Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog We were recently notified of a wonderful fellowship opportunity.   Please read below for details on the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship program.   The deadline is November 1st so act quickly if you qualify. ___________________________ The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships are for up to two years of graduate study in ANY FIELD at any university in the United States.   They provide cash support of $25,000 per year plus up to $20,000 in tuition support per year (a total of as much as $90,000 over the two years!). THE DEADLINE  for applications is November 1, 2010. ELIGIBILITY: New Americans:   if born abroad, an applicant must have a green card or be a naturalized citizen. If born in the US, the applicants parents both must have been born abroad and have become naturalized US citizens (the absent parent of an applicant raised by a single parent need not meet the naturalization requirement). Age: An applicant must be 30 or under (i.e. not 31 or older) as of November 1, 2010. Academic status: An applicant must have a bachelors degree or at least be in his/her final year of undergraduate study. If already in graduate study, an applicant should be in the first or second year of a degree program for which she/he is seeking support. Prior graduate training is not a barrier to eligibility.   Individuals who are not currently in a graduate program are welcome and encouraged to apply. SELECTION CRITERIA: We seek individuals who have  demonstrated unusual creativity, originality and initiative in one or more aspects of their lives who have demonstrated a commitment to and capacity for sustained accomplishment whose graduate plans or program give promise of enhancing their future creativity and accomplishment who seem likely to sustain their past record of creativity and accomplishment. We try very hard to create a level playing field for applicants, irrespective of the challenges and opportunities they may have experienced as New Americans.   We take into account their age, their level of academic preparation, and their experience. The program website,  http://www.pdsoros.org contains detailed information about the application process.   It also provides background sketches of current fellows and alumni who are pursuing careers in a wide range of fields. Truly creative and accomplished young people should not be discouraged from applying just because they do not come from elite schools, or do not have stellar grades or test scores, or dont want to study medicine or law.   We WELCOME AND ENCOURAGE applicants from a wide range of backgrounds with a wide range of career goals. Nor should truly creative and accomplished young people be discouraged from applying just because they are already reasonably assured of adequate support to complete their graduate study.  A number of wonderful fellows have found that the sense of community that develops among New Americans, the great opportunities associated with the Fall Conferences of Fellows, the regional get-togethers, participation in selecting subsequent classes of fellows, and the prestige of the award turn out to be of greater importance and value than its cash value.