SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE TO CIBER SUMMER PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS Campus-wide Scholarships CIBER Scholarships Outside Scholarships IEFS (INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION FEES SCHOLARSHIP) Campus-wide competition Need/merit Committee composed of faculty & staff members from across campus Award amounts range from $1000-$1500 Awards announced by April 1 References and essays required Minimum in residence GPA required: 2.0 Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST AMERICAN AIRLINES GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP Campus-wide competition One per summer Free flight on American Airlines Committee composed of advisors and staff members Requires a blog while you are abroad Minimum GPA is 3.25 Deadline FEBRUARY 15 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST TEXAS EXES AND FLYING LONGHORNS STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIPS Texas Ex Scholarship Must be US citizen Academic excellence and financial need will be considered Deadline March 1 $1,450 will be awarded to one recipient Ex-Students Association - Flying Longhorns Study Abroad Scholarship Must be US citizen Academic excellence and financial need will be considered Deadline March 1 One award of $600 Access through the TexasScholarships.org Info for both: http://www.utexas.edu/student/abroad/funding/ut_scholarships .html CIBER SUMMER PROGRAM NEED/MERIT SCHOLARSHIP For enrolled CIBER summer abroad program participants Students must have financial need References and essays required $1500 awarded to one student per program Deadline December 1 each year Application through GLOBAL ASSIST CIBER PROJECT-BASED SCHOLARSHIP Student proposes an innovative and creative project that shares his/her international experience Specify your target audience and your project’s purpose One award of $800 per program Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST BHP SCHOLARSHIP Need/Merit based Must be a BHP student Requires references and essays 5 awards of $1000 Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST DELOITTE & TOUCHE SCHOLARSHIP FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDY Awarded to MPA students participating in any of CIBER’s three MPA programs in Hong Kong, Paris, or Prague $6000 will be awarded to MPA students going abroad through CIBER International Summer Programs in the summer of 2010 Need and merit based Requires essays and references Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT CENTER OF EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP Restricted to Supply Chain Management majors, undeclared majors who intend to declare SCM as a major, or ERB students with a SCM business concentration Minimum GPA of 3.0 Need and merit based 3 Awards of $1000 Reference and essay required Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS Let everyone know you are looking for money! Inquire with local (in Austin and in your hometown) organizations Propose that local companies or organizations match funds you raise or have earned through other scholarships Inquire with any local, state, or national chapters of religious, political, professional, or service organizations Write up a quick one-page fact sheet introducing you, detailing costs, and outlining your goals to give to any contacts SOME NOTES ON USING GLOBAL ASSIST Your program code is required. This is a code specific to your study abroad program and connects you to scholarships that are available to your specific program. You can find your program code by clicking the appropriate link within the GLOBAL ASSIST database or searching on the SAO search engine. You must know your session: first summer session (all CIBER programs except Edinburgh) or second summer session (only Edinburgh). Save as you go and save your essays as Word files on your computer before you paste them into the text box just in case there is a computer glitch. SOME NOTES ON USING GLOBAL ASSIST Your “Study Abroad Advisor” is the CIBER Program Coordinator, Angie Carter Your references will be sent an automatically generated email from the system either as soon as you enter in their information OR once you submit your final application (your choice) MAKING A STRONG SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION How do I find a reference? Who will read my application? What should I say in my essay? What will my audience want to know? REFERENCES Ask professors or instructors EARLY (one month in advance is very nice!) Academic references are always preferred unless the scholarship specifies otherwise Make sure they know that their reference is important to you Provide them a SHORT description of the program, why/how it fits your educational and professional goals, and why this scholarship is important to you Politely remind them of approaching deadlines Thank your references with a thank you note WHAT MAKES A STRONG APPLICATION? START EARLY Recommendations must be submitted online before the due date, so you must ask your references in advance of the due date Give yourself time to research your audience Give yourself time to double-check that everything is submitted in advance of the due date, if possible WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? REFLECTION Before you begin writing: Define your purpose: Your purpose is NOT to discuss how expensive the program might be, how you love listening to Scottish punk music, or how much you want to learn to dance flamenco. Your purpose is to persuade your audience why YOU deserve this scholarship. 2) Define your goals: Your main goal is to persuade the committee that you not only need this scholarship, but that you deserve this scholarship and its use will be an investment in your future educational and professional success. 3) Organize your thoughts: Your words are limited. What must you get across in your essay? 1) WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Find out as much as you can about the scholarship committee Find out all you can about the goals or objectives of the department, program, organization or company offering the scholarship Target their goals and objectives in your essay The committee will choose recipients who will be good ambassadors for their goals and objectives Write from the heart but concentrate on maintaining a professional tone and writing style WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? BE SURE TO ANSWER THE PROMPT The committee has asked this question or presented this prompt because they want to know certain information about you: your intentions, goals, educational objectives, future career path Clearly respond to the specific essay prompt and make sure you don’t forget to address any of its points Use the prompt to differentiate yourself from the others—think about how it applies to YOU. Plan how you’ll respond to an essay with multiple prompts so that you don’t repeat yourself or have to write “I already explained this above.” WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? VOICE Make sure your personality is on the page Share your story: let them know who you are and what makes you unique Be respectful, gracious, humble Speak in your own voice (rather than letting a thesaurus speak for you!) Show that you are reflective and introspective and have thought about this experience beyond how amazing it will be to be abroad. Express your excitement to go abroad AND your realization that this is a special opportunity WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? SHOW DON’T TELL Of course study abroad “means a lot to you” and of course it will “change you a lot” SHOW the committee why this is the case and how this experience will make you more marketable when you recruit or apply to graduate programs Illustrate your points with examples about how this experience will improve job prospects, graduate school applications, undergraduate experience, work with student organizations, and your personal growth Use specific examples WHAT MAKES A COMPETITIVE ESSAY? IMPACT Why did you choose this specific program? How will this program influence your educational experience? Why are you choosing to take part in a study abroad program rather than going on a vacation or trip? How will awarding you this scholarship add value to or help you accomplish your future professional, personal, and educational goals? How will you give back? How will awarding you this scholarship add value to your campus, degree program, peers back at UT Austin? WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? NEED What difference will this money make to you or your family? Do you have obligations you want the committee to be aware of as they read your essay? They are investing in you. Tell them why you are worth this investment. WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? REVISION Give yourself time to read through your essay with fresh eyes Share your essay with a friend to make sure that it makes sense Take your essay to the writing center for additional help Write the essay in a Word document to spellcheck it before you submit it in the online application’s text box Read it out loud once before you submit it so that you can catch anything that sounds funny WHAT MAKES A COMPETITIVE ESSAY? SUMMARY Reflect upon your decision, goals, and purpose Avoid typos by spell checking your document Specify why you must go abroad on this program Specify why you need the money and how it will be used Describe the program as an educational experience that will be challenging and of value to the your future (rather than a “trip” or “vacation”) Insist you need the money because the program is an investment in your future (rather than “because it is expensive”) WHAT MAKES A COMPETITIVE ESSAY? SUMMARY Research your study abroad location and find it on a map so that you know where you are talking about when you write about the location in your essay Be realistic and avoid erroneous generalities such as “Europe is a great country to visit” or “I can’t wait to speak Brazilian!” or “I’m sure I’ll become fluent in French while I’m in Paris for five weeks because I’ll work hard!” Adapt for your specific audience and make it clear that you have tailored this essay for them (rather than recycling one essay over and over) RESOURCES Undergraduate Writing Center Appointments and walk-ins 45 minute consultation http://uwc.utexas.edu/ Call 512-471-6222 or stop by the Center in FAC 211 to make an appointment Your study abroad advisor might be able to help guide you Former scholarship recipients can share their advice Purdue Online Writing Lab OWL http://owl.english.purdue.edu/