March 2023 Dear Gabby: Campus Resources, International Funding, and more!
Dear Graduate Students,
Since her previous column in the Fall, students have been submitting questions for Gabby, who loves to gab about grants. We thought this month would be a good time for her to respond to those questions. Below she covers document review, getting help with the Student Fulbright, and funding for international students. We invite you to submit your own question for a future edition of Ask Gabby.
Bethany and Shelley
Dear Gabby,
I’m in the middle of working on an application and want some help looking it over. Can your office review it for me?
Sincerely,
Wise Writer
Dear Wise Writer,
We love this question. Because the best writing develops collaboratively, the Graduate Center has several places a student can work with others on their writing. First and foremost, the Graduate Writing Lab (GWL) offers feedback at any stage of the writing process. In fact, not only can the GWL help with application review, but our trained Graduate Writing Tutors will talk over, read, or review any document (even before you write it). We also review applications in the Office of Fellowships, but we require about a two week turn-around time. If you are working on a career-related application, we highly recommend our friends at Career Support. They are experts in CVs (Curriculum Vitas), resumes, and cover letters.
Best of all? All three of these resources are completely free to you as a student.
In writing solidarity,
Gabby
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Hello Gabby,
I have a question about the Fulbright Scholarship. Could you help me with this?
Sincerely,
Spring Planner for Fall Application
Dear Spring Planner for Fall Application,
We love your type; this is an excellent time of year to consider which fellowship applications you might want to submit in the fall, and we are happy to hear that you are considering the Fulbright Student Program. Your question gives us the perfect opportunity to introduce you to another campus resource, the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships (ONCS). Although it is housed in the Honors College, the ONCS serves all UArizona students, both undergraduate and graduate, for select scholarships. If this is a bit confusing, don’t worry – we in the Graduate Center Office of Fellowships work closely with our ONCS colleagues, Dr. Karna Walter and Valeria Quijada. Although the ONCS is the best resource for Student Fulbright applicants, we are always happy to talk with graduate students about any fellowship.
Best,
Gabby
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Hi Gabby,
I’m a prospective University of Arizona student from Ghana. What kind of grants might I be eligible for?
Sincerely,
Future Wildcat
Dear Future Wildcat,
This is a great time to begin your funding search. Looking for funding prior to admission will open up more opportunities for you and give you time to evaluate your options. How to find funding is by far our most common question from international students, and for good reason! Finding funding as a non-U.S. citizen can be a complex process. Although we can only work directly with matriculated UArizona students, we have tried to make our website useful for prospective students. Here are some resources on the topic for you and others in similar situations:
- Funding 101 for the basics and getting a sense of funding lingo
- A superb article from fellow international student, Fatima. She covers two great opportunities for international prospective UA students, the Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship (Note: Ghana is eligible) and University Fellows.
- Our advice article provides an overview as well as additional resources
- Our recorded workshop covers finding funding as an international student
Good luck in your search,
Gabby