As a college senior, the only question people really want to ask me is, “So what are you doing next year?” I’ve been coming closer to answer as my interest in social work and college access has been growing, but I am still uncertain. My typical answer is, “Whatever I get accepted to!” I know for certain I won’t be going to grad school immediately. I’d like to get a few years of firsthand experience to get a better idea of what I want to do exactly before dedicating so much time and money to graduate school. Most of the professions I am hoping to go into (social work, non-profit work, student affairs, being a school counselor) also seem to have grad students who are a little older with more life and work experience.

I am mainly applying for fellowships because they typically carry a degree of prestige that adds an extra boost to a resume; many of them will help with housing/transportation/other costs; and they have built-in communities because other recent grads do these programs and you have a network of alums to connect with. I decided to post some of the different things I’m applying for you all to get a sense of the options for Mawrters after graduation and to see my progress along the way.

Fulbright: An initiative from the U.S government to promote relationships between countries and build cultural understanding by sending recent grads and grad students abroad to do research and teach English for a year. I applied for an ETA (English Teaching Assistantship) in Malaysia and got recommended by the U.S Fulbright committee. Now I am waiting until April to hear back if I’ve been chosen by the Malaysian Fulbright committee. I would be in Malaysia from January to November 2015 helping teach English in a primary or secondary school in rural Malaysia.

Philly Fellows: This is a program I’ve wanted to apply to for years! Started by a Haverford alum, Philly Fellows places recent grads from Philadelphia and Philadelphia colleges in capacity-building roles in non-profits in Philadelphia. The program is through AmeriCorps but offers housing that five to six fellows share in Northern Liberties, South Philly, and West Philly. I’ve been working with many different non-profits in the Greater Philadelphia area throughout these past four years so it would be amazing to work full time with an organization working to make a positive impact on Philly communities. Applications are due Feb. 9th and I will hear back around March.

College Possible: An AmericCorps program that works to increase college access for low-income high school students in Portland, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. I am most excited by their position as a resource for low-income students transitioning to college. I have an interview in March in Philadelphia for this program and should hear back in April about whether I get in.

Princeton in Asia: A program based out of Princeton University that sends recent grads to Asia to work in NGOs or teach. My top choices for placements are Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia because I can use my Indonesian language skills there. I had an interview at Princeton University the weekend before classes started and I should be hearing back in March.

Critical Language Scholarship: This is another program sponsored by the U.S government but only for the summer. Thirteen languages are designated as “critical” by the U.S government so they pay for college students to study abroad and take language classes. I applied for the Indonesia program and was selected as a semi-finalist! I will hear back in mid-February as to whether I was selected or not.

PULSE: This is essentially Philly Fellows but with more of a faith based aspect and centered in Pittsburgh. Applications are due in early March. My friend and fellow Mawrter Joey Nyame currently serves with Pulse this year!

Peace Corps: Since the ’60s, Americans are paid to go abroad to improve foreign relations and carry out development projects or teach throughout countries in the Global South. I will be applying to Peace Corps if none of my other options work out because Peace Corps has a rolling deadline so I can do it any point and the program has a very long turn around (people usually go a year after they have been selected due to medical screening). I would prefer to be in Southeast Asia but I am eager to be abroad in capacity so I am flexible with my placement.

Any advice from alums who have done these programs? Or any suggestions for similar programs?