Advisors face quite a challenge as they sort through the daunting and ever-changing world of nationally competitive undergraduate and graduate fellowships in order to assist talented students searching for funding for exceptional academic opportunities.

This collection of essays helps advisors by providing information about major changes in the fellowship and scholarship landscape. Included is guidance on the new Schwarzman scholarship for study in China, the recently added video interview for the Mitchell scholarship, and the new rules for the Rhodes personal statement (an advisor’s take). Additionally, seasoned advisors share practical advice, ranging from workshops that engage students and faculty to helpful technological tools to personal statements and office assessments. Keeping the focus on the scholar in the scholarship process is a central theme. All before Them is an important addition to any faculty mentor’s or scholarship advisor’s toolkit.

The world of national and international scholarships is more competitive than ever. Top students from across the county vie for a limited number of awards that provide the funding needed to participate in elite programs that can help launch the careers of those who receive the recognition. Scholarship foundation leaders have an insider’s view of the selection process, and experienced advisors prepare students to navigate applications and interviews. Both perspectives are represented here in this new collection emphasizing the importance of engaging a diverse group of students, institutions, and programs in the process as well as expanding the educational experience for students as they apply so that everyone benefits, no matter what the outcome.

Each year thousands of students apply for competitive national and international scholarships such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Gates Cambridge, and Fulbright. The competition for these awards is intense, and students look to scholarship advisors for support. Many universities have created an office or designated part of an office to assist these students, which has provided greater access for students who may not have applied previously or successfully. It has also increased the competition. The twelve essays in this collection from the 2003 National Association of Fellowships Advisors Conference held at the University of Denver. Essays by the heads of the Rhodes, Marshall, Gates, and Truman Scholarship foundations provide a sense of the philosophy and direction of their programs. The essays provide information on new initiatives, insights into the history and significance of the programs, and insider tips for application and interview preparation. Other essays focus on the advising and application process from successful advisors at various universities, how the U.K. higher educational system differs from that in the United States, and the key issue of ethics in the application process. All the essays demonstrate that the scholarship application experience itself is a valuable one that is more about learning and service than it is about winning.

Thousands of college students across the country apply each year for nationally and internationally competitive scholarships and grants. Different awards target different interests, career goals, and student qualifications. Advising students on how to choose the right award that will help launch them on their career path requires a nuanced understanding of scholarship opportunities. Bridging the Gap: Perspectives on Nationally Competitive Scholarships provides key information from scholarship foundations and seasoned advice from campus advisors critically important for the faculty and staff who support students applying for these awards. This book will be a great resource for anyone advising students.

Here are eleven essays addressing various aspects of the application process: building an office, engaging students in research, connecting them to internships and other special opportunities, embracing diversity, defining leadership, involving faculty, and preparing for an interview. There are also realistic assessments of the odds of winning a scholarship. Three of the essays are by directors or presidents of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, the Senator George J. Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute, and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. The essays are a result of the National Association of Fellowships Advisors conference, NAFA in Washington: Scholarships in a National Context, held in Washington, D.C., in July of 2007. The collection is a valuable resource for faculty, advisors, and administrators who want to provide opportunities for student engagement and to use the process to help shape tomorrow’s leaders. The book also includes two appendices: “NAFA Foundation and Institutional Membership” and “Competitive Scholarships, Opportunities, Internships, and Programs at a Glance.”

Lights! Camera! Arkansas! traces the roles played by Arkansans in the first century of Hollywood’s film industry, from the first cowboy star, Broncho Billy Anderson, to Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bob Thornton, and many others. The Arkansas landscape also plays a starring role: North Little Rock’s cameo in Gone with the Wind, Crittenden County as a setting for Hallelujah (1929), and various locations in the state’s southeastern quadrant in 2012’s Mud are all given fascinating exploration.

Robert Cochran and Suzanne McCray screened close to two hundred films—from laughable box-office bombs to laudable examples of filmmaking -- in their research for this book. They’ve enhanced their spirited chronological narrative with an appendix on documentary films, a ratings section, and illustrations chosen by Jo Ellen Maack of the Old State House Museum, where Lights! Camera! Arkansas! debuted as an exhibit curated by the authors in 2013. The result is a book sure to entertain and inform those interested in Arkansas and the movies for years to come.

Guidance for students applying for national scholarships Nationally competitive scholarship programs attract thousands of applicants every year for a relatively small number of awards. Providing informed and dedicated support to applicants is the critical and fundamental goal of the National Association of Fellowships Advisors (NAFA). The thirteen essays in this volume are a direct result of the 2005 NAFA conference held in Louisville. Contributors include both scholarship advisors and representatives of the Truman and Marshall foundations as well as the former executive director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission. These essays provide practical information ranging from helping faculty write persuasive letters of recommendation to serving international students effectively to negotiating the British and Irish high-educational systems. In addition to providing the students with useful tips, these essays also reflect on the broader impact of the application process. They address the successes of students who do not win as well as the public-service involvement of those who do as they give back to their campus, local, and global communities.

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.