Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for
New Americans
The Upcoming Competition:
CLASS OF 2013
Application Deadline:
November 9, 2012
OVERVIEW
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THE BASICS: The Awards and the Rewards
ILLUSTRATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ELIGIBILITY
SELECTION CRITERIA
PHILOSOPHY
TO APPLY OR NOT TO APPLY
The Basics:
• Thirty Fellowships awarded annually
• Single national competition: about 1,000
applications
• Endowed by Paul and Daisy Soros –
immigrants from Hungary
• Honors America’s immigrant tradition
The Basics:
Each fellowship supports:
• Up to two years of graduate study
• Any field
• Any advanced degree-granting program in the
United States.
The Basics:
Each award:
• up to $25,000/year maintenance grant
• up to $20,000/year tuition support
• Total: as much as $90,000.
The Basics
• The recognition of being a Paul and Daisy
Soros fellow
• Seek out the 30 most promising New
Americans; who will make a distinctive
contribution to American society
• Reminder: refugees and immigrants challenge
social order but decades later enrich American
science, law, art, literature.
The Basics
• The honor of being a Paul and Daisy Soros
fellow
• Seek out the 30 most promising New
Americans; who will make a distinctive
contribution to American society
• Reminder: refugees and immigrants challenge
social order but decades later enrich American
science, law, art, literature.
A sample of Fellows’ Contributions
• Already see impressive contributions:
– Jeannie Suk
– Ron Huberman
– Julissa Reynoso
– Rashad Hussain
– Frankie Guzman
– Lei Liang
– Kalia Yang
ELIGIBILITY: NEW AMERICAN
• Born abroad?
Child of non-US Citizens
Naturalized citizen or green card holder
• Born in the United States?
BOTH parents born outside the US as non-US
citizens, and
one a naturalized US citizen
ELIGIBILITY: AGE
• Can’t have passed 31st birthday
• I.E., you must have been born on or after
November 10, 1981.
• No exceptions
ELIGIBILITY: ACADEMIC STATUS
• College senior OR already hold a bachelor’s
degree.
• Currently enrolled in a graduate program in
the United States?
must be in 1st or 2nd year in that program.
ELIGIBILITY: ACADEMIC STATUS
In a joint degree program?
• Must be in first or second year of the degree
program that you want funding for under the
fellowship in 2013-1014.
OR
• Must be planning to begin that program in the
Fall of 2013
PRIMARY SELECTION CRITERIA
First: Demonstrated creativity, originality
and/or initiative
Think of as a cluster of virtues.
What does the mean, in practice?
PRIMARY SELECTION CRITERIA
Examples of Creativity, Originality, Initiative:
– scientific insight
– artistic or literary expression; writing, performance,
composition,
– Conceiving and initiating untried solutions to social problems ;
– pursuing novel ways of addressing family and cultural
challenges, etc.
PRIMARY SELECTION CRITERIA
Second:
Commitment to and capacity for
ACCOMPLISHMENT
that shows drive and sustained effort
What does that mean in practice?
PRIMARY SELECTION CRITERIA
Examples of sustained accomplishment
Pursuing activity to completion or self-sustaining state;
Recruiting and training successors,
Institutionalizing an organization
ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA
• Commitment to Constitution and Bill of Rights.
(Evidence that applicant understands and accepts personal
responsibilities of citizenship.)
• Promise of future significant contributions.
• Planned graduate training:
o relevance to career goals
o likely to enhance future creativity and
accomplishment.
SELECTION PHILOSOPHY
Create a LEVEL PLAYING FIELD for applicants of:
• Different family and ethnic backgrounds
• Different immigration histories
• Different ages and educational levels
• Different fields of study
• Different universities
SELECTION PHILOSOPHY
Criteria the program DOES NOT consider:
• Financial need
• A particular social, political, cultural, or ideological agenda, or
the absence of such an agenda.
• Where your family came from
• What field of study you want to pursue
PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY:
Promote a strong sense of community among
fellows and alumni through:
• fall conferences for fellows and
• numerous events for fellows and alumni held
throughout the country.
TO APPLY OR NOT TO APPLY:
• ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM
• AVAILABLE THROUGH WEBSITE:
WWW.PDSOROS.ORG
TO APPLY OR NOT TO APPLY:
• The two essays – and especially the first -- are critical :
• First essay:
o How experiences as immigrant inform/shape direction
o How activities demonstrate creativity, accomplishment, etc.
• Second essay:
o Grad study plans and preparation
o Link to future creativity, accomplishment, etc.
• Long lead time
TO APPLY OR NOT TO APPLY:
Three letters of recommendation:
• One from faculty member or research supervisor: grad
or undergrad.
• One from a supervisor or other who knows about your
involvement in non-academic activities.
• A third from either of the above types of references.
TO APPLY OR NOT TO APPLY:
Please do go through the website
– www.pdsoros.org -with care.
• Will answer most of your questions
• Will provide detailed instructions on how to
apply.
TO APPLY OR NOT TO APPLY?
• I’m not a “model minority” nor an ivy undergrad &
my grades and test scores aren’t that great. (Apply)
• My field of interest is a little kooky (Apply)
• I’m a knock: great grades and test scores; Truman
and Rhodes (Apply, but don’t count your chickens)
• I have a great story to tell, but I’ve never told it and
am reluctant to do so and haven’t really thought it
through. (Consider waiting a year or two)
Finally
Its time for questions
Thanks for your attention!
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