If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either an applicant for a fellowship or an alumnus of a fellowship program – either way, you likely know how difficult it can be to write the right kind of essay for the right job. Just like any other part of the application process, the fellowship essay is a major hurdle that applicants need to clear before receiving any kind of feedback from the experts at the fellowship panels. An essential component of your application, this essay should capture the reviewers’ attention with an engaging story about your experience in the fellowship program and how it has shaped you as a professional. But how does one write a fellowship essay? Let’s explore some tips that can help.
Punctuation
One of the first things that will get noticed about your essay is your use of punctuation. You want to be sure that your sentences are punctuated correctly and that your paragraphs flow smoothly as a whole. Like with any other part of your application, your fellowship essay is going to be read by hundreds of people, and the last thing you want is for the reader to be distracted by poor grammar or a list of sentences that don’t seem to belong together. One of the best things that you can do for your essay is to practice proper punctuation – learn how to use commas, semicolons, and colons correctly. Consistent, effective punctuation makes a world of difference, and will undoubtedly improve the overall flow and readability of your essay. You can find a sample of a fellowship essay with correct punctuation at the end of this section – take a look and see how much better it reads compared to an essay with incorrect punctuation.
Words
A bigger issue than simple grammar is the issue of the right words. You come from a world of haphazard words and phrases, and you need to find the right ones to use in your essay. When you’re writing for a general audience, you want to keep your language simple and direct – using big words and fancy phrases will only confuse the reader about what you’re trying to communicate. In a nutshell, your fellowship essay is your chance to show off your linguistic prowess and describe your experience in the most precise and engaging way possible. Your goal should be to hook the reader within the first few sentences and maintain their interest in the full essay.
Style
The final step in the crafting of a successful fellowship essay is the issue of style. Like with any other part of your application, you’re going to be required to write in a certain style, and you need to make sure that you adhere to the appropriate formatting guidelines – this includes, but is not limited to capitalization, the use of paragraphs, and the inclusion of citations. One particularly important issue that you need to be careful about is the use of language – make sure that your essay doesn’t contain any glaring errors in terms of language use or style. You’ll receive extensive feedback on your application, and poor English grammar will undoubtedly get you rejected – more than likely, along with an overly formal tone and a lack of concrete examples. If you keep these things in mind while writing your essay, you’ll be able to craft a polished piece that is certain to impress the judges.
Take Breaks
Like any other part of the application process, the journey to become a successful urban farmer is long and winding, and writing an essay is no exception. While you might be able to crank out a 500-word essay in less than an hour, this is a brutally challenging task, and you should never attempt to write more than three essays per week. This is especially important if you’re trying to achieve something ambitious – like a fellowship or a full-ride scholarship. It’s easy to get distracted by the sheer volume of work, and before you know it, two hours have passed, and you’ve still got two more essays to write. Before you know it, the week is over, and you’ve still got another week of grinding away at school to look forward to.
To avoid this, take frequent breaks whenever you feel like you need them. Go for a walk, meet a friend for coffee, or get some fresh air if you feel like you need to recharge. Your body needs time to relax and restore itself between essays, and you shouldn’t be afraid to take advantage of this by getting some much-needed sleep or going for a swim. When you return from your breaks, you’ll be ready to dive back into the fray and write another essay – confident, weary, and ready to conquer the world.
Format
One of the most important parts of your essay is how you present yourself. Your essay is going to be graded based on a number of factors, but the most important one is how you organize your thoughts and how you write. You should present yourself as a serious candidate – after all, you’re applying for a fellowship, which is generally given to the most deserving candidates. Your goal should be to craft an organization that is both logical and concise, with the use of appropriate citations and a formal tone.
If you’re applying for a fellowship, you’ll need to write one short essay for each part of the application, and these essays must be between 1500 and 1700 words. You’ll need to follow the official format of the fellowship, and make sure that all of your essays follow this same format and have the same length. This means that you’ll need to separate your thoughts and present them in an organized manner, as discussed above. Additionally, the website you’re applying to will most likely have specific formatting requirements that you need to follow, so make sure that you check out their website and follow their instructions carefully.
How to Write a Fellowship Essay
Once you’ve got your fellowship essay written, you need to hit the send button and hope for the best. But if you’d like to improve your odds of being selected, you need to make some changes – polish your essay, rework the formatting, and ensure that you’ve followed all of the guidelines and instructions carefully. One of the best things that you can do for your essay is to practice, practice, and then practice some more – if you’ve written one poorly, you’ve probably written a few more. The worst thing you can do is to show up to the workshop with your essay and try to wing it – if you’re feeling comfortable enough to write an essay, you’re going to be over the moon when you get the opportunity to present it in front of the experts. Good luck out there.