In previous posts, I have talked about the opportunity I had to go to South Korea one summer. I spent the majority of my time doing an intensive Korean language course and would not trade the experience for the world. However, my summer abroad hinged on one little aspect: scholarships.

I would like to tell you in this post about an amazing scholarship program in which I had the honor of participating: The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. The Gilman is an undergraduate program for U.S. citizens to give those with limited financial means the opportunity to study or intern abroad. As of August 2020, “Over 3,600 scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded this academic year for U.S. citizen undergraduates to study or intern abroad.” https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/program/program-overview/

The Gilman is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and is very competitive, but well worth trying for, especially if one is studying a Critical Need Language (CNL). If you are studying a CNL, you can apply for a supplemental award of up to $3,000. Here is a link to the Critical Need Language Award page that explains which languages are considered Critical Need Languages.

To apply for the CNL, a supplemental essay must be written on how you intend to improve your language skills, your motivations, and how your language study relates to your professional and educational goals.

I highly suggest that if you are interested in studying or interning abroad, but are unsure of how to make that a possibility, you should look into the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship. This program afforded me enough to cover not only my tuition and housing, but also my airfare and books. Study abroad would have never been possible for me without the Gilman Scholarship.

For any of you interested, here is the link to the Application Overview page.

To get you started, here are the things you will need:

• Information on your program of choice (location, dates, cost)
• Statement of Purpose
• Community Impact Essay (service project idea to be completed upon return)
• Critical Need Language Essay (supplemental)
• Transcripts
• Name of your study abroad program advisor

I wish you all the best of luck as you consider studying or interning abroad. It is most definitely worth it!