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Nationality Rooms Scholarship - Undergraduate
Program Terms: Summer
Program Dates & Deadlines: Click here to view
Program Description:
Untitled Document

Nationality Rooms Scholarship: Undergraduate


 
   

nationality rooms banner

   

Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs

Scholarship Website

Scholarship Awards  
      UNDERGRADUATES

AFRICA:
African Heritage Room Committee Scholarship, $5,000

AUSTRIA:
Austrian Room Committee Scholarship in honor of John McDermott, $3,500

GERMANY
German Room Committee Award (in memory of Christel Van Maurik), $3,500

HUNGARY:
Hungarian Room Committee Scholarship (Dr. S. Gomory/J. Arvay Memorial Award) $3,500

IRELAND: 
Mary Campbell Cross/Irish Room Committee Award, $4,000

ISRAEL:   
Israel Heritage Committee Award (for the study of Jewish Culture), $4,000   

LITHUANIA: 
Lithuanian Room Committee Award (in memory of the deceased members of the Lithuanian Room Committee), $4,000 

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, HONG KONG OR TAIWAN
John H. Tsui Memorial Scholarship for study of Chinese culture, $4,000

POLAND:
Polish Room Committee/Kosciuszko Foundation Scholarship, $3,500. 
The Pittsburgh chapter of the Kosziusko Foundation provides a scholarship in conjunction with the Polish Room Committee.  If you apply for this scholarship, the applicant must apply to the Tomaszkiewicz-Florio Scholarship located at the Jagiellonian University of Krakow.  Information about the Tomaszkiewicz-Florio Scholarship application can be found here.   

+ The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation provides tuition, room & board, partial airfare.

SCOTLAND: 
Frank and Vilma Slater/Scottish Room Committee Award, $3,500   

ANY LOCATION ABROAD: 
David L. Lawrence Memorial Award $4,000

Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt Award $4,000

Helen Pool Rush Award $4,000

Savina S. Skewis Award $4,000

Jack Wilson Award $3,500
For the Jack Wilson Award preference will be given to students with little or no experience in travel abroad.

UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN ANY LOCATION ABROAD:
Women's International Club Scholarship $4,000
   

   

Frequently Asked Questions:
   

   

When will I know if I've won an award?

   

All awards are decided by the end of February or early March.

   

Can I use a Nationality Room scholarship for shipboard education?
   

   

No, because the voyage doesn't provide a 5-week stay in one location

   

Can I use the scholarship for a summer study program preceding a  year-abroad program and return for the fall and spring semesters of the following year?

   

No. Students are required to be on campus for the fall and spring terms immediately following their summer study experience.

   

Are there restrictions as to how the scholarship money can be spent?

   

The award is considered a supplement to the cost of the proposal. Scholarship  funds should be spent on tuition, room and board, transportation, passport and  visa application expenses.

   

Do I have to enroll in an American university-sponsored program?

   

No. The Nationality Rooms Program encourages students to enroll in credit-worthy host-country-sponsored programs or propose a credit-worthy internship or, at the graduate level, directed research. However, the credit must be transferable to your transcript.

   

What do selection panels look for in a candidate?

   

Each panel varies but, in general, these points apply:

   
  • Academically prepared for the study abroad experience
    •      
  • Linguistically prepared to carry out the project successfully
    •      
  • Knowledgeable about the country with sound academic reasons for going there
    •      
  • Definite relationship between the project and their career goals
    •      
  • Participation in a credit-worthy study program of at least 5 weeks
    •      
  • Enrollment in a non-American-sponsored study program
    •      
  • Inclusion of an in-depth cultural experience as well or in addition to a   classroom experience (e.g., a home stay as opposed to dormitory living,   volunteer work, an informal research project on a related topic)
    •      
  • Previous or identified contacts with people important to the project,   securing letters of introduction from faculty members where needed (especially   important for graduate students doing independent research)
    •      
  • Information on the institutions involved in conducting research, insuring   availability during the summer (some libraries close for the summer, some   require special permission, etc.)
    •    
   

Application Process

The Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs began in 1926. As committees completed their rooms, they turned their attention to creating study abroad scholarships. The Nationality Rooms have awarded scholarships for summer study abroad annually since 1948. The purpose of the awards is to enable   University of Pittsburgh students to have an in-depth immersion in another culture for at least five weeks. It is important that applicants choose a program that will maximize their contact with the populace abroad and be accepted by the University for credit.

It is the farsightedness and generosity of the Nationality Rooms committees and their friends which have raised more than $2,000,000 to provide these important intercultural exchange opportunities.

Please click "Apply Now", above, to begin the application.

Application Requirements Include:

1. Online Application. Please complete and submit through online application. Application includes personal and academic information, proposed budget, and two essays.

2. Two letters of Recommendation. One from a faculty member and a second from a faculty/other. Please complete and submit through the online application.

3. Transcripts:  Submit in January, after Fall grades are added, undergraduates should print out a transcript from the Registrar. Submit a copy of the transcript to each application submitted (submitted via hardcopy to 1209 Cathedral of Learning).

4. Awardee Obligation Signature Form. Please print from online application and submit to 1209 Cathedral of Learning.

5. Nationality Rooms Academic Credit Signature Page. Please obtain approval for the proposed program from the Study Abroad Office. Please print the form from the online application and submit to 1209 Cathedral of Learning.

6. Other Scholarships Notice. Complete and submit through online application.

Timelines and Deadlines

Initial application becomes available : July, 2012
Information Sessions Begin: October 2, 2012
Last Information Session: January 22, 2012

Completed Applications Due:

     
  • Undergraduates:  Thursday, January 31, 2013
    •  
  • NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DEADLINE.

All applicants will be notified via email a week after application submission regarding the finalists results.  

Eligibility

     
  • Current full-time University of Pittsburgh undergraduates who will have between 60-90 credits by April 2013, i.e., be a sophomore or junior.
    •  
  • Be a United States citizen or U.S. permanent resident.
    •  
  • 3.0 QPA minimum for undergraduates; for graduate students, maintain satisfactory QPA.
    •  
  • All applicants must have been enrolled full-time on a University of Pittsburgh campus for the fall and spring terms prior to the study abroad and   must be physically on campus as a full-time student for the fall and spring terms immediately following the summer study.
    •  
  • Students may apply for two scholarships but can win only one. Previous awardees are not eligible.
       
  • Shipboard education programs are not eligible in that they do not provide five weeks immersion in one culture

 

Information Sessions

Presentations begin in October. They will be given once a week until January 22, 2013 except during the University breaks. Sign up for a session by emailing Cristina Lagnese at mcl38@pitt.edu. The purpose of the session is to explain the application process, review the application and that the course of study a student is proposing fits within the parameters of the scholarship program.  Students are strongly encouraged to start the application process early.


October Sessions, 10:00 - 11:00am at CL1228:  10/2, 10/10, 10/17, 10/31

November Sessions, 1:30 - 2:30 pm at CL 1228:  11/6, 11/13, 11/19, 11/26

December Sessions, 10:00 - 11:00am at CL 1228:  12/3, 12/11, 12/19

January Sessions, 1:30- 2:30pm at CL 1228:  1/2, 1/10, 1/14, 1/22


Study Proposal

Applicants shall select a credit-worthy study abroad program relevant to their career goals that is a minimum of 5 weeks. Applicants participating in a study   program must provide a copy of a course description that gives the dates the course will be conducted as an attachment to their Nationality Room Academic Credit Signature Page.

Acceptable programs can be searched on the Study Abroad Office website at abroad.pitt.edu, under the "Programs" header.

 

 
   
       

Course Credit

   

Approval for course credit acceptance must be obtained from the Study Abroad Office. A SAO representative must sign the Credit Signature Page.

 

 
   
       

Finalists

   

Finalists for each award will be selected during the seven-day period following the submission deadline. Finalists will be notified via email.  Interviews with selection panels begin during the first week of February.  

 

 
   
       

Selection and Notification

   

Selection panels meet in the month of February. After each panel meets, finalists for that award are notified of the decision. Applicants must appear for this interview at the scheduled day and time, as each panel meets only once. No telephone interviews will be conducted.

 

 
   
       

Awardee's Responsibilities

   

It is the responsibility of each awardee to make an appointment in early March with the Nationality Rooms Program Director to discuss study/travel plans.  All scholarship winners must attend a Saturday orientation session (from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., date to be announced). Awardees must complete the Study Abroad Agreement and Course Approval/Signature Document and submit a copy of these completed forms to the Nationality Rooms Program office.  There is a Study Abroad fee that will be charged to your PittPay account (see the Study Abroad Office website for more information on this fee). The award check will be held until the contract is completed. Students must pick up the award check in person.

 

 
   
       

Contact Information

Cristina Lagnese, Scholarship Coordinator

University Center for International Studies

1209 Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone:   412.624.6150; Fax: 412.624.4214

Cristina Lagnese, Scholarship Coordinator

E-mail: mcl38@pitt.edu

Scholarship Website

    

 


Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Decision Date Start Date End Date
Summer 2014 01/24/2014** Rolling Admission TBA TBA

** Indicates rolling admission application process. Applicants will be immediately notified of acceptance into this program and be able to complete post-decision materials prior to the term's application deadline.