A record number of University students and graduates have applied for prestigious scholarships this year with help from the new College Fellowship Office.
The office, located in the basement of Garrett Hall, aims to assist students who would be strong applicants for awards such as the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships.
This year, 15 students applied for the Rhodes Scholarship and 14 applied for the Marshall.
Students awarded a Rhodes Scholarship are able to attend Oxford University to study a field of their own choosing, with all academic and travel expenses paid.
The Marshall Scholarship allows students to attend any university in the United Kingdom for free for two years.
One University applicant for both the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships, fourth-year College student Ben Levy, said he felt the office "served as an incredible resource for advice throughout the application process."
Levy plans to obtain a masters degree in music and to research music suppressed by Hitler during the Third Reich.
Advising is one of the new office's main purposes. Office director Nicole Hurd stressed that not only upperclassmen should use its resources.
"I especially encourage first-year and second-year students to stop by the office," Hurd said.
The center has planned numerous information sessions throughout the fall to help interested students understand what fellowships and scholarships are available for them.
Future information sessions will detail the prestigious Truman Scholarship, the Dean's Scholarship, scholarships in the fields of the natural sciences and math and scholarships for the study of humanities and social sciences.
The sessions also will offer information on scholarship opportunities aimed at women and minority students.
Asst. Dean William M. Wilson and Asst. College Dean Lynn A. Davis oversee the office.
Before the office was created, Wilson served as the fellowship advisor for the College and was solely responsible for aiding interested students.
Wilson said because of the volume of requests for aid, he eventually became overburdened and was unable to offer students as much aid as he would have liked when they approached him for help with their applications.
To counter this problem, College Dean Melvyn P. Leffler and Stephen E. Plog, associate College dean for academic programs, earmarked funds for the office this summer, allowing it to open this semester, Wilson said.
The center contains a library full of resources such as handouts, pamphlets and books about available fellowships.
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