Six Ohio University students are out to prove that they are as good as any Ivy League student. With the help of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, those students have applied for the prestigious Rhodes, Gates Cambridge and Marshall scholarships.
It's really tough
said Ann Brown, director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. Most winners come from Ivy League schools. We're swimming upstream but we have some great candidates this year.
Those candidates are physics majors Jessica Benson and Forrest Bradbury, English major Aaron Gorelik, civil engineering major Natalie Kruse, English masters student Sarah Miller and political science major Breanne Scanlon.
The number of applicants shows that students have faith in their ability to compete for these awards Brown said.
Brown said this faith, in part, is due to the creation of the office four years ago. The office was designed to centralize and administrate the application procedures for these awards. Brown also emphasized the importance of the faculty, who write letters of recommendation, serve on committees, conduct mock interviews, review applications and mentor applicants.
Last year 47 OU students applied for a variety of nationally competitive awards. That was double the number of applicants as the previous year, and 14 of the 47 students won awards. Before the office's creation, OU students rarely applied for these scholarships, Brown said.
We help students to realize that these awards are within reach
she said. They need to have a better sense of themselves. Students in the Midwest have been taught to be modest
but they need to realize their tremendous potential.
The Rhodes and Marshall scholarships each have about 1,000 applicants nationwide -
said Kruse, who is applying for the Rhodes, Gates Cambridge and Marshall scholarships. I went through 10 drafts of my 1
000 word personal statement. Everything has to be perfect.
Scanlon, who is applying for the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships, also worked hard to perfect her application, which was quite a challenge.
I have never had to articulate my goals
she said. I had to lay out my background and experience
and why I think political theory is right for me. I knew all these things
but I never had to defend them before.
Applications for the Rhodes and Marshall awards were submitted on Monday, and now the long process of waiting has set in for both the office and the applicants.
I'm very nervous
Kruse said. No one from OU has ever won one of these awards. The prospects of winning have just set in
