OSA Sample Scholarship Essays
Some of the following content has been altered to maintain anonymity. MSU standards for intellectual
honesty apply to scholarship application essays. Essays copied in whole or in part from these samples or
any other applicant’s work will be rejected and may result in disciplinary action.
Essay #1
Score: 4.0
For as long as I can remember I’ve known what I wanted to do with my life. Science has
always been a passion of mine, and medicine in particular has interested me for some
time. Dedicating my life to improving the lives of others is very appealing to me. After
Michigan State, I plan on advancing to medical school to become a physician. I believe
this program will offer me valuable skills that cannot be taught in the classroom.
Throughout high school and college thus far I have taken a rigorous curriculum and
maintained a 4.0 grade point average. During high school I was involved in a physician
shadowing program called medical mentorship. In addition, I volunteered at Sparrow
Hospital this fall in patient transport. I am very familiar with and comfortable in clinical
settings. I am responsible, focused, hard working and easy to get along with. I
participated in a Freshman Study Abroad program this summer and thoroughly enjoyed
it. Studying in a foreign country was an experience unlike any I’ve had. The classes were
challenging and thought provoking. The city was breathtaking and I met many friends
who I still keep in touch with.
Although I plan on practicing medicine in the United States, I believe that studying the
differences between the British health care system and that of the United States would
benefit me a great deal in the future. It would be a valuable opportunity for me to shadow
a British physician, and compare that experience to the clinical exposure I’ve had in the
United States. By participating in this program I hope to eventually combine the best of
both worlds into my medical education and eventual practice. I plan to learn valuable
skills that will one day make me a better doctor.
Essay #2
Score: 4.0
My academic and professional goals are one as I apply to American Religious Studies
Ph.D. programs. I want to study in Rome, home of the religious heart of Catholicism, to
reexamine a tradition that shaped the imagination of my youth and continues to influence
my approach to religious studies. I value the skills that studying in Rome would provide
for looking to international religions for new ways of understanding religion in America.
In graduate school I hope to study under Dr. [name withheld], who researches Catholic
mysticism at [name withheld]. My experiences near the Vatican will persist beyond next
summer to influence my research on American Catholicism under [name withheld]’s
mentorship.
I am seeking an undergraduate capstone experience. Before freshman year at MSU I
spent thirteen months as a Congress-Bundestag ambassador in the German cities of