Serve as an Advisor for Students
Assist Students in Choosing Study Abroad Programs
The Boren Awards website includes step-by-step instructions for completing the scholarship application. However, it is the Boren campus representative or academic advisor who will interact directly with the student during the on-campus phase of the application process. The first step to starting a Boren Scholarship application is selecting appropriate study abroad options. Students should be aware that their applications will be evaluated in part on whether the chosen study abroad experience supports their academic and career goals, and whether these goals are relevant to Boren. The quality of the program’s language component is also an important factor.
In the application, all students are asked to specify a preferred as well as an alternate study abroad program. Remember, Boren funding may only be used for programs listed on the application form. Please stress the importance of providing both a preferred and alternate program choice to the students since program changes are allowed only in extreme cases (i.e. sudden cancellation of both the preferred and alternate programs, natural disaster in the host country, etc.) The alternate program must be in the same country and language of study as the primary program. Both programs will be evaluated as equal options by Boren review panels, with the assumption that award recipients will participate in the preferred program unless circumstances dictate a switch to the alternate option.
Resources for Selecting a Study Abroad Program
- Campus Study Abroad Office
- IIE guides to study abroad programs, such as Academic Year Abroad
- Online program search on IIE Passport (http://www.iiepassport.org/)
- The “How to Apply” section of BorenAwards.org (www.borenawards.org/boren_scholarship/study_abroad_program.html)
If students have additional questions relating to their choice of a study abroad program, they may call IIE directly for assistance.
Support Students in Completing Strong Applications
Once the student has selected a study abroad option, he or she should concentrate on developing a compelling proposal to submit as the application’s statement of purpose. The statement of purpose is the most critical part of the application and includes two sections:
- Rationale
Students should explain the significance of their proposed study abroad experience to U.S. national security and how participating in the program will help them to achieve their academic and career goals. Compelling applicants will clearly articulate how their study abroad program and their career goals relate to U.S. national security interests, as broadly defined. - Study Abroad Program Description (both the preferred and alternate programs)
In this section, applicants should go more in-depth about the study abroad program’s course of study, support services (i.e. facilities, housing, resident director, etc), and related cultural activities. Successful applications will also describe the language component of their program and explain how they will maximize their language learning (both formally and informally).
Students should follow the statement of purpose guidelines listed on the “how to apply” section of BorenAwards.org (www.borenawards.org/boren_scholarship/sop.html).
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