Hello,
I am writing this study objective essay for Fulbright Master's Degree scholarship. The deadline is next Friday, Feb 15. The prompts are as follow:
As part of the evaluation of your application, you are required to attach a one page (please do not exceed the 1 page limit) of a clear and detailed description of your study objectives. Give your reason for wanting to pursue them in the U.S. Describe the kind of program you expect to undertake, and explain how your proposed field of study fits in with your educational background, your professional background, your future objectives, and your future involvement in community development. Please type, do not write.
My intention is to use this opportunity to study Integrated Innovation in Products and Services or Integrated Product Design or Product Design Management (each university has different title) but the core of the study mostly revolves around Design Thinking.
My writing structure is:
1. Intro
2. Why Design Thinking
3. Objectives after completing study
4. Why USA & Closing
Your feedback is deeply appreciated! Thank you :)
description of your study objectives
Last year, i had the opportunity to explore Design Thinking. It is an approach that is focused on user-centricity and a process for creative problem solving. It has encouraged me, as a Business Analyst, to work more effectively alongside designers, product owners and developers. We picked up various tools and began to generate big creative ideas with a direct focus on improving our customer experience. As a part of the Digital Transformation team at one of a leading telecommunication provider company in Indonesia, we are in the process of revamping our digital products to better suit our customers' needs, which is a total of 52.9 million mobile subscribers.
Today, I strongly believe that the Design Thinking is a methodology that can be applied across different situations and industries to solve complicated problems easily. In fact, it can certainly exercise complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity simultaneously. What really fascinated me the most about this methodology was that its original form was introduced by Stanford University in the USA and today many prestigious universities in the USA has adopted this methodology and offer exciting courses in this arena. Taking account of my education in Management studies along with professional background and interests, i want to pursue the Master of Integrated Innovation in Product and Services program. This multidisciplinary program is where students from engineering, design or business backgrounds develop expertise in Design Thinking by leveraging their existing skills and developing new ones while building desirable, feasible and sustainable physical and digital products that people need, want and love. Through the program, i look forward to learning from the best leaders in business and in Design Thinking in the world.
After my study, i am excited to bring back this methodology to Indonesia where i can serve as a Design Thinking Subject Matter Expert and lecturer. I want to contribute back to my alma mater by being a lecturer. I discovered the joy of teaching when i became a lecturer assistant for a year during my final year of study. I want to use this methodology to encourage my students create innovations that solve problems by being customer-centric. Other than lecturing, i dream to start an innovation hub in the university where students from various disciplines could study Design Thinking, work in a collaborative environment, and solve problems creatively. The World Economic Forum reports that the ten skills to thrive in 2020 are no longer related to hard-skills but soft-skills such as complex problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. These skills can be practiced easily by studying Design methodology. Lastly, i hope to also serve as an innovation consultant for SMEs in Indonesia, especially in the area of digital products and services. According to a report by OECD in 2018, SMEs play an important role for economic growth and social inclusion in Indonesia but only 18% of Indonesian SMEs use website or social media and only 9% adopt sophisticated e-commerce strategies. Because of this, i want to help them to create innovations that are relevant with their customers so that they can compete in the global market.
I strongly believe that studying Integrated Innovation for Products and Services in USA will surely hone my skills and knowledge in the field of Design Thinking. Based on a list made by Forbes, USA is a home to 52 out of 100 of the most innovative companies in the world and 46 out of 100 of the world's most innovative universities, based on a list by Reuters. I cannot think of a better innovative environment than in USA.Holt Educational Consultant - / 14,835 
4783 Angela, you wrote an essay based on your desire to share specific information, regardless of whether it fits the prompt requirements provided or not. Therefore, I cannot say that this is an essay that will help your application for a Fulbright scholarship. It is simply weak in terms of required data and irrelevant in scope because of your personally created prompt requirements / paragraph topics / writing outline.
You are not mentioning any of your relevant academic background in this essay. As such, the screener will not be convinced that you have the academic foundation to understand the courses that will be taught as a part of the masters course. You have to prove that you have the academic background to help you perform as expected within the masters course curriculum. Apply an equal focus to your academic background and professional background discussions.
Clarify the reason why you want to study this course in the United States. Simply mentioning that Stanford established this line of study is not enough. What are the actual reasons? What impressed you most about the application of design thinking in the US? How is it applied? Do you plan to use the same application in your country? Think of more believable and stronger reasons than just a university mention.
The last 2 paragraphs of this essay may be used in its original form. These are the only parts of this essay that do not require revision. However, the first few parts require a total rewrite so it may be better to write a new essay instead of trying to revise this existing one. Just add on the useful 2 paragraphs at the end of the new version.
