Goldwater scholarship - What do you know?

Parents Forum
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<p>Hey, folks. I know a couple of posters have mentioned in the past that their kids received Goldwater scholarships. I understand the math, science, engineering, "no pre-med unless you want to be a research doc" part of it but what about the logistics and practicalities? Any tips I can pass on? </p>

<p>I have googled and looked at previous year's recipients - quite an accomplished bunch!</p>

<p>There may be parents on here whose kids get nominated by their schools this cycle and if so that's happening right now and any insight you could give would be helpful.</p>

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<p>The program is quite prestigious. No been-there-done-thats here yet.</p>

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<p>S was nominated last year by his school as a sophomore. He made it down to the 2 finalists at his school. Ultimately, the girl went on to receive the $$. </p>

<p>Looking at old emails, I see it made through the 4th step on his campus, including the faculty interview. He felt good about his letter of rec from his research supervising prof. I am hopeful he gets nominated again this year, and get the $$. Hey, every little bit helps.....</p>

<p>Best of luck to you D!</p>

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<p>Curm: If the student is already receiving a full ride are they eligible for the scholarship? How could that $ be put to use? Sorry, more questions than answes at this time.</p>

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<p>Check old posts by NewMassDad!</p>

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<p>Not been there done that...but D is there and currently doing it. At her school, they must get permission to apply from the fellowship office (there is a designated Goldwater scholarship rep) and then a committee of profs at the college selects four nominees to send to the national committee. Each school's nomination process may be different. She got the green light to apply. Don't know if she'll get past the school level, but it's worth a shot. And I think the process is a good warm up for doctoral program applications she'll be doing next fall. She is working with her research professor on her proposal and she has lined up three letters of recommendation. Plus she will be able to use the research proposal for some internal college research grants also. My only job, besides being the cheering squad was to write the checks to retrieve the transcripts from hs and local college where she took a summer course. Best wishes to all the nominees...as curmudgeon states, previous winners are quite accomplished!</p>

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<p>My S was nominated as a sophomore by his school and went through the whole application process. He was told that it would be "tricky" for a math major. He hadn't done any college level research yet which is not a requirement, but I think it helps. Unlike the other sciences you have to know a lot of math before you can begin doing any significant research.</p>

<p>That being said, even though it's a national award, they are distributed by congressional districts. They also consider socioeconomic background and gender. Two of the winners from our state were single mothers who were attending community colleges. Even though S has a 4.0 at Princeton, is a varsity athlete, and had a glowing recommendation from a Field's Medalist, he did not even receive an honorable mention.</p>

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<p>Hi Curmudgeon. My alma mater, Furman University has some long term success with winning Goldwaters. I recall that your D gave Furman a look before making her final choices. Check out the profiles..although there are more, here are a few.
Furman:</a> Engaged Learning at a Leading Liberal Arts University
Furman:</a> Engaged Learning at a Leading Liberal Arts University
Furman:</a> Engaged Learning at a Leading Liberal Arts University</p>

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<p>sax, D has already been named a school nominee through their process. They have 4. I'm assuming they think she has a chance to succeed or they wouldn't have nominated her. As to where the money would go, I have no idea. One would hope that it could be used for COA not covered by her fellowship, or for a summer program. If not she'll be paying back her school . We'll cross that bridge if and when we get there. ;) It's all good. </p>

<p>Cellomom. I was thinking the same thing about D's medical scientist apps. This has got to be good experience for that. </p>

<p>Does anyone know how the selection happens? I know that there is an interview. For all nominees or just selected nominees? In person? Where would that be held if you went to school far from your congressional district?</p>

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<p>Thanks, faline. Rhodes had two, two years ago. One is a friend of D's (And to show you how freaky the world is : The girl is from a rival high school to D's back here in Texas. LOL. And now they work under the same prof in the same lab.)</p>

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<p>By the looks of the links provided by faline, the first link is to 4 kids who received Goldwater , Udall, and Truman scholarships. Of the 4 three were vals and 1 was a sal. From looking at the list of scholarships of the two Goldwater kids, I'd say they were either full-ride kids or close to it. (Total for Furman Goldwater's 4 of 6 were valedictorians. Interesting stat.)</p>

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<p>Well, thanks to faline we have our answer , sax. </p>

<p>


That seems to settle it.</p>

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<p>Curm. Yes, it's all good, very,very good. Congrats to your daughter and to her "#1 supporters back at the ranch". What a great ride!</p>

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<p>cookiemom, re post #7: I haven't done a thorough search, but I cannot find any indication that socioeconomic factors, or athletic participation for that matter, have any bearing on the awards. All references I come across refer to "on the basis of merit"--which I concede is a nebulous term.</p>

<p>My son's school had three winners last year, and two the year before; all three from last year were white male science and engineering students actively engaged in lab research. </p>

<p>I suppose the selection committees from the regions (which I thought were state-wide?) can come up with their own criteria.</p>

<p>Curmudgeon, what have you found about selection criteria?</p>

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<p>
[quote]
General Guidelines
The Foundation will award undergraduate scholarships to outstanding students, to be known as Barry M. Goldwater Scholars, in the spring of 2008 for use during the 2008-2009 academic year. The awards will be made on the basis of merit ... who have outstanding potential and intend to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. Four-year institutions are eligible to nominate up to four students who are in the sophomore or junior class during the 2007-2008 academic year. Two-year institutions may nominate up to two students who are sophomores during the 2007-2008 academic year. To be considered, a student must be nominated by his or her college or university using the official nomination materials available to each institution on the Foundation's website...</p>

<p>...The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program was created to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields.</p>

<p>In awarding scholarships, the Foundation Board of Trustees will consider the nominee's field of study and career objectives and the extent to which that individual has the commitment and potential to make a significant contribution to his or her field.</p>

<p>Nominees for Goldwater Scholarships must include in their nomination materials a statement of interest in a career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering, detailing how their academic program and their overall educational plans will prepare them for their chosen career goal. It is expected that students selected as scholars will pursue advanced degrees. </p>

<p>Selection Procedures
Initial Evaluation
An independent review committee appointed by the Foundation will evaluate all valid nominations and recommend the most outstanding nominees from each state for consideration by the Foundation Board of Trustees.</p>

<p>Nominees are evaluated on:
Demonstrated potential for and commitment to a career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.
Outstanding academic performance.</p>

<p>Final Selection
From among the candidates recommended by the independent review committee, the Board of Trustees will name up to 300 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars. The number of scholarships to be awarded per state will depend on the number and qualifications of the nominees from the 53 jurisdictions.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I personally know several Goldwater Scholars. There are two things that characterize the winners I know: excellent grades, and serious research commitment, shown by early success in labwork.</p>

<p>Although Sophmores are eligible, not many win because they typically don't have the needed research experience under their belt by early soph year. The one sophmore I know that won started work almost as soon as freshman year started. </p>

<p>I should add that the winners I know did NOT have full ride scholarships. In fact, they did not have any scholarships. </p>

<p>The selection process is based ENTIRELY on the application package. There are NO interviews, unless the college decides to interview as part of its decision process. Cur, you may be thinking of the Rhodes, or the Marshall, who both interview by districts.</p>

<p>So, to summarize how most colleges approach this:</p>

<p>The college solicits input from faculty and advisors regarding who might be a good candidate, and will selectively contact some of them to suggest they apply to the school. </p>

<p>The college may (but many don't) make an open announcement to the student body. The scholarship is almost always listed on the school's website as information for students.</p>

<p>Sometimes colleges do an informal initial screening to discourage kids who clearly won't make it.</p>

<p>The next step is up to the student, to prepare a series of essays that the student submits to college's committee. These are often due right at the end of christmas break, so they can make for a fun time during break. The student also gets recommendations and other materials into the college's scholarship office.</p>

<p>The college will review the final packages in early january, and select up to four candidates it then submits. Sometimes, the college may suggest improvements to the essays.</p>

<p>The applications are due the end of January, and decisions come out in late March.</p>

<p>You should note that the foundation aims for a reasonable geographic spread, but does not award by congressional district or by state, although their announcement lists students by home state. And, to my knowledge, there is only one selection committee.</p>

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<p>nmd, interestingly the app asks for your Congressional District. Wierd, huh? I'll have to see who mentioned the interview.</p>

<p>UW-Madison
Goldwater Selection Criteria</p>

<p>Academic achievement (grades, level of courses, awards, scholarships)
Progress toward research goals (research activities, career goals, course work)
Research essay (technical content, bibliography, organization/grammar)
Letters of recommendation (commitment to research, intellectual curiosity, potential for research contributions)
Equal weight is given to the four evaluation criteria.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
cookiemom, re post #7: I haven't done a thorough search, but I cannot find any indication that socioeconomic factors, or athletic participation for that matter, have any bearing on the awards. All references I come across refer to "on the basis of merit"-

[/quote]
</p>

<p>As I have found with many other scholarships that are supposed to be purely merit base, during the application process you discover that other factors are considered when making decisions. The following two questions are taken directly from the application form that can be downloaded from the Goldwater Website:

[quote]
2. List activities in which you have participated at your school (such as clubs, publications, debating, dramatics,music, art, and student government). Place an “X” in front of those activities you consider most important.</p>

<p>F. Goldwater Scholars will be representative of the diverse economic, ethnic, and occupational backgrounds of families in the United States. Describe any characteristics or other personal information about yourself or your family that you wish to share with the review committee

[/quote]
</p>

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<p>


I'm all for gender discrimination in this case ;) but I haven't found anywhere that says gender is considered. </p>

<p>And as to #2 above, sounds to me like they are just trying to get a snapshot of the student. I am assuming that they don't care what the activity is, just that they are active and involved in the fabric of their school. </p>

<p>It's just possible they are trying to weed out a student who spends most of their time locked in their room.</p>

<p>Again. For most prestigious scholarships, grades, classroom activities, and test scores won't get it done. cookiemom, if you want to say that makes it not a pure merit scholarship , that's O.K. with me. But since only 30% of the scholarships are given to sophs and your son had by your estimation zero research ( although the site says research would be very beneficial or words to that effect), I don't know that I'd be blaming it on gender and socioeconomics. </p>

<p>I do hope he gets the chance to represent his school again and if so, I wish him the best in this year's competition.</p>

<p>I just consider it pretty dang cool :cool: for my D to be nominated by her school.</p>

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<p>I had the same idea with regard to the research experience. I've read the profiles of 7 winners from last year, and all had extensive research experience. Only one was a sophomore at the time of nomination.</p>

<p>Oh, and only one was a female.</p>

<p>It is indeed a great honor for your D to be nominated as a sophomore.</p>

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<p>Agree with everything newmassdad posted.</p>

<p>Son's alma mater has a good track record with the Goldwater. This year, there are three in a senior class of less than 200, two males and one female. I'm somewhat familiar with two of the students, and they're very talented (one is a math major who earned honorable mention in the Putnam). Prior Goldwaters from his school have gone on to be awarded the NSF, the Hertz, and the Churchill graduate fellowships. The Goldwater stays on the CV forever and ever amen. Your D should be justifiably proud for being nominated; good luck to her!</p>

<p>Here's a link to the March 2007 press release. The number of winners and applicants seems in line with most years (300-and-change winners out of 1100-and-change applicants):
2007</a> Goldwater Scholar Press Release</p>

<p>Different schools nominate differently. My S did not apply, said he wasn't interested; I imagine if he had wanted to apply he could have, in a process similar to what nmd described. S did apply for a graduate fellowship. In that case, the school held a meeting by invitation for all seniors in the top XX% of the class, outlined the requirements for the fellowships, then the faculty sponsor (a former Marshall scholar himself) scheduled individual appointments for interested applicants where he frankly advised whether the student was a viable candidate or not. The school is small enough that they usually don't fill all their quotas for the competitive scholarships and fellowships.</p>

<p>I gather your D is interested in med school? She might want to consider another prestigious and very competitive scholarship available to UGs: The DHS. These are awarded to a broader range of majors than the Goldwater (in 2006, 10 UG awards to 70 applicants in life sciences) and include full tuition + fees in addition to a generous monthly stipend and a $5,000 summer internship. There are stipulations, however.
DHS</a> Scholarship and Fellowship Program</p>

<p>Don't know if there is a preference for under-represented populations in the Goldwater awards, but the NSF grad fellowship does put a thumb on the scale for women and minorities.</p>