STUDY ABROAD! UMKC Center for International Academic Programs

Thank you, Dr. Place. I’m honored to stand here before all of you today to talk about my experience with a nationally competitive fellowship application process. Specifically, I applied for a Truman…aaand I didn’t get it. But while the tuition money and prestige that go along with such an award certainly would’ve been helpful as I start applying to law schools, I got something even better—a lot of things, actually. I really think that the skills I learned while completing the—what seemed to me at the time—eternal application have been extremely important to my education at this university and critical in developing myself as a person and deciding how I want to spend the rest of my life.

The application itself is an experience, which I’m sure is true for any competitive fellowship. However, the interactions I had with the different faculty members who helped me throughout the almost-two-year process were experiences in and of themselves as well. I walked into Dr. Place’s office two years ago to ask about scholarships for law school and left with a suggestion to apply for a Truman. At first I thought, “There’s no way. I’m not even sure what I want to do with my degree.” But I went to see Dr. Gamer anyway. And that was an experience. It was my first real exposure to the meat of the application. As I was listening to him talk about different subjects I could write about, current issues in the media, and potential ways to go about solving some of the problems our society faces, I was amazed at what all I wasn’t seeing—not to mention the fact that Dr. Gamer seemed to have just a wealth of knowledge about practically every facet of the topic I eventually chose. At the end of that first meeting, I said to myself two things. The first was, “Boy, I really need to start readin’ the newspaper.” And the second was, “Because I want to be able to do that.” I made up my mind, and all the doubts I had about my ability to submit a high-quality application to the Truman committee disappeared.

That’s not to say they never came back—periodically and in short bursts during the process—but I knew I was working with some of the very best people I’ve ever met. Never in my life have I been pushed so hard mentally, academically, and even emotionally with the issue that I chose, as I was as a competitive fellowship applicant. That being said, I believe the process to be an overwhelmingly positive one. I’m here today because of not only Drs. Gamer and Place; but also Drs. Stoll, Frankel, Payne, Miller, and Lee; Ben Lewis, who was kind enough to write a letter of recommendation for me; all the faculty members who sat in on my initial nomination interview; and this institution through its nomination.

Because of them, I have a clear idea of exactly what I’m passionate about, the problems I want to address, and where and how to go about getting the degrees and skill sets I need in order to do that successfully. Because of this fellowship application process, I’ve got a wide variety of undergraduate classes and a study abroad experience on my transcript, and the organization of a community-wide event and several volunteer experiences on my résumé. Plus, my law school applications are basically finished. I’m more prepared for graduate school, the workplace, and (hopefully) discussions on current events. By the end of the process, I was carrying around two different international news publications in the hopes of bumping into Dr. Gamer to show him I was doing my homework.

I learned not only practical facts about my topic, but also how to frame my ideas appropriately, how to take criticism, and along with that—due to a bit of luck and lessons from the faculty who helped me along the way—the art of tact. So not only is my mother pleased with the outcome of the application process, but I, too, realize—even more so now that it’s over—that it has truly changed my life.

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Center for International Academic Programs
5325 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110-2499 USA
Phone: 816.235.5759 Fax: 816.235.5610
Email: international@umkc.edu

à How to get to CIAP ~ click here à

Interested in applying for a Nationally Competitive Fellowship or Scholarship?
See the MAJOR FELLOWSHIPs section of our website for more information.