<r Mya Dosch, Art History Major, has been awarded the Beinecke Scholarship, which gives grants to selected humanities, arts, and social science scholars from across the nation each year. According to the official website, “Since 1975 the program has selected more than 410 college juniors from 97 different schools for support during graduate study at any accredited university.” According to Dosch, money is given to recipients both for applying to graduate school and then once the recipient is actually in graduate school. “Carleton has one nominee, so you have to compete at the Carleton level,” explains Dosch. “Then I went on to national level, where 22 scholars were selected from about 100 total, each representing a different university or college”.
Dosch recognizes that she is representing Carleton in a pool of “big name” schools. “It is nice because Carleton hasn’t had a student awarded the Beinecke in a long time. It’s an honor to finally bring one home to Carleton.”
Those eligible for the Beinecke must apply as juniors and intend to continue on in their education towards a master’s or doctoral degree in the arts, humanities, or social science. Further, in order to be eligible, the scholar must have a history of receiving need-based financial aid for the entirety of their undergraduate study. Lastly, the ideal Beinecke scholar is one that, according to the official website, has “demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during his or her undergraduate career.”
Dosch’s interest in the Beinecke stems from its unique qualities. Explains Dosch, “It is the only scholarship for grad school you can apply for as a junior, and it is an amazing opportunity for a humanities major, considering the relative scarcity of humanities scholarship compared to science-related scholarships.”
Most importantly, Dosch says, “The Beinecke makes it more feasible for me to go to graduate school. It put any doubts out of my head. After Carleton I will probably take a year off to work and pay off loans. I’ll also be applying to grad schools during that year, which the Beinecke helps make possible because of the $4000 that goes to visiting schools and application fees.”
Dosch has yet to select a graduate school of primary interest, but has narrowed the list to 5 schools, including the University of Texas at Austin, Columbia, and UCL. “All of them have strong programs in Latin American art, public art, and mural art,” says Dosch.
Dosch’s decision to go into Art History, which she predicts will lead her into a professor position or into publishing, was influenced by her family as well as Carleton professors. Dosch says, “Both of my parents are artists, so I grew up going to museums and meeting other artists. When I came to Carleton, I though I would go into political science. My inspiration to major in Art History was Professor Alison Kettering. I also realized Art History can be political—it can have the things I like about political science.”
Carleton has also helped improve Dosch’s writing skills, which she says are especially important for application writing. “Taking a lot of writing classes and being a writing tutor has helped me become a better writer and made it easier to put together applications, as well as become a better teacher.” At Carleton, Dosch has also been involved in the orchestra, in which she plays percussion, has worked as a media relation’s writer, and plays the African drum.
Dosch says, “My goal at Carleton has been to make the most of the scholarships and fellowships available,” which she advises other Carls to do as well. “For example, there is a freshman scholarship to study abroad. It is important to know what’s out there.”