Sophomore Opportunities
Sophomore year is a year of opportunities of all kinds. Below you will find a sampling of some you should explore. They may take you in unexpected directions and help you discover new mentors, research areas, and intellectual passions; or they may help you deepen your relations with existing ones. All have the potential to help you develop your network—and the liberal education you are in the process of constructing—both at and beyond Brown.
Fellowships for Sophomores
Sophomores at Brown are eligible for a number of fellowships for the first time. Three important Brown-sponsored fellowships, the Royce Fellowship, the CV Starr Fellowship, and Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards (UTRA), are available to sophomores to fund both traditional and non-traditional research projects. Visit the Swearer Center and Dean of the College websites to learn more about each of these programs.
Three national fellowships available to sophomores are the Udall Scholarship, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, and the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. The Udall award funds students who have demonstrated a commitment to the environment, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship recognizes young scholars committed to research careers in math, science, or engineering, and the Mellon Mays Fellowship supports students from underrepresented minority groups, or students with a demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities in higher education, to pursue careers in the academy. Brown students have been extremely successful in these scholarship competitions. For more information on both of these programs visit our Fellowships website.
Dean Linda Dunleavy, head of the Fellowship Office (213 University Hall), holds open office hours each week to discuss fellowship opportunities for students at every level. She is also available by appointment.
The Career Development Center
The Career Development Center (CDC) can assist you in exploring internship and career interests that correspond to your academic pursuits. The CDC offers an ongoing series of alumni speakers and panels, online research tools, and strategies for helping you build a network beyond Brown. The summer after sophomore year is an ideal time to undertake an internship that may lead to your first job after college, or gain experience in an area that complements future career or educational pursuits. CDC counselors can help you identify internships appropriate to your interests. They are available to meet with you individually to clarify your goals and help you plan for life after college. For more information, visit www.careerdevelopment.brown.edu, and be sure to read the sophomore newsletter.
The Swearer Center for Public Service
The Howard R. Swearer Center for Public Service supports Brown students and faculty who are interested in community participation, activism, and action as key components of a liberal education. Students are central to the planning, coordination, and implementation of Swearer Center services, which include 40 community-based partnerships. Among the center’s initiatives are language and literacy programs, youth development programs in Providence schools, housing and hunger programs, oral history projects, and community health programs. For more information, visit the Swearer Center website.
Study Away from Brown
Most Brown students who choose to go elsewhere to study for a term or a year do so during their junior year. The time to plan for that time away is now, during your sophomore year. To explore study abroad options, start with the website of the Office of International Programs. You can make an appointment to talk to the many counselors and staff at OIP, or stop in to speak with students who have returned from studying in another country. For study elsewhere in the U.S., visit http://www.brown.edu/college/courses/study_away.php, or make an appointment to speak with Christina Furtado, Assistant Dean for Upperclass Studies (Christina_Furtado@Brown.edu; x3-2676).