Nitze Scholars...

[sparklyscorpy]

 Hey you guys,

I'm going to be a sophomore next semester and I've been given a chance to apply to the Nitze Scholars... Can anyone here tell me if it is worth it/fun/interesting or if it's a waste of time?

I don't really know that many people who are in it, so any feedback you guys can give me would really help.

Thanks

Comments

[danceswithbeans]

i wasn't in it, but from friends who were, it seemed worth the effort. I was always rather jealous.

[miss_tabitha]

I was in it (class of '05 here). When I graduated, it was definitely on the up-and-up. The main thing you'll hear about is the trip abroad you'll get to do after your third semester in the program. That is definitely a HUGE plus - how often does someone pay for you to go abroad for 2 weeks? We got to have guided tours of various sites (my class studied ancient Rome, and went to Italy), and also got to explore on our own. So obviously the trip is a huge plus, as is the scholarship

[subtlesincerity]

+extra scholarship money
+free trip
+i think (though am not sure) that you get first dibs at registration. if not for your first semester, then certainly for the second.
+free outings to museums, shows, etc.
+extra opportunities to meet with guest speakers
+invitations to present in conferences
+first semester classes have been cool lately
+/- different requirements to fulfill. great for freshmen, maybe not so great if you took a few classes already with gen eds in mind
-leadership class second semester not so great

On the whole, I like it a lot and may not have decided to come here if it wasn't offered to me.

[spiderkat]

I really enjoyed my time in the program (class of '04). The trip and the scholarship money are the two biggest pluses for the program, but like some of the others have said, there are opportunities for smaller trips to DC, conferences, more freedom with classes with your own justification instead of the gen ed requirements. There are some requirements... a portfolio at the end of your senior year, and the GPA, which i had troubles with off and on, but they were usually pretty forgiving about it (though this was before Michael Taber, I don't know what goes on with that now).
To be completely honest, the rest of the perks were just sort of icing, the trip during the second year was worth any of the requirements. It was a great experience, and 5 years later I have stuff up all over my apartment from my trip to Viet Nam.

I'd say since they invited you to apply, go ahead and apply. You can decide again later whether or not to join if you get in.

[corriebird]

I think it's really worthwhile (here's me wishing I was in it) but I had several friends who were invited to apply before their sophmore year. they applied but didn't get in, and there was a rumor floating around that the people who did get in got in cause they were minorities -- I don't know if that was the basis of their acceptance, but it certainly seemed that it might have had something to do with it.

[sparklyscorpy]

Yeah, sometimes it gets hard to see where merit ends and school quotas step in... but it goes both ways, I've discovered. Sometimes people aren't chosen because the program/school they are applying for have "enough" minorities...
I know that spaces are few so it'll be hard to get in but from what everyone is saying it's worth a shot.

[letherselfgo]

that's wrong. of the three sophomores who got in, two were white, suburban males. one was a black female distinguished in soccer and theatre. she was more than qualified color or not.

[sparklyscorpy]

I am not saying that minorities have a better chance and that is why they get picked. I'm saying that being a minority isn't always the benefit people perceive it to be. As a mixed Asian, it's weird because I usually have to pick one or another race and can't choose both, so I've felt the effects of being on both sides.