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McNair helps students blaze their trail
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Brian Lawatch, Boise State history major and McNair Scholar, completed his research over the summer.
“I conducted research on the French’s use of torture during the French-Algerian War, comparing it to the U.S. in the ‘war on terror’ and how torture came to be practiced,” Lawatch said.ˇ”This comparative history focuses on the role that ideology played.”
Student participants in the McNair Scholars program are awarded a $2,800 stipend to conduct research for the summer component of the program.
“[The stipend] is our way of saying ‘don’t do anything else.’ It is critically important that [students] do this well and do it right,” Greg Martinez, director of TriO College Programs, said.
Once the summer research is complete, the McNair program enters into its second phase: the application process.
Martinez said developing a strong application is a huge part of the program.
Lawatch is currently in the thick of the application process, which he said equates to the workload of a three-credit class.
“I am applying to the University of Michigan, Connecticut, Indiana, George Washington, Rice, Pittsburgh and Georgetown all for M.A. or Ph.D. history programs,” he said. “I am also applying to an interdisciplinary program at the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall.”
While Lawatch said he hopes to be accepted to all of the schools he’s applying to, he’ll most likely accept offers from those that will award him fellowships or teaching assistant positions, so he can waive the cost of tuition.
The McNair program has allowed Lawatch to gain a goal and perspective with his degree and academic goals.
“I was not sure what I was going to do with a history degree prior to my admittance into the McNair Program,” he said.ˇ”I always enjoyed history, but was beginning to realize I did not want to teach history in secondary education, and therefore I would have to continue in my studies or switch majors. Luckily, I found the McNair program.”
Without direction from the McNair program, Lawatch said graduate school might not have been an option.
“I probably would not even be contemplating graduate school because I was so ill-informed.ˇThe program really pushes you to distinguish yourself from the average graduate school applicant,” he said. “Through the research that you conduct, the GRE [Graduate Record Examination] preparation, and all the things you do to make your application very strong, the McNair program truly prepares you to be a strong candidate.”
“[Students] get out of McNair what they put into it,” Martinez said.
“The ones that do the work are the ones that get accepted. And not only are they getting accepted, but they’re getting funding.”
“This isn’t a program for everybody; you’ve got to want it. But if you want it, we’ll get you there.”
Lawatch advises any student thinking about graduate school to start the process early and to build relationships with professors.
“Don’t just go to class, but talk with your teachers once in a while in their office,” he said.ˇ”Those are going to be your letter-of-recommendation writers and you want them to know not just what kind of a student you are, but what kind of a person you are as well.”
Lawatch also suggested saving money for application fees and studying for the GRE, a standardized test required for most graduate programs.
For more information about the McNair Scholars program, including information about the application process, visit education.boisestate.edu/mcnair/index.php.
An overview of the program
Students looking toward graduate school may want to apply to the McNair Scholars program.
The McNair Scholars program, run out of the Student Success Program offices, is specifically tailored to fit the needs of first generation and underrepresented college students who have a desire to apply to both graduate and doctorate programs.
“We take students in their last two years of their undergraduate program and provide them with a series of experiences predominantly to get students as undergraduates to engage in undergraduate research,” Greg Martinez, director of TriO College Programs, said.
The federally funded TriO program has been a part of Boise State University for six years.
“The primary goal of the McNair program is to engage students in undergraduate research,” Martinez said about the program. “That’s really the lynch pin. If you can get them connected to a faculty mentor, get them involved in faculty-directed research, and get them to do a publishable quality paper and do presentations, then they create this
incredible vita."
LINDSEY RHODES-PURDY
Arbiter Journalist
