Boren Fellowships for IR grad students?

threetwelve
Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:07:00 +0000

I was abroad last year with a Boren fellow. They had completed one year of grad school already and were taking a year off to solidify their language skills. She is studying at one of the top 5 IR programs, so obviously she made for a strong applicant.

I’m not sure how well known the fellowship is, and as I hope to apply for it, I wouldn’t mind keeping it that way. It does kinda restrict your options for employment after graduating, in that you have to do 2 years of public sector work, but since most IR grads want to do that anyway it’s not really a bad thing. As for opening doors, I can’t speak from personal experience, but I would have to think that it’s a bit easier to get in some places with that on your resume. I’m pretty sure the Foreign Service application for the State Department asks if you’re a Boren recipient.

I also know people that got the Boren scholarship, and they were definitely stream-lined into the State Department following graduation.