Tips for Applicants

• Distinguished scholars should have made their mark in other ways during their undergraduate careers. Substantial intellectual or creative projects, evidence of leadership or public service, and strong, detailed letters of recommendation are essential to compete for these prestigious awards.
• Make an appointment with your academic advisor and faculty scholarship advisor to develop a long-range plan. Discuss your future summer experiences, internships, classes, and extracurricular activities - all of which are crucial to a winning application.
• Take the GRE early.
• Get to know your professors early in your academic career.
• Begin writing your personal statement early.
• Begin writing a project proposal early. Confirm that your project makes sense for the program or institution you have targeted.
• Become familiar with the research and writing of faculty at the institutions to which you plan to apply.
• Speak to previous scholarship and fellowship winners and people who have pursued a similar project or program of study.