Nationally Competitive Scholarships

Resources for Applicants

• Pre-Application Form for Prospective Scholars Download PDF
• Interviews 101 Download PDF
• Interview Quiz Download PDF
• Personal Essay Tips Download PDF

Recommendations

A good recommendation is the result of hard work and time invested in developing a meaningful relationship with your recommender. With that said, there are a few things that you can do to help your recommender compose their best possible recommendation letter.

Make sure your recommender desires to write you a recommendation. When approaching a potential recommender, ask them if they will be able to write a recommendation that will help you. You may say, "If you cannot write a strong recommendation letter, I will understand and appreciate your telling me." It is much better to learn that firsthand (even if it is unpleasant news) than to get a lukewarm recommendation. Keep in mind that it is much better to get two very good recommendations than to get one very good recommendation and one mediocre one.

Choose recommenders who know you well. Getting a lukewarm or impersonal recommendation letter from a renowned professor will not help your recommendation. He or she would likely repeat what they read on your CV, thus offering no insight or anecdotes about you. (Needless to say this does not impress scholarship selection committees.) In this case, it would be better to get an outstanding and personal letter of recommendation from someone lesser known.

Prepare a packet for your recommender. Be sure to include:

• Cover Sheet: with your name, address, phone, and email
• Date the recommendation is due
• Purpose of recommendation: include a description of what the scholarship is for, what the ideal candidate looks like, and why you are applying for the scholarship
• Copies of exams and papers (ideally those written for the recommender's course)
• List of courses and grades by academic year: include course title and professor; you may also want to incorporate a candid explanation of strong and weak points in your record
• List of extracurricular activities & work history: including number of hours your work/volunteer/commit to the activity (this section helps to give the recommender a fuller picture of your abilities and interests)
• Copy of your personal statement
• Copy of "tips for writing letters of recommendation" (available at the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships)

Should you apply?

Applying for nationally competitive scholarships such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Goldwater, Truman, Udall and Churchill is an intense, rigorous process. Is it worth your time to apply? If so, what should you be doing now? How can the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships help you? Here is some guidance to help walk you through the process:

First, gather as much information as possible about these scholarships. Start with our website. Check out the various scholarship websites, paying special attention to the eligibility requirements and selection criteria. Look at profiles of previous winners to see how you compare. Second, consider whether your future goals are compatible with the aims of the scholarship(s). If you are eligible to apply, meet the selection criteria, and have goals compatible with the scholarship(s), you should consider applying.

Advice to seniors:

• Even if you are graduating in December or May, you can still consider applying for one of the postgraduate scholarships next year (or even this year). There are age restrictions for the scholarships, but in some scholarship competitions, individuals are eligible to apply even if they have already obtained a bachelor's degree. Stay in touch with Dr. Karna Walter to remain apprised of scholarship deadlines.

Advice to juniors:

• Scholarship deadlines occur early in your senior year. If you intend to apply, you sill need to turn in scholarship materials in mid-September. It is imperative, then, that you begin the process of applying now. Inform Dr. Walter of your intentions to apply.
• You can take advantage of a series of events called the Scholarship Preparation Process. This process, led by faculty members who have experience in scholarship advisement, will help you write effective personal statements and study proposals, hone your interviewing skills, and prepare the strongest possible application. Stay tuned to the Honors listserv for more details.
• Whom will you ask to write you letter of recommendation? Do they know you well enough to provide a thorough evaluation of you as a student and as a well-rounded individual? Make an appointment with each of them and provide them with your resume. This enables them to know your intentions and find out more about you.
• Each scholarship requires you to write personal statements and/or colleges and universities to which you might apply in the UK or Ireland. Where do you wish to study and why? What compelling reason do you have for wishing to study there? Be prepared to defend your choices.
• Read up on current events around the world. These scholarship competitions require you to be a broadly educated person. If you reach the interview phase of the competition, you will be asked about issues beyond your proposal and personal statement.

Advice to sophomores:

• While you are not eligible to apply for most of the nationally competitive scholarships until you are a graduating senior, you may be eligible for other nationally competitive scholarships targeting undergraduates. Consult the scholarship website to find out if you are eligible for any such scholarships, which often serve as stepping stones to the Rhodes and others (Truman, Goldwater, NSEP, Udall, et al.).
• Consider participating in the Scholarship Preparation Process (advice for juniors-scholarship preparation process)
• Have you taken on leadership position during your time at UA? Having a stellar academic record is not enough in these competitions; you must also demonstrate a track record of leaderships and involvement.
• Do you have relationships with faculty in your department(s) or program(s)? If not, begin to build them. Faculty will write letters of recommendation for you, and they will also provide critical academic advice. Seek mentoring from faculty; a personal relationship will benefit both you and them.
• Think about the future you envision for yourself. What can you do now to begin preparing yourself for that future? Talk with faculty about research and study abroad opportunities.

Advice to freshmen:

• Isn't your freshman year too early to begin thinking about nationally competitive scholarships? Not at all. First, you will be eligible to apply for some undergraduate scholarships next year, and perhaps even this year. Second, you have the ability to shape your academic path in ways that enhance your chances of scholarship success. Even if you do not garner a Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, or Churchill, the decisions you make to enhance your undergraduate career will enrich your life.
• Think broadly about your undergraduate career. How will you involve yourself in the campus community? What steps will you take to be a globally knowledgeable and educated student? Who should you seek out as you make choices about coursework, study abroad, leadership opportunities, and the like? Considering these questions now will benefit you regardless of whether or not you pursue these scholarships.

How the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships can help:

• We are charged with promoting the various scholarship programs, assisting students as they consider whether to apply, working with applicants throughout the application process, and conducting selection processes for each of the scholarships. If you apply, you will get to know Dr. Walter quite well. She is available to meet with students of all class levels. She is willing to read proposals and personal statements and to offer editorial advice. Most of all, she will offer encouragement as you consider your future goals.
• Furthermore, the ONCS is sponsoring the Scholarship Preparation Process referenced above. Let Dr. Walter know if you want them to participate this fall.

Faculty Resources

Faculty members are instrumental in the scholarship application process. From writing letters of reference for individual applicants, to serving on scholarship interview and nomination committees, faculty members across the full range of disciplines are critical in helping UA students compete for awards. Please visit our Faculty and Advising page for specific guidance to faculty who may be looking for tips on writing effective reference letters, or serving on interview or nomination committees. (Faculty & Advising-Tips and Tools)

FAQs

Featured Scholars

Justine Schluntz was one of just 32 Americans chosen in 2010 to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. Justine earned her BS with Honors in Mechanical Engineering in 2010 and was a first-year graduate student studying fluid dynamics at the UA when she received the award. She is a nine-time All-American in swimming who was a critical part of the UA's national championship run in 2008, but also possesses an excellent academic and leadership record. Justine continued her graduate research at Oxford, with the Rhodes Scholarship funding two to three years of her work.

E. Connor Mendenhall was selected as a Fulbright Scholar for Turkey in the 2011-2012 academic year. A Tucson native and 2011 UA graduate who majored in both International Studies and Economics, Connor was an Honors student who also served as the Opinions Editor for the Arizona Daily Wildcat and co-founded a blog called Arizona Desert Lamp that won first place in the America’s Future Foundation College Blogger Award competition. A Flinn Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa, Connor spent a year studying in Turkey on a Boren Scholarship, then returned to the country on a FLAS Fellowship during the summer of 2010. Connor eventually plans to seek federal employment in Washington DC.

Ersilia Anghel is a recent Goldwater Scholar and has plans to undertake an M.D./Ph.D. degree eventually so she can both treat patients and develop novel treatments for improving tissue healing. A Romanian citizen by birth, Ersilia and her family lived in Canada before moving to Arizona during her high school years. She developed a passion for the sciences, particularly scientific research, and has extensive research experience that has taken her from several labs at the University of Arizona to other labs in Seattle, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. A double major in Art History, Ersilia is an active volunteer and leader on the UA campus and in the Tucson community. She has served as a volunteer at Odyssey Hospice Inpatient Clinic, President of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Ambassador in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

List of Past Winners