The second essay that forms part of your Fulbright application procedure is the Personal Statement. This essay is probably one of the trickiest to write because there really is no strict format to follow. As with the Research Objectives essay, however, Fulbright will provide some general information as to what should be included. Again, it’s a relatively short essay, about fifty lines of text, and you should share your work with others so that you can get some constructive feedback. Start writing early as you will undoubtedly write multiple drafts.
One of the best tips I read in relation to the Personal Statement was, if your essay sounds like it could have been written by someone else then it’s not personal enough. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what site I read this on but if I come across it again I’ll make sure to post the link.
Obviously, the Personal Statement has to be personal. But it should also be academic. You need to find a balance. I think my first draft was way too personal and my supervisor advised me to insert some academic information, such as my achievements to date and plans for the future.
I don’t have any tips, as such, for writing the Personal Statement so I’ll just give you a brief outline of what I included in my essay.
In my Personal Statement, I basically outlined my academic trajectory.
I began my essay by discussing what motivated me to study American History. In the ‘About Me’ section of this blog I explain that my interest in the American South was inspired by Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. I then proceeded to explain how my parents were very strong influences because they always encouraged me to find an occupation that I love. Teaching and researching is my passion so I’m glad I followed their advice. Even though I’ve been a ‘poor student’ for longer than I care to think about!!!
The next section of my essay discussed my academic qualifications and experiences. I explained how my B.Ed with History degree made me uniquely qualified to carry out the proposed research, the awards I received and the conferences I will be presenting at.
The remainder of my essay discussed how I planned to disseminate my research, how this dissemination would benefit Fulbright, Ireland and Mary Immaculate College, and what I planned to do when I returned to Ireland.
So that’s it. I hope it helps! Ultimately, I don’t believe that anyone else could have written an essay too like this. Everyone has different interests, inspirations and motivations. Equally, everyone has different academic achievements and plans for the future. So just be yourself!
AnneMarie Brosnan 