President's award and scholarships

Department of Spanish

Description

The President's Award for Study Abroad is a single annual award of $2,500 for study abroad, awarded annually (fall semester) for use by the recipient during the following two semesters.
The President’s Scholarships consist of eight scholarships of $2,000 each for study abroad: four awarded during fall semester and four awarded during spring semester. The scholarship must be used within one year of award.
The award or scholarship is to be used for an approved program of foreign language study abroad at a foreign university or in a study abroad program sponsored by an American university. The purpose of the study is to improve Spanish skills.
The recipient of the scholarship must study abroad for at least one full semester. Preference will be given to those who enroll in WMU semester-long, sponsored programs. In the case of students applying for non-WMU sponsored programs, other factors being equal, preference will be given to those who intend to study in a full-year program. The scholarship may not be used for programs during Summer I or II sessions.

Students must currently be enrolled at WMU and have a declared major in Spanish. They must have completed at WMU at least one 3000-level course in Spanish prior to the semester of application. In addition, they must complete at least one more 3000-level course at WMU in Spanish by the end of the semester of application.
To be considered for the President’s Award, the applicant must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.00 and 3.75 in a Spanish major. Applicants for the President’s Scholarships must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.00 and 3.50 in a Spanish major. Applicants who meet the GPA criteria for the President’s Award will also be considered for the President’s Scholarships.
The applicant must enroll in a study abroad program whose credits are transferable to WMU and which is approved by the Spanish study abroad advisor.
Students may receive only one President’s Award or President’s Scholarship for Study Abroad during their career at Western Michigan University.

Demonstrated academic achievement in a Spanish major.
Demonstrated overall academic achievement.
A typed essay of approximately 300 words detailing the applicant's reasons for wishing to study abroad.
Two letters of recommendation from faculty within the Department of Spanish.
An interview with the Spanish Award Committee may be required. Any student selected for interview will be contacted by the department.

A single application form for this (and any other fall scholarship) is available in the Department of Spanish, 410 Sprau Tower, during the application period.
The completed application form, two letters of recommendation, a complete transcript (unofficial is acceptable), and a copy of the Spanish major slip are to be submitted to the Department of Spanish, 410 Sprau Tower.
Results of the competition will be announced by the Department of Spanish as soon as possible after the interviews are held. Funds will be made available to the recipient upon final acceptance into the approved study abroad program. Any funds accepted by the student which are not subsequently used for study abroad in an approved program must be returned to the Department of Spanish.