About the Office of Scholar Development
Our Mission
The Office of Scholar Development (OSD) challenges students to dream big and assists them in making those dreams attainable. OSD staff members help students apply for nationally competitive scholarships by assisting students in finding opportunities to be engaged in their chosen fields beyond the classroom and aiding them in the process of finding the right programs, making important contacts, developing strong proposals, and revising numerous drafts. The office works with students on all WKU campuses and in all majors and degree programs.
Additionally, we offer support to faculty and staff members in their endeavors to assist individual students and promote research, creative activities, and achievement university-wide. We collaborate with faculty and staff to apply for grants to create opportunities for students, develop workshops related to our mission, and celebrate the successes of WKU students and their faculty advisors.
WKU students and recent alumni have earned millions of dollars in national scholarships since OSD was founded. Beyond the dollars and cents, national scholarships help students to study abroad, conduct research, complete undergraduate and graduate degrees, and change lives.
342 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships
67 Critical Language Scholarships
58 Fulbright U.S. Student Grants
36 Boren Scholarships for International Study
34 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships and Honorable Mentions
22 Freeman Awards for Study in Asia
20 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships and Honorable Mentions
12 Fulbright United Kingdom Summer Institute Participants
10 SMART Scholarships
6 Morris K. Udall Scholarships and Honorable Mentions
5 EPA Greater Research Opportunity Fellowships
What We Do
OSD's mission focuses on a core group of national scholarships. You can browse a full list of OSD-supported scholarships here. OSD supports students who are applying for these core scholarships by offering:
- Guidance on becoming a more competitive applicant;
- Support conceptualizing application essays and proposals;
- Assistance in revising and refining;
- Support in preparing for interviews; and
- Support in applying for graduate/professional school and other national scholarships as time allows.
In addition, OSD will suggest a broad range of other national scholarships and internal scholarships for which you should apply.
Periodically, OSD offers workshops, programming, and other resources to help students develop competitive applications for a broad range of opportunities.
What We Expect of Applicants
- To treat scholarship applications and assignments given by your scholarship advisor with the same seriousness as your school work.
- To give your scholarship advisor as much notice as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule a meeting.
- To discuss difficulties you encounter with a scholarship application or doubts you have about the process when they arise.
- To attend required workshops and/or view instructional videos on Blackboard.
What We Do Not Do
- OSD does not read internal WKU scholarship applications. OSD offers occasional workshops and other resources related to these scholarships. Students seeking one-on-one assistance with these scholarships should visit the Writing Center in 123 Cherry Hall.
- OSD does not edit student essays by fixing grammar, punctuation, and syntax; rather, it is our goal to help students understand the mechanics of effective writing.
- OSD advisors do not write letters of recommendation for applicants unless we have taught students or supervised them in service projects, research, campus organizations, internships, or campus employment.
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