Truman Scholarship Internal Application Instructions
This scholarship requires applicants to be nominated by Reed College. Complete the internal application in order to compete for a nomination from the college. Nomination decisions will be made by the Reed faculty Fellowships & Awards Committee.
Be sure to read through the materials in the Advice and Guidance section of the Truman website as they offer a lot more guidance than most national awards tend to do.
Internal Application Deadline
November 13th, 2024, at 12:00 PM noon, Pacific Time
Application Steps
Your internal application consists of the online application, internal letters of recommendation, and a waiver form. See the sections below for important details. If you have problems with any part of this process, please feel free to ask questions at clbrfellowships@reed.edu.
Online Application
Request access to the application by emailing clbrfellowships@reed.edu and letting us know you would like to apply for the Truman. Complete all parts of the online application on the Truman website and check the box called "Send Application to Advisor for Review" by the internal application deadline. You'll need to stop working on your application at this point. If you are nominated by Reed College you'll have the opportunity to continue to work on your application before the national deadline.
Reed Transcript
Email an unofficial copy of your transcript to clbrfellowships@reed.edu by the internal application deadline. If you have credits from another institution, you might need to include a transcript from that institution as well. If those credits appear on your Reed transcript and include the dates, name, and grades of that course work (or study abroad program), then you do not need a separate transcript for those credits.
Internal Letters of Recommendation
For the internal application, you will need to have two letter writers email internal letters to clbrfellowships@reed.edu on your behalf by the internal application deadline. Assign each letter writer to write for you on a different one of the categories below. While each of the letters should address one of the selection criteria, it is acceptable for a letter to discuss more than one criteria. Read about the Truman Scholarship's guidance for recommendation letters on their website to decide whom to ask, and share that page with your recommenders. Make sure to give your recommenders several weeks notice and read our guidance on requesting letters of recommendation. These are the three categories for your letter writers:
- Leadership Abilities and Potential
- This letter should confirm the experience described in Question 7 (specific example of your leadership). The letter writer need not have witnessed the example first hand, but they should be able to discuss the example and how it fits within the context of the student's leadership.
- Commitment to a Career in Public Service
- This letter should confirm the experience described in Question 8 (recent, satisfying public service activity). The letter writer need not have witnessed the activity first hand, but they should be able to discuss the example and how it fits within the context the student's commitment to a career in public service.
- Intellect and prospects for continuing academic success
- This letter should discuss the student's overall academic background in context of the student's future plans for career and graduate school (Questions 11 to 13). It is recommended, though not required, that the writer have taught the student at some point.
If you are nominated, you'll need three letters (one for each category) for the national competition.
Waiver
You will need to complete this online waiver form as the final step in submitting your internal application.
Next Steps
You should hear back within two weeks whether or not you've been nominated by the committee and Reed College.
If you are nominated by the college you can continue to work on your application, and let your two recommenders know, along with a third, that you'll need final letters from them in advance of the national deadline. Refer to the Truman website for guidance on requesting letters. Final letters will be emailed directly to clbrfellowships@reed.edu and uploaded by CLBR staff.
If selected as a finalist by the Truman Foundation, you will have an in-person interview with the regional review panel in your state of application in March or early April. If needed, CLBR may be able to help finalists find funding to support their travel expenses.