David L. Boren Awards for International Study

The application deadline for the Boren Fellowship is less than two weeks away.  As you put the finishing touches on your application, be sure to follow this advice.  In order for your application to be competitive, you must:   

Demonstrate your commitment to serious language study.
All Boren Fellowship proposals must include a serious language component.  For beginning to intermediate language learners, this should include some form of classroom-based study.  It should not be limited to the classroom, however, and you should look for opportunities to learn the language outside of the classroom as well.  Since the Boren Fellowships focus on less commonly studied languages, it is o.k. if you have never studied the language before.  Regardless of how much experience you have in the language, you should explain why you have selected the language and demonstrate that you are committed to learning the language.  Be specific about your language goals and include a plan for continuing to study the language once you return from overseas. 

Clearly address national security.
You must explain the significance of your studies to U.S. national security.  We apply a broad definition of national security (see article “What do we mean by national security?”).  So, you should not feel compelled to limit your focus or concentrate your essays in an area in which you are not truly interested.  Keeping in mind the Boren Awards’ emphasis on national security, you must tie your current academic plan, your fellowship proposal, and your future career goals into one strong narrative that makes the case for your Boren Fellowship.   

Make sure your future career goals are clear and realistic.
Your application will be more competitive if you can be specific about how you would like to fulfill the service requirement.  If you are unsure about your future career goals, investigate different areas of federal service that you believe will best meet your goals, based on your academic background and the region of the world in which you plan to study.  Visit your institution’s career center and utilize online resources such as http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ and http://www.studentjobs.gov/ to find positions that interest you.  You should also demonstrate that you have an understanding of the actual selection process and the skills that are required in the position.  

Ensure your course of study is feasible.
The best source of advice on overseas study and research is most often your faculty adviser.  Have your faculty adviser and others from your discipline read over your proposal.  In addition, discuss your proposal with faculty in other disciplines who have experience in the region you will be studying.  You should also check if your university has a campus representative for the Boren Fellowship who can assist you.  Use their feedback to strengthen your proposal and make sure that it is feasible.

Make sure your reference letters are meaningful and arrive on time. 
You are required to have three letters of reference submitted online.  Read the November newsletter article “Obtaining Strong Letters of Reference” for helpful suggestions.  Since these must be completed online, you should verify that your referees have received their username and password.  It is your responsibility to ensure that all references are submitted.  At any time, you can login to the application and see what the status of each letter of reference is.  

Avoid spelling, grammatical, or syntax errors.
This should go without saying, but applications with spelling, grammatical or syntax errors go in the “do not recommend” pile quite quickly.  Not all problems can be solved by the spell check function on your computer.  If your campus has a writing center, utilize it.  If not, have multiple people proofread your essay to look for any mistakes.