Educational Goals: Writing a Compelling Statement for Scholarships and Admissions, Slides of Medicine

Download Educational Goals: Writing a Compelling Statement for Scholarships and Admissions and more Slides Medicine in PDF only on Docsity! EDUCATIONAL GOALS: CONSIDER THE QUESTION RTSQ: Read the Stupid Question! This seems obvious, but many people gloss over the question. You want to analyze the question, answer all parts of the question, and don’t answer a question that is not asked. The Question: Describe your educational goals. Explain your choice of career and what qualifications, skills, and talents you feel you have for your chosen field. Include your plans for financing your education. (If necessary, you may add one additional page for your educational goals.) 1. Describe your educational goals. 2. Explain your choice of career and what qualifications you feel you have for your chosen field. 3. Include your plans for financing your education. PURPOSE THE QUESTION  To give a sense of you as a person.  To show that you understand the field you want to enter.  To show that you can think reflectively and sympathetically.  To show that the degree will build on previous experiences, and not be a discontinuous experience. Questions to Ask Yourself before Writing:  What is unique about my background?  When did I become interested in this field? What specific experiences (including work experiences) have furthered this interest?  What are my career goals?  What personal characteristics, skills, etc. will enhance my prospects for success in this field? DON’T Just tell a story. You want to explain your career goals in an interesting way, not entertain with descriptive adjectives. DON’T Assume names of people and places give enough information. Describe your activities and experiences as they relate to your career goals. DON’T Write what you think the scholarship committee wants to hear. The committee members can detect b.s. before opening the packet. DON’T Use clichés or generalities. This wastes valuable space and time. DON’T Brag. Trust that your good points will shine through. THE RIGHT AND WRONG THE GOOD AND BAD THE FUNDED AND UNFUNDED EXAMPLES: EXAMPLE #1 (1) Don’t admit this! If you don’t have educational goals, how can you answer the question? Stop now and make a solid plan. (2) We are four sentences into the essay, and the reader has no clue about a subject interest. At all costs, avoid vague words like “things” and someone.” If you don’t know where to begin, should you be funded while you search for a goal? I don’t have specific educational goals. (1.)Yes, I want to get a degree in my field but that is not the only thing I want to do. My educational goal is to learn as much as I can from whoever will be giving it to me. I want to do so many things that I don’t even know where to begin. (2.) EXAMPLE #3 (1) This is a very short statement of a plan. Plans are not necessarily goals. Goals should be long-term (but not so long-term as to be unrealistic). The plan, as stated here, does not constitute a goal. A career in education will require more than an Associates Degree. The student should give long-term, obtainable goals. He/she should, for example, indicate that he/she has investigated four-year programs for education. (2) This is a vague statement. “Excellent people skills” is a cliché. It conveys no meaning without examples. The student needs to demonstrate his/her people skills by giving examples and the student should explain what he/she means by an interest in helping young people. I plan to complete the requirements for the Associates Degree and major in Education. (1.) I have excellent people skills and a deep interest in helping young people. (2.) (3) The final statement on funding is very weak. The student “hopes” to have his/her education funded by scholarships, grants, or student loans. This wording implies a lack of research and planning. I hope my education will be funded by scholarships, grants or student loans. (3.) Commentary: This student probably has a career goal, but he/she has not articulated it. The overall structure technically addresses all aspects of the question, but provides no detail or insight. EXAMPLE #3 - continued EXAMPLE #4 (1) The problem here is no detail. The student should indicate how he/she has helped people with emotional problems. Listening to friends does not seem to be a good foundation on which to build a career. (2) The student commits a common error. If the GPA is less than stellar, don’t refer to it unless specifically asked. The reader would the purpose of including this statement. Does the student want to imply that with scholarships, rather than a full-time job, he/she could have a better GPA? The point here is confusing. (3) The student ignores the third part of the question. I plan to become a chemical dependency counselor for two reasons. Number one, I like to help people with emotional problems. I always listen to my friends. Number two, I am good at helping people. (1.) I hope to succeed in this program. My GPA is 2.73 and I want to improve it. (2.) With your help, I will complete my program. I would appreciate all the financial aid I get. (3.) Commentary: This essay demonstrates common problems, no detail, no plan. EXAMPLE #5 - continued (3) This is a very good account of the student’s financial plan. The detail she provides in dates and amounts indicates that she well aware of the cost of her education and that she will budget to the penny if necessary to meet her goal. The reader gets the sense that this is a proud and determined student. My education expenses since I began at Clark in the Fall of 1997 have been paid for with money awarded from Government Grants and Scholarships. Last year I was forced to take out a Perkins loan and may be forced to again for the academic year 2000/2001. I will reapply for grants again this year as well as scholarships. I am not employed in order to meet both my educational and familial responsibilities. Because I am not employed and only receive $127.02 per month in child support, I am in constant need of financial assistance. I am not on welfare or any other kind of public assistance. The scholarships I have received these past few years have been answers to prayers. I cannot tell you how much the Clark College Scholarships have helped my family. Thank you so much for your past support and your current consideration. (3.) EXAMPLE #6 (1) This student does an excellent job explaining his/her choice of career. In fact, the reader gets the impression that this student has had a career plan since a young age. The student clearly demonstrates knowledge of his/her chosen career, and he/she more than proves first hand knowledge of the field. This demonstrates excellent focus. I have always possessed a strong desire to help people. From the experience that I have gained throughout my high school career, I have come to realize that I want to become a physician. I have taken many classes to prepare for my future, such as Advanced Medical Research and Sports Medicine, Medical and Sports Medicine Applications and an independent study, Advanced Research Health Careers. Through the Advanced Research Health Careers class, I had the opportunity to tour various medical facilities, as well as become an American Red Cross certified Emergency Responder. The class is designed for the student who has taken all the medical courses offered and who would like to continue to educate themselves on specific medical careers. Through this class I have researched the career of a neonatal intensive care physician, and I am positive that that is the career I want to pursue. I have volunteered at the Doernbecher Neonatal Care Center, witnessing a cesarean section birth and helping physicians and nurses take care of premature and ill babies. Sports Medicine Applications is a two-hour after-school class where injured athletes come in to be treated and taped by students. While taking this hands-on class, I was assigned to a high school sports team as the official Student Athletic Trainer. As a junior, I was awarded with the Most Improved Trainer award. I competed at the 1999 Sports Medicine State Competition at the varsity level and received the highest state test score on my team. (1) EXAMPLE #6 - continued (2) The student has a clear educational plan. The reader feels that the student has researched schools as thoroughly as he/she researched a career choice. (3) The final paragraph reveals the only weakness in an otherwise excellent essay. The student doesn’t indicate his/her plans to finance his/her education at Clark. While the student clearly has good plans for long-term financing, a statement about financing an education at Clark College should be included. To achieve my ultimate goal of becoming a physician, I am going to spend my first two years at Clark College, graduating in 2002 with an Associate in Applied Science Degree through the Associate Degree Nursing program. Upon completion of the nursing program, I will take the National Council Examination for licensure as a registered nurse. (2) I will spend my next six years at the University of Washington School of Medicine, because their medical program is one of the highest ranked in the nation. Because of my degree from Clark College, I will be able to become a registered nurse, which will help me afford to further my education, along with scholarships. (3)