Honors College Announcements

OEF 10/30/2020 Fellowship Updates

Happy Halloween from OEF!

This semester is flying by, so we wanted to remind you about these fantastic fellowship opportunities to check out before it's too late.

The OEF Director, Dr. Kim Germain, is available to meet via Zoom with any students who know they're interested in pursuing the fantastic opportunities outlined below, as well as students who aren't sure but think these sound like something they'd be interested in. 

OEF is here to guide you all the way through the process, so please reach out! And please contact us for advice sooner rather than later, because we're here to help you put together the strongest application you possibly can, and this tends to take more revisions than you think.

We are inspired by the students and young people who are driving forces for change across Chicagoland, the US, and the world. If you too want to drive change and/or are thinking about learning and exploring beyond UIC and Chicago, you should consider how fellowship opportunities like these might be a good fit to help you do that.

Truman Scholarship -- last call!

Calling all juniors interested in public service! (This means 3rd-year seniors too!)

The Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation provides up to $30,000 in funding to current juniors who plan to pursue a graduate or professional degree (e.g. JD, MPH, MD, MPP) and have a career in a public service field. The Truman Scholarship application for 2021 is open and the campus deadline is in 2.5 weeks!

Competitive applicants will have a record of leadership and a commitment to public service; they are looking for students who are working to fix things that are broken in the world. If you have participated extensively in two or more of the following activities:

• student government and/or other campus-based activities;
• community service;
• government internships, advocacy or interest groups, or nonpartisan political activities;
• partisan political organizations

then you may be a good Truman Scholarship candidate, particularly if you have taken leadership roles in those activities.

To apply for the Truman, you must be nominated by UIC; it is not possible to apply by yourself. UIC has a campus deadline of November 16. On that date, you must submit a complete draft application, including 3 letters of recommendation. This means start immediately if you haven't already been working with OEF on your application! Strong applicants will then be interviewed by a faculty committee; decisions on who we nominate will be made based on the submitted materials plus the interview. After our nominees are selected, OEF will work with them extensively to revise and polish their applications before the national deadline of February 2, 2021.

Students typically work through several drafts with Dr. Germain, before and after the campus deadline. Start now! The campus deadline is coming up soon, and OEF will help you with important first steps to this application. 

Learn more about what makes a good Truman Scholar candidate here, and everything you need to know about this year's competition here.

Goldwater Scholarship -- last call!

The Goldwater Scholarship application for 2021 is nearing the campus deadline! The Goldwater Scholarship was created to honor the US's top young scientists and encourage outstanding sophomores and juniors to pursue research careers in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. The award grants up to $7,500 annually for college tuition, fees, books, etc.

Competitive candidates will already have at least one significant research experience at the time of application and have a GPA that's strong enough to be admitted to doctoral programs in their scientific field. To be eligible, a student must: be a matriculated sophomore or junior during the 2020-21 academic year; be majoring in a STEM field and intending to pursue a research career in a STEM field; and be a US citizen or permanent resident. Note: Their focus on a research career means that students planning to go into clinical medical practice are not eligible unless they are on the MD/PhD track and will emphasize research over clinical practice.

To apply for the Goldwater, you must be nominated by UIC; it is not possible to apply directly. To gain access to the full application, students must first submit a pre-application on the Goldwater website, so anyone who is interested should submit the pre-application as soon as possible. UIC has a campus deadline of November 16 for the complete application - this includes all 3 required letters of recommendation. UIC's decisions on who we nominate (limited by Goldwater's rules) will be made based on the materials submitted for the campus deadline of Nov. 16. After our nominees are chosen, the Director of External Fellowships will work with them extensively to revise and polish their applications before the final nomination deadline of January 29, 2021.

Students typically work through several drafts with Dr. Germain, before and after the campus deadline. Start now before it's too late! UIC's campus deadline is only 2.5 weeks away, and you will definitely need this much time to write your essays and get your references in.

You can learn more about the Goldwater Scholarship and access the pre-application (and later the full application) at their website here: https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/

DAAD-RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering)

DAAD-RISE offers undergraduate students the opportunity to complete a paid summer research internship at a top German university or research institution.

• Students are matched with a host university or institute according to their area of interest (biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, engineering, or a closely related field)
• DAAD provides students a monthly stipend for three months to help cover living expenses
• Host universities and institutes provide housing assistance and match students with PhD student mentors
• The German language is not required and the working language will be English

The application opens this weekend on November 1! Once it's open you can search their database of STEM internships! Click here to learn more and find your internship.

While UIC nomination is not required for the DAAD-RISE, interested undergraduate students are encouraged to seek advice and guidance from OEF. If you seek feedback on your essays, please do so well in advance of the final DAAD-RISE deadline of December 15.

Critical Language Scholarships -- last call!

The Critical Language Scholarship provides full funding for intensive overseas summer language institutes in 15 critical foreign languages. All costs are met, including travel, room, and board. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.

Applications for Summer 2021 are due on November 17 at 7pm central time!

The CLS Program offers instruction in the following languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. (Some languages have beginner level coursework, and others expect some knowledge going in; see their website for more details.)

There is much helpful information, including eligibility requirements and access to the online application itself, on their website: https://clscholarship.org/

While UIC nomination is not required for the Critical Language Scholarship, interested undergraduate students are encouraged to seek advice and guidance from OEF. If you seek feedback on your essays, please do so well in advance of the deadline, which basically means now. (Graduate students may seek advice from the Fellowships Coordinator in the Graduate College.)

AANAPISI Scholarship -- last call!

The Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Scholarship provides funding to underserved APIA students, with a special focus on those who have financial need, who are first-generation college students, who are representative of the diversity within the APIA community, and who embrace community service and leadership as well as academic achievement. Scholarship awards range from $2,500 to $5,000. UIC is a partner campus, so UIC undergraduates are eligible to apply! The application is now open, and the deadline is November 11!

To be eligible, you must:

• Be of Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity as defined by the US Census.
• Be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States. Citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau are also eligible to apply.
• Be enrolled as a full-time student during the Spring 2021 semester.
• Have applied for federal financial aid using the FAFSA for the 2020-2021 academic year, though you do not necessarily need to be a recipient of federal aid.

All eligible students are encouraged to apply! OEF can provide advice and guidance on your application, but please don't wait until the last minute.

More information and application available here: https://apiascholars.org/scholarship/aanapisi-scholarship/

Udall Undergraduate Scholarship

The Udall Undergraduate Scholarship is offered on a merit basis to current sophomores and juniors in any of 3 categories:

1) To students who have demonstrated commitment to the environment and plan to pursue careers related to the environment; or
2) To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to tribal public policy; or
3) To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to Native health care.

The Udall Foundation seeks future leaders across a wide spectrum of environmental fields, including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, and economics.  The Foundation also seeks future Native American and Alaska Native leaders in public and community health care, tribal government, and public policy affecting Native American communities, including land and resource management, economic development, and education.  Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents and have at least a "B" cumulative GPA. 

Udall Scholars receive up to $7,000 towards tuition and other college expenses during the next academic year (2021-2022).  They also attend a four-day Udall Scholars Orientation in August in Tucson, AZ, all expenses paid, and will gain access to a nationwide network of environmental, Native American health, and tribal policy professionals. 

To apply for the Udall, you must be nominated by your undergraduate institution; it is not possible to apply directly. OEF coordinates the nomination process, and UIC has a campus deadline of February 1, 2021, for complete applications plus the required 3 letters of recommendation. After our nominees are selected, OEF will work with them extensively to revise and polish their applications before the national deadline of March 2, 2021.

OEF is here to advise students before then, and only OEF can register you as an applicant on the Udall website, so all interested students should contact us ASAP about that. Additional info on the Udall Scholarship website.

James C. Gaither/Carnegie Junior Fellows

The James C. Gaither Fellows Program offers a paid, one-year research fellowship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. It is designed to provide a substantive work experience for students who have a serious career interest in the area of international affairs. Junior Fellows have the opportunity to conduct research for Carnegie publications, participate in meetings with high-level officials, contribute to congressional testimony, and organize briefings attended by scholars, journalists, and government officials.

Candidates must be graduating seniors this year, or have graduated within the last year but haven't yet begun graduate study. Although citizenship is not an eligibility criterion, non-citizen applicants must have an appropriate visa to be eligible for employment in Washington, DC. Strong candidates tend to meet the following criteria:

• Demonstrate superior research skills and academic strengths in a field which matches the Carnegie Endowment's ongoing research programs
• Have a competitive GPA
• Be nominated by UIC (see below)

UIC must nominate students for the Gaither Junior Fellows Program, and OEF oversees the nomination process. The Carnegie Endowment has distributed this year's application to us, so please email oef@uic.edu to request your copy of the application in pdf form. Any interested students must submit complete application materials by the campus deadline of December 16 in order to be considered for nomination.

You can learn more about the Carnegie Endowment research programs and about Junior Fellows here: https://carnegieendowment.org/about/jr-fellows But talk to OEF soon to get the application, as well as for advice and guidance!

Summer opportunities in Public Policy and International Affairs

PPIA Junior Summer Institutes: For juniors, this provides a funded 7-week summer program before senior year, which includes coursework, mentoring, and career development in public policy and international affairs. PPIA Fellows who participate in the Junior Summer Institutes will later have the opportunity to receive funding for graduate study in public policy and international affairs. Deadline: November 15. More info here.

The Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program offers a six-week experience designed to provide undergraduate students with an appreciation of current issues and trends in international affairs, an understanding of career opportunities in the field, and higher knowledge and skills to pursue such careers. The Summer Enrichment Program encourages the application of students from minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need in order to fulfill the Rangel Program mission – to enhance diversity in U.S. representation abroad. Applicants must have at least sophomore status at the time of application and be US citizens. Deadline: February 9. More info here.