The Way to the MEPI Student Leaders Program!

The application for the US-MEPI Student Leaders Program are to open on October 9th, get READY !

If you are too lazy to read this detailed article about the application process, you will also be lazy to fill in the application.

MEPI Student Leaders Program is one of the many opportunities that open an online application once a year. Through this online application they recruit a number of student leaders to spend five weeks in the United States of America developing their leadership skills and making their Community Engagement Plan. Before the 2018 summer program, the period has always been six weeks and around 100-120 were selected to participate, but now it is just five weeks and 60 students from around the MENA region. This makes it more competitive because only between six to nine students will be able to make it from each country.

To read about the program details and the eligibility criteria, please check this out:

https://mepi.state.gov/education/student-leaders-program/

Now before we get to the application details, here's a motivational video that a group of students filmed as part of their experience in Montana State University within the MEPI Student Leaders Program of 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb6QQNAi0HM

Now, let’s talk about the most important step toward SLP which is the online application. You might think it is only about essay writing and choosing fascinating words to impress the selection committee, I’d like to say that it’s not only that. Before you start your application you have two questions to ask yourself “Why do I want to apply? What do I really want to do?”, these two questions define your motivation and your exact goal for applying to the program. In addition to that, you have to bear in mind that there are hundreds of students applying in your country, so do not let your self-confidence knock you down thinking that you are better or the best. Only remember to keep saying “Yes, I will do it”. Furthermore, focus on the application and not on what is after the application, which means do not think about the interview or about whether or not you will be shortlisted. Do not start to think about the amazing summer you will spend and the people you are going to meet and the life you are going to live, it might carry you away and you might lose focus. I am telling you this because I already have been in this situation. Instead, focus on the goal you want to reach and that the program will help you in achieving.

The documents that will be required for the application are:

A clear scanned copy of your passport (you can upload your ID and get your passport while waiting for the results).
A letter of recommendation that you download from the website and give to someone who taught you or someone who works with you to fill it. A teacher who you trust can fill it in for you because they might contact them for more questions. If you know it is someone who never replies to their emails or never picks up their phone, do not do it, choose the right person.
The last transcript you got from university.
A well-formed CV.

Next is the application that might at some point seem boring or exhausting. Remember, however, that you are not in a hurry because you have two months to gather your ideas and do it in a good way. All previous student leaders have demonstrated a high interest in their applications; they were patient and could impress the selection committee. Then, you do the same by showing how much you are interested and impress them by your ideas. Your application is your mirror because they do not know you but they are reading your ideas, trying to decode your personality through your words. You want them to reach a point reading your application to say” This is the one”.

The first question after filling your personal and educational information is:

“If selected, please describe your plans after participating in the student leaders program."

In this question they do not define the limited number of words but I would advise you to answer it in 100-200 words. This question is kind of career plan question where they want to make sure that you are willing to serve your community. You can talk about the activities you are engaged in and what are your plans for next year with them. You can also include your studies plan. This question also tries to make sure that you actually intend on going back to your country and implement the change that you will learn will be possible once you are in your university for the program.

In another question, you will be asked to talk about your special interests. Feel at ease stating what you like to do, how you spend your free time, what your hobbies are. Some of the things you can state here are the civil society activities you are engaged in.

Another section will be devoted for writing about your memberships or “What associations or clubs do you take part of?”. Here, you can list the organization’s name and your role in it whether or not it is a leadership role. Write about each small role you have taken even if you deem it small or unimportant.

In the section of “Honors and Awards”, you will be expected to state the certificates you received as awards after your participation in a competition or a conference for example. You’ll be expected to write the name of the award along with the date you got it.

After that, there will be three essays but you will choose only two to write:

The first essay says “How are you a leader? Provide us with 1-3 concrete examples of how you built your capacity skills to cope with a challenge, make change and inspire others. What did you learn and how did your leadership style developed as a result? What was the impact of this change on you and the people around you?” (No more than 500 words)

This essay basically gives you the floor to talk about yourself but before that try to tell them what does leadership mean to you in general.

You will have to state some examples of when you were a leader and how you built your skills dealing with problems and challenges.

This will be a descriptive essay, so try to describe your experience very well. Then, as a result of those experiences there comes a point where you developed and impacted people around you. So, you clearly say what the change was on a personal and external level.

The second essay says” Tell us about a public figure whose morals convictions you most aspire to emulate. Which key characteristics of that person do you see within yourself and in which way are you different? Discuss how these characteristics sometimes prove to be negative. Be creative, you can choose someone from your era that the committee can recognize avoiding teachers and relatives”. (No more than 500 words)

This essay is basically talking about someone that inspired you rather than talking about yourself only. You will choose a public figure or a leader in your era that the selection committee can recognize. You will state the similarities and differences between you and this public figure. This essay basically allows you to compare yourself to someone you admire as a leader, it can be Oprah Winfrey, Malala, Angelina Jolie or a public figure (presidents, politicians).

The third essay says” Imagine that you win 50.000$ grant to engage in an activity within your reach. The project must be concrete and be done within a year and benefit your community. It should promote self-growth as a leader and impact your community. Please provide details of how you will spend the year and what motivates you to do it and what benefits it will bring to you and your community.”

This is essay is time consuming for those who want to submit a “perfect” application. You should know exactly what you want to do and what is the aim of it. The project must be for the benefit of your community. Do not forget to state details about how you will implement the project and how you will work during that year. you can also say things about the team you will work with. By the end, you will write about how this project will help you grow as a leader and how it will positively impact the community. Try to think of sustainable projects that are for the benefit of education, humanity and youth development. Also, try to know what are the needs of your community (where you live) and make it realistic.

Finally, keep your language simple and good. Check your grammatical mistakes and the structure and content of your essays with a teacher or someone you trust can guide you. Please avoid plagiarism because it is easy to be detected. Also, be careful of giving to someone to write the essays for you because it will be detected in the interview phase as well. The committee interviewing you is clever to notice that through your answers and body language. Do something original by yourself without trying to make it look “perfect” through using difficult and long words and expressions. The selection committee will be reviewing more than 2500 applications, so make it clear for them through your writing. Work smart not hard.