By Ranny Ma

Gargoyle staff reporter

Posted Monday, April 16, 2007, The OG, news & student awards

SENIORS PAIGE MARTIN and Devika Bagchi have won major scholarships from Washington University in St. Louis. The scholarships will cover full tuition, which is around $34,000 per year, plus a $1,000 stipend.

The scholarships are part of Wash U's Honorary Scholars Program.

The program offers a total of 12 full-tuition scholarships, with three each given in four fields of study: Arthur Holly Compton Fellowships in the Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Florence Moog Fellowships in the Biological Sciences and Chemistry, George E. Mylonas Scholarships in the Humanities, and Arnold J. Lien Scholarships in the Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Martin received an Arthur Holly Compton Fellowship, while Bagchi won a Florence Moog Fellowship. Martin and Bagchi were among an estimated 400 students who competed for the awards.

In addition to her Wash U scholarship, Martin has also received two major financial awards from Rice University.
One of them, the Trustee Distinguished Scholarship, is based on merit and extracurricular activities. The other is a research grant from the Century Scholars Program.

Martin has narrowed her schools to five choices. Along with Wash U and Rice, she is considering Harvard, Williams, and Carleton.

“There are a lot of factors that I will have to weigh out in making my decision,” said Martin, who recently completed her role as Reno Sweeney in Uni's spring musical, “Anything Goes.” “Certainly, with the two scholarships, Rice and Wash U are possibly pushed a little higher on my list.”

As for what she wants to concentrate on in college, Martin is thinking that through as well.

“I have so many diverse interests, that I'm not sure what I plan to pursue in college,” she said. “I am currently interested in math and science, as well as languages (particularly European languages), and also music.”

Bagchi, on the other hand, decided early on that she would attend Wash U, where she will major in biological sciences and minor in anthropology for the premed track.

“Wash U is just the perfect fit for me,” said Bagchi. “It's very good for science and medicine, but also, the professors are great.”

She intends to practice medicine.

“My dream is to become a doctor,” she said. “At some point, I plan to work with Doctors Without Borders in Third World countries, where proper health care is extremely rare.”

So what did the two Uni seniors have to do to receive their Wash U scholarships?

For Martin, she had to fill out a separate scholarship application aside from the actual college application. The scholarship application required four essays and teacher recommendations.

Then specifically for the Compton Fellowship, Martin had to write an essay about a research project that she had done or would like to do.

“I was fortunate enough to have had the chance last summer to do some physics research with a professor at ISU [Illinois State University], and I wrote about that,” she said.

Bagchi also had to write a separate essay about a research experience for the Moog Fellowship.

After they were named finalists for their respective scholarships, Martin and Bagchi went through on-campus interviews with Wash U professors in late March.

“The first interview was geared toward my personal interests, passions, and some of the shorter essays,” said Bagchi. “For example, for my essay about any person I'd want to meet and why, I wrote about Bono. So during my first interview, we talked at length about my choice and why I made it.

“The second interview was focused more on the research I had done, how much I had understood, and what I had learned. I was asked about my science background, how I got involved in the research, what my goals were for my four years at Wash U, and what I wanted to do with my life.”

For Bagchi, the interviews ended up being more conversational than formal.

“We had met and had lunch and dinner with the four professors the day before, so I got to know them and felt pretty comfortable during the actual interviews,” she said.

Bagchi and Martin found out the good news about their scholarships in early April.

[Note: If you're a Uni senior and you've received a major college scholarship or award, let us know. We want to spread the word about your achievements.]

RELATED

— Washington University in St. Louis: Official site

— Washington University in St. Louis: Honorary Scholars Program in Arts & Sciences