Photo illustration by JACOB KONST/Arizona Daily Wildcat Mark Melamed, an interdisciplinary studies senior, has been filling out application after application for scholarships.

UA students aspire to pursue individual fields of interest overseas, lay foundations for the future

Like Bill Clinton, Bruce Babbitt and many other famous politicians before him, UA interdisciplinary studies senior Mark Melamed hopes to join the thin ranks of the elite who have studied abroad as international scholars.

Melamed is applying for the Marshall scholarship, named for former Secretary of State George C. Marshall. The nationally competitive award that annually grants 40 students funding to pursue undergraduate or graduate studies at a university in the United Kingdom.

If he wins, Melamed said he plans to earn his masters in central and eastern European studies and integration ÷ an area that he said has always interested him.

Lately, Melamed has also been toying with the idea of applying for a Fulbright scholarship, with a plan to travel to Poland and conduct independent research on public opinion about the European Union.

"It's a lot to manage, mixed in with school work," he said. "It's such a long shot, because so many people apply and so few get it."

Melamed said his 3.9 grade point average and the many opportunities he's had to travel Europe, however, help to make him a strong candidate. Melamed studied abroad in Poland for 5 1/2 months his junior year and has also held several internships associated with the central and eastern European regions.

"I think (my travels and experience) demonstrate my commitment to the field," he said.

These (scholars) are the people who look like they're going to be movers and shakers. -Karna Walter, assistant director of international studies and scholarships

The application for a prestigious scholarship is similar to a college application, except more in-depth. For the Marshall application, Melamed said he needed four letters of recommendation, an impressive resumŽ and a detailed personal statement.

"You just write about who you are, what you've studied, how you stand out and why that university would be a good fit for what you want to do," he said.

There are 15 different national and international competitive scholarships, which provide funding for a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs. The most commonly known are the Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill, Mitchell and Gates Cambridge scholarships, which students apply for as seniors to attend graduate school for two or more years in Great Britain or Ireland.

Other programs are more specialized, providing undergraduates various sums of money to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board at their respective institutions. For example, the Goldwater scholarship is given to undergraduates studying math, science or engineering, and the Udall scholarship serves both students interested in the environment and Native Americans and Alaskans in fields related to health care and tribal policy.

The largest program, the Fulbright, differs from the others in both the nature of the program and the fact that graduating seniors and graduate students can apply. The scholarship provides a full academic year of funding for a student to conduct a research project in one of 140 different countries. The number of applicants is not restricted, and this year the UA will nominate between 40 and 50 students for the Fulbright, according to Karna Walter, assistant director of international studies and scholarships with the Honors College.

In addition, there is no field restriction with the Fulbright

program, meaning the nature of applicant projects and research varies widely, Walter said.

"We had a student studying remote sensing technology in Malawi, and another researching euthanasia in the Netherlands," she said, referring to last year's Fulbright scholars.

Rachel Wellhausen, a senior studying English, economics and interdisciplinary studies in German, Russian and political science, just returned from a yearlong trip to Russia. She was there on a Boren scholarship, a program that sends students to countries and areas of the world critical to U.S. national security.

Wellhausen lived with a host family in Siberia for nine months, and attended the Irkutsk State Technical University, studying Russian, as well as political and cultural studies.

She said applying for the Boren was a time-consuming and competitive process, but she appreciated it.

"It helped me realize why I wanted to go, and what I wanted to get out of it," she said.

In the end, she said, her year abroad was a difficult experience, but well worth it.

"It challenged me, but that's what I wanted," she said. "It gave me ideas for my career goals. Plus, I met good friends, and had an interesting and welcoming host family."

Last year, 96 UA students applied for prestigious scholarships. With the exception of the Fulbright, in which a certain number of students are chosen per country, very few students are selected annually to receive these awards. Forty students nationwide are selected for the Marshall, and only 32 are selected for the Rhodes, Walter said.

"When you're talking about the entire undergraduate population of graduating seniors, that's only a very small slice of people who are even eligible to apply, let alone who actually get it," Walter said.

There are several stages in the selection process of a prestigious scholar.

First, a student must submit an application to the university. Then he or she is interviewed locally. Next, the UA nominates three to six students for each scholarship, depending on the applicant pool. Students then move on to the state or regional stage, where they could be chosen for further interviews and nomination. If they make it to the national level, they find out by the end of the semester whether they have won the scholarship.

Although the UA has not had a Rhodes or Marshall scholar in several years, Walter said she thinks the school has a good shot this year.

"We have a strong pool of applicants, so we'll see what happens," she said.

The selection criteria includes a minimum 3.80 grade point average, and emphasis is placed on the leadership qualities of the applicant.

What sets people apart is the kind of involvement they have had on and off campus, and if they have tangible, hands-on leadership experience, Walter said.

Another important aspect of the application process is the student's ability to identify an area of study that fits his or her interests. Those who select the scholarship winners look for students with intellectual and leadership abilities, especially those who are able to weave it all together in a meaningful way, Walter said.

"Their abilities and background interests provide a really good foundation for their proposed study, which in turn provides a foundation for what they hope to do for their lives," Walter said.

As Wellhausen and Melamed labor through the application paperwork, they are trying to lay their own foundations for the future.

Wellhausen, who is applying for the Marshall, Rhodes and Fulbright programs, is hoping to study developmental economics in England for two years after she graduates in May.

She said some day she would like to get a law degree in the U.S. and work in international economics and legal policy.

As for Melamed, who is also preparing to apply to law school, he said he could pursue international law and eventually influence policy making in the federal government. He has also thought about becoming a professor.

Each applicant hopes to be recognized for the qualities that the scholarship judges are looking for.

"Basically, what we ask is, can we see in you the potential to really make a difference?" Walter said. "These (scholars) are the people who look like they're going to be movers and shakers."