First Year and Post-First Year Preparation

Being competitive for a national fellowship is similar to being competitive for graduate school or for the job market. You are laying the foundation for being successful in the career that you choose. The following information is to give you some pointers as you plan your undergraduate career. If you are serious about applying for scholarships, please make an appointment with Dr. Damuth so that she can help you further.

Start early. Know what you need to do in advance so that you can plan your undergraduate program.

First Year
(and each year)

  • Take challenging classes. What is a challenging class? It might be a class outside of your major that asks you to think in different ways, or an upper level class. It might be a graduate class.
  • Get to know your professors, advisors, administrators, employers. (These relationships can be important for networking, mentoring, and references for your future.)
  • Begin to think about summer employment or internships in your area of study.
  • Expand your knowledge of the world: study abroad (or PLAN when you will study abroad), READ the New York Times or the Economist on a regular basis, ATTEND lectures (like the EN Thompson Forum) to expand your knowledge.
  • Become involved in extra-curricular activities that are IMPORTANT to you; BE SELECTIVE and DELIBERATE about what you do.
  • Seek out LEADERSHIP experiences in your extra-curricular choices.
  • Get involved in RESEARCH.

When you look at each fellowship, you will see how becoming involved in the above activities will help with the application process.

Post-First Year

Most of the fellowships listed in this document are INSTITUTIONALLY NOMINATED. You must work with Dr. Damuth in order to be eligible. There are other awards to consider as well; talk with Dr. Damuth about other possibilities.

Think about which pathway might be right for you:

Undergraduate awards:

  • Goldwater Scholarship Pathway
  • Udall Scholarship Pathway
  • Truman Scholarship Pathway

     

    Graduate awards:

  • UK Overseas Scholarship Pathway (Rhodes, Marshall, Gates-Cambridge)
  • Fulbright Scholarship Pathway
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