How Should I Structure My Fellowship Application Essays?

[splitringtail]

I need to write an two essays on:

Describe all my previous research.

The research I purpose to do during the fellowship.

They need to be no more than two pages and single spaced.

Yet, I am not sure on the format. I am very use to essays where you make an argument (a thesis) and then you support it with key details. This is the type of essay you see in college coursework. I am not sure I can formulate my experience into a 1-2 statements. Descriptive essays from what I did in high school are a totally different beast. For the other second essay, I was thinking of a pseudo-proposal format, since fellowship or not I still have to do this work to get my PhD.

 

[Choppy]

If it helps, likely what the committee reading these essays wants to know is:
- what research have you done to this point in your career
- what technical skills have you taken from the process
- what other skills have you learned (for example, establishing realistic timelines, collaboration, writing skills, etc.)
- what motivates you to engage in research
- do you have the potential to independently define a research project or direction

 

[splitringtail]

I get what your saying, but I am just not sure on the structure. Is it like personal statement kinda step up or is it like a augmentative exposition. Like I start with an introduction leading into a claim like vending machines cause childhood obesity, then support in the body of essay.

Not sure if it is appropriate style if I am trying to describe the research I have done before. Most of it was undergraduate and it didn't work out all to well.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Who are these essays for? An admission committee? Search committee? Job interview? Grant application?

 

[splitringtail]

Funding from a fellowship.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Most likely, the review board for the fellowship wants you to demonstrate that you are able to perform the work. Evidence for this is a track record of publications/presentations/documentation of previous work (essay 1), justification of the proposed work, and how your previous experience translates into successfully carrying out the proposed work (essay 2).

If it helps to think in terms of an argument (i.e. claim and evidence), then by all means do so.