SOP Services Include:
- Individual and group advising
- Scholarship and skills-building workshops
- Developing a strong application (Letters of Recommendation and faculty relationships)
- Feedback on application materials (Statements of Purpose, CVs, and research/project proposals)
- Mock interviews and acecss to past-winning applications
- Campus level endorsement
Students who win these prestigious scholarships or fellowships have outstanding academic records as well as other distinctive accomplishments. Some scholarship programs look for evidence of leadership on campus or in the larger community. Often winners have established their credentials by engaging in and successfully completing a substantial intellectual or creative project. Strong, detailed faculty letters of recommendation are essential; to get this level of support, students must develop an academic relationship with faculty outside the classroom.
It takes time and effort to build the sort of college career that a successful application reflects. We urge students to prepare for these awards early by building relationships with faculty whose work interests you; pursuing research, community service, and leadership opportunities; and documenting these interests – in the form of a Curriculum Vitae, personal statement, proposal for future study/research, and faculty letters of recommendation.
Detailed advice on undertaking these steps to become a competitive applicant is provided year-round, through our SOP-PREP Personal Discovery course as well as personalized advising consultations.
Outreach
SOP performs outreach to students by providing informational sessions, workshops, and announcements for scholarships and other opportunities for funded research and study. Information about future outreach events is available on our Events page.
UCI faculty or staff members may request to host a visit from an SOP representative on our Faculty & Staff Resources page.
Advising
We assist all undergraduate students interested in applying for any of the 21 prestigious, nationally or internationally-competitive merit scholarships, all funded by outside agencies. Our staff manages the campus-level application evaluation and endorsement (nomination) processes for 13 of these scholarships (students cannot apply directly to the funding agency).
Visit the Scholarship Advising page to enroll in SOP-PREP and start your application process.
Recognition
When students are nominated or recipients for any scholarships, our office provides recognition for all by honoring them with certification, highlighting them on our scholarship recipients blog, celebrating with a congratulatory Breakfast of Champions event towards the end of each academic year.
To see past scholarship recipients and photos, visit the Scholar’s Blog, Current or Past Recipients, or the SOP Archive.
Contact Us
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 10am-12pm to 1pm-3pm (during the academic school year).
Our office is located on the 5th floor of the Science Library, in the Student Excellence Center.
Main Email: scholars@uci.edu
Telephone: (949) 824-3853
For SOP staff information, visit our contact page.
Mailing Address:
Scholarship Opportunities Program
544 Science Library
Irvine, CA 92697-5695