Truman Scholarship for Public Service

Are you interested in a career in public service? Is pursuing a career that advances the public good the way you want to make an impact on the world? If so, and if you’ve been building a track record of leadership experience, you might be interested in the Truman Scholarship.This session will discuss the campus process at Wesleyan and how to craft a successful Truman application.

The Truman Scholarship is a highly competitive, merit-based scholarship for college juniors committed to careers in public service. Successful applicants are leaders and agents of change who are able to articulate the connection between their past achievements and future goals. The award includes funds for graduate school and Truman Foundation programming that enriches Scholars’ academic and professional experiences and connects them with the Truman Scholar alumni network. The Truman Foundation has a broad understanding of public service; Truman Scholars can generally be planning a career at any organization whose website would end in .edu, .gov, .org, or .mil rather than .com. All graduate study plans are eligible except MBA degrees. Wesleyan can nominate four general nominees plus up to three transfer nominees each year; only those nominated at the campus level can be considered for the Truman Scholarship at the national level.

The Truman scholarship is open only to US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents (as long as you will have this status by the time you receive the scholarship). If you’re interested in other public service fellowships that are open to international applicants, please check out the slides and recording from the recent event on Fellowships for Careers for the Common Good for other opportunities that are open to international applicants.

Juniors: the time to apply is now! Sophomores and frosh, you’re welcome to attend the October 19 session to learn more, but you’ll have to wait to apply until you become eligible as a junior. Register on WesNest to help me track the interest in this opportunity.

(If you’re interested in applying this fall but you’re unable to attend in person, please contact fellowships@wesleyan.edu to be connected with an alternate online session.)