Applying for nationally competitive scholarships can be a daunting process for students. Thousands apply each year for scholarships with familiar names like the Rhodes, Marshall, Gates Cambridge, Schwarzman, Fulbright, Truman, Goldwater, Udall, and Madison, or for one of many STEM opportunities like National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships or National Defense Science and  Engineering Fellowship.  

For many, the applications present an unfamiliar territory, so students seek out informed advisors who can help them navigate the terrain. This volume of essays is a great way for anyone advising students through an application to become an expert. Roads Less Traveled and Other Perspectives on Nationally Competitive Scholarships provides critical information from scholarship foundations about the best ways to guide students—from considering a career path, to completing the application, to preparing for an interview. Experienced advisors also share helpful tips on practical topics like writing letters of endorsement or assisting those who want to study abroad, and they provide programmatic advice on how to broaden the pool of applicants, address those with financial needs, and make all who apply feel the process has value beyond winning. Roads Less Traveled and Other Perspectives on Nationally Competitive Scholarships is a must for anyone advising students on scholarships.

 

Suzanne McCray is vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions, associate professor in the Higher Education program in the College of Education and Health Professions, and the director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at the University of Arkansas. She has also served as both president and vice president of the National Association of Fellowships Advisors and has worked with the Coca-Cola Scholarship, the Morris Udall Scholarship, and the Critical Language Scholarship Review.  This is the sixth volume of essays on nationally competitive awards that she has edited with the University of Arkansas Press.

Joanne Brzinski is the senior associate dean for undergraduate education at Emory University.  She oversees the Office for Undergraduate Education, which includes Emory’s National Scholarship and Fellowship Program. She became a fellowship advisor in 1999, and she has served as a National Association of Fellowships Advisors board member, vice president, and president.