Application Tips

Filling Out the Willamette Application

Give your references plenty of time to fill out forms and write letters for you. You will want to know that the paperwork has actually been sent to our office. Try giving your references a postcard to send to you in the campus mail once they have sent their forms and letters to our office. It's a nice idea to write a thank you note to them after they have finished. Remember that professors are asked to write many recommendations, please give them ample notice.
About a week before the deadline, check to make sure that all of the needed paperwork arrived in our office. YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ASSURING THAT YOUR PAPERWORK ARRIVES ON TIME. LACK OF PAPERWORK NEGATIVELY AFFECTS YOUR CHANCES FOR BEING APPROVED.
Transcripts from ALL undergraduate schools you have attended are required. If you are a transfer student or if you have taken any classes at other universities, include a copy of those transcripts in your application materials.
The essay is your chance to convince the committee you are qualified to study abroad. Give us good academic reasons for going abroad on the specific program you have chosen. Tell us how the program relates to your major and to future graduate school or career plans. Write about your past accomplishments, experiences, and language training.
Pick a trusted friend or find someone at the Writing Center to read your essay. Ask them to critique your writing style and grammar. It doesn't hurt to ask several people to read your essay.

Writing Essays and Getting Grants

These are some points to consider when you are filling out application materials for study abroad or scholarships and grants for use abroad. The points have been adapted from criteria for the NSEP scholarship. It would be wise to use this as a checklist for writing essays, answering questions, and preparing for interviews.

Educational qualifications as a demonstration of potential for success in proposed study abroad: Is your academic preparation sufficient to allow you to benefit from the proposed study abroad experience? Consider your grades, curriculum choices for the study abroad experience, and any special circumstances that you can highlight.
Language interest and aptitude: Have you made use of opportunities for prior language training? Have you demonstrated a serious commitment to learning the target language?
Motivation, maturity, and personal commitment to international education as a means to fulfilling academic and career goals: Do you have strong motivation for undertaking the study abroad program? Have you thought about how your study abroad plans fit into your academic and career plans? What are your long and short term goals for integrating your study abroad experience into your academic and career goals? You must convince scholarship and grant committees that you have serious academic reasons to apply.
Maturity: Do you demonstrate the sufficient maturity, flexibility, and common sense to cope with the challenges of living and studying in an unfamiliar environment? Think about previous experiences and activities that prove that you are capable of handling your proposed program.
Using new knowledge: Does your proposal include a feasible plan for applying knowledge gained abroad after returning to the USA? Scholarship and grant committees are interested not only in how your experience will benefit you, but also in how your experience will benefit the community at large.
Did you do your homework?: Are you knowledgeable about the study abroad program you intend to pursue? Could you explain to someone else what the program covers, where it is located, and what you intend to study?