Boren Fellowships

For those who couldn't make the info session on Friday, here are the most relevant and perhaps counterintuitive points that the fellowship representatives made:

1. Don't ignore the requirement that you make a compelling case for why your work will help national security. This obviously doesn't have to be "my work will single-handedly bring down all terrorist networks and possibly Vladimir Putin as well," but it will help your application if you can show that you've at least considered the implications of your research.
2. Those in PhD programs should have a research program in mind. For Master's students, this requirement is more flexible: you could, for instance, be thinking about an internship, or just achieving a really high level of competence in the language.
3. Award rate is about 20 percent, which is fairly high for a nationally competitive fellowship.
4. Keep in mind that the purpose of the award is language study. Language study can happen here, but your application is at a competitive advantage if it includes an abroad component.
5. If you're planning to do research in a country that has dialects in addition to whatever language you're pursuing, you can request funds to hire a translator for that dialect: no need to know every single dialect you might encounter.
6. Service component: It IS mandatory, but it can be fulfilled in a number of different ways. Most fulfill it by working for the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, or State, but work in the foreign service also qualifies (and IR/PS students: if you're planning on the diplomatic corps, this fellowship gives you substantial advantages, such as waiving the written portion of the foreign service exam), and at NIH, the CDC, and Department of Energy, and even for government contractors, for the scientists out there. If you really want to work in government service, this is your foot in the door. It's not the case with most government hiring, but departments can use the hiring authority Sch. A code you gain under this fellowship to create new positions for you.
7. Advanced students in Spanish and French are considered for this fellowship; otherwise, you need have no experience in a language to apply.
8. Consider a couple of related critical language fellowships, too: CAORC and Flagship. The former is for summer study, so no need to take a whole academic year abroad; the latter is for advanced competency in a critical language, with overseas and domestic components (except in the case of the Russian program, which is all overseas).
   

If you have any questions, get in touch with me or with Megan Corrarino [ corrarinom (at) gmail (dot) com] or Meg Goehrig [goehrigm (at) gmail (dot) com], both alumnae of the program and both full of good advice about applications. I know the government service requirement can seem a bit onerous to those of you thinking of academic careers, but it's a good shot at a prestigious job right after you complete your program.