Boren Fellowship - What Makes a Competitive Application
- Consider the preferred countries, languages, and fields of study. Generally, Boren Awards are made to students who will study less commonly taught languages in countries that are critical to national security. We also give preference to students focusing on certain fields of study. However, as we cannot list all countries, languages, and fields that are critical to U.S. national security, we are interested in applications for non-preferred areas where the candidate can make a compelling case that such study can contribute significantly to U.S. national security and the goals of the program.
- Consider government service. Preference is given to students who will make a commitment to work in the federal government. Investigate different areas of federal service that you believe will best meet your own goals, based on your academic studies and the region of the world in which you plan to study.
- Review projects that current Boren Fellows are completing. Reviewing the list of projects being completed by current Boren Fellows will give you an idea of the many countries and types of projects that you may want to consider.
- Develop a strong and unique project. Boren Fellowships can be awarded for language study, overseas academic study, research (either Master’s or Ph.D. level), an academic internship, or any combination of the above. You should design a project based on your own academic interests. The length of the fellowship will generally be guided by the project itself and the amount of time that will be needed to complete it. Most successful applications include a combination of language study and research or academic internships, as well as significant time overseas.
- Include serious language study. Regardless of the type of project developed, all Boren Fellows must include a serious language component. For beginning to intermediate language learners, this should include some form of classroom-based study. It should not be limited to the classroom, however, and opportunities for not classroom language learning should be explored. Be sure to include a plan for continuing to study the language once you return from your study abroad program. Since the Boren Fellowships focus on less commonly studied languages, it is o.k. if you have never studied the language before. But you should do all that you can do now to at least familiarize yourself with the language. If you are asking the Boren Awards to make a commitment to your studies, then you should make a similar commitment.
- Make a compelling case for national security. The application asks graduate student applicants to “explain the significance of the selected area to the applicant’s academic field and to the nation’s security.” All applicants should review the Program Basics section of the website, especially the section that defines national security, which reads:
- “The program focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. It draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including: sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness. All applicants must demonstrate how their study programs and future goals are connected to this broad understanding of national security.”
- What this means is that students studying a variety of fields can relate their international interests to U.S. national security.
- Security studies or diplomacy - Students studying international affairs, history, or political science could discuss the bilateral relationship between the United States and the country in which they propose to study.
- International trade - Applicants studying business or economics might make the case that the United States is more secure with stable trading partners.
- Sustainable development or global disease - Students focusing on these issues could argue that regional stability is threatened by global poverty, environmental degradation or disease, and that U.S. security is enhanced by combating these concerns.
- Whatever the applicant's interests, the Boren Fellowship essay gives each student the opportunity to make his or her own case based on his or her own perspectives and goals. It is important that each applicant make a compelling case in his or her essay. We apply a broad definition of national security, so applicants should not feel compelled to limit their focus or concentrate their essays in an area in which they are not truly interested.
- Tie your current academic plan, your fellowship proposal, and your future career goals into one strong narrative that makes the case for your Boren Fellowship.
- Get strong letters of reference. The strongest letters of recommendation come from faculty members who know you well and can comment on your proposed study abroad program. Share your plans and your essays with your referees. A better letter is one that talks about how you have studied certain subjects and how that has prepared you to complete your proposed program successfully than one that simply says that you received an A or were in the top X percentage of your class.
- Work with faculty advisers and campus representatives best positioned to advise you on the Boren Fellowship and overseas study. There are no formal Boren Fellowship campus representatives. Many universities, however, have designated such representatives or employ fellowship advisers whose job it is to assist students applying for nationally competitive awards. Explore your university administration to determine whether or not anyone serves this role on your campus. But remember that your best source of advice on overseas study and research is most often your faculty adviser. All proposed projects should be reviewed carefully with your faculty adviser to determine whether or not they are feasible and how the project might be strengthened.
- Contact our staff. Feel free to contact our staff with any questions at 1-800-618-NSEP or boren@iie.org.
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