The Office of National and International Fellowships works with talented, outstanding Oxy students who are applying for nationally competitive scholarships, fellowships, and national awards.
At this level of competition, the students and our office rely on the assistance and commitment of the Occidental faculty in aiding the process of writing letters of recommendation, providing resources and helping with the application process. Generally, we ask that you serve as a mentor for these applicants, and if possible, work with them to improve their proposals and statements. In addition, serving as a panelist on a mock interview is a great way to be involved in the fellowships advising process.
Occidental students are some of the best candidates for these awards, and to continue with this level of excellence, they need your help in attaining scholarships and fellowships that speak to their academic, personal, intellectual and professional goals. This section of our website is dedicated to providing basic information on how to act as a mentor and guide for potential applicants, as well as how to assist them in the actual application process.
Basic Tips
Encourage first year students and sophomores to start thinking about scholarships EARLY.
Encourage students to engage in self reflection , define their goals, research award opportunities that match these goals and aspirations, and have them make an appointment with the Director of National and International Fellowships. Advise students not to wait until their last year of college to apply, because the process itself helps to refine these goals and interests further.
Encourage students who are already scholarship winners or have been recognized by the Occidental community in some capacity to apply for national awards. Most people who win national awards have been given College awards such as merit based scholarships. One scholarship tends to lead to another.
As a member of the faculty, the scholarship application process can involve faculty in the following ways, but of course is not limited to:
- Writing Letters of Recommendation
- Serving on campus selection committees, the faculty committee, or acting as an award advisor/nominator
- Participating in mock interview scholarship panels
- Acting as an advisor/mentor on personal statements, proposals, CV, etc.