Gilman Scholarship Application Guide and Tips

Applying for the Gilman Scholarship August 6, 2018

The Scholarship https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/ The Gilman Scholarship Program . . .provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad . . . programs worldwide. The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are planning to study and intern abroad. The program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go by supporting undergraduates who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints. Sponsored by the U.S. State Department The maximum award is $5000.

Process https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/applicants/application- overview/ Fill-in online application Write 2 essays An essay explaining why you deserve it An essay explaining what follow-up service project the student will do Certifications by Advisors and Financial Aid Deadline: October 2, 2018, 11:59 p.m. Central Daylight Time (which is 9:59 p.m. for us): NO EXCEPTIONS 1 in 3 applicants receive some sort of award

Essays https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/applicants/essays/ Click on the above link for important information as you re writing the essays Bring me drafts to read and go over. You can also send them to me, but it s better to bring them to me. My office hours this semester are: Mondays: 10:30-11:00 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays: 11:45 a.m. 12:45 p.m. Wednesdays: 10:30-11:30 a.m. But I m also available other times, so just email me Go to the Writing Center for help

Essay 1: Statement of Purpose In the Statement of Purpose essay, you need to think of and address the impact that your study abroad program will have on your academic, professional, and personal goals. You should also think of and address the impact that receiving the Gilman Scholarship will have on your achievement of these goals.

Questions to help you write Essay 1 Why do you wish to study or intern abroad and what factors led you to this decision? What do you hope to gain from and what do you anticipate will be the impact of your experience abroad? What impact will your choice of country have on your experience abroad? What initially inspired you to want to study abroad in this particular country or learn this language? What factors led to your choice of country of study? Describe your study or intern abroad program. What factors led you to select this program and length of study? Why have you chosen your country of study? What factors led you to select this country?

Questions to Help You with Essay 1 How will this study or intern abroad program and the coursework you take abroad impact your academic and future professional goals? Are there any distinctive components to this program, beyond coursework, that will impact your overall learning experience abroad? (i.e. home-stays, internships, field research, volunteer activities, extra-curricular activities, etc.)

Questions to Help You with Essay 1 What challenges, if any, did you face in your decision to study or intern abroad? How did you meet these challenges and what impact do you foresee them having on your experience abroad? These could include, but are not limited to, being a parent, being a non-traditional student, having a learning or physical disability, being in a field of study for which it is difficult to incorporate study abroad, etc.

Essay 2: Service Project To help expand the impact of the Gilman Scholarship, all Gilman scholars are required to carry out a Follow-on Service Project upon their return from abroad that helps to promote international education and the Gilman International Scholarship. This project can be done on the student's home campus or in their local community and must be completed within six months of their return to the U.S. All applicants must submit a project proposal within their application and this proposal is closely reviewed during the selection process.

Questions to help you with Essay 2 Briefly outline your proposed project to promote the Gilman Scholarship and international education. How will this project impact your home university or home community? What are your project goals? What is your target population and how will your project impact this group? How will you integrate the impact of your experiences abroad into your project? What, if any, campus departments, student organizations, and/or community organizations will you collaborate with in promoting the Gilman Scholarship and international education? Have you already made contact with these groups?

For both essays Each essay is limited to 7,000 characters and spaces. That ends up being about 1.5 pages, single spaced. Don t do any exciting formatting. It will be eliminated anyway when you upload the essay. These are essays! They need thesis statements, paragraph structure, evidence, and excellent grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Go to the Writing Center for help! Come see me! Let me look at drafts! Also, the faculty going on your programs are all expert writers. You can see them. Proofread!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Other tips https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/applicants/tips/ Transcripts are usually an issue. How do you upload them? Look at the website above for advice. I m the Academic Advisor. Jose Alcaraz is the Financial Aid Advisor. At Cypress, there should only be one name for the Academic Advisor and one for the Financial Aid Advisor. Just click on those names. For total cost: For London: Use $8000 For Buenos Aires: Use $4000 For Buenos Aires, there is another window that opens in January.

If you get an award Let us know! You need to be in contact with me when you get back to do your service project Doug Eisner: deisner@fullcoll.edu Office: 1324-01 Phone: 714-992-7308