Research, Civic Engagement, Leadership
The John and Kate Broderick Honors Opportunity Scholarship allows you to design and pursue a learning experience that integrates the three pillars of an honors education.
Funded by Patricia and Douglas Perry to honor the major contributions of former President John Broderick and First Lady Kate Broderick to Old Dominion University and the Commonwealth, the Broderick Scholarship Program provides opportunity scholarships to help rising sophomores and juniors pursue their educational interests while making a difference in the world. Transfer students and seniors may apply provided they have at least two semesters (may include summers) remaining at Old Dominion at the time of the award to allow sufficient time to plan and execute their proposed experience. Awards will be disbursed (½ in the fall, ½ in the spring) starting in September.
Working with a faculty mentor and the Prestigious Scholarship Coordinator in the Perry Honors College, applicants will design and pursue a learning experience that integrates the three pillars of an honors education: research, civic engagement, and leadership. Tied to each student's academic pursuits, this learning experience typically includes such activities as cultural exchanges, internships, shadowing, research projects, study abroad, and other experiential learning opportunities.
The Honors Scholarship Committee will review the applications, conduct personal interviews, and forward recommendations for review and final selection.
Important Dates
ASAP: Submit an Intent to Apply
Feb. 1: Applications open
March 1 at 12 a.m. EST: Deadline to apply
5K to 20K per student, depending on the student's proposed budget (awarded to 2-6 students per year)
Candidates must be rising sophomores or juniors with at least a 3.5 ODU grade point average (GPA) at the time of their application. Candidates must be Perry Honors College students in order to apply. However, individuals who wish to apply for the Broderick Opportunity Scholarship may still do so provided that they also apply and gain admittance to the Perry Honors College before the Broderick Scholarship deadline. Opportunity scholarship recipients must maintain good academic standing in the Perry Honors College in order for the Broderick scholar funding to be disbursed.
Part I. The Application
Format and General Style Guidelines:
Submitted as a PDF through the application website. 1 inch margins. 1 ½ line spacing. 12 pt, Times Roman font. Continuous pagination; the cover sheet is page 1. The proposal and supporting materials must be organized as follows:
1. Cover Sheet
2. Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages)
A personal statement is a narrative that introduces you as a person who is curious, passionate, and open to a life-changing experience. Personal statements can take a variety of forms. Examples of topics you might include are any personal and academic experiences that have prepared you to make the most of your proposed educational experience. Be sure to address your academic goals, your plans after graduation, and your progress towards those goals and plans.
3. Opportunity Proposal (no more than 5 pages)
The opportunity proposal is a detailed outline and description of your proposed experiential learning experience. It should reflect a carefully-researched experience, described in a methodical step-by-step way, including a timeline. Most importantly, your proposal will demonstrate how a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship will support your development as a scholar and to link your education at ODU to your future as an engaged citizen of the world.
4. Resume or Curriculum Vita
Your resume outlines experiences relevant to your Opportunity Scholarship Proposal: selected employment, academic work, academic and co-curricular activities.
5. Budget
A budget provides careful, well-researched justification for the scholarship amount requested.
Part II. Supporting Materials (no pagination required)
Unofficial Transcript
Include an unofficial transcript from ODU and from any other university you have attended if you are a transfer student.
Two (2) Letters of Recommendation
Submit one letter of recommendation from your ODU faculty/campus mentor addressing the quality of your proposed experience. This letter should also address your preparation and suitability for the project, your potential as a future leader, researcher, or change agent. The second letter can be from anyone with whom you have worked closely.
Design an Experience
To design an experience, think through the following questions.
- What does success mean to you? In other words, how do you personally define success?
- What are you passionate about?
- What learning experiences would provide an opportunity to connect your education to your aspirations?
- What do you want to accomplish before you graduate & what do you want to accomplish after you graduate? How does your designed experience move you towards those goals?
- How does your proposed experience provide you with an opportunity to deepen your understanding, further refine a life philosophy or worldview, and achieve success as you define it?
Examples of experiences:
- Study abroad
- Undergraduate research
- Civic engagement/ leadership
- Internships
- Creative & artistic projects
Tips for Writing a Personal Statement
Step 1:
Take an inventory of what you might have to say by freewriting in response to the following questions.
- Think about the path that led you to this point of applying for a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship. What are some of the major landmarks in your life that are relevant to who you are now as a student and a scholar?
- Why are you applying for a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship? How are you a good fit for the scholarship?
- How would an Opportunity Scholarship connect to your studies up until this point? What is your field and why does it matter? How have you engaged with your topic of study not just in the classroom but outside the classroom thus far? What unique skills do you possess that will help you achieve the goals laid out in your proposal?
- What do you want to do and how would a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship help you do it?
- How does your proposed experience contribute to human understanding, civic engagement, the arts, etc.? What is a big-picture view of the possible impact of your proposed project? What communities do you expect to engage or impact with your project? How is your proposed experience unique?
- What are your future educational or career goals, and how would an Opportunity Scholarship help you reach those goals?
Step 2:
Review your responses to the free-writing questions. Pull out examples, information, and other items that might give your personal statement a theme/thesis and a beginning/middle/end. Also pull out the most compelling details and examples that might distinguish you from other candidates applying for the scholarship.
Step 3:
Write a draft of your personal statement.
Step 4:
Revise your personal statement with the following goals in mind.
- Be authentic. The personal statement helps the selection committee get to know who you are as a person. It is your chance to help your readers connect with you.
- Use concrete examples when possible.
- Clearly and specifically describe your goals.
Each student needs two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the ODU faculty/campus mentor for the proposed project. Please review the application packet before writing the letter. Give the applicant a deadline to get the proposal to you so that you will have time to write your letter.
Faculty recommendations should address the following:
Regarding the student's educational plan: The feasibility and merit of the proposed educational experience. How does the educational plan fit into the applicant's plans after college? Which of the student's qualities prompts you to recommend that this student will be able to carry out the student's educational plan?
Regarding the student: What indications (personal traits, leadership qualities, intellectual gifts, accomplishments) do you have that this student could potentially become a leader in the student's chosen field and/or community? What is the student's most striking quality, the quality that leaves the strongest impression on you? Do you recommend the applicant for a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship? Please state this directly, with an indication as to the strength of your recommendation.
5K to 20K per student, depending on the student's proposed budget (awarded to 2-6 students per year)
Candidates must be rising sophomores or juniors with at least a 3.5 ODU grade point average (GPA) at the time of their application. Candidates must be Perry Honors College students in order to apply. However, individuals who wish to apply for the Broderick Opportunity Scholarship may still do so provided that they also apply and gain admittance to the Perry Honors College before the Broderick Scholarship deadline. Opportunity scholarship recipients must maintain good academic standing in the Perry Honors College in order for the Broderick scholar funding to be disbursed.
Part I. The Application
Format and General Style Guidelines:
Submitted as a PDF through the application website. 1 inch margins. 1 ½ line spacing. 12 pt, Times Roman font. Continuous pagination; the cover sheet is page 1. The proposal and supporting materials must be organized as follows:
1. Cover Sheet
2. Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages)
A personal statement is a narrative that introduces you as a person who is curious, passionate, and open to a life-changing experience. Personal statements can take a variety of forms. Examples of topics you might include are any personal and academic experiences that have prepared you to make the most of your proposed educational experience. Be sure to address your academic goals, your plans after graduation, and your progress towards those goals and plans.
3. Opportunity Proposal (no more than 5 pages)
The opportunity proposal is a detailed outline and description of your proposed experiential learning experience. It should reflect a carefully-researched experience, described in a methodical step-by-step way, including a timeline. Most importantly, your proposal will demonstrate how a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship will support your development as a scholar and to link your education at ODU to your future as an engaged citizen of the world.
4. Resume or Curriculum Vita
Your resume outlines experiences relevant to your Opportunity Scholarship Proposal: selected employment, academic work, academic and co-curricular activities.
5. Budget
A budget provides careful, well-researched justification for the scholarship amount requested.
Part II. Supporting Materials (no pagination required)
Unofficial Transcript
Include an unofficial transcript from ODU and from any other university you have attended if you are a transfer student.
Two (2) Letters of Recommendation
Submit one letter of recommendation from your ODU faculty/campus mentor addressing the quality of your proposed experience. This letter should also address your preparation and suitability for the project, your potential as a future leader, researcher, or change agent. The second letter can be from anyone with whom you have worked closely.
Design an Experience
To design an experience, think through the following questions.
- What does success mean to you? In other words, how do you personally define success?
- What are you passionate about?
- What learning experiences would provide an opportunity to connect your education to your aspirations?
- What do you want to accomplish before you graduate & what do you want to accomplish after you graduate? How does your designed experience move you towards those goals?
- How does your proposed experience provide you with an opportunity to deepen your understanding, further refine a life philosophy or worldview, and achieve success as you define it?
Examples of experiences:
- Study abroad
- Undergraduate research
- Civic engagement/ leadership
- Internships
- Creative & artistic projects
Tips for Writing a Personal Statement
Step 1:
Take an inventory of what you might have to say by freewriting in response to the following questions.
- Think about the path that led you to this point of applying for a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship. What are some of the major landmarks in your life that are relevant to who you are now as a student and a scholar?
- Why are you applying for a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship? How are you a good fit for the scholarship?
- How would an Opportunity Scholarship connect to your studies up until this point? What is your field and why does it matter? How have you engaged with your topic of study not just in the classroom but outside the classroom thus far? What unique skills do you possess that will help you achieve the goals laid out in your proposal?
- What do you want to do and how would a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship help you do it?
- How does your proposed experience contribute to human understanding, civic engagement, the arts, etc.? What is a big-picture view of the possible impact of your proposed project? What communities do you expect to engage or impact with your project? How is your proposed experience unique?
- What are your future educational or career goals, and how would an Opportunity Scholarship help you reach those goals?
Step 2:
Review your responses to the free-writing questions. Pull out examples, information, and other items that might give your personal statement a theme/thesis and a beginning/middle/end. Also pull out the most compelling details and examples that might distinguish you from other candidates applying for the scholarship.
Step 3:
Write a draft of your personal statement.
Step 4:
Revise your personal statement with the following goals in mind.
- Be authentic. The personal statement helps the selection committee get to know who you are as a person. It is your chance to help your readers connect with you.
- Use concrete examples when possible.
- Clearly and specifically describe your goals.
Each student needs two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the ODU faculty/campus mentor for the proposed project. Please review the application packet before writing the letter. Give the applicant a deadline to get the proposal to you so that you will have time to write your letter.
Faculty recommendations should address the following:
Regarding the student's educational plan: The feasibility and merit of the proposed educational experience. How does the educational plan fit into the applicant's plans after college? Which of the student's qualities prompts you to recommend that this student will be able to carry out the student's educational plan?
Regarding the student: What indications (personal traits, leadership qualities, intellectual gifts, accomplishments) do you have that this student could potentially become a leader in the student's chosen field and/or community? What is the student's most striking quality, the quality that leaves the strongest impression on you? Do you recommend the applicant for a Broderick Opportunity Scholarship? Please state this directly, with an indication as to the strength of your recommendation.
FAQs
Applicants must be rising sophomores, rising juniors or rising seniors with at least a 3.5 ODU grade point average (GPA) and with at least two semesters before graduation. Candidates must be Perry Honors College students in order to apply. However, individuals who wish to apply for the Broderick Opportunity Scholarship may still do so provided that they also apply and gain admittance to the Perry Honors College before the Broderick Opportunity scholarship deadline. Opportunity scholarship recipients must maintain good academic standing in the Perry Honors College in order for the Broderick scholar funding to be disbursed.
ASAP: Submit an Intent to Apply
Feb. 1: Applications open
March 1 at 12 a.m. EST: Deadline to apply
Two semesters (may include summer)
Up to $6,000 may be used for living expenses. It must be clear that the living expenses are needed because there are no other sources of possible funding (e.g., financial aid, a job for which you may need to reduce your hourly commitments in order to pursue your educational experience).
You can request up to $20,000, but you should be aware that the point of the Broderick Opportunity Scholarship is to fund an experience that enhances your education. The budget for your proposal will be carefully evaluated to make sure that the requested funds make an experience possible but are not more than the experience will cost. Proposals will not be successful without a carefully researched and justified budget.
Express your intent to apply. Think about and free-write about your plans after graduation (see "Advice for students" for prompts). Then, chat about the possibilities with your mentors/recommenders. Dr. David Metzger in the Perry Honors College would also be happy to work with you. He can email you a list of hyperlinks to help jumpstart your thinking about opportunity possibilities if you don't already have something in mind.
The key is that you create experiences that you could not do without the opportunity scholarship. This list isn't exclusive: study abroad, undergraduate research, civic engagement/service learning, leadership opportunities, internships, entrepreneurial, creative and artistic projects.
Yes. You may need to travel to perform research related to a short story or play, explore archives or museums, conduct interviews related to your creative project. The scholarship might also be used to defray the cost of attending an artists/writers colony/conference/workshop.
Working in a professor's lab at a university, or at a lab in industry, archival research, data collection/fieldwork and analysis, participating in a study abroad opportunity that is research-focused, etc.
Partnering with a city/state/nongovernmental agency to develop a public education program, collecting/analyzing data related to community problems (crime, climate change, health), interning with a community-based organization, performing policy/advocacy/activist research (data collection and/or analysis related to domestic violence, sexual assault, hate crimes, child nutrition, homelessness, adverse environmental impacts).
Formulating and implementing action-based plans like emergency response procedures or climate change readiness, social-impact projects that address issues like community/global health, homelessness, human trafficking, and violence.
Internships with elected officials, government agencies, advocacy organizations, research groups, think tanks.
Study Abroad is a life-changing experience that allows students to experience an education not just in the classroom but as a lived experience in a different part of the world.
No, these are just possibilities to jumpstart your thoughts regarding your own experience.
Not at this time. We look forward to seeing your application by March 1 of next year.
Disbursal of funds can begin starting in September (½ in the fall, ½ in the spring).