Advice for Juniors
As a junior you are delving more deeply into your major studies, exploring complementary courses or minors in other departments, beginning or planning study abroad, and starting to think more often about what steps you might take after graduating from Maryland. This is the ideal time to think about National Scholarships.
If you are considering graduate studies, studies or research abroad, or public service in the US or abroad, then learning about relevant national scholarships may help you to think through and realize some of your options. Here are just a few national scholarship offered in these areas:
- Fulbright US Student Program: Provides recent graduates opportunities for international research or teaching abroad.
- Boren Scholarship: Supports an academic year of a critical need language study abroad.
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship: Supports research-based graduate study in relevant science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
- Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellows Program: Supports research assistants to the Endowment's senior associates on projects such as non-proliferation, democracy building, trade, China-related issues, South Asian issues and Russian/Eurasian studies.
- Spanish Government English Teaching Assistant Program: Provides recent graduates an opportunity to work as a teaching assistant in Spain.
Competing for national scholarships is never just a matter of filling out forms by the deadline – even for top students. A good deal of planning, thought, effort, research and writing goes into the best scholarship applications. Some scholarships, such as Fulbright and the Rangel Graduate Fellowship have early fall deadlines, which means applicants must start as early as spring of their junior year.
The best applicants are those who take charge of their educational opportunities – both in the classroom and beyond – well in advance. As a junior you still have lots of time to pursue challenges that will make you more competitive. Learning about national scholarship now will help you take those steps.
Each national scholarship program is looking for a distinctive type of applicant. In general, national scholarships look for students with strong academic records (minimum GPA requirements vary from 3.0 to 3.8), clear and focused academic/intellectual/professional interests (often shown through involvement in research or in strongly related internships), and quality community service and/or leadership experiences.
The particular strengths and qualifications scholarship programs seek reflect the nature of the opportunities they offer, and the degree of competitiveness involved. The Fulbright award looks for applicants with strongly focused international research projects. The Goldwater and Hollings scholarships look for students with strong interests in scientific research. Truman scholarships are for students with stellar public service achievements. Teaching scholarships often look for prior experience in related activities, like tutoring, camp counseling, coaching and classroom experience. The Carnegie, Pickering, and Rangel awards look for very strong interests in international affairs. The National Scholarships Office can help you identify scholarships that are a good fit for your particular strengths and interests.
Strong scholarship applications start with YOUR strong interests and YOUR goals. Start thinking seriously about your main academic/intellectual/professional interests, and ask yourself where these might lead you. Start thinking about the goals that motivate you – graduate study, public service, study or research or teaching abroad. Then take some concrete steps to achieve your goals. If you have international interests, for example, continue with or start formal language study. If you want to work for the federal government, pursue federal internships or apply to the Federal or Global Fellows program on campus. The key is to gain experience and acquire specific knowledge and skills that will align with your interests and goals. Finally, review the Junior and Senior opportunities pages on the National Scholarships Office website. Learn what opportunities are available and consider whether these might be a good fit for you.
First, knowing your talents, interests and goals is the key to finding opportunities that are right for you. Take time to reflect on the things you do that most engage your mind and your passion.
Second, challenge yourself – by taking ‘honors’ options in your major, searching out ways to do research with your professors or through independent study or internships, taking on leadership roles or showing significant initiative in your community service activities, or by continuing to take language classes at higher and higher levels.
Third, all scholarships require strong letters of recommendation – usually three, sometimes more – so be sure to get to know your instructors and key internship supervisors, and help them get to know you. Talk to them about your thoughts, plans and questions about life after college. Ask them about the choices they made, and the paths they took to get where they are.
Finally, be a citizen of your worlds. Read The New York Times, The Economist, and The Washington Post. Keeping up with the world around you is something that will be useful to you in many areas of life, and will help you think about the role(s) you want to play in the future. Remember that national scholarships are looking for people who want to be actively involved in making the world a better place, and who are well-informed about the issues and challenges we all face. Also, make time to read journals and other publications in your particular field of interest – whether it’s international affairs, physics, education or literature. Learn about the important issues, problems and trends in your area of interest and future activity.