How to Apply for a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Convinced you are going to go broke paying for your college education? If you're a college sophomore or junior working toward a degree in science or mathematics, a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship could provide you with up to $7,500 annually for tuition, fees, books, room and board, if you qualify.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Internet Access
• Personal Organizers
• Computers
• Word-processing Software

1. Make certain you qualify. You must be either a full-time sophomore or junior pursuing an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university; have a GPA of at least a "B"; be in the upper 25% of your class; and be either a U.S. citizen, a resident alien or a U.S. national.

2. Find out who the Goldwater Scholarship Faculty representative is on your campus and express your interest in being nominated for the scholarship. You can usually find this out from your institution's scholarship office or by contacting the Goldwater Foundation through their Web site (act.org/goldwater) or by calling them at [phone].

3. Start on your application early. Faculty representatives typically receive nomination forms and related materials in late August and the completed application and materials must be received by the Goldwater Foundation by February 1 of the following year.

4. Talk with present and former teachers, teaching assistants and even employers about letters of recommendation, which must be completed according to the Foundation's standards and must be presented on official forms to be considered as part of your application.

5. Consider your essay of approximately 600 words. The essay should relate to current and future plans regarding your studies and prospective career.

6. Get together all peripheral materials that must be sent with the application. Nominees must provide official copies of all high school and college transcripts, including the most current semester, if available.

7. Consult your faculty representative about students who have previously received a Goldwater Scholarship. Talk with these previous award winners about their insight into the application process and see if they have any helpful tips.

8. Keep in mind that research experience, and demonstrating your interest in pursuing an advanced degree in mathematics, the natural sciences and some engineering fields, will help to make you a stronger candidate.

Tips & Warnings

• Work with the faculty representative to insure all materials are together and your application is completed well in advance of the February 1 deadline. Stay on top of this procedure; only a faculty representative can submit your application, but you need to be the driving force behind getting this done.

• Apply during your sophomore year in college to receive the maximum amount of benefit from the scholarship. Sophomores and juniors who are selected will receive a maximum of 2 years of support and 1 year of support respectively.

• Keep copies of everything you submit, just in case there is any question about your materials or something is lost.

• Make sure you completely follow the instructions provided by the Goldwater Foundation when writing your essay, getting independent evaluation forms filled out and assembling other materials.

• Carefully research any scholarship or fellowship you are considering to make certain it is legitimate. There are plenty of scams out there, so don't get taken for a ride.