First Year
Spend your first year creating a strong foundation in academics, extracurricular activities, and research.
How to Prepare
Fellowship applications are not one-size-fits-all. The following are suggestions for building a portfolio in your first year:
Develop academic, career, and personal goals
Take foreign language courses
Attend classes and start with a strong GPA (go to office hours!)
Get involved with research through professors
Join student organizations and/or volunteer – stay involved
Start and continue to update a resume/CV and visit the Career Center for resume coaching
Attend Research and Fellowships Week
The goal of the week is to discuss opportunities that support research, graduate study, language learning, teaching, and internships within the U.S. and abroad.
Open to students of all academic levels, staff and faculty, attendees participate in interactive panels and workshops to explore USC programs and external post-graduate possibilities.
Applications to Consider
First-year applicants may be eligible for the following opportunities:
USC Africa Student Fund
Funding to support USC undergraduate student traveling to African countries for study, research, internships, or service-based learning.
first-year – senior
Boren Scholarship
Up to one year of study abroad, with focus on language study and future career paths in national security or the federal government.
first-year – senior
Critical Language Scholarship
8-10 week summer overseas intensive language and cultural immersion program to learn one of 15 critical-need languages.
first-year – graduate student
Fulbright UK Summer Institutes
3-4 week summer academic and cultural immersion programs at universities in the United Kingdom.
first-year – sophomore
Gilman International Scholarship
Year-round study abroad funding for Federal Pell Grant recipients.
first-year – senior