We advise students and alumni wishing to pursue national fellowships and scholarships.
First, explore the fellowship listings to see what awards both appeal to you and suit you. Then, make an advising appointment to discuss these amazing opportunities! It's never too early to start.
What We Do
- Exploring: We help you explore the wide range of scholarships to determine which are best suited to your career plans. In this stage, it is important that you visit our offices as early as you can, especially in your first years of college. It's never too early to start!
- Gaining Readiness: Simply having good grades is unlikely to be enough for you to become a scholarship winner; a strong academic record is necessary but not sufficient. To be well positioned, it is necessary that you gain key co-curricular experiences in the areas of academic research, civic engagement, and leadership in as many semesters as possible, including summers.
- Preparing: Once you’ve decided to apply to a scholarship, it’s vital that you start early. Campus deadlines are typically well in advance of the final foundation deadlines, and you cannot receive Colgate's endorsement without following the internal campus process first. It is also essential that you give your faculty recommenders plenty of advance notice about deadlines. This process involves meeting with ONFS staff both before and after the campus deadlines, good communication with your faculty advisers, and the intensive writing of many drafts of the key essays.
- Processing: In terms of submitting your application on time, our office helps you every step of the way. This is true as well for scholarships that do not require a Colgate nomination.
- Executing an Award: If you become a recipient of a scholarship, there are important steps you need to take to activate your eligibility and the funding. We help you with these actions as well.