recommendation letter

Your personal statement should include the following elements:

Describe your interests in various fields of science and your potential career interests. Also describe your relevant experience and skills and how they may relate to work done at NIST (go to www.nist.gov for more information on their research areas). In addition, here are some sample questions that you may want to address in your personal statement to help us achieve a clearer picture of you and your goals.

1) Looking at the NIST website, do you have areas that are of particular interest to you? (Please do not narrow your comments to one specific project, as this type of matching is nearly impossible. We are interested in general areas of interest based on the various programs on the NIST website.)

2) What skills do you have that might be relevant to any type of project at NIST?

3) Are there areas of science that you would definitely NOT be interested in pursuing at NIST?

4) Why did you choose your particular major and/or career path?

5) What do you enjoy most in your classes? Why? Specific examples may be helpful.

6) What do you enjoy outside of your classes? Why?

7) If there are gaps in your schooling, what did you do during that time?

8) What challenges have you had to overcome?

9) Where do you see yourself in ten years?

10) What else would you like us to know about you?