The summer months conjure images of vacation for some, but for many students, whether spending it on campus, studying abroad or in an internship or co-op across the country, summer is the time to plan for the fall and upcoming academic year. For students at all levels — undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral — summer is when they should contact the Fellowships Office for advisement on applying to many prestigious award programs.

“Students can prepare for applications effectively if they contact the Fellowships Office well in advance of the due date,” said Karen Adams, interim director of the Fellowships Office. “Writing a strong application involves several essay revisions, and some awards require correspondence with the host institution.”

Sophomores and Juniors

• Goldwater Scholarship: For sophomores and juniors studying science, technology, engineering or math with a 3.9 GPA and research experience. Tech nominates four students each year for this national competition. Applicants will work through essays and submissions with Karen Adams during summer and late fall. Deadline: January 11, 2012.
• Truman Scholarship: For juniors with public service experience, a 3.9 GPA and plans for a career in public service. Students will work with Paul Hurst during the summer and fall. Deadline: January 2012.
• Udall Scholarship: For sophomores and juniors who work with the environment, have a high GPA and plan careers in an environmental area. Students should contact Karen Adams during the summer to plan and organize essays. Deadline: February 2012.

Seniors

The campus deadline for many nationally competitive scholarships open to seniors is September 9. Students with a 3.9 or higher GPA should work with the fellowship advisor listed below during the summer to prepare for this early fall deadline.

• Rhodes Scholarship, contact Paul Hurst
• Marshall Scholarship, contact Karen Adams
• Churchill Scholarship, contact Karen Adams
• Gates Cambridge Scholarship, contact Karen Adams
• Mitchell Scholarship, contact Karen Adams

Seniors and Graduate Students

• Fulbright Awards: Open to seniors and graduate students, offering one-year awards to do research, graduate study or be an English teaching assistant in 140 countries. Deadline is September 16; contact Adams for more information.
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships: Open to seniors, first-year graduate students and first-semester second-year graduate students in science, technology, engineering and math. This three-year award is for those planning a research Ph.D. at a U.S. university. Deadline is in November; contact Adams for more information.

Postdocs

• Fulbright Postdoctoral Research Fellowships: Awarded as part of the Fulbright Scholar Program, sending scholars to Israel for a term of 20 months (October 2012 – February 2013). Preference is given to candidates who have received doctorates within three years of the application deadline or who will receive doctorates before the grant term begins. Eight awards are available for studies at seven research institutions in Israel. Deadline: August 1.
• Marshall Sherfield Fellowships: For students holding doctorates in science and engineering fields, or who will earn them by the start of their prospective fellowship. Awards are either one or two years in length and studies take place at a university in the United Kingdom. Deadline: October 1.
• Community of Science Funding Database: Doctoral students interested in other fellowship opportunities may peruse this resource, available through a subscription provided by Georgia Tech. Students must be on the Tech network to access the database.