Scholarship Essays (UGRAD 2013-2014)

      As requested, and as I want to share my experience with all of the readers, I would like to share with you these essays which help me to win a scholarship to study in the U.S. I hope that it somehow gives you an idea of what to be included in a specific scholarship essay. BUT it is worth noting that I am not responsible for any serious crime committed by using these essays as your own when applying for scholarship to study abroad; the main PURPOSE of sharing these essays is to give you an idea about what personal statement or scholarship essay really is.

     To make it easy to follow, I also include the questions that ask you to write or be included in your essays. HERE they are:

ESSAY 1: Personal Statement—350 – 500 words, typed. 

Please describe yourself and write a clear and detailed description of your academic objectives and the reasons why you wish to pursue them in the USA.  Discuss your goals both in terms of your field of study and your own personal development.  Describe the type of program you wish to pursue in the USA and how it relates to your academic background and interests and your objectives for the future.  The essay is an essential part of the selection process and of your application for placement into an appropriate program.  Be sure to include any details that highlight your personality and individuality.

A Dream of an Engineering Student

With only 40 square meters, my house accommodates 5 people.  My parents stay in a small room, and my two younger brothers and I sleep on the floor outside the bedroom.  There is not enough space for each family member to live comfortably as those who live in a big house.  However, I still consider myself as a very lucky boy, since I have known that there are many people who are living in much worse conditions, especially those agrarian peasants living in the rural areas.

In Cambodia, a large number of people in rural areas are farmers.  They depend heavily on farming. They plant rice and grow crops for survival, but the products they produced are not enough for them to support their living.  The problem is that there is a lack of irrigation systems that could enable them to use water for planting their crops, roads they could transport their products to markets, and most importantly knowledge of how to use the water resource they have effectively.  As we know, in the rainy season, there is an excessive amount of water, so they are not able to work on their farms whereas in the dry season there is not enough water for planting rice and growing crops.  Seeing the potential in this area, along with my talent and keenness in learning scientific subjects, I have developed my interest in helping my country by trying to study hard and enrolling as a rural engineer at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, the most prestigious educational institution which provides the field of engineering and where I got a scholarship.

From day to day, my interest in the subject I am studying has been gradually translated into a great passion to be one of the most famous engineers in my country, and that passion has persuaded me to project into the future about how to attain my goal.  I realize that in order to master my area of expertise, it is not enough just to study inside the country.  I have to discover more about the knowledge surrounding this field of study and techniques being used in other countries. Undoubtedly, the country which interests me the most is the United States of America, and I would like to choose Environmental Science Engineering and Water Resource Management Engineering.

Besides being well-known as a multicultural society, the US is a country which is well developed in terms of developing both city and rural areas.  By taking this course, I hope to bring the techniques and experiences that I will learn in the US back to my country and apply them into real practice so that I can help the rural communities, as well as Cambodia as a whole, develop.  Cambodia will be able to cultivate techniques to develop high ability in human resources in this field if more and more Cambodian students are provided chance to learn from and see how US develops its country.

Bearing this clear, long-run vision in my mind, I strongly believe that I will accomplish my goal after I am admitted to study in the US and return to Cambodia with new experiences and knowledge.

 ESSAY 2: Exchange Preparedness–250 – 350 words, typed. 

What have you experienced in the past that has prepared you to live/study in the United States for one semester or one academic year?

I am Confident in Living and Studying Abroad

Two years living alone in an alien place I had never been before, I became strong enough to live on my own.

After graduating from high school, I moved from the countryside to the capital city, Phnom Penh, in order to continue my study in university.  When arriving in Phnom Penh at first, I didn’t have the faintest idea of what I was going to do and how I could survive without any help from my parents.  I was just like a piece of cloud which drifted with the current of the air, I thought.  As I remember, on the first day I was in Phnom Penh, I got lost along the way home from school, but luckily I was able to get back home after having asked people selling things along the road.

From day to day, I familiarized myself with this new and unfamiliar world.  I prepared everything myself.  I did cooking, went shopping, did laundry, washed dishes, prepared food, prepared my bed, and dealt with the problems myself.  Every morning, I woke up early in order to cook breakfast before going to school.  These daily activities have helped me to be confident and independent. What is the most important quality that can show that I am ready to live or study abroad is when I had a chance to represent my country on the global stage.

My school, the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, sent me to join the 14^th World Youth Meeting which was held in Japan.  Before going there, I had to contact a travel agent in order to buy an air ticket.  I did it myself. Then, I had to fly to Japan without any company.  Although I had never traveled so far from home, I was brave enough to travel on my own. Also, while in Japan, I faced other problems.  There were no people of my own race speaking my language and sharing similar experiences with me.  It was a bit difficult for me at first, but I could break down that barrier and adapt myself to the new environment.

Based on the aforementioned experiences, I believe that I am ready to spend my time living and studying in the United States.

ESSAY 3: Please select and answer one of the three questions below – 250 – 350 words, typed.

a.       What can contribute to this program, university life in the United States, and your community after you return?

b.       In your opinion what is the greatest challenge that your generation will face?  What ideas do you have for dealing with this issue?

c.        How do you think community service benefits local communities?  Please describe any experience you have volunteering.

A Great Challenge in my Generation

2015 is the year that all Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries will be integrated into one community.  Some people think that it will give opportunities to all people in ASEAN community to do business, exchange and learn from each other experiences and the like whereas some other people say that it also gives harmful impacts on some countries, especially those developing countries.  In my viewpoint, the greatest challenge that my generation will face is the fewer job opportunities for Cambodian people.

As I have known, a vast majority of Cambodian people are not well provided with high education, and most of them are those who live in rural areas within the country.  With the lack of industry and technology potential, Cambodia focuses mainly on agriculture as a major sector which can help improve the country economy, but there is a problem surrounding the human resources.  There will be a free flow of skilled workers such as engineers, architects, and entrepreneurs to name a few, yet the knowledge of Cambodian people is still limited, so I think that the integration of ASEAN countries will post a great challenge for Cambodian people.

However, it does not mean that I am pessimistic toward this integration.  Actually, every problem has a solution.  For me, there is a way, and that way is to provide Cambodian people with knowledge and skills relating to all fields.  The country will not be well developed unless skilled human resources are cultivated.  As one of Cambodia’s citizens, and also a prospective engineer in my country, I propose that government should send more Cambodian students in all fields of study to absorb and fetch new experiences and techniques from other countries so that they can share those valuable resources to all people when they come back to their home country. 

All in all, I believe that as long as the highly qualified human resources are still limited, Cambodian people will face a great challenge when integrating into one community of all ASEAN countries.