitions you may have created stemming from it. How will that help you should you complete the course? How will your addition to the energy sector of Nigeria be helpful to your country? What is your personal goal for these studies? What is your professional goal in relation to the improvement of the Nigerian energy sector and at the same time, the economy? These are the basic statements you have to respond to as a part of the new draft version of this essay. After you have clearly developed an outline based on the guide questions, you will find that you will be in a better position to expand on your responses in relation to the given prompts.
