Eligibility
True/False: Students must be U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents to be eligible for the Gilman Award.
False.
Permanent Residents are not eligible for the award. Students in the process of applying for their citizenship will be required to enter their naturalization date and show proof of citizenship prior to departure.
True/False: Gilman seeks diversity of background and experience in their applicants to support students who have been historically underrepresented in education abroad.
DAILY DOUBLE
True
Underrepresented in EA as defined by Gilman:
Including but not limited to, first-generation college students, students in STEM fields, racial and ethnic minority students, students with disabilities, students attending minority-serving institutions and community colleges, and students from U.S. states and institutions with lower study abroad participation, and more.
True/False: The most competitive applications are those that have interesting and original essays.
True!
Who funds the Gilman Award?
The U.S. Department of State
Are graduate students eligible?
No, this award is for undergraduates only.
Gilman applications must be certified by which two advisors in order to be considered for review?
1. Study Abroad Advisor
2. Financial Aid Advisor
Which is of these is NOT a factoring in determining award amounts?
a) strength of application
b) financial need
c) previous international experience
d) overall program costs
e) program length
c) previous international experience
Award amounts range from $100 to $5000 (with the opportunity to receive a Critical Need Language Award of up to $8000).
True/False: Your essays can be formatted as bulleted or numbered answers to the prompt if you prefer.
False. Essays should be composed in paragraph format.
True/False: A previous recipient who accepted the award can apply to receive the award again if they feel another international experience will help their career trajectory or academic development.
DAILY DOUBLE!
False.
A Gilman Scholarship recipient can only receive the Gilman Scholarship once. If you previously declined the Gilman Scholarship, you are welcome to re-apply for another application cycle, as long as you still meet all eligibility requirements.
A student is applying for a full-degree program overseas. Are they eligible to apply for Gilman?
DAILY DOUBLE!
No, only U.S. citizens currently enrolled as undergraduate students at a U.S. institution of higher education and participating in a study abroad program of up to one academic year are eligible for the Gilman Scholarship. The Gilman Scholarship Program does not fund full-degree study overseas.
True/False:
You must submit official transcripts for your essay to be reviewed.
False.
Unofficial transcripts may be submitted with an application. Official transcripts will only be requested if the student is selected as a recipient.
Freshman students in their first semester will be required to submit their high school transcript.
Transfer students will be required to submit transcripts from previous institutions in which they were a degree-seeking student.
Fill in the blank.
Gilman Scholars represent the United States as __________ diplomats in their host communities; they reflect a diversity of values, beliefs, and opinions that is fundamental to providing a balanced representation of the United States abroad.
Citizen
Name two opportunities students could use as examples for ways they will build meaningful relationships abroad.
Sports, clubs, volunteering, international buddies, language tutoring, any intentional building of relationships...
Building Mutual Understanding Essay
• Do you articulate how you will represent the United States as a citizen diplomat while abroad?
• Do you explain how you will contribute to the goal of building mutual understanding?
• Do you discuss how you will look for opportunities to build meaningful relationships and become more culturally engaged?
Yes/No: Are multi-country programs eligible?
Yes.
Multi-country/area programs are eligible and have no minimum requirement on length of time spent in one country and no maximum requirement on number of countries in a program
At UC, what is the minimum program length in days for a program to be eligible for a Gilman applicant?
21 days (4-year institutions)
14 days (2-year institutions)
If a student is applying for the Critical Need Language Award, how many essays will they need to write?
4
Statement of Purpose (7000 char)
Building Mutual Understanding Essay (3000 char)
Follow-on Service Project Proposal (3000 char)
Critical Need Language Award essay (2000 char)
True/False: No preference is given to Veterans.
False.
Preference should be given to Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard), provided their qualifications are approximately equivalent to those of other candidates.
Which of the following may not be a good example of an appropriate follow-on service project?
a) Presentation to academic club
b) High School visit and presentation on College Night
c) Food Blog
d) Photo Exhibit in community center
e) Submitting article to academic department newsletter
DAILY DOUBLE!
c) Food blog
If you choose a personal blog for your Community Impact, you should keep in mind that the goal is to encourage others to study abroad and learn about the Gilman Scholarship. Your Community Impact Essay should include your plans for marketing and sharing your blog so that it reaches a target audience beyond just your close friends and family or general public. Additionally, the content of your blog should be reflective about your experience and informative for those who read it and are considering studying abroad and applying to the Gilman Scholarship.
Currently Gilman Program is unable to provide funding for programs taking place in locations with Travel Advisories at which level?
a) Level 4
b) Level 3 or Level 4
c) Level 2 or Level 3 or Level 4
d) Travel is on pause. The advisory level is not relevant at this time.
b) Level 3 or Level 4
If the Travel Advisory for an intended destination is lowered to a Level 1 or 2 at least four weeks prior to a student’s program start date, the program will be eligible.
True/False: A student must be a Pell-eligible on the day that they leave for their program to be considered for a Gilman award.
False.
A student must be Pell-eligible in the term that they apply OR on the day the leave for their program. Pell-eligibility could shift in that window of time and the student would still be eligible.
When is the next Gilman application deadline?
Day and time needed.
DAILY DOUBLE
Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at 11:59pm Pacific Time
The October 2021 Deadline application will open in mid-August 2021. This cycle encompasses Spring 2022, Summer 2022, Fall 2022, and Academic Year 2022-2023 programs.
What is the minimum GPA needed to be a successful applicant?
Academic performance, particularly in the applicant’s major, is important, though there is no minimum grade point average for participating in the Gilman Program.
A competitive applicant must demonstrate the academic preparedness needed to gain benefit from a study abroad or international internship program. They should disclose any significant challenges they have faced in their academic career and discuss how they will be academically successful on their abroad program.
True/False: In your Statement of Purpose Essay it is most important to highlight how study abroad in general will impact your future goals - the specific country does not matter.
False. Be sure to make a connection between the country(ies) you have selected and your future goals. Likely this will tie into the specific program you have selected as well.
Statement of Purpose Essay
• Do you make a connection between your program and goals?
• Do you make a connection between your country and your goals?
• Do you share how you will be academically successful on your program?
• Do you give examples of your experiences, skills, and knowledge that you will use to meet program challenges?
• Do you address how this abroad experience will impact your future?
True/False: Virtual internships are not eligible for Gilman.
False.
The following options are considered eligible virtual abroad programs, all of which must be credit-bearing: