High Number of Scripps College Students Awarded Fellowships Yearly

Reflective of La Semeuse – the Scripps College seal and the sower of “the good seed of thought, of action, of life” – Scripps is fertile ground for students to receive prestigious, competitive fellowships.

Each year, a high percentage of Scripps students are chosen for such grants and fellowships as the Davis Projects for Peace, Goldwater Scholarships, the Strauss and Fulbrights. The College has the distinction of being a “top producer” of Fulbright student awards. The College’s rigorous academics and its high-achieving students are two reasons for the trend.

“Scripps students have a sense of possibility. Many willingly put themselves out there. They take the plunge. They’re passionate about what they want to do. They think, ‘Yes, I’m a Scripps woman. I can do this,'” says Associate Dean of Faculty Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert, who assists students applying for academic fellowships.

In addition, students have many campus resources to help them in the application process, Edwalds-Gilbert says. CP&R meets with students for practice interviews, since many of the fellowships require phone and/or in-person interviews. The Writing Center is also available for students crafting their first-person essays.

The fact that the College produces so many students who are awarded fellowships may inspire other students to do the same. Peer mentoring is another contributing factor to the College’s successful rate.

“When people know people who’ve gotten a fellowship, they think that it’s a possibility for them,” says Edwalds-Gilbert. “It does help to have a culture that says, ‘This is cool to do.'”

Of the 29 students who applied for a Fulbright this year, 15 were named finalists. Nationally, less than 30 percent of all applicants advance as finalists. Scripps, with its 950 students, ranks well above the national average. Overall, Scripps fares better than other colleges and universities on a per capita basis, and on the ratio between number of applicants and number of awards, Edwalds-Gilbert says.

Celebrating our Scholars

Several Scripps students have been awarded various national fellowships thus far, with more to come. Students awarded fellowships include: