A project proposal or plan of study is required by some foundations to explain your motivation for applying for the fellowship, including a targeted plan for study or research, your future goals, and your qualifications.

Carefully read the mission statement of the fellowship to ensure that you are targeting their stated purpose in your essay.

• Describe how the fellowship will allow you to reach your proposed goals.
• Consult with faculty and others who have expertise in your field to help with developing and fine-turning your proposal.
• Cater your essay to your audience. What do you want them to know about you?
• Distinguish yourself from the other candidates by pointing out uniqueness.
• Engage the reader by telling a story, descriptive writing, and/or select a theme that is carried throughout the essay. Do not write a laundry list of accomplishments.
• Proofread for clarity, grammatical errors, structure, and succinctness. And then do it again.

Caroline Cracraft, the Vice Consul for the Marshall suggests:

• Grab your audience and convey passion for your topic.
• Tell them upfront what you want to do.
• Don’t sprinkle your essay with quotes unless they are REALLY relevant.
• The essay must match the candidate: If it does not match up with the other materials received (Letter of Recommendations, interview, etc.), you lose credibility.
• Have two or three people read your essay.
• Use spell check!

Ask others who know you well, and maybe even some who don’t, to review your essay. Friends, family, classmates, the Writing Workshop, faculty, and the OCS are examples of people that can be helpful. By receiving input from people outside your area of interest, you can verify that your topic has been clearly explained.

If you are having difficulty starting the essay, leave writing your introduction to the end and focus on the points you want to get across. Just start writing without judging what your first draft looks like. Remember, students are rarely struck by inspiration. A good essay comes from revisions. Even the best students will revise their essay at least seven times!