Leading the Way

Preparing students to negotiate the complexities of the application process. Universities and colleges across the country are creating offices to support students as they apply for nationally competitive awards. The competition is fierce. Each year more than 1200 applicants compete for thirty-two Rhodes Scholarships and an equal number compete for forty Marshall Scholarships. Thousands more apply for Gates, Mitchell, Truman, Goldwater, Udall, Fulbright, NSF, NIH, Jack Kent Cooke, and other prestigious awards. Here are eleven essays addressing various aspects of the application process: building an office, engaging students in research, connecting them to internships and other special opportunities, embracing diversity, defining leadership, involving faculty, and preparing for an interview. There are also realistic assessments of the odds of winning a scholarship. Three of the essays are by directors or presidents of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, the Senator George J. Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute, and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. The essays are a result of the National Association of Fellowships Advisers conference, NAFA in Washington: Scholarships in a National Context, held in Washington D.C., in July of 2007. The collection is a valuable resource for faculty, advisers, and administrators who want to provide opportunities for student engagement and to use the process to help shape tomorrow's leaders. The book also includes two appendices: 'NAFA Foundation and Institutional Membership' and 'Competitive Scholarships, Opportunities, Internships, and Programs at a Glance'.