Hey Guys! I recently got the news that I have been awarded
the Gilman Scholarship for my study abroad this upcoming fall and I just wanted
to share a little about my experience for those of you who may be considering
applying :)
For those of you who don’t know what the Gilman Scholarship
Program is, it is a congressionally funded program that provides federal grants
for students who are studying or interning abroad. The scholarship is awesome
as it definitely eases the financial burden for students who want to gain
valuable international experience, currently qualify for the Federal Pell Grant
and are US citizens.
During my application cycle (Fall 2016/Academic Year
2016-2017), the program reviewed about 2,900 applications and gave out approximately
850 awards. That’s a 29% chance of being a recipient so if you are on the fence
about applying for this scholarship, I highly recommend you go for it as your
odds are high and this program opens up so many opportunities!
The Gilman Scholarship is important to me, as it has given
me the opportunity of a lifetime. I am going to be spending the next 5 months adventuring
in Madrid, improving my Spanish, traveling, EATING NEW FOODS and making new
friends around the world. Also, I realize how important it is as a Gilman
recipient to be the best ambassador for the US that I can be. I know that the
impression that I make on people that I meet in Europe can leave a lasting
sentiment about Americans as a whole so I am excited to be able to represent
the U of A, Walton College and the US while I’m abroad.
My biggest advice to you on your essays is just to be
genuine! Everyone has their own reasons for going abroad and a case to make for
financial aid so just share your story and choose a follow up project that you
care about and that is impactful! For my follow-on service proposal, I stated
that I will conduct a series of presentations and workshops for high school
juniors and seniors who are a part of the Hispanic demographic that will focus
mainly on studying abroad and the Gilman Scholarship in terms of what it has
been like for me to be a Gilman Scholar and the impact it had on my future
goals and study abroad experience as a whole.
Apart from these presentations, I
also committed to keeping a detailed blog of my experience in Spain so that
prospective students from the honors college and the business college can see
what my experience in Madrid was like. Throughout this application process, it
has been so helpful to me to be able to read about previous experiences that
people from the University of Arkansas have blogged about and it has made the
process so much easier so I thought that this was a great way to give back and
maybe even serve as a reference/guide to others.
If you have any questions or need any pointers throughout the application process I would be happy to help and share my own essays/project proposals for use as a reference. You can contact me at jsade@uark.edu and you can follow my study abroad adventures at http://jackiesade1.tumblr.com/!
About the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program) offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.
