goldwater scholarship essay examples

My Goldwater Application Sample

6 minute read

Earlier this year, I had the incredible privilege of being named a Goldwater Scholar. While winning the scholarship was rather validating and motivating, I thought the application process worthwhile in of itself because it forced me to think hard about my research direction and career goals for the future. During the application process, I found it incredibly helpful to read past sample applications. However, such samples are pretty few and far between, especially within the Computer Science or Mathematics categories.

Given this, I thought I’d put my own application online in the hopes that future Goldwater applicants find it helpful. Below, you’ll find my responses to all the short essay questions + my research essay; which represent the bulk of the Goldwater application. If you’re reading this and considering applying to the Goldwater but currently on the fence, I’d highly recommend you try it (especially if you’re a sophomore because you can apply again next year!). If you’re in no way planning to apply for the scholarship but just reading this anyways, I hope it’s at least mildly interesting / entertaining…

In one or two sentences, describe your career goals and professional aspirations (see example below). This statement will be used in publications if you are selected as a scholar or honorable mention.

Obtain a PhD in Artificial Intelligence. Conduct research aiming to develop intelligence algorithms to enable practical and collaborative robots.

What are your career goals and professional aspirations? Indicate which area(s) of mathematics, science or engineering you are considering pursuing in your research career and specify how your current academic program and your overall educational plans will assist you in achieving your career goals and professional aspirations.

Humans have been dreaming of creating intelligent robots for many centuries now. Intelligent and collaborative robots could enable everything from creating an extraterrestrial habitat on Mars to making nuclear fusion reactors a viable source of clean and safe energy. The potential applications of these robots are so vast that it seems like their development could fundamentally change the world for the better, similar to how computers have changed our world by an unprecedented factor in only the last 50 years. The prospect of having widespread intelligent and collaborative machines at our disposal is thus exciting indeed.

Given this, my primary career goal is to accelerate the development of such intelligent and collaborative robots.

I recognize that creating such robots is not a simple task in the slightest. Such intelligent and collaborative robots have not even been created in a laboratory setting yet. Hence, it is clear to me that I need to spend time learning as much as I can about these fields and attempt to advance the state-of-the-art in research as much as I can.

To this end, I am pursuing an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering. I believe that to create truly useful robots, we must make progress in creating increasingly intelligent algorithms in addition to cheaper, more accurate sensors and actuators. Thus, I see the challenges of robotics as fundamentally being challenges of computer science and engineering.

I chose to study computer engineering because it enables me to gain foundational knowledge in both fields.

Outside of my curriculum, I am a member of a Robotics and Artificial Intelligence lab on campus. As a lab member, I am able to learn and work on independent research projects to advance the current state-of-the-art in various sub-fields like Planning, Reinforcement Learning, Imitation Learning and Human-Robot Interaction. I am also able to constantly learn about the field from my fellow researchers within the lab and around the world.

After graduation, I intend to pursue a Ph.D. in Computer Science with a focus on artificial intelligence for robots. I want to build upon the foundation I will have laid to focus both on developing intelligence algorithms for robots and on creating interfaces to facilitate better human-robot collaboration. At the completion of my Ph.D., I hope to have made significant contributions to the state-of-the-art for robot learning and be well-equipped to help build the robots of our dreams.

Describe an activity or experience that has been important in helping shape or reinforce your desire to pursue a research career in science, mathematics or engineering

My first research internship involved helping a colleague with his project: using data from expert demonstrations to teach a robot how to press buttons. My colleague already had an algorithm; all that was left was to implement it on our lab’s mobile robot. We didn’t think this would take more than two months.

As it turned out, we were very wrong. Our initial attempts resulted in our robot’s arm frequently hitting obstacles. Some weeks of debugging yielded a flaw in our algorithm. Some more weeks and extensive tests revealed our data-collection programs weren’t actually collecting data. Weeks continued to pass until my colleague graduated and we lost hope that the idea would work.

However, on the urging of an advisor, another colleague and I began re-examining the project. We ran meticulous experiments until we finally discovered a small error with our data collection. Days later, approximately one year after having gotten involved in the project, I held my breath and watched the robot press a button.

While button-pressing may seem a trivial task, that moment was one of the most profound experiences of my life. Despite the many setbacks and frustrations, I continue with research to this day because such moments of discovery, of knowing that I have created something significant, novel and potentially impactful, have made everything else well worth it. Research is the most exciting and fulfilling pursuit I have ever known and I’m excited to spend the rest of my life doing it.

Goldwater Scholars will be representative of the diverse economic, ethnic and occupational backgrounds of families in the United States. Describe any social and/or economic impacts you have encountered that influenced your education - either positively or negatively - and how you have dealt with them.

I grew up in my father’s relatively small hometown in South India where opportunities were scarce. My high school had no guidance counselor and the nearest SAT Testing Center was a three-hour drive. However, my parents are both hard-working immigrants to the US who taught me to dream big and then persevere relentlessly for those dreams. So, I did.

I taught myself electronics and computer programming and began competing in national - and eventually international - robotics competitions and science fairs. I took a ninety-minute bus ride every day for six years to attend my city’s only international school. Eventually, I was able to achieve my dream of being accepted to study engineering at a research-driven college in the U.S.

I should emphasize that I’ve had the good fortune of being supported by great people throughout my journey thus far. My parents have never spared expenses on my education or pursuit of opportunity. My high school teachers nominated me for every relevant extracurricular opportunity they could and stayed after school hours to mentor me. My school’s chairman even fully-sponsored our Robotics team when costs became prohibitive.

My experiences have taught me that it’s important to encourage and support students everywhere to pursue opportunity, no matter how scarce it may be. Sometimes, this support can change a life, as it did mine. In this spirit, I hope that my career and life can contribute to making the world have more opportunity for everyone, everywhere.

My Research Essay

(PS: If you’re looking to write your Research Essay in LaTex, I’d highly recommend this free, open-source template by 2019 Goldwater Scholar Hannah Richards).

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Brandon L. Barker

Goldwater advice.

Maybe put a fun quote here!

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards in STEM at the undergraduate level. You may apply in your sophomore or junior year (or even fourth year, if you will take 5+ years to graduate), and the award gives up to $7,500 for each of your remaining years. The application process is likely longer than other applications you may have done in the past, but is a very beneficial process. The first step is to contact your campus representative . This is who you will submit your application to and they will select some of the applicants from your school to nominate as finalists for the award. The application itself consists of three components: a research essay, short answer questions, and background information including short research statements. Below you can find my advice on each piece of the application process, as well as why it's worthwhile to apply, and here you can find application tips on the Goldwater website. At the bottom you may find my application materials.

Research Essay

This is a three page summary of your research and the largest part of the application. If you have participated in multiple projects, you must choose one to write about, although you get to very briefly discuss any other research projects in another part of the application. If you haven't done research yet, you can still apply but instead will write about proposed research (more on that later ). I chose the following rough outline for my research essay:

• Roughly 1/2 page for introduction. This is the big picture stuff. What are you interested in and why is it important? How does this work relate to the field as a whole?
• 1.5 pages to talk about what you did in your project. Did you do field work? Run experiments? Develop code? You need to focus very heavily on your contributions to the project. If you have an easily digestible graph or illustration that shows your results, that would be good to include.
• About 1/2 page for results and conclusions. Be brief. What did you find? Why are these results important? Tie them to a bigger picture. If you're going to continue the work, explain what you're going to do and why. Showing that you understand the importance and limitations of your work and results is important.
• About 1/2 page (or less) for references. This isn't so important, but you should have a couple of references to key papers.

When writing this, keep in mind that the people reviewing your application will be scientists, but they will probably not be experts in your field. Keep jargon to a minimum and try to make it as accessible as possible. For this, I suggest having as many people proofread it as possible, preferably people with a different background than you. Friends from different majors are a great resource!

Also check out the official FAQs .

Short Answer Questions

You've distinguished yourself as a researcher, now this is where you can set yourself apart as a person. You are asked to answer the following questions:

• "In one or two sentences, describe your career goals and professional aspirations. (200 characters)"
• "Expand on the above brief statement to more fully describe your career goals and professional aspirations. Indicate which area(s) of mathematics, science or engineering you are considering pursuing in your research career and specify how your current academic program and your overall educational plans will assist you in achieving your career goals and professional aspirations. (3000 characters)"
• Describe an activity or experience that has been important in helping shape or reinforce your desire to pursue a research career in science, mathematics or engineering. (1500 Characters)
• "(Optional. Answering this question will depend on your personal experience.) Goldwater Scholars will be representative of the diverse economic, ethnic, racial and occupational backgrounds of families in the U.S. Describe any social and/or economic impacts you have personally experienced that have influenced your education, either positively or negatively, and describe how you dealt with them. (1500 Characters)"

The first question sets up for the following questions and how your answers are driving you to that career. You should avoid language such as "I want to go to graduate school." Instead, something stronger like "Following graduation, I will pursue a Fulbright followed by a PhD in nuclear engineering, and then a staff scientist position at a national lab." It should be short, specific, and strong.

The key in this section is to try to set yourself apart. For the second question: how is your academic program preparing you for your goals? Are you supplementing your coursework with another major to better prepare yourself for your field? Anyone can say "My coursework in x major is preparing me for graduate school in x field." How is it doing that? And how are you making it uniquely yours? How have your research experiences prepared you for this career path?

For the third question you get the chance to show your passion. Maybe it was your first time in the lab, your first time visualizing your data, you first time seeing your work applied, or even your first failure. You're trying to show the reviewers why you love science. Again, you want to be unique. The reviewers have to read a lot of applications, so make them want to keep reading yours. And avoid cliches . I can't stress that enough -- they only hurt your writing.

The final question is tricky and can be, in my opinion, a make-or-break question. You want to explain why any parts of your application may be lacking, such as your GPA. If you are facing or have faced hardships such as being a first-generation college student, a member of an underrepresented minority, or coming form a low-income family, this is the place to talk about it. Demonstrate how these things have affected you and how you have overcame them. Although the question is technically optional, I would advice against skipping it.

Although these are all different questions, you should try to create an overarching narrative throughout, so that when read together, they give a clear picture of who you are and how qualified you are .

Individual Research Statements

These are short abstract length summaries of your research projects. Like with the research essay, focus in on what you contributed to the project, and avoid overusing technical jargon. You should try to explain, in roughly one paragraph, what you did and how it fits into the field as a whole.

Other Application Materials

In the application itself, you will be asked to list if and where you've presented your research, any extracurricular clubs/organizations that you're involved in, and any awards you've received.

What if I Don't Have Research Experience?

If you don't yet have research experience, you can still apply! The primary difference is that your research essay must now become a research proposal where you will write about research that you are going to do or want to do. If you are applying for research programs for the coming summer or academic year, it might be best to write about that project. The more concrete, the better. The rest of the advice for the research essay still applies, with a little reframing. I would keep the introduction the same, and then discuss what you will do . Talk about the limitations of the work. You won't have a proper results section, but explain what results you might want or expect and why the results will be useful, placing the proposed work in a larger context. Why should someone care about this research ?

You also have an additional short answer question to answer: "In the absence of formal research experience, describe any skills or accomplishments significant and relevant to this application (e.g., analytical, lab, presentation skills)." Here, you might want to describe skills that you've obtained that would prepare you for a research project. Maybe one of your classes included fieldwork, or programming assignments, or labwork, or presentations, for example. Relate these skills directly to the proposed work.

Letters of Recommendation

You have to choose three people to write letters of recommendation for you. For this, and for all competitive applications, these people need to really know you. You should send them your statements (drafts are fine), CV/resume, and make sure they are familiar with your goals and research. The faculty mentor for the work you write about in the research essay should be one of your writers. If possible, it would be good to get another person who has worked with you in a professional setting outside of the classroom, and one person who can speak to your abilities as a student. Be sure to also send them the Goldwater's recommender tips to give them an idea of how they should be writing your letters.

The campus deadline for sending in initial applications varies from school to school, so you should contact your campus representative to determine your deadline. It will be somewhere from mid September to early January. I met with my campus representative in early August and began working on an outline and first drafts. Your exact workflow will depend on your campus deadline, but give yourself as much time as possible to revise, revise, revise. I advise spending time in the summer before the application is due to plan out the essays. By August, you should be in contact with your campus representative and writing your first drafts. The folks at the Goldwater put together this nice graphic that puts all of this in one place.

I found applying for the Goldwater to be an incredibly rewarding experience. If you intend on going into a career in STEM, especially an academic career, writing applications like this is going to become commonplace, and learning to write an effective application is a skill that is difficult to develop. Regardless of whether or not you receive the award, the experience of applying will be invaluable later on when applying for graduate fellowships such as the The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and The FORD Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship . All of this will be helpful for applying to graduate school, internships, or jobs. After receiving an honorable mention for the Goldwater, in the following year I went on to receive a graduate fellowship from Michigan State University, an honorable mention for the FORD Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, and ultimately an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

We have also started a Goldwater Scholars' Community: a network of scholars and honorable mentions to provide resources and experiences for scholars.

I applied for the Goldwater during my fourth year of undergrad (out of five) and received an honorable mention. You may find my application materials below.

• StudentInfo

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Goldwater Essay Tips

As each element of the application is being developed, keep in mind that the Foundation’s reviewers will be evaluating the likelihood that a student will pursue a career and become a research leader in one of the supported fields. The Research Essay provides the reviewers with particularly important insights into an applicant’s background, experience, skills, temperament, and interest in pursuing a research career.

The strongest Research Essays students submit are based on a prior or current research experience. A Research Essay should include a description of the issue or problem, a discussion of the research methodology, and a discussion of the student’s findings. It is very important that the essay detail a student’s specific contributions to the project and indicate the specific skills/expertise the student developed as a result of participation in the project. To demonstrate that a student “thinks like a scientist,” the essay might, as an example, describe future work the experimental data suggests or describe an entirely new work that is based on the skills and insights the student learned from the experience.

The Research Essay should not simply be a “slightly expanded” abstract that was used for another purpose. While the Research Essay might start out as an abstract, it needs to be much more. In addition to describing the research question, methodology, analysis and results, the Essay should clearly describe how the student was involved in the work and what specific contributions he/she made to the work. Future directions for the work or a new research initiative built on skills learned should be included.

Research Essays should be written with the understanding that Goldwater reviewers are experienced science reviewers, but may not necessarily be an expert in a specific research area.

Students should work with their faculty mentor(s) to ensure the Research Essays are scientifically accurate, use appropriate scientific format, and provide an appropriate balance among the various elements that make up the Research Essay.

If a student has not been involved in a research project, the student can develop a Research Essay on a “proposed” research project that might, for example, be based on an independent investigation of theory or on a topic of interest in the student’s field. A research problem should be put forward, an idea for a research protocol that would address the problem should be presented, methodology should be discussed, and anticipated results described. Linking the project to the skills the student has acquired through coursework or other work would be helpful to the reviewers.

The Research Essay should include appropriate bibliographic information and references.

Research Essay Formatting Guidelines:

Research Essays should be single spaced and use 12 point or larger Arial font. Margins should be 1 inch on all sides. Page length, including bibliographic information and references, must not exceed 3 pages. The Research Essay must include the applicant’s name and the name of the nominating institution in the header at the top of each page. Single or double column format may be used. As appropriate, utilize graphs, tables, and figures in the essay to explain results or to provide interpretation that lead to next steps.

Research Essays should be saved as PDF files. Although the upload site accepts JPG and PNG file formats, PDF files are preferred. Instructions for uploading the Research Essay to the Goldwater site are provided in the online application. Students are responsible for uploading the Research Essay.

Writing your research proposal for Goldwater Scholarship (by Rochester Institute of Technology)

Keep the following suggestions in mind when writing your essay:.

• Most winning Proposals for the Goldwater have essays that centered around the applicant’s current research. You may want to consider starting by discussing your current research.
• Demonstrate your interest in the project by making the case for its importance, its potential applications, and future breakthroughs. Go from there to develop a research proposal of future work.
• The challenge facing all writers is to get the good ideas out of their heads and into the heads of their readers. To achieve this, effective writers must: Be clear. Be concrete. Be concise.
• Think of your application essay as a part of a larger whole (including the letters of reference and the application form).
• No essay can be successful without a clear focus. An effective thesis sentence announces clearly the central idea to be developed in the rest of the essay.
• You must have a passionate interest in what you propose to do. The best essays are written about something the author truly cares about.
• Your essay must go through many drafts, so start early! Show your work to a number of readers whose comments you respect. Consult especially your research advisor and ask your readers to
• tell you what questions your essays raise that you might not have considered.
• Revise until you feel that you have made your application into effective reflections of who you are and what you want to do.
• Keep to word limits and all other guidelines and remember to proofread the entire application.

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• FRONT MATTER
• TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Goldwater Scholarship

The Goldwater Scholarship (honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater) awards sophomore and junior students up to a maximum of $7500 annually for tuition, books, fees, and room and board. Its aim is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scholars to work as scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Students are chosen based on their commitment and potential to make significant future contributions in their fields, and it is expected that Goldwater Scholars will pursue graduate degrees.

The Goldwater Scholarship Selection Criteria

Goldwater applications are reviewed by an independent committee appointed by the Goldwater Foundation, and the committee’s selection criteria include:

• potential for a commitment to a career in the sciences, engineering, or mathematics, as demonstrated by the student’s overall application;
• excellence in academic performance.

As with many other national scholarships, candidates for the Goldwater are nominated by their institutions, and final selection of Goldwater Scholars is made by the Goldwater Board of Trustees, which reviews the assessment made by both the nominating institution and the independent selection committee.

Answering the Goldwater Essay Questions and Writing the Nominee’s Essay

The last few questions of the Goldwater application invite narrative responses, with approximate length dictated by the size of the space available to answer the questions. These three questions involve the applicant’s professional aspirations, personal motivations, and diversity (broadly defined). Clearly, a lot of flexibility is built into answering such questions, and students tend to approach these questions accordingly, narrating personal anecdotes and information about their families to let the selectors know what kind of people they are. While still emphasizing science and research, past applicants have shared information about a childhood or other formative experience, the desire to become a professor or write a textbook, their ethnic background, and even information about hardships of their parents. In answering these questions—especially the question inviting comments on diversity—it is important to be genuine and sound natural in your examples. Readers tend to sniff out and suspect aspirations that reach too high, or motivations that are insincere, or diversity that is forced.

For the nominee’s essay (limited to two pages), you must describe an issue or problem associated with your field and describe any related ongoing or intended research. Most writers document any sources cited in APA Style ( click here to visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison pages on APA Style ), and they are especially careful to credit sources of information and graphics as well as clarify their exact role in the research project. Your aim is to show how you can excel in a research environment, or work as part of a design team, or contribute to the understanding of a technical problem. Remember, too, that members of the selection panel will have the expertise to understand a complex problem in your field, and be certain to present detail accordingly.

Evaluation of Two Sample Sets of Goldwater Application Essays

In the pdf link below, two sample Goldwater essay sets are provided. Note how both writers show a facility with presenting themselves as budding scientists.

In answering the narrative questions, the first writer stresses his aspiration to lead a team of researchers studying pollution control in industrial chemical processes, and cites specific problems he has encountered in his current research on bacteria growth. His tone is almost philosophical at times, discussing the rewards of both achievement and failure in the sciences, and he notes that he is the first in his family to pursue a technical degree. His nominee’s essay stresses the long-term goal of his research in bacterial adhesion, and he carefully describes his team’s use of video microscopy to record particles as they adhere to bacteria.

The second writer addresses the narrative questions by outlining her participation in programs related to women in science and her personal aspirations, ranging from serving as part of a NASA research team to working as a glass blower at a Renaissance Faire. Her diversity background is grounded in her hailing from a highly rural area (even her influential father is a “senior bank auditor but country man at heart”). Finally, her nominee’s essay, addressing the goal to improve the durability of window glass, offers precisely detailed information even to the extent of giving exact nanometer depths that yielded different data points. Such an approach closely resembles a technical abstract that would appear in a journal. Significantly, this student did receive a Goldwater Scholarship.

When you apply for the Goldwater Scholarship program, the process begins at the Goldwater website, which includes a transcript request form for your secondary school, a supporting documents checklist, and candidacy information and instructions.

Visit the Goldwater Scholarship website.

The Goldwater Scholarship

Main navigation.

2023 Goldwater Scholars. From left to right: Emily Snell, Angelina Chan, Benjamin Przybocki, Xiaomian Yang, and Jenny Shi. (Image credit: Andrew Brodhead)

For outstanding juniors and sophomores who intend to pursue basic research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.

• Goldwater Pre-Application Deadline : Wednesday, 30 October, 2024, 5PM PST
• Campus Final Application Deadline:  Monday, 2 December 2024, 5PM PST **SUBMIT EARLY: This deadline is strict**
• Application Workshop: date tbd, by zoom.
• Eligible expenses for tuition, fees, books, and room + board, up to a maximum of $7,500 annually
• Sophomore scholarship recipients are eligible for a maximum of two years of scholarship support; Junior scholarship recipients are eligible for one year of scholarship support
• Campus contact: [email protected]
• More information at: The Barry Goldwater Scholarship Program national website

Eligibility

• Nomination by Stanford through Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE)
• Open to full-time registered sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue basic research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. Students considering an MD or MD/PhD will be asked to clearly demonstrate how this degree serves a basic research agenda.
• The selection process is highly competitive and experience indicates that only students with a GPA of 3.6 and above can expect to be successful in the competition (although the Goldwater Foundation website states that a GPA of at least a "B" or the equivalent is required, we have found it to be higher than this)
• Applicants must be a US citizen, US national from Guam, United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, or any other territory or possession of the United States, or a permanent resident (permanent residents will be asked to submit a copy of their permanent resident card)

How to Apply

The following steps must be completed for an application to be considered for campus nomination:

• Thoroughly read all materials found at the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Website . In addition, take note of the campus application process described below.
• Complete the Goldwater Pre-Application by the pre-application deadline to receive access to the full application and be matched with a Goldwater advisor.
• Meet with your assigned Goldwater advisor to review your intended letter writers and discuss your application.
• The Goldwater foundation requires letters to be formatted in a very specific way. Please provide the following Letter Writing Guidance to your recommenders when you make your request.
• Ask your mentors to save the signed letter as a PDF and send the completed letter directly to [email protected] .
• Begin this process early to give your mentors enough time to meet the campus deadline. We suggest you ask them at least a month before the application is due (the earlier is better) Tips for Soliciting Letters of Recommendation .
• ​​ Submit a complete application online via the online Goldwater application portal (this full application includes your Student Profile and a 3-page Research Essay which should follow Goldwater's formatting guidelines). 
• Download the "Fellowship Nomination Permission Form and Waiver." Sign, scan, and return an electronic copy to [email protected] . 
• Request an electronic version of all official undergraduate transcripts to be sent to [email protected] . (Get information on how to request your electronic transcript from Stanford )
• Submit one copy of your Resident Card, if applicable, to [email protected] .

If you are selected as a Stanford nominee , you will work with the campus liaison and Goldwater advisors to refine your online application in early Winter Quarter.

Late applications will NOT be accepted.

Selection process

A committee of VPUE staff and faculty will review applications and select a maximum of four campus nominees. Goldwater permits a fifth nomination for a transfer student.

Additional Resources

• You are strongly encouraged to consult with your faculty mentors and your assigned Goldwater advisor about the application.
• Read sample application essays available at any of the following Academic Advising offices: Sweet Hall first floor; the AARC; the office of the Undergraduate Advising Director of your residence. If you will be away from campus while preparing your application, reach out to [email protected] early to arrange an alternative way to view sample materials.
• Get feedback from consultants at the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking or the School of Engineering’s Technical Communication Program on your essays

Contact [email protected]

Goldwater Scholarship research essay example

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Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Website: Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Description

The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most sought after undergraduate scholarship in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify and support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this Nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields.

The characteristics the Foundation seeks in a Goldwater Scholar include:

• effective display of intellectual intensity in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, and
• strong commitment to a research career in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering,
• potential for a significant future contribution to research in his/her chosen field.

Scholarships of up to $7,500 a year are provided to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, room and board. A sophomore who receives a Goldwater Scholarship will receive up to $7,500 in each of their junior and senior years. A junior who receives a Goldwater Scholarship will receive up to $7,500 in their senior year.

Accredited 2- and 4-year academic institutions that have identified a Goldwater Campus Representative with the Foundation may nominate up to six (6) students annually (at least one of the six must be a transfer student, and one of the six must be a veteran). No direct student applications or nominations by campuses without a Goldwater Campus Representative will be considered.

Eligibility

• Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited 2- or 4-year institution of higher education during the 2023-2024 academic year. 
• Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics or engineering,**
• Have a college grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
• Be a U.S. citizen; a U.S. national; or a permanent resident.

** The natural sciences, engineering and mathematics fields and sub-fields used by the Goldwater Foundation to determine eligibility are those used by the National Science Foundation for its Graduate Research Fellowship Program. These include: Chemistry, Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering, Engineering, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Materials Research, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, and Psychology. To view a field’s sub-fields, visit https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/eligibility/ .

While research in medicine is not supported by the National Science Foundation, students interested in pursuing careers in medicine are eligible for a Goldwater Scholarship IF MEDICAL RESEARCH IS A CENTRAL PART OF THE STUDENT’S CAREER GOALS.

Not sure if you're eligible? Consider these FAQs: https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/faqs-3/

• Permanent Resident

Students must be nominated to compete for the Goldwater Scholarship. UW is authorized to nominate six candidates to the national competition, and we conduct an internal UW application and nominee selection process each fall.  For best results, interested students should begin preparing during summer.  Questions can be directed to Chetana Acharya in the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards, [email protected] and are encouraged to attend one of the Autumn 2023 Goldwater Scholarship Information Sessions .

2023-2024 Campus Nomination Procedures

To apply for UW nomination for the Goldwater Scholarship, please complete and submit the UW internal online application form (opens in September 2023).

This application will request short responses regarding your academic and professional aspirations, and will allow you to upload the following materials. Please start by reviewing the Goldwater Foundation's guidance and tips for applicants , even at this UW application stage. This will be very helpful to you as you plan what to write and submit!

A. Research Essay: Keep in mind that the individuals who will be reviewing your application, both at the campus level and at the national level if nominated, will be  evaluating the likelihood that you will pursue a research career in the natural sciences, mathematics or engineering. Therefore, your responses should help the reviewers understand that you have the appropriate background, experience, skills, temperament, and interest to pursue a long-term career in research. This does not mean, for example, that you should simply state that you have the temperament but that you should demonstrate through your work that this is the case.

• ESSAY CONTENT: Your Research Essay is one area of the application where you will be able to demonstrate these characteristics. The strongest Research Essays students submit are based on a prior or current research experience. A Research Essay should include a description of the issue or problem, a discussion of the research methodology, and a discussion of the student’s findings. It is very important that the essay detail a student’s specific contributions to the project and indicate the specific skills/expertise the student developed as a result of participation in the project. To demonstrate that a student “thinks like a scientist,” the essay might, as an example, describe future work the experimental data suggests or describe an entirely new work that is based on the skills and insights the student learned from the experience.
• If a student has not been involved in a research project, the student can develop a Research Essay on a “proposed” research project that might, for example, be based on an independent investigation of theory or on a topic of interest in the student’s field. A research problem should be put forward, an idea for a research protocol that would address the problem should be presented, methodology should be discussed, and anticipated results described. Linking the project to the skills the student has acquired through coursework or other work would be helpful to the reviewers.
• Research Essay Formatting Guidelines: The Research Essay should include appropriate bibliographic information and references. Research Essays should be single spaced and use 12 point or larger Arial font. Margins should be 1 inch on all sides. Page length, including bibliographic information and references, must not exceed 3 pages. The Research Essay must include the applicant’s name and the name of the nominating institution in the header at the top of each page. Single or double column format may be used. As appropriate, utilize graphs, tables, and figures in the essay to explain results or to provide interpretation that lead to next steps. Figure and caption options may use 10 point Arial font. Save your Research Essay as a PDF file.

B. Curriculum Vitae (CV): While your CV should be brief and concise, please also be sure to include brief descriptions of those research, work, volunteer, internship, leadership and other experiences and skills you include, so the readers can get a sense of their importance to you. CVs can be as long as needed to include these details. If this is the first time you’re crafting your CV, the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards has some brief introduction and guidance material on building your CV . The UW Career and Internship Center offers CV and Resume examples here .

In listing research experiences on your CV, please include all of these details:

• start and end dates of your involvement;
• hours per week spent on the project;
• the name(s) of your PI or supervisor;
• the purpose of the research and brief description of your role;
• any products of the work (publications, presentations, etc.)

C. Transcript: The UW online application system will automatically include your UW transcript. If you have earned credits at other colleges or universities, please include unofficial transcripts from those schools. Do not include high school transcripts.

D. Three Recommendation Letters: Each of the three references should be an individual who knows your strengths and weaknesses well, particularly those who know your research strengths and weaknesses. Those who have served as faculty mentors for your research project are are often the most important references. Letters can also come from faculty or post-docs who may not have served as your research mentor but have interacted with or observed some aspect of your research work. Additionally, letters from faculty who know you from science, math or engineering classes, particularly those who can relate course materials to your research career interests or who can comment on your research aspirations, are appropriate letter writers.   Application tips are available at https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/general-guidance-for-applicants/ . 

UW Nominee Selection Process:

A UW faculty selection committee will review all completed application materials and five finalists will be selected for nomination to the national competition. Campus nominee selection will be based on:

• Strength of the applicant's academic work especially in their field.
• Applicant's engagement in coursework, research, internships and other experiences demonstrating progress toward their stated goals.
• History of research activities demonstrating increased challenges and greater levels of independence.
• Research Essay demonstrates depth of understanding of the project and its significance to field, science and to themselves as a researcher.
• Potential to become a successful research scientist, mathematician or engineer who will make a significant contribution to research in their field (evidenced by demonstrations of motivation, creative thought, stamina and the ability to collaborate that are characteristics of those successfully practicing in these areas).

The selected campus nominees will be notified around early December. The six nominees will then have additional time to continue revising, preparing, and submit applications materials for the Goldwater Scholarship national deadline, which is the last Friday in January by 5pm Central. National results are announced by the last Friday in March.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate.

The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.

Contact Information

UW Seattle applicants are welcome to contact:  Chetana Acharya at the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards ; [email protected] 

UW Tacoma applicants are welcome to contact:  Office of Global Affairs, [email protected];   tacoma.uw.edu/scholar

UW Bothell applicants are welcome to contact:  Office of Connected Learning , or Scholarships  

Award Details

Number of Awards: 400

Award Amount: $7,500

• 2024-01-26: National Deadline - 5pm Central Time
• 2023-11-07: UW Campus Deadline for Nomination

Copyright © 2007–2024 University of Washington . Managed by the Center for Experiential Learning & Diversity , a unit of Undergraduate Academic Affairs .

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goldwater scholarship essays/helps/advice

has anyone here won the goldwater scholarship or received honorable mention? i just got approved to represent my institution, so i am looking for any essay examples or any advice/tips when applying. thank you!!

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