USSYP FINALIST INTERVIEWS
2024-2025
ESSAY QUESTIONS
Instructions:
Your answer to ONE of the following essay questions will help our committee get a better understanding of your interest and aptitude in government, history, and politics which is part of the United States Senate Youth Scholarship Program selection process.
Please choose a prompt to write an essay of 300 words or less exploring as fully as possible ONE of the following issues.
Please in the include the prompt at the top of your essay.
The use of AI is not permitted.
Prompts:
1. America is unquestionably in a very politically divided moment. And yet, there are issues that affect the future of all Americans that must be addressed to ensure the country’s safety, prosperity and integrity. Please discuss a few of the issues you think should be given highest priority by the upcoming presidential administration, and why. How would you as a future leader in government work to bridge the current political divide to help solve pressing problems? Think about examples from your own life when students in a class or friends at a party disagreed vehemently about important issues or decisions. How, if at all, did they work out their differences? What leadership qualities and strategies do you think are important to help bring people together? Can disagreements ever lead to positive outcomes in American politics, or more generally, in life itself?
2. Once you turn eighteen, you will have the chance to vote in a presidential election for the first time. What are the factors that you plan to consider when deciding who to vote for as the next president? Will your friends and family members influence your vote, and if so, which ones and how? If not, why not? Do you think the current system for choosing the two major parties’ presidential nominees through state primaries and caucuses is well-suited to produce the most qualified candidates possible? If not, how would you reform this process?
3. Explain how the role of a U.S. senator differs from that of a state’s governor or chief executive. If you had a choice, which of the two roles would you prefer to serve in one day, and why? Have you had any leadership experiences in your life that you feel would help you to be a success in that chosen position? If so, please explain. If not, what experiences do you think would offer the best preparation to be a success in that role?
4. America’s active involvement in sending military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine has reignited a debate among U.S. policymakers about whether U.S. foreign policy should emphasize principles of isolationism or principles of internationalism. Have you discussed these foreign policy issues in class or among friends? If yes, what was the consensus among your friends or fellow students? If you were president of the United States, what type of foreign policy would your administration endorse, and who in your Cabinet would you call on for expertise in the matter? Please explain and justify your choices.
5. The federal government of the United States currently has limited authority to act on education, and primarily serves to support the education systems of state and local governments. Discuss your thoughts on the role the federal government should have in education in the 21st Century. Do you think national educational standards are important, and if so, how would you recommend they be implemented? What reforms would you propose for America’s education system if you were a government or community leader?
Please Note: We will be using Google Docs for your Essays. Each of you has a document prepared for you to write your essay.
NOTE: You can check the word count, by selecting, ‘Tools’ on the top of the screen. Then select ‘word count’ from the drop-down menu.