How to Write About STEM Projects
By Kathleen M.
So you are a STEM student who has lots of application essays to write and are struggling to write about all of the work you have done.
You have a list of projects and internships and summer programs that you have participated in and are unsure of how to move from list to essay. How can you write about a STEM project?
Here are a few ideas:
The most important thing is to communicate what you have done. And the problem is that you don’t know how much the people reading your application essay know about the kinds of projects you work on.
So the easiest solution is to tell them what you have done.
So instead of saying worked on a project aligning computer processing needs and uses, actually explain what you did – what was the problem you solved? How did you go about solving it?
Instead of saying you worked on biological experiments with a team working on dietary needs of snails, see if you can explain the actions you took.
Did you prepare slides? Did you collect specimens? Did you read data? How did your part of the process fit in with what your team was doing?
Instead of saying worked on studying a new compound on chemical team for the petroleum industry, see if you can dig even more into the details of what you did.
Who did you work with? What kinds of questions were you trying to discover?
All of the initial statements above seem specific enough but the kinds of questions you could ask yourself to really tell a story about what you did will make your application really shine
And you want to differentiate yourself from others applying.
You may find that you list the work you have done and highlight one project that is particularly impressive. Or you may decide to offer examples from each research opportunity you have had.
Remember that your essay should have one main focus – whichever approach you select. And that focus should be why you are a strong applicant for the program you are applying for.
