Advice for Proposals

Select a mentoring advisor who understands your topic

You may have more than one mentor, and we highly recommend choosing a mentor or mentors in the field(s) of your topic. In other words, if you wish to submit a proposal for a project in philosophy, do not rely on an engineering professor as your mentor: seek out a philosophy professor. If your topic is about psychology, find a psychology professor to work with. Examining genetics? Your English professor is not your best choice: find someone in biology. If your project spans two different fields, have a mentor from each, or at least consult with a professor from each.

Work with your mentor

Proposals that aren't accepted for inclusion at Scholars' Day frequently turn out to be those that were submitted without consultation with the mentor. Your professors are here to help you, and we're generally very impressed with how much they do to support and mold student projects into high-quality submissions (and final products). Start early enough, too, so that you have a strong proposal by the submission deadline.

Narrow your focus

We often give student submissions a second chance if the proposal looks okay but not quite up to standards, and the most common problem we see is that the proposal is way too broad. You will be presenting for roughly 15 minutes. That is not enough time to solve major problems of the world. You should examine a specific case or part of a larger issue. The more precise and limited your topic is in breadth, the better it will be. For example, instead of proposing a report on "sources of greenhouse gases in North America, and how to reduce global climate change," try to examine the relative contribution of one source and estimates of how much it can be reduced by changes in behavior. The research you conduct on this narrower topic will almost guarantee that you'll have a level of expertise beyond anyone in your audience. And that's impressive.

Do your research

It is called "Scholars' Day" because we expect some significant scholarly work as part of your project. You should be well-informed about your topic, whether it's about an artistic method, a literary theme, a biological process, or a moment in history. As a general guideline (but not formal rule) your work should be consistent with the expectations of an upper-level class. And although you needn't be finished before you apply, you should be well-informed when you submit your application. If you need help with the research process, consider making an appointment with a librarian.

Write a coherent abstract

Our abstracts page has information about the required abstract. Also, consider consulting with a tutor in the Tutoring and Academic Assistance Center to polish the writing.

If you have questions relating to the application process, please contact co-chairs Katie Ghidiu and Jennifer Hill.