A good option of getting funding for your college education is the Barry M. Goldwater scholarship and excellence in education program. The scholarship program is run by the Barry M. Goldwater foundation and is targeted at helping students who have displayed excellence in the fields of engineering, the sciences and mathematics to achieve their educational goals.

Every college participating in the program is allowed to choose four students in the fields of science and engineering. Overall about 300 students will be awarded a sum of $7,500 each over a period of one year for juniors and two years for sophomores. The applicants for the award are required to be in the top 25 percentile of their class, and have a plan to continue with graduate study.

Applicants are evaluated on achievement and dedication to their chosen career paths as well as potential to contribute significantly to their chosen fields of study. The scholarship is regarded as one of the best in the United States and competition is high. Since each school is only allowed to nominate four students every year, you can imagine how competitive the selection process is.

The aim of this scholarship program is to address a shortage of well qualified scientists, engineers and mathematicians in the United States. They want to do this by encouraging younger students who already have an interest in such disciplines to take their interests as high as they can possibly go.

Requirements:

Because the awards are based on academic excellence, recommendation letters are requested from participating students. Every participating college appoints a representative to coordinate the foundation's activities. To apply for this scholarship you'll need to first find out if your school participates in the program, if they do, you can then obtain a participatory package that includes forms and other instructions on participation and submission of documents.

The required documents are:

• An institution nomination form
This document gives an official school confirmation of your eligibility and academic status. This form must be submitted to the school's nomination committee representative. Without it your application will not be considered.

• A nominee information form
This form explains your intentions and ambitions to make an impact in the fields of mathematics, Science or engineering. It contains your personal information and a statement of your intent and ambitions in your field. It should emphasize an educational plan that will prepare you towards going on to achieve a successful career. It also requests information about your background and interests.

This document is very important and could make a huge difference in deciding if you are nominated for the scholarship or not. You should make every effort to be really convincing in your answers and a clear statement of you plans and how you hope to achieve them will put you in a good position.

• An essay
The self written essay should be related to your chosen field of study and should show how interested you are in choosing it as your career. The essay should demonstrate the extent of your knowledge and enthusiasm for your chosen field. It is best that you state your field of interest very clearly. The more precise you are, the more convincing you will be to the selection committee that will be reading your essay. Take the essay as a chance to make your statement on why you deserve the award.

• Three letters of recommendation
These would state the qualities you have that make you deserving of the scholarship award. You will list three people you want to recommend you in your application as well as their email addresses. Your recommenders will then be contacted with instructions on how to make their recommendations. The three of them must be faculty members who have a good knowledge of your abilities and potential to make significant impact in your field. Their input will go a long way in deciding the result of your application, so it would be wise to select your recommenders carefully.

• Official college transcripts

Am I qualified?

In case you're wondering, here are the details you need to know in order to decide if you're eligible for nomination as a Goldwater scholar or not:

• You must be a United States citizen, resident alien or a United States national based in the outlying territories.

• Have a grade point average of at least B and be in the upper 25% of your class as stated above.

• Be a full-time sophomore or Junior

Applications from resident aliens must be accompanied by a letter stating intent to obtain U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of your alien registration document.

The application process

You can only apply when you have been nominated by a faculty member in your school, and the online application form should be filled and submitted on the foundation's website. The online form is usually available in September every year. Filling the forms just signifies interest in being nominated for the scholarship award; it has to be backed up by the school's nomination. If you are nominated, you will be required to submit all other supporting documents to the foundation's office by November.