Hello again. Since my last post I have completed my fall semester classes and continued my research over winter break. Most importantly, I was nominated by the chemistry department at UWEC for The Barry Goldwater Scholarship!
Barry Goldwater
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship
Late last semester, my McNair research mentor submitted me as a possible departmental nominee for The Barry Goldwater Scholarship. This is an extremely prestigious national award that only one student in the UWEC chemistry department can be nominated for. From the entire campus, only four students were chosen to apply. Applicants for this scholarship should be in good academic standing, heavily involved in undergraduate research, and plan to obtain a PhD as their highest degree objective. I was also chosen because of my extracurricular activities, such as the McNair program and volunteering with my hometown’s Fire and Ambulance Departments. This scholarship application turned out to be a very involved process that I learned a lot from.
The Process to Apply
I was cautioned by my mentor prior to him submitting me as a nominee that the process of applying for this scholarship was an arduous one. Firstly, I had to be chosen as the departmental nominee for UW-Eau Claire. The next steps included a meeting with the director of the office of research and sponsored programs, a pre-application, an online questionnaire, a research essay, and three letters of recommendation. All of these elements took over two months to complete. Completing the research essay involved a lot of back and forth from my mentor, ORSP, and my school’s writing center. Filling out the application forced me to think very carefully about what I have done, what I am doing, and what I plan to do in my future career. It also made me feel proud and satisfied about my achievements. What I will take from this experience goes much further than just the possible financial relief.
The Future Benefits
Not only will this scholarship help with the financial stress of undergraduate and graduate school, successfully becoming a Goldwater scholar would make me a competitive applicant for any grad school I apply for. Another thing that came out of this process was a much deeper understanding of my research. Due to the pages and pages of material I researched prior to writing the research essay, I feel much more comfortable talking about and explaining the research I am doing. As a part of my essay, I learned to explain difficult concepts in an understandable way and create multiple diagrams showcasing the unique reactions I am doing. One of these diagrams can be seen below. The knowledge and resources I have accumulated because of this application will help me with the upcoming research presentations I am registered for this semester, which include NCUR and CERCA. Despite the amount of work I put into this scholarship, I am grateful that my mentor has continued to provide me with opportunities to further my career.
The Basics of My Research
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