Many students treat their grades as their only strength. When the grades are good, they feel confident. When they get a low grade, or miss the first class they hoped for, something drops inside them. They start to believe they have nothing to offer. Then they sit down to write a job application, a personal statement or a statement of purpose, and they don’t know what to say.
I want to open your eyes to something. Your grades matter, but they are not the whole story of who you are or what you have done.
Look beyond your grades
When you apply for a job, a scholarship, a PhD place or a promotion, someone on the other side is deciding whether to invest in you. It might be an employer deciding whether to hire you, a professor deciding whether to consider your application, or a panel deciding whether to fund you. They are looking for something of value. Your job is to show them what you have.
If you have a first class, good. That is something to highlight. It shows you can learn, you can pass exams and you work hard. But if you don’t, you still have plenty to highlight. You only have to look for it. Here are seven places to look.
Look closer at your results
Even without a first class, your transcript may hold a selling point. Is there a module where you got your highest mark, an A or an A+? If it is relevant to the job or research you are applying for, highlight it. And if only two out of forty students got that grade, you were one of the top two in that module. That is something to be proud of.
Ask yourself
Which module did I score highest in? How did my mark compare with the rest of the class?
Awards and recognition
Perhaps you were the best graduating student in your department that year, even without a first class. Perhaps you won a prize for a particular subject, sponsored by a professor or a family. An award is recognition of your excellence and hard work by someone other than you. It is a selling point.
Ask yourself
Have I ever received a prize, a certificate or any recognition, in my department, my faculty or outside university?
Scholarships
If you have received a competitive scholarship, that is a selling point too. In Nigeria, for example, the MTN Foundation Science and Technology Scholarship is awarded every year, and it continues until graduation as long as the student keeps up their grades. It doesn’t matter when you won it, or whether you held it for one year or all the way through. You are a recipient, and that recognition stays with you.
Write it strategically. The name of the award tells the reader something, but the numbers tell them much more. If you can find out how many students applied and how many were selected, say so. Being one of 1,000 recipients from 1 million applicants, for instance, shows how competitive it was. If national figures aren’t available, look closer to home: how many students at your university applied, and how many received it?
Ask yourself
Have I ever received a scholarship or bursary, even for one year? How many people applied, and how many were selected?
Your university
Many students don’t realise this, but the ranking of their university can be a selling point. Universities are ranked for a reason. This is not to look down on any university. But if, for example, your university is in the top 10 out of more than 80 in your country, and you earned your place and graduated from there, that says something about you, whatever your final grade.
Ask yourself
Where does my university rank in my country? How competitive was it to get in?
Where you came from
Some selling points are less obvious, and many students never think of them.
Imagine you come from a region where only one in ten young people get into university, and you were one of them. If you have the evidence for that figure, it belongs in your personal statement. A reader who sees that you made it against those odds learns something important about you.
Perhaps you come from a less privileged background, or you are the first in your family to go to university. This is not about asking for pity. It is about showing your effort, and what you did with what you had. That is impressive, and it should be highlighted.
These are original stories. Nobody can make them up or copy them from anywhere.
Ask yourself
What was normal where I grew up, and how did my path differ? Am I the first in my family to reach university?
The impact of your project
If you know the impact your project addresses, highlight it. When I applied for my PhD, my research was about improving weak lateritic soils that consistently cause settlement in roads and foundations. I sold that impact, along with my other selling points.
Ask yourself
What real problem does my project address, and who would benefit if it were solved?
How you helped others
This is one I particularly like to see when I read a personal statement.
Imagine a module that more than half the class usually fails at the first attempt. You passed it, which is good. But you went further. You started a tutorial group to support the classmates who had failed, and when they resat it, nine of them passed. That shows you can teach, you have team spirit and you care about the people around you. It is a selling point.
Ask yourself
Who have I helped to learn, pass or grow? What happened as a result?
Why this matters
When you discover these things, two things happen.
First, your confidence returns. A low grade stops being the only thing you see when you look at yourself. You start to remember what you overcame, who you helped and what you achieved. Success stories lift your morale.
Second, writing becomes easier. You are no longer staring at a blank page, wondering what to say. You already have your stories. You only need to tell them honestly, with evidence to back them up.
Before writing your next application, list
- Your strongest module result, and how it compared with the class
- Any award, prize or recognition you have received
- Any scholarship, with the numbers that show how competitive it was
- Where your university stands in your country
- Where you came from, and what you overcame to get here
- The real problem your project addresses
- Someone you helped, and what happened as a result
Write one line under each, then note the evidence you can show for it. Keep this list and add to it as you go.
Look inward
You have something to highlight. Every student does. It is not about inventing anything. It is about thinking deeply, reflecting and being able to bring out what is already there.
That is what most students are missing.
Your grades are one part of your story. What else will you highlight?
What did you find when you looked beyond your grades? Share your experience in the comments.
Frequently asked questions
My grades are low. What if I really have nothing else to highlight?
Everyone has something. Go through the seven places in this article slowly, one at a time. It also helps to ask a friend, a lecturer or a family member what they think you have done well. Other people often see what you have stopped noticing in yourself.
Is it boastful to highlight my background or achievements?
Not when it is true and you can show the evidence. Highlighting what you have done is not boasting, and sharing where you came from is not asking for pity. It helps the reader understand your effort and what you are capable of.
Where should these go in my application?
Results, awards and scholarships usually sit well on your CV. Stories about where you came from, the impact of your project and how you helped others often fit best in a personal statement or statement of purpose, where you have room to explain them.
How do I find the numbers for a scholarship or my university’s ranking?
For a scholarship, look at the provider’s announcements or ask your university’s scholarship or student office. For rankings, use a national or international ranking table from a reliable source, and say which year it refers to.
Should I still mention my grade if it is low?
If the application asks for it, give it honestly. Then let your other achievements show the rest of your story. Your grade is one part of who you are, not all of it.
What if an achievement is not related to the job or course I am applying for?
Relevant achievements carry the most weight, so lead with those. But many others still show qualities every employer or professor values, such as determination, teamwork and the ability to teach others.
Continue reflecting
Take the next step with a guided reflection on where you are and what you want to build.
Start Your Reflection
Damilola Akinniyi
Damilola is a geotechnical engineer, educator and mentor with experience across industry, research and university teaching. He helps students, graduates, professionals and organisations build practical skills, think clearly and create opportunities through engineering education, reflective tools, mentorship and training.
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