The Voice of Experience
Last year at about this time I faced graduation with the knowledge that I wanted to go on to graduate school. With the help of faculty in my department and the services provided by the Honors College, I discovered that the best strategy for my career goals was to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to study for a year in Germany, and then to continue my education in the U.S.
After a very difficult two months of concurrently applying to graduate schools and rewriting my Fulbright proposal over 13 times. I waited several months before learning that I had been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and a Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Mention Fellowship for Graduate Study. Now I am a much more attractive candidate to prestigious graduate schools than I would have been without the Fulbright, and my first year of graduate school is free.
I have learned some things that might help you:
- IUP students are brighter and more competitive than they give themselves credit for. I work hard, but I'm not a genius compared to other talented IUP students I know. I had good grades and not-so-great GRE scores. The difference is that I used the information and resources of IUP to seek out the opportunity, then worked hard to put together a successful application. You can compete successfully against all those students from Ivy League schools! I'm the proof!
- If you aren't already a senior, you can avoid the last-minute madness that I went through in the fall of my senior year. Completing these applications well enough to compete nationally is VERY time-consuming, and the due dates seem to fall at about the same time. Start early - in the sophomore year if possible - to find out about the possibilities, talk to knowledgeable faculty, look at sample applications, and begin to write all those essays.
- Talk to faculty members about your plans and listen to Dr. Goebel's advice, especially about how to get the best possible letters of recommendation (see the last section of this brochure).
The Very Best of Luck to All IUP Honors Students,
Janet A. Lassan
Berlin, Germany
IUP Alumna
