Sample Personal Statement for Fulbright Scholarship

Posted by Talha Omer on January 16, 2014 in Personal Statement 

0 inShare

Over the past year or so I have been getting a lot of requests from students in Pakistan regarding sharing a sample personal statement for the Fulbright scholarship.

This sample Fulbright personal statement has been shared with me by an anonymous but successful Fulbright applicant who has allowed me to share her personal statement on this blog. It can be used as an example to give you an idea of how to write and structure your own personal statement for the Fulbright program in Pakistan.

If you feel you need a little extra help, you can always contact me to check if I can help but please DO NOT copy chunks from this statement of purpose, or plagiarize them directly. You will not only lose your chance of getting the Fulbright scholarship but it is also unfair to copy someone’s original work. Simply use this to as a reference guide for writing your own authentic personal statement.

Before you go on to read this sample personal statement for Fulbright scholarship, let’s do a little exercise to warm you up for writing your own statement of purpose.

So here it goes: Which of the following sounds more appealing?

I went down the building to the cafeteria, which looked good, and bought a burger that I ate.

OR

I strolled down the building as the cafeteria fragrances wafted through the air. I then bought the best chicken burger I have ever tasted.

Of course you would say that the second one is better. This is so because it is more descriptive and creates a more vivid and inspiring picture in your mind. But at the same time it requires the right set of words to describe the situation which is slightly more challenging.

So a word of advice – just write more descriptively so that its all the more exciting to read!

Some examples:

BORING: I performed in my first GRE exam today.
EXCITING: I blew the GRE test away in my first attempt.

BORING: I ran an antivirus, and got the computer to work
EXCITING: Ignoring risks and malfunctions, I did a complete antivirus run on my new computer.

Just know that you all have remarkable stories to share – you just need to dare to be more descriptive!

What Should Be the Tone of Your Personal Statement?

Posted by Talha Omer on January 16, 2014 in Personal Statement

0 inShare

In my last post I discussed how a Pakistani applicant could tackle a low GPA and low grades in a personal statement. As you can clearly see, there are many convincing ways in which you can do that. However what matters the most is the way in which you describe your attitude towards your ambitions; how you portray your piece of the mind and how you put your story into words. Normally, applicants from Pakistan including Fulbright applicants struggle a lot when it comes to writing a good personal statement. I have seen bizarre statements that an admissions committee would dismiss in the first few seconds.

Therefore the tone of your personal statement is very crucial towards the outcome of your graduate school application. It has the ability to keep the admission committee glued to your application, making it easier for them to quickly assimilate in your writing. The universities generally receive thousands of applications, so you have to make sure that your application stands out in its content and tone. The obvious pitfalls include sounding too condescending or frivolous while energetic and vigorous tones are definitely positive. A few dos and don’ts regarding the tone of any SOP are elaborated below.

Don’t be too casual

The tone of your SOP must be balanced and moderate. It shouldn’t be casual because it can give an impression of non-seriousness of you as an applicant – just don’t sound naive. Do not use colloquial expressions, sentence fragments or slang. Your language should be serious; words should come out naturally and not overwrought. The statement below describes an overly casual tone which is highly NOT recommended:

“Yo, the way I look at it, someone needs to start doing something about this sensor. What’s the big deal? Power Plants have started running into issues. But the average organization doesn’t think twice about it until it affects them. Or someone they know.”

Don’t be too formal

Some people err on the other side and use an overly formal tone. They become too objective and write as if they were providing some logical evidence for a research paper. They even use such arcane vocabulary that a reader gets flustered and dumbfounded by every single sentence and word. Try to avoid such a tone – make sure your writing is easily understood the very first time someone reads it.

Your goal is to make your essay sound personable and active rather than detached and passive. In the pursuit of using a formal tone, you shouldn’t forget to write in the first person. The usage of ‘I’, ‘we’ or ‘they’ is not considered an anathema here as you were taught in your first grade. This can make a reader sense that there is a more personal stake involved here. Also use transitions like ‘however’ and ‘therefore’.

“My father, the lepidopterist and the author have been treated as discrete manifestations of a prodigious and probing mind. To say the my culmination would not have coalesced into the current incarnations had his vocation been, say, cricket is simply reaching too far.”

Sound confident

Your personal statement should have a passionate, and enthusiastic tone. You shouldn’t sound as if you are applying to ten other places and another rejection won’t make a difference. Downplay the negative aspects and highlight the positive aspects of your career. You should be sure about your goals and the reader must be able to sense this through the energetic and positive tone of your SOP.

The following statement clearly indicates an ambiguity in author’s tone:

“I was not sure what to do next, but then a great internship opportunity came up.”

This statement should be written as:

“I explored a wide range of career opportunities and then came across this internship opportunity that intrigued me the most”

Don’t be arrogant

You shouldn’t be vigorously persuasive or pushy in your statement of purpose. While you should be positive, you should avoid boasting and bragging about your strengths and accomplishments. Avoid using a pushy tone as a pesky merchandiser trying to ‘sell’ his product. Use a humble and a polite tone and honestly present your strengths, talents and skills.

The following statement is too condescending and should be avoided:

“I admired him at one time because he reminded me of when I was young and stupid.”

Avoid being humorous and witty

Not that you shouldn’t be humorous in your tone while writing a personal statement, its just that being funny in writing is very difficult. It depends upon the reader how he or she interprets your intended humor. A humorous tone can be easily mistaken to be as flippant or overly sarcastic. But if you are confident that you can bring a smile on reader’s face by using a clever witticism, then you should go ahead but do not aim too high.

To conclude, remember not to hit the extremes. The key is moderation. Try to sound confident, alive and give an impression that you actually want to make a difference.

Writing a Personal statement for Fulbright Scholarship

Posted by Talha Omer on September 11, 2013 in Fulbright Pakistan, Personal Statement

So the 2014 Fulbright applications and interviews have almost come to an end. This year 1,311 students applied for the Fulbright scholarship from Pakistan and 300 were called in for the final interview. It is yet to see who got in and who got out but this year I have had the opportunity to help over 50 students with their Fulbright personal statements and got to read over 113 personal statements of Fulbright applicants.

Today I am going to write about the things that were common in all successful Fulbright personal statements. Along with that I am also going to write about the common flaws in the unsuccessful personal statements.

For those of you who don’t know yet or are applying for Fulbright scholarships next year for 2015, you will have to write a 1-2 page long personal statement. In order to write a personal statement, you must first understand the real purpose and value of a ‘Personal Statement’. The basic idea behind a personal statement is to get a piece of original writing and a peak into the mind of the applicant.

Writing a personal statement could be a very daunting task for students in Pakistan, many a times, as they don’t have any prior experience in writing something like this. Also, this could be one of the best chances that you will get to impress the Fulbright committee, who will be reading your personal statement. I personally believe that a personal statement is a kind of a quick interview of a Fulbright applicant – except that you don’t have to answer the interviewer in person but on a piece of paper.

Fulbright personal statement or the Fulbright statement of purpose is not like any other ordinary type of essay writing we do in Pakistan. If your writing matches to a typical essay, it won’t stick to the minds of the Fulbright admissions committee and you will most likely lose any chance of getting in. An impressive personal statement will most likely increase your chances of getting a recommendation for Fulbright interview initiation.

To help students write a personal statement, here are some do’s & don’ts of a Fulbright Personal statement:

What to Write in a Fulbright Personal Statement

Mention Important Points: Never forget to mention the important points in brief. For e.g., give your top reasons to pursue the course that you did in the past etc. While your Curriculum Vitae or Resume would give details about the courses you have done, this is the best chance for you to explain why you chose that course and your passion for it. Fulbright would love to know why you made such a decision in the past.

Don’t Choose Redundant Opening Lines: Whenever Fulbright applicants come to me seeking assistance with their personal statements I always tell them not to write something like: “I want to help the Pakistani society” or “I want to help the poor in Pakistan” or “I want to make a difference to Pakistani people”. Well! This line does look impressive, but when hundreds of Pakistani Fulbright applicants write the same lines, your first impression at the Fulbright officer will be lost.

Give Real life Examples: A personal statement for Fulbright application is the perfect time to think outside the box and to think about different aspects of your life. You can review your life and add important points to your essay. Don’t include your whole life story; present it in an impressive way which highlights your strengths, skills and talents. Portray everything using examples rather than just listing your strengths.

Follow Instructions given by Fulbright Scholarship: It is always advisable to follow the instructions provided. If they have asked for 1-2 pages, then provide your content for 1-2 pages only. Most students try to cheat by using a small or bigger font or try to change the margins of the page. Just follow the instructions. Use soothing fonts which are visible and easy to read.

Write About Yourself: Everyone has their own stories and experiences to share with the Fulbright people. If you have an exciting story about yourself, don’t forget to mention it in your personal statement. Don’t write your story just for the sake of impressing the officers; present it in a sincere manner.

What Not to Write in a Fulbright Personal Statement

Don’t Write to Impress: Whenever you write a personal statement, it is a human tendency to think of those points that would impress others. However, this will get you go off the track. Try to be genuine and give only those points which you really feel are important.

Don’t submit Resume: It is okay to pick a couple of things from your resume and elaborate on them; but if you are thinking of writing everything what is already there in your resume, it would definitely kill the chances of your personal statement being the most impressive one.

Don’t submit without checking with a third person: If you are thinking of submitting your personal statement without checking with a third person, think again. There are possibilities of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes etc., which may not be visible to your eyes. Only a third person can identify all those. Moreover only a third person can tell you whether or not he/she was impressed after reading your statement.

Present small negatives in a positive way: If you think that some of your past records may become a cause concern to the admission committee, like a gap in studies, a low GPA, or even a tough semester, present them in a positive way. Personal statement is a great chance where you can address these issues, by mentioning all the good things which you have learnt during the bad time. You can also explain the good reasons behind such small negative things.

Always write a Fulbright personal statement, keeping all the above given points in mind. This will definitely help you to get the best impression from the officers.