应用ing for scholarships isn't about only winning.

The process helps you think deeply about your own interests, goals and vocation. There is no recipe for winning a prestigious fellowship, but there are some common patterns among successful students. We are here to discuss with you about your interests, goals, and how to write a strong application.

“不要制定小计划. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, 记住一个贵族, 逻辑图一旦被记录就不会消亡, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency…Think big.”

丹尼尔·伯纳姆，芝加哥建筑师，1846-1912

成功申请者的共同点

You don't need to have all of these, but successful candidates have many of them.

  • 平均绩点3分以上.7(少数情况除外)
  • 奥斯汀和全国的实习 
  • 有在国外生活或学习的经历
  • 第二语言能力
  • Independent research (thesis work, independent study, lab work, and/or publication)
  • 与专业相关的社会服务
  • 强有力的申请文书

Funders support students who have an ambitious vision for their future and for the future of society; those who have already begun to execute that vision on and off campus; and those who have a realistic plan for how to get from their junior year of college to ten years hence. Note that your plan does not need to be written in stone-you're allowed to change your mind-but ideally you should demonstrate that you have the drive and imagination to succeed.

开始

  • 注意你的成绩. 所有的奖学金都要求高gpa. 
  • 做的东西. 参与. 在校内外. You may not know how you are going to change the world, but get active in academic and community life as soon as possible.
  • Use your summers to expand or explore your academic and professional interests. 开始考虑11月的夏天.
  • 与教授建立关系. 上班时间. 在课堂上大声发言. All fellowships require recommendation letters and you'll need at least three mentors who know you well by the time you graduate. 
  • Start thinking about what you hope to do with your academic and professional future. 你知道的比你以为的要多!
  • Better to change directions as your interests shift than to stand still awaiting perfect clarity about the future.
  • 查看我们的 部分列表 奖学金，还有 安排一个时间 来见我们.

写一份强有力的个人陈述

National fellowship applications require a personal statement or autobiographical essay. This is a critical component of your application, and it can be the most difficult part.

当你为课堂写文章的时候, 你筛选学术出版物, journal articles and statistics; you arrange, 核对, 和分析. You construct an argument with objective, verifiable data. By contrast, your personal statement comes from inside you, passionate and gutsy. Its composition is organic, a natural growth dictated by an obscure, internal logic. You don't "make it up"; instead, you listen. It requires that you think deeply about your life to date, 你的学术成就和兴趣, and what you hope to achieve and contribute in the future. Think of it as a professional or intellectual autobiography.

Here are some dos and don'ts (some borrowed from the wonderful Truman Foundation): 

Do:

  • Have a consistent story line that focuses on your special aspects and interests. 你得告诉他们你是谁, specifically (don't assume they've gleaned it from your resume in the application). 
  • 艺术iculate an ambitious professional dream for graduate school and beyond. Tell them how you are going to change the world. They are investing in you and want to know what they get in return for that investment.
  • Tell them what skills you have honed in college and want to use in the future.
  • 艺术iculate what skills and experiences you still need to gain that will help you connect today to ten years from now.
  • 是积极的. 是乐观的. 
  • 做一个你喜欢的话题的极客. 展示你的知识并发表意见. 
  • Be honest and clear about your ambitions, accomplishments and plans.
  • 写简单的. Rely on nouns and active verbs, not adjectives and adverbs, to carry your story.
  • 让它变得有趣. Make it easy to read — both in terms of writing style and appearance.
  • 用声音书写. They don't know you yet, and your personality should come through in your writing.
  • 让开场白吸引人.
  • Have perfect spelling, punctuation and grammar.

别:

  • 说些陈词滥调和概括的话. 
  • Fail to mention any course work or academic lessons of your college career. 
  • Try to impress readers by using words which are not a part of your normal vocabulary or writing.
  • 夸大的成就.
  • Make a plea for financial assistance (unless it's asked for).
  • Use statistics without giving the primary source.
  • Use famous quotations (too much like name-dropping).
  • 可爱、轻浮、亵渎或油嘴滑舌.
  • 使用行话、俚语或不寻常的缩写. (一定要拼出任何缩写词).
  • 使用华丽的语言或杂乱的意象.
  • 如果你一定要写的话, use the following cautiously: how much your family means to you; how difficult or unjust your life has been; how smart, capable or compassionate you are; how much you got out of a short trip abroad; how much you learned about government from an internship.