OSDFA Monthly Musings: Summer Edition!
Read along for OSDFA's summer review & back to school updates!
Hello, Scarlet Raptors! We’ve missed seeing you all across campus, but let us assure you, we’ve kept busy while you were (hopefully) away enjoying your summer.
Many assume that summer is the quiet time on a college campus and while, yes, there is a little less “buzz” each day, summer is one of the busiest times in the world of OSDFA. This summer, we have participated in professional development, connected with new students during orientation, and met with more than 100 students / applicants since classes ended in May!
Among those 100+ appointments were many who are exploring or applying for the Fulbright US Student program. This year, we launched our Fulbright Interest Form to allow individuals to assess their level of awareness and interest and start a conversation with our team. We had nearly 80 individuals complete this form, many of whom connected with OSDFA to learn more about this award – or others – that may be a good fit for them. Stay tuned for more “interest forms” from us as we continue to help our students learn about the many award opportunities that exist and may support their goals.
In addition to lots of great conversations with students, both Laura & Jordan left campus to connect and learn from other Fellowship advisors. In June, we took a road trip up the turnpike to visit our colleagues at Princeton University. During our conversation, we learned of some unexpected similarities between our institutions – including our size – and shared best practices that have been most supportive of our students / applicants.
In early July, Laura joined other advisors from NAFA (National Association of Fellowship Advisors) for a workshop hosted by Drexel University that explored motivation and positive framing, using established academic theories as the foundation for our exercises. Soon after, Jordan boarded a plane for Chicago to participate in the NAFA New Advisor Workshop. Over four days, Jordan connected with other new(er) NAFAns where she took pages (and pages!) of notes while also building community.
She is looking forward to employing the invaluable insights from this workshop as she plans programs and strategies for effective advising this year. At the end of July, Laura (along with Lindsay Peck from the SAS Retention Office) presented during a virtual NAFA workshop about how we use learning outcomes and assessment to better understand and respond to our students / applicants needs as it relates to fellowship advising.
This fall, we are looking forward to ushering students through the application process and across the finish line for awards including: Fulbright US Student Program, Schwarzman Scholars, Knight-Hennessy Scholars, PD Soros, Gilman Scholarship, Critical Language Scholarship and more!
We’ve also got tons of exciting programs to look forward to this fall.
Each of our events is themed according to our priority awards and they’re all themed, including Gilman Week, Public Service Week, International Education Week, and Professional Awards Week!
Gilman Week is first on our roster, and is fast approaching, because the deadline to apply is Thursday, October 10! Join OSDFA on September 24th for our ‘Gilman 101’ workshop to learn about the components of the application – and again for an *extended* week of festivities on Thursday, October 10th for a pizza party to “hit submit” on the Gilman application together!
We can’t wait to reconnect with you and help you reach your goals this fall!
Wishing you a bright semester,
Laura & Jordan