Every application will require you to submit essays. These essays are your opportunity to introduce yourself and your interests to the reviewers and selection committee. This is where you tell the selection committee who you are, what motivates you, why you’re applying for this opportunity and how this opportunity aligns with your past experiences and future goals.
The most common application essay is the personal statement. The personal statement is a narrative that gives a picture of you as an individual, including relevant background (e.g., personal and familiar history, influences on your development, educational and extracurricular opportunities you’ve pursued) and future career plans and life goals. An effective personal statement requires the author to be open, honest and vulnerable with themselves and reviewers.
Writing these essays will require you to be both concise and original. To achieve this, you will want to work through multiple drafts so you can feel confident in your work. We recommend starting early so there is time to revise and edit your essays as needed.
ERAU students and alumni applying for nationally competitive awards can meet with our office for assistance throughout the essay writing process. We can help with anything from brainstorming to reviewing drafts.
Note: If you are applying to ERAU, we are not able to review or provide feedback on admissions or scholarship essays. We encourage you to work with your high school counselors, English teachers, and mentors on those essays.
Writing Tips
Start early
Work backwards from the deadline when thinking about when to start working on your essays. Ideally, you’ll have at least three days between major drafts to give yourself time to review your work with fresh eyes. Starting early also helps ensure you’ll have time to complete your application in case other things come up.
Be prepared to write multiple drafts
First drafts are rarely the best draft. Often the first draft is overly general, reading almost as if it could have been written by anyone. It takes multiple drafts to refine and distill your ideas into a short, cohesive narrative essay.
At the early stages, do not limit yourself to a word or page limit. If you do, you might leave important information out. Focus instead on writing out all of your ideas. Later, you can choose what is most important and edit your essay for content and length.
Provide a snapshot
A strong personal essay will provide a coherent, compelling, vivid picture of the applicant. Include examples and experiences which help bring your story to life. Showcase who you are, what contributions you want to make, and the intelligence and passion you bring to your work.
Elaborate on your resume
Your personal statement is your opportunity to elaborate on the facts found elsewhere in your application. Use your personal statement to say what you could not say in other places. Take advantage of the opportunity to provide context to the experiences on your resume, to more fully explain your area of study, to highlight your special interests and abilities, etc.
Know your audience
Learn everything you can find about who will be reviewing your application for that opportunity and how they will be reviewing it. Often you can find this on the scholarship or fellowship website. Use this information to help shape the level of technical detail and specialized terminology you include in your essays as well as how much background and context you provide.
Get feedback
The best essays aren’t written in isolation. Seek out feedback from your mentors, professors, advisors, and our office. Others can help you see areas for improvement in your writing that you may not identify yourself.