Despite being one of the more competitive study abroad scholarships, this U.S. Department of State funded scholarship is definitely worth applying for. It caters towards individuals that show a high financial need. So, If your someone who is receiving a Pell Grant (any amount) you’re eligible to apply. Gilman aims to make international study a more affordable experience for everyone. Award amounts can be as much as $5,000 and more, depending if you also apply for the Critical Language Award or supplemental STEM awards.
If you’re considering the Gilman Scholarship, I highly recommend starting your application at least two months before the deadline. The application process is relatively straightforward. It asks for details about your program, past study abroad experience, financial status, and more. The bulk of the application and are the essays, with there being three in total. For each essay, there are prompts and questions that need to be addressed. Gilman does offer some guidance on how you can write these essays, but here’s my take on them.
Statement of Purpose Essay (7,000 characters max)
Of the three essays, this is the most important one, which is why it has such a large character count. It essentially builds your reasoning for why you want to study abroad, combining personal, past, and future experiences into one. The main purpose of this essay is explaining why you chose the country you plan to study in and how that ties into aspects of your life. So think about your future goals, challenges you’ve overcome, and the personal growth you hope to gain from your study abroad experience.
In my statement of purpose essay, I wrote about being reintroduced to letter grades. While that may sound strange, for much of my academic life from kindergarten to college (with the exception of high school), I never had letter grades. It was something that I had gotten accustomed to, and when I was first introduced to letter grades, I struggled with it. It made school more stressful and less enjoyable now that I had to “compete” with my fellow classmates. Since that experience, I’ve learned how to prepare myself to handle this challenge, and I plan to use my study abroad experience to overcome it. While I could go on and on about my experience, the takeaway here is to consider sharing personal challenges or unique experiences in your essay that connect to your goals for studying abroad.
Building Mutual Understanding Essay (3,000 characters max)
This essay essentially asks how you will connect with the people in your host country as a representative of the United States. Consider what personal experiences you have that might contribute to a deeper cultural understanding. For example, my brother, a Gilman alumnus, wrote about the cultural differences within the U.S. and how they reflect one of the country’s greatest strengths: individuality. While his essay focuses more on differences between regional areas in the U.S., it could also be something more personal or outwardly engaging. Some have stated they want to participate in events or clubs to fully immerse themselves with the culture of their host country.
Follow-on Service Project Proposal (3,000 characters max)
I like to call this essay Gilman’s “free advertising proposal.” In fact, this entire website is part of my Follow-on Service Project. There are no strict guidelines on what your project can be. From what I’ve heard, many people host a webinar or collaborate with their college’s study abroad department. Others take a more creative approach, like making videos or vlogs. It can be whatever you want, as long as it gets the job done. If you’re not sure what kind of project to do, Gilman occasionally sends out emails with follow-on service opportunities. They also have a section listing past projects done by Gilman Alumni for inspiration. And, of course, it wouldn’t be Gilman without another 1,000-word essay that summarizes your completed Follow-on Service Project, which must be submitted within six months of your program ending.
Final Advice on Gilman
If you are unsure of whether your essay addresses each prompt don’t be afraid to seek outside help. When I submitted mine, I had several family members proof-read and even had my study abroad advisor look at them too! Once submitted, your financial aid and study abroad advisors have to sign off, so be sure to email them to let them know. It takes roughly 2 months for Gilman to get back to you on whether you received any funding or not. If you are selected, an email will provide information on how to accept the award and the next steps after.
Fund for Education Abroad (FEA)
The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) scholarships are similar to the Gilman Scholarship in that they focus on supporting underrepresented individuals. They offer a variety of scholarship opportunities for people from all backgrounds. Award amounts vary depending on the number of scholarships you apply for and their individual award amounts. If your program is with one of their Access Partners, you may be eligible for additional financial support. I only applied for FEA’s general scholarship and did not apply for any of their Named & Dedicated Scholarships.
Application Essays
The essay component consists of two essays, each with a 250-word maximum. The first essay asks how the FEA scholarship will benefit you and your experience abroad. It’s easy to want to write that it will help with the program costs, but that alone doesn’t sound genuine. Tie in personal details or goals into it, after all FEA is geared towards supporting underrepresented individuals. Describe how the funds received can further your future studies or connect you with cultures you’ve longed for. The second essay dives more into the personal aspect, like experiences you’ve endured as an underrepresented person.
Final Advice on FEA
As always, it never hurts to ask someone to proofread your essays to make sure that it is grammatically correct and addresses the prompts. Don’t be fooled by the low word count or the seemingly simple essay questions, FEA is still a very competitive scholarship, more so than Gilman (at least it seems like). As disappointing as it was to not be selected, the experience provided an opportunity to improve my writing skills for future scholarship applications.
Internal Scholarships by Program Providers
The majority of study abroad providers will have internal scholarships for their programs. For instance, The University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC), which was what my study abroad program was through, offers tons of scholarships. They range from regional scholarships to First Generation Student Scholarship, and depending on your field of study, you may qualify for their Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering (STEM) Scholarship. Together these scholarships can amount to several thousands of dollars, which they deduct from your program costs. As with all the other scholarships in this article, you’ll need to write a few essays. What’s great about internal scholarships, at least with my organization, is that they aren’t as competitive compared to the Gilman and FEA, giving you a better chance of getting them. Just keep in mind that these internal scholarships only apply to programs within the organization.
Aid From Your Home University
I’d imagine that most colleges and universities offer some kind aid to students abroad. Studying abroad not only looks good for the student, but also for the school. The aid may come in the form of grants or internal scholarships. For example, my school offers grants to students going abroad, depending on the length of their stay. If you’re receiving financial aid, you might want to look into having it disbursed for the semester you’ll be abroad. The disbursed funds can then go toward paying for your program or additional expenses. To get a better understanding of the assistance your home university can offer, talk to your study abroad advisor(s) or department. They will have more information on this topic than I do.
The Traveling Jade 