The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Fall 2009

The purpose of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, as stated in the enabling legislation, is to alleviate a critical current and future shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. A more realistic statement of the purpose, in today's terms, is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified individuals to those fields of academic study and research. The foundation seeks those who have outstanding potential and intend to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering (from the website).

Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $7,500 annually. Applicants must…

  • Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior
  • Have a college grade-point average of at least "B" (or the equivalent) and be in the upper fourth of his or her class.
  • Be a United States citizen, a permanent resident, or, in the case of nominees from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands, a United States national.

It is important that you give careful attention and preparation to your application and essay. The Goldwater application is an electronic please visit www.act.org/goldwater to register. You must notify the office for fellowships if you plan to apply for this opportunity. Please consult your science/math faculty members as you work on this application—especially those who will be writing letters of recommendation. Their suggestions and comments will help you put together a well-constructed essay and application.

Letters of recommendation and your application must submitted no later than December 1, 2009 in order to ensure that they will be considered when the members of the Committee on Fellowships read your application file. You may wait unit you know if you have one of the Vassar nominations before asking for an official copy of your high school transcript. We can use the one on file in the Dean of Studies office for this part of the competition.

The Committee on Fellowships will meet in mid-December to select up to four Vassar nominees. Those selected will have some time over break for editing and revising, if necessary. Applications for the 4 nominees will be submitted to Goldwater in late January. Please feel welcome to stop by the office at any time if you have questions or need help.

Note: Keep copies of your work. If you are selected as a Vassar nominee, you will have time over semester break to finalize your application, including any suggested revisions.