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Office of Engaged Learning
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Baylor BU Office of Engaged Learning Fellowships & Awards Start Here I am a second-year student Academics, Academics, Academics
  • Start Here
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    • I am a second-year student
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  • For International Students

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.

As you devote yourself over time to the academic life, you will wake up one day to find that you know something. And as Aristotle observed, "teaching is the highest form of understanding."

Find ways to teach.

Office of Engaged Learning

Draper 244

One Bear Place #97344
Waco, TX 76798

(254) 710-3231
EngagedLearning@baylor.edu
College of Arts & Sciences
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Baylor BU Office of Engaged Learning Fellowships & Awards Start Here I am a second-year student Academics, Academics, Academics
  • About
    Back
    • Support Our Students
    • What is Engaged Learning?
    • Meet the OEL Team
    • OEL Blog
    • News
    • The Elizabeth Vardaman Faculty Awards
      Back
      • Honoring Dean Elizabeth Vardaman
      • Elizabeth Vardaman Award Winners
  • Leadership Programs
    Back
    • The Provost's Scholars Program
      Back
      • Welcome from Provost Brickhouse
      • Provost's Scholars
        Back
        • 2023 Provost's Scholars
    • Baylor Engage Fellows Program
  • Civic & Global Learning
    Back
    • Learning for the World
      Back
      • Nominate a Student
    • Philanthropy & Public Service Program
      Back
      • Grantmaking
      • Spring 2024 courses
      • Fall 2023 Courses
    • Engaged Learning & the Core Curriculum
      Back
      • For Community Partners
      • For Faculty
        Back
        • Phase I: Development
          Back
          • Engaged Learning Course Development Proposal
        • Phase II: Submission
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    • Start Here
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        • Commit and Deepen
        • Make a Life by What You Give
        • Academics, Academics, Academics
        • Teach
        • Learn from Mentors
        • Opportunities You Might Pursue Now
    • 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
      • Gates Cambridge Scholarship
      • Kanders Churchill Scholarship
      • Marshall Scholarship
      • Mitchell Scholarship
      • Rangel, Pickering, and Payne Fellowships
      • Fulbright Awards
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      • Rhodes Scholarship
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      • Undergraduate Summer Awards
    • For International Students
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      • Nursing
      • Family and Consumer Sciences
    • Humanities and Social Sciences
      Back
      • Classics
      • Communication
      • English
      • Film and Digital Media
      • History
      • Journalism, Public Relations, and New Media
      • Medical Humanities
      • Modern Languages and Cultures
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      • School of Social Work
    • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
      Back
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      • Aviation Science
      • Biology
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      • Environmental Science
      • Geoscience
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      • Statistical Science
  • Summer Fellowships
    Back
    • City of Waco Policy Innovation Fellowship
    • Waco Family Medicine Primary Care Internship
    • Shepherd Scholars Poverty Internships
    • BTRUE Summer Fellows Program
    • Propose Your Own
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