General Guidelines

(compiled with the input and advice of the leadership of the Truman Scholarship Foundation)

In completing items 7-9 and 13-15 of the Nominee Information Form, you should strive to:

	Be absolutely honest. Don't overstate accomplishments, claim credit for what should be shared, imply something other than the truth, nor propose a graduate study plan or ambitions only for the Truman competition.
	Be yourself. In a "blind reading" (e.g., your name removed) of your application with other good applications, your family and your teachers would identify you. The set of responses to these items ought to be one that only you can write.
	Make it interesting. Consider having an approach that introduces some pertinent unusual features of you or your experiences to reveal your unique individuality and to help distinguish you from the other candidates.
	Avoid undue repetition. Don't make the personal statement a narrative description of all of your activities previously identified in Items 2-4. Highlight the most important.
	Answer the questions concretely and specifically. Except for Item 15, you should have precise, well-focused answers responsive to the Item. Depth is better than breadth.
	Engage the reader quickly. Have intriguing or compelling opening and closing sentences in your narrative responses to Items 7, 8, and 15.
	Be current. If you cite statistics or political developments or provocative writings, they should be up to date. Be careful about examples from high school days or early childhood.
	Understand the goal of the personal statement. The main goal of the written material is to get an invitation to the interview and to present some lines of questioning. An outstanding personal statement won't win a Truman Scholarship for you... but a poorly prepared one will deny you the chance to interview for the scholarship.
	Maintain a sharp focus. Have precise responses to each item. Don't try to share every interest, every societal concern, every accomplishment, every ambition, every passion.
	Maintain a degree of modesty, especially in Item 15. Hold down the use of "I". If you have had a rare accomplishment (e.g., member of a National team, winner or high finisher in a national competition, board for an international organization), share it. Be careful in trumpeting high school accomplishments -- many Truman Scholar candidates have been high school class presidents, varsity athletes, debate champions and the like.
	Be realistic in Items 13 and 14. Be bold but not unrealistically ambitious.
	Reveal your motivations for a career in public service.
	Avoid repeating experiences. Use different examples for your responses to Items 7, 8, 9, and 15 if possible. Let the Finalists Selection Committee members see your various dimensions.
	Dealing with major challenges. If discrimination, poverty, family breakdown, severe illness or another problem beyond your control has been a major factor in your development and the establishment of your ambitions, write about it. Avoid playing for sympathy. Truman Scholars are selected on the basis of accomplishment -- not endurance.
	Explain "understandable" gaps or weaknesses. If you had a serious illness or unusually heavy family obligations that temporarily affected your grades or limited your participation in public service, please share it (or have your Faculty Representative bring it out).

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