Personal statement for research fellowship examples

Jane Halfhill, recipient of a Fulbright research grant to study in Italy.

For students, the personal statement is one of the most difficult and most important documents they will ever write. We have the resources to boost your confidence and the know-how to help you write a powerful personal statement.

• Your introduction to the selection committee.
  Uc personal statement example essays Evaluating Your Personal Statement • Proofread! • Strategically choose people to critique your personal statement – Begin with a trusted friend to clean up language and grammar – Utilize services offered by the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards – Stop by The Career Center for help from a Career Advisor.

  This is your story, written by you. It should describe your interests, skills, questions and goals. It should clearly portray continued interest in your field of research and desire to learn more.

• A chance to demonstrate your ability to write and communicate effectively. A well-written personal statement demonstrates your ability to organize your thoughts and communicate clearly.

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Conversely, an unpolished statement can unintentionally portray the writer as disinterested, unprofessional and careless.


• Your personal statement should articulate your preparedness by clarifying how your past experiences, education and extra-curricular activities have prepared you for your field.

• A personal autobiography.

  A personal statement is not the time to write about your childhood, family or hobbies that are not relevant to your field or academic development.
  

• A resume of accomplishments in essay form. Do not simply list information that is available in your other supporting documents (e.g., resume, transcript). Rather, you should provide context as to why your past accomplishments and experiences are significant to your academic and professional development.
• A plea for the scholarship.

  This is not the time to beg, plea or justify why you are more deserving of the scholarship than the other applicants. You are eligible for this scholarship for a reason. Focus on your accomplishments, not why your accomplishments make you better than others.

Professor Stacy Hubbard from UB's department of English breaks down what you should include in your personal statement.

• Origins of interest in a particular field. This could be a book you read, a lecture you attended or an experience you had.
• Ways in which you have developed your interest. Additional reading, experiments, internships, coursework, summer jobs, science fairs, travel experiences, writing projects, etc.

  Provide details about what you gained from a particular course or how a particular project or paper has helped you to develop intellectually.

• Reasons for changes in your interests and goals. These changes could be addressed in positive, rather than negative, terms. Instead of saying "I became bored with engineering and switched to physics," try "Through a bridge-design project, I discovered a new interest in thermodynamics and decided to focus my studies on physics."
• Reasons for inconsistencies in your record. If there is anything unusual or problematic in your record (poor grades, several school transfers, time away from school, etc.) this information needs to be explained in as positive a way, as possible.

  If you were immature and screwed up, then you matured and shaped up, say so and point to the proof (improved grades, a stellar recent employment record, etc.).

  Personal statement example residency: For the fellowship personal statement, MIT poses several questions to applicants, which the admissions committee expects to be answered in an essay form. MIT provides these personal statement prompts to encourage students to self-reflect and share their insights with the program.

  Remember, failure of one kind or another, if you learn from it, is good preparation for future success.
  

• Special skills you have developed, relevant to the planned research. This could be general knowledge of a field acquired through reading and study or special practical skills (data analysis, fossil preservation, interviewing techniques, writing skills, etc.) that will qualify you to conduct a particular type of research.

  Be specific about how you acquired these skills and at what level you possess them.

• Character traits, talents or extra-curricular activities outside the field that help to qualify you. If you are particularly tenacious about overcoming obstacles, creative at problem-solving, adaptable to unfamiliar circumstances or just great at organizing teams of people, these qualities can be mentioned as relevant to the research experience.

  Sometimes the evidence for these traits may be other than academic. Have you have overcome a disability or disadvantage of some kind in your life? Have you persisted in a particularly challenging task? Have lived in different parts of the world and adapted to difference cultures?

  Fellowship application personal statement example Many fellowship applications include several application components. You will need to consider how the personal statement fits within the larger application package. If there are additional written essays you are asked to submit, think about how the content of the personal statement will complement, rather than replicate, these materials. What.

  Have you organized teams of volunteers in the community? Make clear what traits have been developed by these experiences and how these will help you in the research experience. Acknowledge your strengths, but do so humbly.

• Knowledge and/or skills that you hope to acquire through participation in this opportunity. What is particularly intriguing to you about this opportunity?

  How will it help you to acquire new skills or carry forward your own research questions?

• Emerging and ongoing questions. What kinds of unsolved puzzles, problems or potential research paths are of interest to you? Which of these have you explored in school or extra-curricular projects?

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What sorts of projects do you hope to pursue in the future?

• Future plans and goals. Do you plan to go to graduate or professional school and in what field? What are your post-graduation goals and why? How would this research opportunity help you to achieve those goals?

• Adhere to the rules.

  Note the proper page layout, format and length, and adhere to it.

• Use proper spelling and grammar.
  Fellowship application personal statement example for graduate school Here is the personal statement of an applicant who got admitted on a fellowship to the MIT Sloan fellows MBA program. This fellowship paid for the complete tuition fee, the cost of living, and the cost of health insurance. In addition, the MIT fellowship covered the entire program duration, which was one year. For the fellowship personal.

  An easy way to have your application overlooked is to submit it with spelling and grammatical errors. Use spell-checkers, proof-read and let others review your application, before you submit it.

• Show your audience, don't tell them. It's easy to say "I am a leader," but without concrete examples, your claim isn't valid.

  Give an example of why you believe you are a leader.
  

• Don't try to tell them everything. You can't cram your entire life into one personal statement. Choose a few key points to talk about and let your other application materials (resume, letter(s) of recommendation, application, interview, etc.) tell the rest of your story.
• Don't use clichés.

  Fellowship application personal statement example for scholarship

  The personal statement is one of the most important parts of many fellowship applications. These awards are competitive, so a strong personal statement will help you stand out. It is also a unique kind of essay. It involves a narrative style of writing that some people aren't used to.

  Things like "since I was a child" or "the world we live in today" are commonly found in personal statements and don't add any value.
  

• Don't lie or make things up. This is not the time to fabricate or inflate your accomplishments. Don't try to guess what the committee is looking for and write what you think they want to hear.

  Invite them in to get to know the real you.

The Bottom Line

At the end of your personal statement, you want people to think "I'd like to meet this person." That is your end-goal.