Stanford Fellowship Essay

[aove]

EDIT: oops, this should probably be in "The Bank"-- sorry!

 

Stanford has a part of the application where they ask:
 

We have a limited number of GSE fellowships to allocate. Please share with us why you would like to be considered for a GSE fellowship. Include any fellowship or funding information you plan to use to support your education (including whether or not you plan to seek financial aid for Stanford or other resources).

 

I'm a bit stuck on what to include. Obviously I'd love to be considered for a fellowship, but it seems silly to argue why I "deserve" it more than anyone else. It has a 1500 character limit, so I'm guessing they want more than just a laundry list of how you are planning to fund your education, but I could be wrong.

 

Any advice?

Edited December 19, 2013 by aove

[comicline865]

There's no free lunch. The committee making the decision just wants to see why you ought to receive the money, rather than some other applicant. What can you offer as a compelling ground for the award money?

 

Questions to consider in writing the essay: why do you need the money? Under what hardship will you be if you have to pay your way, rather than being funded? What qualities can you point to that will make their "investment" in your education pay off?

 

You want to be truthful, but here's one scenario I've imagined you could write from:

 

"Attending GES is a necessary step in my career/academic plans. I will be under some strain to finance this education, however, and I am looking for a way to make it possible. I am qualified to attend and would be an excellent candidate, for x/y/z reasons [Explain here why they should want you to come so much that they would pay for you to do so; this should be evident in the rest of your application, too, though, so don't be too redundant]. I am seeking funding from x/y/z sources, too, and would like to ensure that I can defray expenses enough so that I can pursue this option without damaging my ability to do x/y/z in the future."

[aove]

Thanks! This looks like a good start, and definitely good questions to consider.