I’m in the first stages of drafting my Personal Narratives for the next stage of the Foreign Service selection process. Today’s task is to brainstorm what stories I want to tell for each of the prompts, and how I want to frame them. Over the next couple of weeks (due in exactly two weeks from today), I will be fleshing out these outlines, proofreading, refining, and polishing the narratives ’til they’re shipshape and Bristol fashion.
The prompts basically ask you to write about a situation in which you exhibited this, that, or the other quality, which in turn shows your potential as a Foreign Service officer. I find this to be somewhat challenging because I feel like I am exhibiting all of these qualities constantly in my career and struggle to find one particular situation to write about. To be fair, there are plenty of situations I could write about, but from my perspective, few of them are truly interesting. Something happened, I dealt with it quickly and effectively, end of story. Hardly compelling drama!
On the other hand, I have managed to identify a sufficient number of things to write about, and it reminds me that I have actually done a lot in my short academic career. I feel like I should be proud of what I accomplished and look forward to where these accomplishments may lead me.
Congratulations on passing the FSOT!
I remember doing this exact same thing with my husband a few years ago when he was going through the process. We made lists of stories/experiences he had had and then sorted them into meaningful categories, trying to cover not only a wide range of topics, but also showcasing a variety of his personal strengths.
Good luck on your essays!