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Office of Engaged Learning
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      • Alexandra Tyra
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      • 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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Baylor BU Office of Engaged Learning Fellowships & Awards Start Here I am a first-year student Overview
  • Start Here
    • I am a first-year student
      • Overview
      • Enlarge your Imagination
      • Academics, Academics, Academics
      • Learn Beyond the Classroom
      • Find Mentors
      • Opportunities You Might Pursue Now
    • I am a second-year student
  • 2024 Fulbright Scholars
  • Learn about previous winners
  • Now that you're considering
  • For International Students

Overview

If you are a first-year student and you have found your way here, then first things first: well done—this is a sign that you are thinking seriously about your life, your aspirations, your future. Second, you, more than anyone, have a tremendous opportunity in front of you. With vision, planning, hard work, and mentorship, there is really no limit on what you might achieve: the Rhodes Scholarship, a breakthrough research discovery, the graduate program of your dreams, a life of meaning and purpose and commitment to things that matter.

Especially at this phase, we want to emphasize above all that aspiring toward major fellowships and awards should not just be about the external affirmations that the awards might provide—extravagant and life-changing though those might be. No, the pursuit, for you, should be to maximize your undergraduate education, to wring from these Baylor years every ounce of what we can offer you. We know this to be true because we’ve seen it: from Baylor, you can go anywhere.

Of course, it's one thing to say that—even to really want that—and quite another to know how to get from here to where you want to go. As you look ahead over these four years, our encouragement to you is that it can't just be about the resume or the LinkedIn profile you're building. It must be about who you are becoming. And who you are becoming, often, is an immediate byproduct of factors such as: 

  • what you are learning,
  • what you are doing,
  • by whom you are surrounded, and>
  • your depth of commitment to excellence.

So over and above all else, consider these bullet points. Think about them prospectively and retrospectively—forward and backward. And talk with us if you want help thinking deeply about how to order your time and priorities toward becoming the person you want to be. We, and many of our Baylor colleagues, are deeply invested in helping you consider these things.

Beyond that, we have additional advice for what you should be considering and doing at this stage. Follow these links to help guide your planning, starting with the first.

Office of Engaged Learning

Draper 244

One Bear Place #97226
Waco, TX 76798

EngagedLearning@baylor.edu
(254) 710-3231
College of Arts & Sciences
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Baylor BU Office of Engaged Learning Fellowships & Awards Start Here I am a first-year student Overview
  • About
    Back
    • Support Our Students
    • What is Engaged Learning?
    • Meet the OEL Team
    • 2024 Annual Report
    • Book an Appointment
    • News
    • OEL Blog
    • The Elizabeth Vardaman Faculty Awards
      Back
      • Honoring Dean Elizabeth Vardaman
      • Elizabeth Vardaman Award Winners
  • Leadership Programs
    Back
    • Learning for the World
    • Baylor Engage Fellows Program
    • The Provost's Scholars Program
      Back
      • 2023 Provost's Scholars
      • 2024 Provost's Scholars
      • 2025 Provost's Scholars
      • Apply to be a Provost's Scholar
  • Civic & Global Learning
    Back
    • Philanthropy & Public Service (PPS) Program
      Back
      • Grantmaking
      • Philanthropy & Public Service Instructors
      • Fall 2024 Courses
      • Spring 2025 Courses
      • Fall 2025 Courses
    • Engaged Learning & the Core Curriculum
      Back
      • For Faculty
        Back
        • Phase I: Development
        • Engaged Learning Course Development Proposal
        • Phase II: Submission
        • Phase III: Implementation
      • For Students
      • Fall 2024 Engaged Learning Courses
      • Spring 2025 Engaged Learning Courses
      • Fall 2025 Engaged Learning Courses
    • For Community Partners
    • Civic Engagement and Service Abroad
      Back
      • Study Abroad Programs
      • Baylor in Washington
      • Baylor in LA
      • Baylor in New York
  • Fellowships & Awards
    Back
    • Start Here
      Back
      • I am a first-year student
        Back
        • Overview
        • Enlarge your Imagination
        • Academics, Academics, Academics
        • Learn Beyond the Classroom
        • Find Mentors
        • Opportunities You Might Pursue Now
      • I am a second-year student
        Back
        • Commit and Deepen
        • Make a Life by What You Give
        • Academics, Academics, Academics
        • Teach
        • Learn from Mentors
        • Opportunities You Might Pursue Now
    • 2024 Fulbright Scholars
    • Learn about previous winners
      Back
      • Alexandra Tyra
      • Alexis Simmons
      • Amanda Sutton
      • Andrew Munoz
      • Anne Walker
      • 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
      Back
      • Fulbright Awards
      • Marshall Scholarship
      • Rhodes Scholarship
      • Gates Cambridge Scholarship
      • Mitchell Scholarship
      • Kanders Churchill Scholarship
      • Rangel, Pickering, and Payne Fellowships
      • Truman Scholarship
      • Undergraduate Summer Awards
    • For International Students
  • Undergraduate Research
    Back
    • Get Started
      Back
      • For Students
      • For Faculty Mentors
        Back
        • Awarding Credit for Undergraduate Research
        • Faculty Resources for Undergraduate Research
    • Get Involved
      Back
      • Scholars Week
        Back
        • URSA Scholars Week Information
          Back
          • How to Prepare for a Platform Presentation
          • How to Prepare for a Poster Presentation
          • Criteria for Outstanding Presentations
          • How to Submit your Scholars Week Abstracts
        • Scholars Week 2025 Presentation Awards
          Back
          • URSA Scholars Week: Abstract Books 2025
      • BURST
      • McNair Scholars Program
      • Baylor Summer Fellows Program
      • External STEM Summer Internships
      • Opportunities for Publication
    • Get Funded
      Back
      • Overview of URSA Grants
      • URSA Grant: Compliance and Guidelines
      • How to Write a Project Grant Proposal
      • How to Write a Travel and Impact Grant Proposal
      • Apply Here
      • 2025-2026 URSA Grant Recipients
    • ForagerOne
    • Undergraduate Research News
  • Baylor Engage Portal
  • Summer Internships
    Back
    • City of Waco Policy Innovation Fellowship
    • Waco Family Medicine Primary Care Internship
    • Shepherd Scholars Poverty Internships
    • Urban REAP: Renewable Energy and Agricultural Project
    • B-TRUE Summer Fellows Program
    • Tropical Disease Research Internship Program (T-DRIP)
    • Summer of Discovery: Undergraduate Research and Internships Poster Symposium
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