OEF 11/3/2021 Fellowship Updates
Happy November 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 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 offers students and alumni the option to schedule in-person, one-on-one, masked meetings in 800 UH, as well as the option to have fellowship advising meetings via Zoom. We have always been a by-appointment-only space, and that will continue.
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.
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 that takes time and effort, and usually a few more essay drafts than you think.
Truman Scholarship
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 campus deadline is on November 22, in less than 3 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 22. On that date, you must submit a complete draft application, including your 3 letters of recommendation (which should be sent to OEF directly by your recommenders). 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 1, 2022.
Students typically work through several drafts with Dr. Germain, both before and after the campus deadline. Start now! OEF will help you with important first steps to this application, like selecting your recommenders.
Learn more about what makes a good Truman Scholar candidate here, and everything you need to know about this year's competition here.
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Goldwater Scholarship
The Goldwater Scholarship application for 2022 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 2021-22 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 plan to 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 22 for the complete application - this includes all 3 required letters of recommendation (which should be sent directly by your recommenders to Dr. Germain). 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. 22. 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 28, 2022.
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 less than 3 weeks away, and you will definitely need this much time to write your essays and get your references in.
UIC has had four Goldwater Scholars in the last three years. Will it be you this time?
You can learn more about the Goldwater Scholarship and access the pre-application (and later the full application) at their website here.
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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 and covers travel costs
Host universities and institutes provide housing assistance and match students with PhD student mentors
German language is not required and the working language will be in English
The application opened on November 1! You can search their database of STEM internships to find those in your area of interest! Click here to learn more, register for the application, 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.
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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 2022 are due on November 16 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.)
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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 10!
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 2022 semester.
Have applied for federal financial aid using the FAFSA for the 2021-2022 academic year, though you do not necessarily need to be a recipient of federal aid.
All eligible students are encouraged to apply!
More information and application available here.
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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 (2022-2023). 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 2, 2022, for complete applications plus the required 3 letters of recommendation (which should be sent directly from your recommenders to Dr. Germain). After our nominees are selected, OEF will work with them extensively to revise and polish their applications before the national deadline of March 3, 2022.
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 here.
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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 that 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 13 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!
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Opportunities in Public Policy and International Affairs
Payne International Development Fellowship: For seniors/alumni who are currently seeking admission to graduate school for fall 2022 in an area of study related to international affairs and international development, the Payne Fellowship provides up to $96,000 over two years for graduate school, summer internships, and professional development activities. The aim of the Payne Fellowship is to attract and prepare outstanding individuals for careers as USAID Foreign Service Officers. Deadline extended to November 15! More info at https://www.paynefellows.org/
Foreign Affairs IT Fellowship: If you want to use your tech skills to make a difference, see the world, and experience different cultures, the Foreign Affairs IT (FAIT) Fellowship is an opportunity of a lifetime. This two-year Fellowship program is a path to a career in the Foreign Service by providing academic funding for an IT-related degree, internships, professional development and mentorship – culminating in an appointment in the Foreign Service as an Information Management Specialist (IMS). Two distinct categories of students are eligible: either underclassmen who have two years remaining of their undergraduate career in fall 2022 (i.e. sophomores) or seniors/alumni who are seeking admission to an IT-related master’s degree program at a U.S.-based accredited institution beginning in fall 2022. Deadline: January 31, 2022. More info here: https://www.faitfellowship.org/
The Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program offers a six-week experience designed to provide undergraduate students with a 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 be full-time undergraduate students with at least sophomore status at the time of application and be US citizens.
Deadline: February 9, 2022. More info here.
