Apply for National Scholarships –But Remember, The Joy is in the Process

BY SAM RECHEK, POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY, CLASS OF ‘23

IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING REACHING OUT to the Office of National Scholars (ONS) for help with an application, I would tell you to absolutely go for it. But my reasons might not be what you think.

It might be tempting to look at potential outcomes: attending graduate school on a scholarship, earning the distinction of being a “scholar” of this or that sort — these are enticing results. Yet, there are better reasons to apply for the prestigious fellowship programs sponsored by ONS, and they are entirely independent of outcomes.

Writing applications is an intrinsically rewarding process of self-reflection and growth.

Fellowship applications are not like college applications or job applications. They ask probing questions that applicants may never have encountered before. They require careful reading, hours of study, and stylistic fine-tuning. They ask applicants to turn inward and share what it is that makes them “tick.” The amount of personal reflection and time it takes to learn how to think about your goals and talk about yourself can be like a part-time job.

Just like a job application, however, building a national scholarship application involves meeting the criteria in the “description.” Each scholarship is established with a mission, and it is the applicant’s job to show why their passions align with the criteria sought in a candidate.

It might seem like building an application to meet selection criteria involves creating an inauthentic persona, molding yourself into the “perfect” candidate. In reality, however, the trick is to pick out the features of your authentic character that already align with a scholarship’s mission. Doing so requires real self-awareness.

In my college career, I went through three scholarship application experiences. The first was an application for the Phi Beta Kappa Key into Public Service Scholarship (KIPS) in 2021. This program offers a scholarship and conference that provides training, mentoring, and reflection on pathways into local, state, and federal government careers. The second was an application for the Truman Scholarship, the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for those pursuing careers as public service leaders. The third was an application to the Marshall Scholarship, which provides funding for post-graduate study at any university in the UK. I was awarded the former, and I was a finalist for the latter two.

These applications forced me to grapple with deep questions about my interests, which lie at the intersection of philosophy, politics, and law. While putting together my application for KIPS, I was confronted with the dilemma: If I am attracted to both the career of a scholar and the career of a public servant, how can I do both? The answer, for me, lay in public law; judges, for example, are authors of legal scholarship even as they serve. While applying for the Truman Scholarship, I had to reexamine my reasons for aiming at law school, and I learned how to see myself as a changemaker rather than a leader. While applying for Marshall, I was challenged to view the issues that motivate me from the perspective of the US-UK relationship.

Each of these scholarship application processes deepened my understanding of myself. Each time, I entered into a process of critical self-reflection; each time, I was more in tune with myself than when I began — irrespective of the outcome. The questions asked of me not only reinforced my values and goals but applying those goals to the stated purpose for each award helped me to see new opportunities for my future and understand new layers of myself.

In short, writing applications can teach us things about ourselves. What will they teach you about you?