[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-349658-105":53,"doc-detail-349658-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":119,"head_meta":121,"extra_data":123,"updated_unix":125},105,"en","fellowship-narrative-workshop-finding-your-narrative-writing-the-personal-statement","Fellowship Narrative Workshop - Finding Your Narrative: Writing the Personal Statement","","Fellowship Narrative Workshop guides applicants in crafting a compelling personal statement that clearly introduces who they are to readers unfamiliar with their background. It outlines how to find and tell a narrative, identify strong essay qualities, and determine what a personal statement should communicate, including identity categories, motivations, experiences, and key memories. Interactive small-group activities support building an archive and drafting an outline using evidence connected into a coherent, fellowship-focused story while avoiding clichés and common pitfalls.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/fellowship-narrative-workshop-finding-your-narrative-writing-the-personal-statement/349658/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/fellowship-narrative-workshop-finding-your-narrative-writing-the-personal-statement/349658.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"River Wang","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-10","2026-09-22",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":9},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"What should a personal statement accomplish for fellowship applications?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"It serves as your first chance to introduce yourself to someone who does not know you, showing what you want them to learn about you and how you convey it clearly. 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What do you want them to know about you? How can you convey yourself to them?  \n• Begin by breaking down your identity into categories:  \n• Personality traits  \n• Interests  \n• Goals  \n• Motivations  \n• Experiences  \n• Key memories  \n• If you’re having trouble thinking of things, try answering these questions:  \n• What motivates you?  \n• What excites you?  \n• What parts of you might not be seen in the other parts of your application (resume, transcript, etc.)?  \nSMALL GROUP ACTIVITY 1:  \n● Workshop Activity: In small groups, take 5–8 minutes to list as much as you can in the categories below (feel free to add other categories!)  \n● Then, share what you’ve listed (as you are comfortable) with the group.After each person shares, the other members of the group should respond by observing what grabbed their attention, what themes emerged, and any other helpful observations. Listeners should consider the following:  \n○ Did the speaker seem more excited when describing certain experiences, traits, or motivations?  \n○ Did you notice a narrative/theme emerging as the speaker shared?  \nCategories:  \nPersonality traits Interests  \nGoals Motivations Quirks Experiences Key memories  \nCRAFTING YOUR NARRATIVE  \n• Now you have your archive!  \n• Next step: Crafting your narrative.  \n• What is your “narrative”?  \n• Think of it like a series of evidence about yourself (traits, character, motivations, etc.) presented in short examples that connect as a coherent story about who you are and show how you are a good fit for the fellowship.  \n• If the ideal conclusion of this narrative is you getting the fellowship, what do you need to tell them about yourself, your life, and your skills to get there?  \nSMALL GROUP ACTIVITY 2 :  \nTake 5–8 minutes to create a rough outline for your essay using your archive.  \nConsider:  \n• Which example/memory/characteristic/experience would serve asa good hook that grabs the reader’s attention and is related to your goal of getting the fellowship.  \n• Hint: There is no one way to do this. Some people start by talking about a research experience. Others talk about a childhood memory that is somehow connected to their current interest. Others do something totally different.  \n• Share your outline with the group.  \n• Do the pieces fit together logically? It’s ok if they don’t yet, but what might you need to do to make them connect?  \nKEEP IN MIND:  \n• Give background and details but with a light, precise touch.  \n• All the examples you give, stories you tell, and traits you reveal about yourself must have a point. Don’t tell an exciting or shocking story just for the shock value. It has to point toward the fellowship and what makes you uniquely suited to get it.  \n• Write a full, rough draft of the story you want to tell and then shorten it to the key information.They don’t need to know everything.The climax is key.  \n• Consider: moments of change, growth, becoming  \n• Be creative but don’t go crazy.  \nKEEP IN MIND:  \n• Beware of the model essay.  \n• Read them, but don’t try to imitate them. These are personal essays. If you follow someone else’s model, then it will not be unique to you. Use one or tw","cbCaiifcbQeDTdHw","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiifcbQeDTdHw","pdf",1152817,23,"English","# Outline\n## Finding your narrative\n## Telling your narrative\n## Tips for crafting your narrative\n## Common pitfalls\n## Avoiding clichés\n# Qualities of a Strong Personal Essay\n# What Should a Personal Statement Do?\n# Small Group Activity 1\n# Crafting your narrative\n# Small Group Activity 2\n# Common Pitfalls: Cliché s","[{\"question\":\"What should a personal statement accomplish for fellowship applications?\",\"answer\":\"It serves as your first chance to introduce yourself to someone who does not know you, showing what you want them to learn about you and how you convey it clearly. It also makes apparent why you are applying for the fellowship.\"},{\"question\":\"How can applicants find ideas to build their narrative?\",\"answer\":\"Applicants can break their identity into categories such as personality traits, interests, goals, motivations, experiences, and key memories, then answer prompts like what motivates and excites them and which parts of them might not be visible in other application materials.\"},{\"question\":\"How should applicants avoid clichés in their personal essays?\",\"answer\":\"Clichés are overused expressions or stories that have lost specific meaning, so they should not be relied on as-is. If chosen, they must be transformed into something fresh and unique, and applicants should use them carefully for a strong hook without submitting cliché content unchanged.\"}]","Fellowship Narrative Workshop - Finding Your Narrative: Writing the Personal Statement | PDF",1790084872,8]