Per the syllabus, you will compose a personal statement for a study abroad scholarship. To approximate the transfer (see Module 1 for a formal definition) value of this assignment from academe to the real world, you will address a hypothetical scenario in writing.
To get started, direct your attention to the subheading below.
Step 1: Drafting a Personal Statement from a Hypothetical ScenarioYou are halfway through your first year at APSU. As you leave a Zoom call with your advisor, excited about formulating a plan to graduate in four years with space carved out for 30-35 hours a week of “part-time” work (if you can find any), you get an alert on your smartphone from the Peay Mobile app. The alert links you to a blast email from the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange that advertises a year-long study abroad opportunity in Scotland, starting Spring 2022. You do not want to miss potential wages if you find a steady job or possibly delay your graduation by an academic year to study abroad; however, you also think studying abroad might give you a “leg up” on post-graduation job applications. Fortunately, the email announces that scholarships are available, so you immediately visit the study abroad homepage.
After browsing the study abroad homepage, you learn two important things. One, in order to apply to a study abroad program, you must (a) be in “good academic standing,” (b) carry a 2.25 GPA (or a 2.75 GPA for certain study abroad programs), (c) possess one full semester (i.e., 12 credit hours) of college credit, and (d) have neither pending criminal and/or student code of conduct violations nor past criminal and/or student code of conduct violations (within one year of when you apply to a study abroad program). Second, just about any study abroad experience can help you on the postgrad job market. Therefore, you visit each of the links under the subheading “Types of Study Abroad Programs” on the study abroad homepage, taking note of webpages that feature programs of interest.
After you complete your research, narrow down your options to one study abroad program to which you will apply. Regardless of your selected program, though, you discover an additional catch: you must write a personal statement (see Module 3 for a formal definition) as part of your study abroad application.
With notes for your selected study abroad program in hand, you compose a personal statement on one of the following topics:
Topic A: Describe your ideal study abroad experience, and focus specifically on how this program would benefit you in your future career or chosen field.
Topic B: Describe how you could make a positive impact in the world through your education abroad experience, and relate that to your intended area of study.
Before submitting your personal statement, you read the personal statement guidelines closely, discovering that faculty members across campus read and score personal statements and that the score faculty readers assign your essay will determine whether you will be granted a study abroad scholarship. Faculty readers require that your personal statement
be typed
be at least one full page long but not over two full pages (approximately 250-500 words)
be double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins all around
list only your student ID number in the top left corner of your document
list “Topic A” or “Topic B” (without quotation marks) centered on the line beneath your student ID number
document (see Module 1 for a formal definition) your research on a specific study abroad program and country
because of the restrictive length requirements of personal statements, use signal phrases (see Module 1 for a formal definition) to cite researched information
include no redundant information