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Jennings Brave Companions Award: How to Apply

Application Checklist

These items must be completed and uploaded through the OURSD Research Grant/Program System by the published deadline. Please see the Application Instructions page for details on how to submit your application materials.

• (please have all materials below ready to upload before completing the Application Form)
• Jennings Additional Form (please complete this form separately, then save and upload with the items below)
• Personal Statement (see details below)
• Follow-on Project Statement (see details below)
• Unofficial Transcript
• Copy of your Ò»±¾µÀÎÞÂë Financial Aid Letter
• One Letter of Reference from a faculty member, advisor, or student affairs representative. The letter will be uploaded by the writer. *Please note that the online application form will reference your “faculty mentor” but you may add your letter-writer whether or not they are faculty.

Personal Statement (1000 words max.):

Please include a Personal Statement of up to 1000 words that provides a more personal introduction to you and helps the committee better understand your motivations for study abroad.  It should 1). Describe how your background and experiences have shaped your goals, interests, and access to opportunities; and 2). Explain how your targeted study abroad program supports your academic and professional plans.

Important topics for the personal statement include but are not limited to:

• Key aspects of your personal/family background, upbringing, and life experiences
• Your major academic and professional interests and goals
• The major activities and achievements (research, athletics, leadership, service, etc.) during your time at Carnegie Mellon and how they have led to the interests and goals you now have
• The factors influencing your choice of study abroad program and location, and what you hope to gain from the experience in relation to your key interests and goals
• The activities (coursework, research, extracurriculars, etc.) that have prepared you to thrive in your targeted study abroad program

Follow-On Project Statement (300 words max.):

The Jennings Follow-On Project is a small project you will conduct upon returning from your study abroad experience. The project should take one of two possible forms:

1. Research-Based Follow-On Project

The purpose of a research-based follow-on project is to utilize a research experience to engage more deeply with a topic of interest related to your study abroad experience. You will conduct this project with the mentorship of a faculty member whose expertise aligns with your topic.

If pursuing a research project, please briefly outline a potential research idea and how it would build on what you would learn in your study abroad program. If you do not yet know your study abroad program/location, discuss your broader goals for the study abroad (e.g., language study, internship in a specific professional area, etc.) and how your potential research idea would allow you to explore a related topic more deeply. For example, if your goal is to do a study abroad program that includes interning in a public health setting, your follow-on research project could explore public health policy in your study abroad country. 

Include in your statement:

• The general research topic
• Ideas for how you could potentially study it (e.g., using publicly available data; analyzing documents from host country governments or nonprofit websites; interviewing host-country experts)
• How the project relates to your longer-term interests and goals

2. Service-Based Follow-On Project

The purpose of a service-based follow-on project is to promote study abroad and the Jennings Scholarship to groups who may be less likely to participate in study abroad due to financial or other reasons. 

If pursuing a service project, please briefly outline activities and materials you would develop that would allow you to promote study abroad and the Jennings Scholarship to specific student populations. For example, if you are a member of an organization for first-generation or limited-resource students, you might create an informational session and set of materials that you could share with this group in order to raise awareness of the Jennings Scholarship and to promote study abroad in the country or region you traveled to as a Jennings Scholar. 

Include in your statement:

• The specific activity you will develop to share your study abroad experience and promote the Jennings Scholarship (e.g, presentation or exhibit, informational session, creative performance, etc.)
• Any supporting materials you will develop to accompany your promotional activities (e.g., blog, website, social media campaign, etc.)
• How you will integrate the impact of your study abroad experience into your project
• Your target audience(s) (campus departments, student organizations, community organizations, etc.) and how you will collaborate with them to carry out your project