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Baylor BU Office of Engaged Learning Fellowships & Awards Start Here I am a first-year student Academics, Academics, Academics
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Academics, Academics, Academics

At very minimum, there is no substitute for good grades if you want to get to the places you’re interested in going—a Fulbright, a Marshall, a Churchill, Yale Law, Columbia Med. To make those grades, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices—not always, but often enough. There is ample time—make no mistake—for you to goof off and enjoy leisure, to build the Homecoming float or cheer on the Bears, and take that spring break trip with your friends. Do those things! You will remember them for the rest of your life and be glad. And yet. Because you are serious of purpose, with big dreams and large ambitions, sometimes you will need to say no. The transcript blemish is not worth a night of all-night gaming if it keeps you from chemistry success. Don't do go out that third night in a row if it makes you cut corners on that philosophy essay. Remember who you are: a curious person, someone who is dedicated to larger purposes in the world that run through your academic pursuits. And so, as you do say yes to the fun things you’ll remember forever, manage your time well so that the fun does not detract from your deepest commitments. 

In addition, don’t shy away from the hard classes and the hard professors, particularly the ones who are going to challenge you. Don’t cut corners.  Instead, take your inspiration from someone like Nathan, who persevered in both his sociology and his statistics major and even included some hard electives, like "Data Science for Social Good." This rigor landed Nate a highly competitive Fulbright Study/Research Award to Denmark. Or Olivia, who defied the odds and sought majors in two different schools—Arts & Sciences and Music—while earning majors in piano performance and German. The Germany Fulbright Commission could hardly resist someone with so dedicated to the difficult task of learning both these "languages," which are the medium of her cultural ambassadorship in Germany.

In both these cases, Nate and Olivia did more than excel in the classroom. They learned how to learn beyond it. Continue reading to figure out how you might do the same.

Learn beyond the classroom.

Office of Engaged Learning

Draper 244

One Bear Place #97344
Waco, TX 76798

(254) 710-3231
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Baylor BU Office of Engaged Learning Fellowships & Awards Start Here I am a first-year student Academics, Academics, Academics
  • About
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    • Meet the OEL Team
    • Honoring Dean Elizabeth Vardaman
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      • Nominate a Student
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      Back
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      • Propose a CE Course
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      • Spring 2023 Courses
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      • Amanda Sutton
      • Andrew Munoz
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      • Arvind Muruganantham
      • Camille Watson
      • Carolyn Carper
      • Catherine Haseman
      • Courtney Haubert
      • Emily Schultz
      • Joelle Kim
      • Jonathan Chew
      • Kaitlyn Vana
      • Kate Rojales
      • Katerina Levinson
      • Maria Torres
      • Mina Dwumfour-Poku
      • Nathan Rowan
      • Olivia Gorrell
      • Preston Iha
      • Saawan Patel
      • Sophia Fulton
      • Tashi Flaig
      • Uchechukwu Oguchi
    • Now that you're considering
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      • For International Students
      • Fulbright Awards
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        • Next Steps and the Fulbright Application Process at Baylor
      • Gates Cambridge Scholarship
      • Kanders Churchill Scholarship
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      • Rangel, Pickering, and Payne Fellowships
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