drexel fellowships

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drexel fellowships

• A look at the Fulbright, Marshall, and Mitchell
  Scholarships

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What are Fellowships?

• On the downside
• Competitive
• Very demanding application process
• Not Financial Aid

• On the upside
• Extremely prestigious
• Often quite generous
• Exposure to new ideas, new people, new cultures.

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Drexel 2008 Fellowship Winners

• NSF 12
• Fulbright 3
• National Security Education Program 1
• Jack Kent Cooke 1
• Goldwater 1
• World Bank 1
• Rotary International 1
• Freeman Asia 4
• Gilman 4
• Baden-Wurtenburg - 4

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Mitchell Scholarship

• What is it?
• One year of graduate study in any discipline
  offered by institutions of higher learning in
  Ireland and Northern Ireland.
• 12 awards annually
• Why?
• Designed to introduce and connect generations of
  future American leaders to the island of Ireland,
  while recognizing and fostering intellectual
  achievement, leadership, and a commitment to
  public service and community.
• Whats it cover?
• The Mitchell Scholarship provides tuition,
  housing, a living expenses stipend, and an
  international travel stipend

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Mitchell Application

• Eligibility and Criteria
• 18-30 years old
• US citizen
• Three main criteria academic excellence,
  leadership, and a sustained commitment to service
  and community.
• How and when do I apply?
• Drexel deadline September 20, 2008
• Online application, 5 recommendations proof of
  citizenship transcripts 1000-word personal
  essay
• 3-5 desired graduate programs at Irish
  institutions.
• University endorsement required.
• 20 finalists interviewed in DC on November 21-22
  12 selected.
• Website www.us-irelandalliance.org

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Marshall Scholarship

• What is it?
• Two academic years of graduate study in the UK in
  any discipline, leading to the award of a British
  graduate degree, usually an MPhil.
• 40 awards annually.
• Why?
• To strengthen British-American understanding,
  especially among the US top scholars and future
  leaders.
• Whats it cover?
• Two years of University fees, cost of living
  expenses, annual book grant, thesis grant,
  research and daily travel grants, fares to and
  from the United States and, where applicable, a
  contribution towards the support of a dependent
  spouse.

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Marshall Application

• Eligibility and Criteria
• US Citizen
• Recent graduate of US institution no UK degree
• Minimum 3.7 GPA
• DISTINCTION OF INTELLECT AND CHARACTER AS
  EVIDENCED BOTH BY THEIR SCHOLASTIC ATTAINMENTS
  AND BY THEIR OTHER ACTIVITIES AND
  ACHIEVEMENTSPOTENTIAL TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT
  CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR OWN SOCIETYSTRONG
  MOTIVATION AND SERIOUSNESS OF PURPOSE...
• How and when do I apply?
• Drexel deadline September 20, 2008.
• Apply in either your home region or here in
  Philadelphia (NY region).
• Online application, four recommendations,
  transcripts, essays.
• Selection of 2 preferred UK Universities.
• Drexel University endorsement required.
• Interviews November 10-17.
• Website www.marshallscholarship.org

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Fulbright Scholarship

• What is it?
• One academic year of international graduate
  study, research, and/or teaching.
• About 6000 grants annually, depending on federal
  funding.
• Available in about 155 different countries.
• Why?
• Sponsored by the US State Department with the
  goal of promoting mutual understanding.
• Whats it cover?
• Varies by country.
• Typically grants cover air travel, living
  expenses, book/research allowance, insurance.
• Tuition in some cases.
• Language study, in some cases.

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Types of Grants

• Full Grants
• Study
• Research
• English Teaching Assistantships (ETA)
• Available in 33 countries.
• 20 hours/week in classroom.
• No choice in placement.
• Critical Language Enhancements (CLA)
• 3-6 month intensive language study, on top of
  regular award.
• Arabic (including dialects), Azeri,
  Bangla/Bengali, Chinese (Mandarin only), Farsi,
  Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Marathi, Pashto,
  Punjabi, Russian, Tajik, Turkish, Urdu, or
  Uzbek. 
• Special Grants Business, Journalism, mtvU

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Eligibility/Criteria

• Eligibility
• US Citizen
• BS/BA (but not PhD) by start of award
• Preference for students who have not spent
  extensive time in the area they are applying to.
• Criteria
• Personal qualifications/character
• Engagement in host community, mutual
  understanding
• Feasibility of project
• Academic record
• Language preparation
• Competition
• Two-staged selection process
• National Screening Committee recommendations
  (domestic)
• Fulbright Commissions abroad
• Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board

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Fulbright Scholar 2007-2008

• Aaron Sakulich
• Morocco
• BS/PhD, Materials Engineering 2009
• Developing concrete-like materials from
  industrial waste for use in impoverished regions
  of North Africa.
• My time in Morocco has been just one long string
  of fantastic amazing days. The irony is that I
  wasn't originally going to apply because I
  thought I wouldn't stand a chance, but my advisor
  said hey, why not give it a shot?

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Fulbright Scholar 2008-2009

• Paul Phelps
• India
• MD, Ophthalmology, 2010
• Laboratory work with corneal epithelial stem
  cells and community outreach eye camps through
  the Aravind Eye Hospital, the largest and most
  productive eye care facility in the world.

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Fulbright Scholar 2008-2009

• Andrew Blakely
• Spain
• Biomedical Engineering BS, MD 2010
• Study the extent to which recommendations from
  Spain's national anti-obesity initiative, NAOS,
  have been integrated into primary care
  physicians' daily counseling.

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Fulbright Scholar 2008-2009

• Regina Cagle
• Ecuador
• BS, Environmental Engineering, 2008
• Pursuing a Master's in Sustainable Energy
  Development at the Universidad San Francisco de
  Quito while also conducting field work
  investigating energy solutions for developing
  communities.
• Additionally, I'll be working with the Latin
  American Energy Organization (OLADE) and
  Engineers Without Borders while in Ecuador.

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Fulbright Scholar 2009-2010

• ?

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Drexel Fulbright Scholar blogs

• Paul Phelps
• FULBRIGHT INDIA
• www.paulowenphelps.com
• pphelps_at_drexel.edu
• Aaron Sakulich
• Marakablag!
• A bad story about good times
• http//marakablag.wordpress.com
• I like to think thats the point of the
  Fulbright program startling the crap out of
  foreigners by not being that American they see on
  TV all the time. You know the one I mean.

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Fulbright Application

• How and when do I apply?
• Drexel deadline September 20, 2008
• Online application, 3 letters of recommendation,
  transcripts, language certification, 2 essays.
• Letter of affiliation
• Campus interview and evaluation required (FPA)
• When do I hear? Two stages.
• First round recommendations January 31.
• Final between April and June
• Website us.fulbrightonline.org

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drexel fellowships tips

• TIME MANAGEMENT!
• Start early affiliation and essays can both take
  a good long time to complete.
• Identify deadlines and work backward
• Leave more time than you think you need
• Review program website, including all available
  criteria and advice for applicants.
• Review program criteria thoroughly. For
  Fulbright, review country-specific criteria.
• Be sure you are eligible.
• Open an online application.

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drexel fellowships tips

• Get faculty involvement early
• Especially with your Statement of Proposed Study
  or Research
• Get things out of the way early that you can.
• Language evaluation
• Transcripts.
• Essays
• Get specialist and non-specialist readers.
• Revise, revise, revise
• Think about the application as a whole paint a
  compelling picture of yourself.

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Getting Recommendations

• Who makes a good recommender?
• How/when to ask for a recommendation letter
• Bring materials
• paragraph that describes award and its selection
  criteria
• paragraph that describes you/your proposed
  project
• Sentence that tells them where to send letter and
  deadline
• CV/resume
• a paper or project from the class
• Follow up politely
• No

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What Next?

• Which awards?
• Get advice
• From website
• From faculty
• From Fellowships Coordinator
• Time management/deadlines
• Contact Rona Buchalter Fellowships_at_drexel.edu
  or RBuchalter_at_drexel.edu
• Q A