Scholarships

A special letter to undergraduate students from Prof. Leah Middlebrook, Comparative Literature Program Director

 

Dear Members of the COLT undergraduate community,

Fostering undergraduate research is something we care about a lot here in COLT, and we were delighted when Richard Lariviere stated as one of his principal goals during his tenure as President increasing the national recognition conferred on UO’s bright, motivated and hard-working undergraduate students. Specifically, he has his eye on some distinguished national awards: the Truman Scholarship, the Marshall Scholarship, the Churchill Scholarship, the Rhodes Scholarship, the Goldwater Scholarship. He is working with the Undergraduate Council, the Deans and Department Heads to facilitate the identification of promising candidates and to mentor them through the application process.

We in COLT are confident that our majors and minors have what it takes to compete at a very high level for these prizes. They were created to provide opportunities for juniors, seniors and recent graduates who are invested in the mind, in exploring the world and its many cultures, and in sharing the fruits of that work and that exploration with others. The Truman, for example, awarded to juniors, is directed toward those who plan a career in public service. Other prizes, such as the Churchill and the Marshall Scholarships (awarded to seniors and to recent graduates) enable recipients to study for periods of 1-2 years at prestigious universities in the United Kingdom.

Great rewards, big competition! But as in so many areas, one indispensable key to achievement in the area of scholarships, grants and prizes is careful preparation --preparation with a lot of lead time, a lot of drafting, a lot of consultation. We invite all of you to think in terms of taking at least 6 months, maybe even a year, to craft your application. And that means that you should start researching these awards and thinking about how you might go about applying for them now. Please look over the information provided under Distinguished Scholarships on the Financial Aid page of the UO Website:

http://financialaid.uoregon.edu/distinguished_scholarships.

Read the whole page. They offer you tips on how to get started. Then make an appointment with our Undergraduate Adviser, Professor Ken Calhoon (kcalhoon@uoregon.edu), to discuss the scholarships you might like to compete for. You might also take up the issue of distinguished scholarships with a favorite faculty member who is familiar with your work, or make an appointment to talk with me (middlebr@uoregon.edu). Any of us will be happy to help you begin shaping your application. As your plans develop, we will guide you toward the faculty representative who works most closely with the scholarship(s) you have decided to compete for. This person will keep you apprised of important internal deadlines for your chosen scholarship(s); many applications pass through an internal, UO review before being sent on to the national level, so again: plan ahead!

First, second and third-year students: it’s never too early to begin planning your application for a distinguished scholarship. And while the application process for the most prestigious of these awards does take some time to prepare, other significant opportunities are available that require a bit less lead-time. So do yourself a favor and start browsing:

http://financialaid.uoregon.edu/scholarships.

And go gettem’!

Regards,