1. The Gilman Scholarship and Study Abroad
Ask who has already been accepted to a Summer/Fall 2017 program and who plans to apply by Friday! Assure students who are looking at future terms that the Gilman has application cycles each semester, and the components of the scholarship have not changed greatly over the years—so most of what they hear today will most likely still apply in the future!
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented internships abroad. The program offers ~2,800 scholarships of up to $5000. Award amounts vary based on length of program and student need.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

2. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Sponsored by:
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
This congressionally funded program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Institute of International Education through its office in Houston, TX.
Administered by: Institute of International Education (IIE)
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

3. The Gilman International Scholarship Program mission is to diversify the students who study abroad, the disciplines they study, and the countries where they go.
It also encourages students to study “critical need” languages—those deemed important to national security and diplomacy.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

4. There are five basic eligibility requirements.1 3
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

5. U.S. Citizen 3 Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall
Cannot be a green card holder; if you are in the process of applying for US citizenship, contact Gilman for more information.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

6. Federal Pell Grant Recipient
This is awarded through FAFSA; if you are not sure if you receive a Federal Pell Grant, check your Camps account or contact Blugold Central.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

7. Undergraduate in good standing at an accredited U
Undergraduate in good standing at an accredited U.S institution of higher education. 1 3
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

8. Accepted to a credit-bearing study abroad program that spends at least 4 weeks in one country.
Study Abroad Program must be approved for academic credit.
Must be a U.S. citizen. 1 3
Must be studying abroad for a minimum of four weeks in one country.
Must be receiving a Pell Grant.
Programs that include multiple countries are eligible AS LONG AS you spent at least one full month in one country.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

9. That country cannot be under a US State Department Travel Warning.
Study Abroad Program must be approved for academic credit.
Must be a U.S. citizen. 1 3
Must be studying abroad for a minimum of four weeks in one country.
Must be receiving a Pell Grant.
Study in Mexico is permitted as long as you are studying in a Mexican state that is not under a travel warning. Puebla is not.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

10. Gilman strongly encourages applications from:
First generation college students
Students of color
Students with disabilities
Students in non-traditional disciplines
All Gilman applicants MUST meet the eligibility requirements already mentioned. In addition, Gilman strong encourages applications from students with the characteristics listed here.
Non-traditional study abroad disciplines include STEM, nursing & education
Non-traditional study abroad destinations include= outside of Western Europe, New Zealand & Australia. This DOES NOT mean that you cannot apply if you are studying in one of those countries. UW-Eau Claire students going to Australia, Austria, Germany, Greece, Ireland and Sweden have been awarded Gilmans. However, if you’ve haven’t decided where to study abroad, you can increase your chances by going to a non-traditional location.
In addition, Gilman prefers longer stays abroad, so all other things being equal, someone going for a longer period of time has a better chance.
Students going to non-traditional locations
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

11. How to Apply:
The online application at
The Gilman Scholarship Application is only available online.
We’ll take a quick look at the actual website at the end of this presentation.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
B E N J A M I N A.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofeld Hall

12. How to Apply:
Click on the Applicant button, and you will come to this page.
The Gilman Scholarship Application is only available online.
Note the resources—videos, webinars, and the “Application Process” section of the main website.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
B E N J A M I N A.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofeld Hall

13. Required Essays
Within the online application, you will write two essays and upload your official transcript.
There are extensive resources, both print and video about writing the essays and uploading your transcripts on the Gilman website. We’ll take a look in a minute.
Hint: do not wait until the last day to upload your transcript—you have to request one in ad
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

14. Statement of Purpose Essay
Required Essays
Statement of Purpose Essay
Why do you wish to study or intern abroad and what factors led you to this decision?
Describe your study or intern abroad program. Why did you select this program and length of study?
Why have you chosen your country of study?
How will this study abroad program and the coursework you take abroad impact your academic and future professional goals?
Are there any distinctive components to this program (i.e. home-stays, internships, field research, volunteer activities, extra-curricular activities, etc.)
What challenges, if any, did you face in your decision to study or intern abroad?
These are the prompts that Gilman provides, but remember that you want to write the answers as a coherent essay, not as a series of unconnected paragraphs.
Also remember that Gilman reviewers never meet you in person, so the essays are the only way they get to know you as a person. Don’t just write an outline that any college student could write.
Finally, keep in mind the types of students Gilman is specifically encouraging to apply. It will be obvious from your application whether you are studying in a non-traditional location or have a non-traditional major. However, if you are a first-generation college student, a student of color, or a student with a disability, the reviewers are not going to know that unless you specifically mention it in your essay. But again, make it part of your essay, not just a statement within in.
These could include, but are not limited to, being a parent, being a non-traditional student, having a learning or physical disability, being in a field of study for which it is difficult to incorporate study abroad, etc.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

15. Statement of Purpose Tips
Tip One: Write an essay!
Tip Two: Get feedback!
Tip Three: Revise (and revise, and . . .)
Tip Four: Use as few words as possible!
Rule One: It is tempting to just write a paragraph or two about each of the questions, but this is not what the scholarship is asking for. You are asked to write an interesting and coherent ESSAY that includes the answers to these question. It should be well-written and interesting. It should tell a logical story about who you are, why you want to study abroad, and why this program is a great fit for you in terms of achieving your personal, academic and professional goals. Compose it in a word-processing program, not online, to allow for easy revisions.
Rule Two: Advisers in the Center for Writing Excellence can help! (Hand out bookmarks.) You can also send a draft of your statement to one of the study abroad coordinators or have it proofread by someone else who is used to reading this type of competitive application—a faculty member or academic advisor.
Rule Three: you may repeat rules 2 & 3 many times!
Rule Four: You are allowed 7,000 characters, including spaces. This is approximately 1.5 pages, 12-point font. Gilman reviewers each read applications in a very short period of time. Use that space well, and make sure that you are only having them read what they need to know once, in an interesting, straightforward way.
B E N J A M I N A.
Center for Interntional Education, 3 Schofield Hall

16. The Follow-on Service Project Proposal is your chance to explain how you will give back by inspiring others to pursue their own experiences abroad.
What is my project?
Who is my target audience?
How will I inform them about my project?
Are there established organizations I can work with?
What is my project timeline?
How will I carry out my project?
To help expand the impact of the Gilman Scholarship Program, all Gilman Scholars are required to carry out a Follow-on Service Project upon their return from abroad that helps to promote international education and the Gilman International Scholarship.
his project can be done on your home campus or in your local community and must be completed within six months of your return to the United States. All applicants must submit a project proposal within the online application and this proposal is closely reviewed during the selection process. Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for additional information on your Follow-on Service Project Proposal. Some key points to keep in mind are:
Briefly outline your proposed project to promote the Gilman Scholarship and international education. How will this project impact your home university or home community? What are your project goals?
What is your target population and how will your project impact this group?
How will you integrate the impact of your experiences abroad into your project?
What, if any, campus departments, student organizations, and/or community organizations will you collaborate with in promoting the Gilman Scholarship and international education? Have you already made contact with these groups?
Upon completion of your project you will be required to submit a two-page final report summarizing your experience abroad and the impact of your Follow-on project.
See examples on website. Be original—but maybe even more importantly, be concrete!
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

17. Follow-On Project TipsProject Tips
Tip One: Develop a concrete project.
Tip Two: Get collaborators on board.
Tip Three: Get feedback.
Tip Four: Revise (and revise, and . . .)
Tip one: Your follow-on project is NOT an essay. It is an action plan for a specific, concrete event or activity that you are proposing. You need to be able to answer Who What Why Where and When
Tip two: Details are key! Which sounds stronger to you?
For my follow-on project, I will give presentations about study abroad at the high school where I graduated. I will give 3 or 4 presentations to interested students. Because I am still in contact with many of my high school teachers, it will be no problem to set this up.
For my follow-on project, I plan to give a presentation about study abroad, Gilman, and my specific experience, to juniors and seniors at North High School in Minneapolis, MN, where I graduated in I want to show them that it IS possible to study abroad, even if no one in your family has done it before, and even if your family does not have a lot of money. I will use photos from my experience to create a PowerPoint and will bring back interesting artifacts to share.
I have contacted three teachers, one who teaches Spanish, one who teaches math, and one who teaches social studies. All have agreed to allow me to come into their classes during one period in January 2018, when I will be home on winter break. I have also spoken with the adviser for the Model United Nations club, and I will be the featured speaker at their meeting that month.
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

18. Official TranscriptTips
Acceptable Transcripts:
Official transcript
Student copy of an official transcript
Photocopy of official transcript
Web-based transcripts ONLY for your transfer/previously attended institution or high school, when applicable (this is a document that you personally print from your online student account).
You need to upload your UWEC official transcript AND an official or unofficial transcript from any previous institution where you were a degree-seeking student. If you did college-transcripted courses in high school, you were not a degree-seeking student at the college, and you do not need to upload a transcript.
Do not leave this to the last minute! If you have difficulty uploading your transcript at 11:59 pm on the day of the deadline, your application will be incomplete and not considered.
There are detailed instructions AND an instructional video on Gilman website!
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

19. Gilman Application Deadlines
for
SUMMER, FALL or
ACADEMIC YEAR 2017 is
March 7, 2017
AFTER you submit your application, your study abroad coordinator and a UWEC financial aid adviser will need to “certify” it—basically, we get a series of questions that we need to answer to confirm that you are a degree-seeking UWEC student, have been accepted to the program indicated, and have listed accurate program cost and financial aid information. We have until March 14 to do that.
Hopefully, you will be working with your study abroad coordinator on your application, so you know who to list—there are choices in the online application. But if you have any questions when you get to that point, you can just the office at to find out. .
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

20. Notification: April 2017
As you can see, due to the decision deadlines, you cannot count on a Gilman award to fund your study abroad experience. You will need to be able to figure out how to pay for it via financial aid, loans, scholarships, savings, etc. If you receive the Gilman, it can replace loans you plan to use, or fill the gap between what you receive through UWEC and what you need for your program. If you want to discuss your specific financial aid situation, fill out the top of the Financial Aid Estimate (hand out) and take it to Blugold Central to meet with an advisor.
Center fr International Education, 3 Schofield Hall

21. Best of luck in your academic endeavors!
QUESTIONS?
Thank you for your time!
Best of luck in your academic endeavors!
Go to Gilman website and show students:
The application process section: in Transcripts, show the link to the video instructions
In essays, show the link to the Multimedia page, with all of the videos.
Show the examples of follow-on projects
Highlight the Wed, Feb 15 webinar (Webinars & workshops)
Center for International Education, 3 Schofield Hall