Getting the right proposal is the single most important part of the Watson. All to often, applicants try to come up with a proposal based on what they think the Waston Foundation wants to see. This approach invariably ends in failure.
Instead, a Watson proposal needs to be focused on one subject: your personal passion.
This sounds easy, but is often the most difficult part of the entire application process. Part of the problem is that focusing on one’s personal passion is often the exact opposite of everything you have been doing in your academic career. Writing a proposal about exploring mermaid mythology, or South American unicycle culture might feel a little strange for the high-achieving academic that you are!