SRAS's Home and Abroad: Creative offers $7,000 to students who want to build writing, research, art, and language skills at home and abroad. The scholarship applies to a specific academic program from SRAS lasting approximately nine months with a rigorous internship component included.
The Internship Students begin their internship from home beginning November 1, 2012. Under the guidance of SRAS staff, students will research and write short, accessible articles and other materials related to Russian art for a general audience. These will be published and featured on SRAS.org as well its partner sites. Students will continue researching and writing once in Russia and will also take on tasks that will encourage them to get out, explore, and be active. Students will write restaurant and cultural event reviews, as well as update SRAS's online city guide and our student university guide.
The Program and Scholarship The related study abroad program will include a $3000 scholarship which may be applied to the Spring, 2012 semester of Russian as a Second Language (RSL) or The Russians, both as offered in St. Petersburg. The student will then be invited to stay on and attend our summer Art and Museums in Russia program and no additional cost, including housing. The total value of the scholarship is thus worth slightly more than $7,000.
The Student Applicants must have had at least two semesters of study in art history, studio art, or museum science. Previous Russian study is desirable, but not required for eligibility. Applicants must possess native or near-native English skills and strong writing and research skills. The student will be well-organized, motivated, have his/her own laptop, and be able check email once per day. The student must be able to work independently and creatively. The student will be adventurous and eager to explore Russia and its art and to excite others about these two subjects.
Program Dates Applications Due: Oct 15, 2012! Final Decisions Made: Before Oct 25 Internship from Home Begins: Nov 1 Program Abroad Begins: Feb 6
The Application Students will apply according to SRAS's regular application procedure, indicating which base program (RSL or The Russians) they are interested in. Students should list the "Home and Abroad: Creative" as an additional program of choice. In addition, students must submit:
Two academic papers longer than 10 pages.
Students will submit additionally one paragraph explaining why they want to participate in this program as well as a letter of recommendation from a former (current) employer and a former (current) professor.
Students will write two submissions of at least one paragraph and no more than a half page describing 1) their favorite painting and 2) their favorite restaurant or café.
All of these additional materials should be emailed to Josh Wilson, SRAS Assistant Director. Students indicating interest in Home and Abroad Program are not required to pay the $250 deposit until after acceptance. The deposit will be due on November 1, 2012, or before. All questions about the Home and Abroad program may be addressed to Josh Wilson.
The Selection Process Once students have completed the application process for Home and Abroad: Creative and related programs, they may be asked to revise or edit their writing submissions to test how well they work with an editor over email. A telephone interview may also be arranged. Based on the outcome of this process, students will be informed if they will remain in consideration for the scholarship. Final decisions will be made before October 25th.
What if I am not currently a student anywhere? Not a problem. For more on eligibility issues, please see our main FAQ page.
How does this program work? Home and Abroad: Creative is a scholarship applicable to a specific program package described above: one semester of of Russian as a Second Language (RSL) or The Russians, both as offered in St. Petersburg, our summer program Art and Museums in Russia (students will have additional Russian study and housing in the weeks between these two programs), plus an intensive internship. $3000 is discounted from the first semester and after that, all fees and costs are waived for regular tuition and housing.
What are my odds of getting the scholarship? This is the first year SRAS has offered this program, so we don't know how many applications we will receive. However, we have just one scholarship placement to fill. Students not accepted for the program may still attend the their chosen program without the Home and Abroad: Creative scholarship and internship or may change their application to another SRAS program of their choosing.
I have not had work experience - what do I do about the recommendation? Students who do not have a past employer to request a recommendation from may submit a recommendation from anyone who can comment on the student's ability to work hard, work creatively, and work independently. This may be someone who oversaw the student's participation in volunteer work, community projects, campus activism, student government, Russian (or other) clubs, or even a (second) professor who can comment on these issues.
What form should the recommendations take? The recommendation from the professor should be completed according to our online form (part of the application process). The second should be a free-form letter but should cover three topics: the student's ability to work hard, work creatively, and work independently.
Do the papers need to be about Russia-related topics? We prefer papers on Russia-related topics. However, we will accept any examples that the student considers to be outstanding examples of his/her writing.
What if I am not a US citizen? Not a problem so long as you have native or near-native English skills. For more on eligibility issues, please see our main FAQ page.
Pictures from St. Petersburg
I wish you could see the notebooks that I filled on this trip, not only with facts and notes from tours and class, but with sketches and observations and lists of differences and similarities that I noticed...We absolutely packed our time with seeing everything that we could and while I know there is so much more, I also know that we could not have better spent our time.
