Goldwater

• Applicants must be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited institution of higher education during the academic year in which they are applying. See the Goldwater website for detailed definitions of "sophomore" and "junior."
• Applicants must have a college grade-point average of at least "B" (or the equivalent) and be in the upper fourth of his or her class. Typically, though, awardees have a GPA of at least 3.8.
• Applicants must be a United States citizen, a permanent resident, or, in the case of nominees from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands, a United States national. Nominations from permanent residents must include a letter of the nominee’s intent to obtain U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of the Permanent Resident Card (formerly known as the Alien Registration Card).
• Applicants should be aware that the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs is involved with the campus review process.  Students with serious social or academic violations, such as those that are included as part of their permanent record at Bowdoin, are advised to consult with the Director of Student Fellowships and Research early in the process.  Students may also consult with their dean for guidance.

Bowdoin’s Internal Selection Process. Since Bowdoin is allowed to nominate only four students annually for the Goldwater, our internal campus committee will review the materials listed below to select Bowdoin’s four nominees. By the Initial Bowdoin Deadline, applicants must:

• Electronically submit Bowdoin's internal application for the Goldwater Scholarship. You may access the application here.

• Email to Gina Pappas (gpappas@bowdoin.edu) a signed and witnessed "Permission Form and Waiver". 

• Have three recommenders submit draft letters of recommendation to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research. Faculty members should electronically submit their letters to Gina Pappas (gpappas@bowdoin.edu) by the "Initial Bowdoin Deadline". 

Your application will be received by the Office of Student Fellowships and Research and will only be seen by members of Bowdoin's internal Student Fellowships Committee. If you are selected as one of Bowdoin's four nominees, the Office of Student Fellowships and Research will grant you permission to begin an official application through Goldwater's website. You will be able to continue making edits, up until the final Bowdoin deadline.

Materials for the Final Application. If you receive Bowdoin’s nomination, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your materials and to remind your recommenders of all relevant deadlines. By the "Final Bowdoin Deadline", a Bowdoin nominee must:

• Electronically submit the online Goldwater Scholarship application, including your research essay.
  • Your essay may be single or double spaced and use 12 point or larger Arial font. Margins should be 1inch on all sides. Page length should not exceed 3 pages. Your essay must include your name and the name of your academic institution at the top of each page. Save your Research Essay as a PDF file. Although the upload site accepts JPG and PNG file formats, PDF files are preferred. 
• Submit electronically via email the following materials to Gina Pappas:
  • Official transcript(s) from other institutions which the nominee attended with grades for courses taken 
  • Voluntary Survey Form (optional) – original copy only
• Have three recommenders submit their letters to Gina Pappas via email. Recommenders are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the information on the Goldwater Recommenders page and be aware that letters of recommendation should be no more than two pages, have one-inch margins on all sides, be single spaced, use 12 point font, be printed on letterhead, and signed. 

Once your application materials are submitted, the Office of Student Fellowships and Research will be responsible for uploading the following to your online application:

• All three letters of recommendation
• Your unofficial academic history from Bowdoin (official Bowdoin transcripts are not required)
• Your official non-Bowdoin transcripts
• The Institutional Nomination (which the College is responsible for completing)

The Office of Student Fellowships and Research will then submit your application to the Goldwater Foundation.

More about the selection process.  An independent review committee appointed by the Foundation will evaluate all valid nominations and recommend the most outstanding nominees from each state for consideration by the Foundation Board of Trustees. Nominees are evaluated on demonstrated potential for and commitment to a career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering and outstanding academic performance.  All nominees and will be notified of their final status by the end of March.