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Completing your application requires time, energy, and dedication. Our Selection Committee has put together some tips to help you transform that dedication into a standout application that showcases your leadership skills & experience, academic prowess, and commitment to global progress. We understand that the application process can be daunting as it requires careful planning, authenticity, thoughtful reflection, and a touch of inspiration. The ������ Selection Committee is here to help.
The application deadline, which is September 9 at 3 p.m. EDT, is approaching quickly, so we’ve curated a comprehensive toolkit that equips you with the tips you need to confidently refine and complete your application.

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What the ������ Selection Committee Is Looking For in a Successful Applicant

The ������ Selection Committee assesses all application components through three core pillars: leadership, intellect, and character. Keeping these in mind can help to contextualize the application advice that follows.

Leadership

Leadership is the program’s core evaluation criterion. We are looking for more than just a list of job titles and degrees. Our Selection Committee is looking for leaders of positive impact who are motivated by excellence and driven by an animating passion. Demonstrate your leadership narrative by showing how you made a meaningful impact within your roles and experiences. That might mean sharing how you launched a new initiative, mobilized others around a shared goal, or built a consensus across different perspectives. The strongest applications include tangible results that you’re proud to talk about.

Intellect

Intellect includes more than just grades and transcripts. Our Selection Committee is looking for leaders who have the intellectual depth and breadth to come up with solutions to the complex problems they see around them. Applicants should show their openness to new ideas, intellectual curiosity, and critical thinking abilities. As an international program, we are also looking for applicants who are interested in how global affairs and geopolitics may impact their field or industry. Your application should demonstrate that you’re comfortable with complexity and nuance, and that you’re invested in working through difficult questions.

Character

Character is demonstrated through values-driven leadership. Your application should show that you are motivated beyond just personal achievement, and that you display qualities such as empathy, humility, and integrity. Applicants should demonstrate their character by using real life experiences, focusing on examples where they collaborated with people of different backgrounds, beliefs, or perspectives.

Application Tips:

Resume

• Tailor your resume to focus on your demonstrated leadership. This resume may look a lot different from what you’ve submitted for a job or internship: it’s a supplement to the leadership narrative you share throughout the rest of your application.
• Include relevant details that otherwise may not be present in your application. Club affiliations, internship experiences and hobbies can all be included here to complement your education and career history.
• Remember that the Selection Committee is looking for leadership through impact. Don’t simply list what position you held, but highlight what changed as a result of your leadership. Share growth you drove, consensus you built, initiatives you led, and where you influenced others. Demonstrate that you know how to translate ideas into action. Wherever possible, emphasize tangible outcomes, achievements, and measurable results.

Essays (Leadership, Statement of Purpose)

• Craft a compelling narrative by sharing personal anecdotes that illustrate your leadership journey and values.
• Emphasize how your unique background, experiences and perspectives will enrich the program’s diverse global community.
• Use concrete examples to demonstrate your leadership skills, problem-solving abilities and commitment to positive change.
• Don’t get lost in the details. Some applicants spend much of their valuable word count on the setting of a story. Instead, think big picture. Your application should follow a cohesive and cogent narrative, and the essays should play a large part in emphasizing that story.
• Your statement of purpose should explain the mission that drives your work. Reflect on how your background, experiences, and values led you to become personally invested in your mission. Then, connect those past experiences to future aspirations. Clearly articulate the impact you hope to have in your field, the change you seek to drive, and the problems you’re committed to solving. Include how ������ fits into that trajectory and how it will help you achieve your mission.
• Remember: be authentic. The strongest essays don’t try to fit a perceived “������ mold” or attempt to guess what the Selection Committee wants to hear. Instead, talk about what genuinely motivates you and how those motivations have shaped your leadership journey. Share the unique challenges, questions, or issues that drive your leadership.

Letters of Recommendation

• Make sure you sit down with your recommenders before they submit your letter. Talk to them about ������, why you’re applying, and how they can best highlight your demonstrated leadership, character and intellect.
• Do your best to include recommenders that are actively excited to advocate for you. The energy and passion of a close mentor are what helps a letter of recommendation stand out.
• When considering recommenders, choose people who have had a “front-row seat” to your leadership, rather than prominent figures who don’t know you as well. Strong recommenders should be able to describe your leadership in action, provide specific examples of your impact, and speak honestly to your intellect and character. Their letters should help reinforce themes you already presented elsewhere in your application.
• Strong recommendation letters provide context to your demonstrated leadership, performance and trajectory relative to your peers and other individuals your recommenders have interacted with in their tenure in their respective sector/region.

Video Introduction

• The optional video introduction is a great way to supplement the leadership narrative you’ve already put in writing. It helps our selection committee get to know you better, so think about what you might share that would complement what’s in your written application.
• Don’t just regurgitate what’s in the bio you’ve included in the application. Give the Selection Committee something new that really showcases who you are.
• Have fun with this part. This is where we get to hear your voice and see the ways you can contribute to the ������ community.
• When do you feel like you’re at your best? What gives you a sense of joy, purpose, and fulfillment? Is it baking? Is it building? Is it researching? Or hiking? Or is it something else entirely? Bring us into your world and show us how you shine in it.

Personal Bio

• Though you have flexibility with what information you include, most Scholars highlight their current and former academic degrees, professional experiences, key leadership roles & accomplishments, and future aspirations.
• Current Scholar bios are available on the . Make sure to read as many as you can to get an accurate picture of the diversity of what leadership looks like in a cohort of ������.
• Think of your 100-word bio as your elevator pitch. It should provide a snapshot into your top leadership accomplishments and give us an idea of how you plan to shape the future.

Leadership Roles

• Use this section to showcase key leadership experience in your profile. What do you want to highlight to the selection committee? Use the 75-word description box to talk about your specific contribution, innovation, and impact. Don’t just tell us what the role was. Tell us about your impact, what you accomplished, and what you’re most proud of.
• Focus on quality over quantity – showcase a few impactful leadership roles and experiences, detailing the specific actions you took to lead and the positive outcomes that resulted.
• If you are struggling to come up with leadership examples, take the time to first identify your affiliations, which may come from your occupation, school, volunteering, athletics, community organizing, or advocacy work.
• Leadership takes many different forms. The Selection Committee understands this and evaluates applicants accordingly:
  • An entrepreneur might demonstrate leadership by securing funding, launching a venture, or building a sustainable business.
  • A student might share how they started a new club, led in student government, or otherwise made an impact on their campus or in their community.
  • Someone working in the nonprofit sector might share how they’ve expanded programs and improved outcomes for the communities they serve.
  • A corporate leader might talk about how they opened new markets, improved efficiency, or drove significant business outcomes.
  • Someone working in government might share how they took ownership of critical projects, earned trust and responsibility, and delivered meaningful public impact.
• The Selection Committee is less interested in where you worked and more interested in hearing about the difference you made within your field.
• Impact can be demonstrated in any industry, role, or sector. What matters is how you’ve made a meaningful difference in the context where you work.

Awards & Recognition

• For each entry, clearly explain why the award or recognition is relevant to your leadership journey. How does it demonstrate your qualities as a leader and your commitment to making an impact?
• Awards can come from many places. While some are made at the national or international level, it’s also important to include recognition at the regional, local, or institutional level.

Transcripts

Request transcripts as early as possible, as processing times can vary significantly by institution. Remember, applications are due September 9, 3:00 p.m. EDT. If transcripts are not in English, include certified or approved translations according to application requirements. Review transcript requirements carefully to avoid delays and ensure all required academic records are submitted before the deadline.

Application FAQs from our Selection Committee:

What’s one of the most important things you’re looking for when you review applications?

The most important word to keep in mind is “authenticity.” We want to get a clear view of who our applicants are, what types of leaders they are, what they want to do, how they think they can get there and why ������ is essential in that vision. Tell us who you are, not what you think we’re looking for. Our Selection Committee is not looking for one thing. We’re looking for unique young leaders who can bring something new and interesting to the program and who will contribute to the mission of the program over the course of their lifetimes.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who is working through their application (or a specific section of the application)?

Don’t get caught up in what you think your application “should” look like. We don’t want you to minimize or fit yourself into the application process. Instead, lean into your unique interests, strengths and perspectives. Apply with the confidence that you will both benefit from and contribute to the ������ experience.

What’s one common error or pattern to look out for?

Here are three tips to help you avoid common errors:

• Proofread your work. Unnecessary mistakes may distract from a clear picture of who you are so attention to detail is crucial. Effective communication is important for a leader—show us you understand that through your application.
• Check in with your recommenders. You don’t want a lack of recommendations to cause you to have an incomplete application that cannot be sent for review.
• Read through the application instructions carefully and follow them meticulously.

Is there a specific order you recommend approaching the application from?

• Before approaching the application materials, we always encourage applicants to create a login and read through the entire application. This is a helpful practice even for prospective applicants who do not plan on applying in the current cycle. Reading through the application first will help you assess which components will be more time-consuming and allow you to plan accordingly. Once you are certain that you are applying, it can be helpful to reach out to your recommenders early. Recommendation letters cannot be accepted after the application deadline passes, so be sure to provide your recommenders with sufficient lead time.
• Start with a clear understanding of the program’s mission and values. Then, consider your own experiences and achievements in that context. Begin with sections you feel most confident about and gradually work on others. Don’t forget to leave enough time for proofreading and final adjustments.

What would you say to someone who is applying to ������ for the second or third year?

• To those who are embarking on their ������ application journey for the second or third year, your determination and commitment are truly commendable. We encourage reapplicants to reflect on their previous application and identify areas for growth. Highlight how you have evolved since your last application and showcase new leadership experiences, achievements and impact that strengthen your application. You can also seek feedback: don’t hesitate to reach out to mentors, professors or individuals who have experience with application processes. Their insights can offer fresh perspectives and help you fine-tune your application.
• How have those opportunities further focused your leadership vision and sense of purpose? Leadership development is a progression, and we want to hear about yours. Tell us how, at the point of reapplication, ������ is the right next step in your leadership trajectory.

If someone is feeling stuck on part of the application, what should they do?

• If you’re feeling stuck on any part of the application, you may benefit from taking an intentional break. Application fatigue could be preventing you from putting your best foot forward for the selection committee and intentional time away to rest and reflect can help you return with inspiration and drive.
• Don’t wait until the last minute. Have a strategy to complete your application and give yourself enough time to revise your application materials before submitting.
• Make your application personal. The ������ application process is about you. We want to know who you are as a leader, why you want to be a part of our community and what you have to contribute to the program and the mission.
• Get others involved. All of the work you submit with your application must be your own, but that doesn’t mean you can’t consult with advisors, mentors, friends and colleagues to help you reflect on your experiences and refine your goals. Let others know that you are invested in this opportunity. Invite your peers, recommenders and mentors to offer feedback on your essays and application materials. It takes a village to write a strong application.
• Of course, you are always welcome to contact the Selection Committee at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Are there any specific experiences/achievements that stand out and make applicants more suitable for the program?

There is no singular experience or achievement that makes a Schwarzman Scholar. Instead, candidates should highlight their demonstrated leadership, character and intellect through their own story. Everyone’s narrative is different – your education, your work, your identity can inform your sphere of influence. Think about ways you best want to capture your impact through your resume, essays and letters of recommendation that showcase your best talents.

How important is it for applicants to demonstrate a genuine interest in China and Global Affairs?

• While you certainly don’t have to be an expert in China or Global Affairs, we do want to see a clear case for how you will benefit from and contribute to the experience of living in China and studying Global Affairs. ������ are open-minded and excited to engage with the world, so take any opportunity in your application to speak about what sparks your curiosity in the world around you and how the program would help you explore that more deeply.
• We have a wide variety of majors represented in every ������ cohort, ranging from engineering to business to public health and humanities to social sciences. The thread that ties our Scholars together academically is that they are eager to understand the issues related to Global Affairs that they will face and encounter as leaders.

Do applicants need to have previous China-related experience or education?

The selection process does not revolve around whether you’ve had prior experience in China before applying to the program. Instead, our emphasis is on your demonstrated leadership and your ability to effectively convey that in your application. Getting first-hand experience in China, building relationships with leaders in China and understanding the language and culture will all be critical to set you up for success in your leadership trajectory, no matter what field you may go into.

Are there any resources that you would recommend to applicants for a better understanding of the application process?

• We run regular application walkthrough virtual sessions where we break down every section of the application process. Catch the next one here: schwarzmanscholars.org/admissions/information-sessions
• Explore the ������ website. You will find plenty of information offering detailed insights into the program’s mission, curriculum and application requirements.
• Additionally, we encourage you to engage with our social media platforms, such as , , and . These channels frequently feature testimonials, videos and posts from Scholars and Alumni, shedding light on their personal experiences and application journeys. It’s a good way to gain first-hand perspectives and gather valuable insights.

Is there anyone I can contact with specific questions if they come up as I work through finalizing my application?

If you have further questions after looking through our website, social media and informational webinars, please feel free to reach out at [email protected]. We also answer questions live through our information sessions and application walkthroughs.

We hope these tips and resources serve you well in shaping your application. Our Selection Committee is excited to begin selecting a new cohort of leaders to join our global community. Don’t forget, the application deadline is September 9, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. EDT. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

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Application Resources:

• Admissions Overview
• Application Instructions Page
• Eligibility Requirements
• Application FAQs

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This article was originally published on August 28, 2023 and has been updated to reflect the Class of 2028 key milestones.