Applications - Blog Posts

Record Number of Americans Apply to #BeAnAstronaut

On Dec. 14, 2015, we announced that astronaut applications were open on USAJOBS. The window for applications closed on Feb. 18. We’re happy to announce that we have received more than 18,300 applications from excited individuals from around the country, all hoping to join the 2017 astronaut class. This surpasses the more than 6,100 received in 2012 for the most recent astronaut class, and the previous record - 8,000 applicants in 1978. 

So you applied to be an astronaut...now what?

Since the applications closed on Feb. 18, many people are curious to know…what’s next? Let us help you navigate the selection process:

Now that we have received all the applications, we will review them to determine the “Highly Qualified” applicants. This process will take place through summer 2016.

What is a “Highly Qualified” Applicant?

The diversity of experiences is what separates the highly qualified from qualified. Experience that demonstrates good leadership, fellowship and decision making are beneficial.

Between fall 2016 and spring 2017, interviewees will be brought to Johnson Space Center for evaluation. This process will help us determine the finalists, which takes place in spring 2017. 

Finally, in summer 2017, the Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017 is announced! These candidates will report to Johnson Space Center starting in August 2017. 

To view the full astronaut candidate selection process timeline, visit: http://astronauts.nasa.gov/content/timeline.htm

*Note that the high volume of applications received, dates in the timeline could be adjusted. 

Why do we need more astronauts?

We are continuing human spaceflight on the International Space Station, which has a continuous crew of six people on board. The Boeing and SpaceX commercial crew spacecraft that will travel to the station both have seats for four astronauts (the current Soyuz spacecraft, on which astronauts travel, only has three). This will add a seventh astronaut to the orbiting laboratory, and enable us to do more science!

How many astronauts will be selected?

The exact number will be determined by mission requirements, but current analysis shows about 8 - 14 astronauts will be needed. The final number will depend on updates to program plans, budgets, etc. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

15.02.22

the first part of the day was so productive but it became a cheat day soon oops-

did my french notes

wrote out three applications in non-cursive

actually went and finished some official work at school

shoutout to @recedinghorizons who inspired me to do this post !

🎶 side to side by ariana grande

When Writer’s Block Meets Imposter Syndrome

So I am at that point in my apps where I have to write a personal statement and I am S T U C K. I can talk and talk about language and how much it means to me, when I put pen to paper, suddenly I feel less valid and like my ideas and interests aren’t all that interesting.

I know that I shouldn’t be as nervous as I am. I know that I am a good scholar and that I worked really hard to even be able to consider going to grad school. I know that I can do this.

I think I just need some more perspective. 

GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES

scholarships.com

Fastweb

SALT

School Soup

CollegeNET

free scholarship search

Scholarship Hunter

collegescholarships.org

Peterson’s

BigFuture

Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RESOURCES

EastChance (specifically for eastern european students)

EducationUSA (US government state department website)

International Education Financial Aid (IEFA) 

International Student

eduPASS

STATE-SPECIFIC (by residency, not place of education)

Alaska

Arkansas

California

Iowa

Louisiana

Maine

Missouri

Montana

North Carolina

Oregon

Washington

TIPS AND GUIDES

CollegeBoard: the basics of financial aid

Watching out for scholarship scams

Department of Education student guide

hello! for your college prompts, what advice would you give the students who don't really have any outstanding achievements? the ones who didn't join any contests or have any notable experiences to write about :(

Hi, thanks for the question! 

Honestly, every experience can be written as notable. It really depends on how you word your answers. Personal stories, like caring for ill siblings can be described as inspiration for students going into the medical field or school art projects, like painting self-portraits can be described as an eye-opening experience in self-reflection for students planning to study arts. 

It’s really important to remember that even though high achievements and notable experiences contribute to an individual’s application, it does not necessarily make or break an individual’s profile. This might sound deceptive, but honestly play up your strengths. (You might not think you have any really good ones, but trust me they’re there!) I’d recommend doing a bit of research of your field of interest’s general responsibilities and focusing on any transferable skills that you currently possess that can be detailed in a college essay or application form. Many scholarship and college committees are looking for students willing to think outside the box, identify transferable experiences for field compatibility and show a clear interest in studying at the school of application. The experience is not the important thing, the reflection and lessons learned are what’s most important. If you show evidence of your ability to commit and work diligently, while showing clear signs of potential; schools will definitely be interested in taking you under their wing. 

Hobbies can also play a key role in applications, even non-school or organization held ones. As long as you can show evidence of progress (i.e. photography, videos, maybe a participation certificate) for an activity, self-taught instruments or languages are very impressive. Other hobbies such as crafting, machinery or creative writing can also be assets! I suggest making a list of your daily activities and going from there. Sometimes activities that you may not have considered (i.e. cooking, baking, etc) can greatly contribute to an application. Here’s just a couple examples that could possibly be helpful in the formatting of this sort of writing:

Baking (Have you considered baking something for a charity event? Baking a cake or a tray of cookies can add to your application because you can include the title of charity event volunteer and contributor or that you’ve baked to support charity events.) 

Blogging (Even Tumblr blogging! As long as you can show evidence of original posts with a socially acceptable theme (I’d recommend “educational (meaning anything you can learn,)” current-event or literature-based content) you can say that you enjoy writing articles in your spare time and host a blog where you contribute original content.)    

Travel (Travel a lot with your family or friends? Spin this experience into a cultural exploration activity and focus heavily on personal reflections of your trip. By doing this, you can say that you have a strong interest in sociology, modern anthropology and ancient anthropology.)

It’s never too late to pick up new skills! Keep an eye out for new opportunities to expand your abilities and community involvement and who’s knows maybe you’ll even find an activity you become extremely passionate about! Here’s some other tips to show off your skills:

Use a higher variety of language in writing: This means, use a thesaurus for application writing! A higher language variety shows that a student has a higher linguistic interest. In saying this however, do not change every word in sentences or an obvious pattern such as one-change-per-sentence! Contribute where you feel you can be fancy. 

Name-drop: By that meaning, cleverly mention the names of organizations and companies you’ve been involved with. Involvement refers to any sort of assistance with physical evidence. (Remember that baking example I mentioned earlier? Say that the organization in question was Free the Children - you could add Free the Children charity event volunteer and contributor to your application.) Do not call out organizations randomly but strategically - if it just so happens that the charity in question was present and involved then it doesn’t hurt to add that to your application. This shows that a student is well-connected in their communities as well as being apt at networking.

Strategic self-reflection: In detailing how you felt and what you learned, include references to any historical/current events, academic curriculum or personal interest educational content! For example: 

As I explore the streets of Greece, I cannot help but appreciate cultural identities that are in constant evolution. Greece, once a centerpiece of economic power now lies in a new era; one of economic uncertainty in the shadows of the growing strength of several new power players - the United States and China. 

This shows that a student has high intellectual ability, is good at problem solving and applying their knowledge where it can be used.

what do u mean "From what I know, getting into med school/law school/similar programs is actually harder for students who got their undergrad in pre-med/pre-law/pre-that field." that makes no sense? u get into a med school by taking pre med classes in undergrad?

I totally understand your confusion. The idea that pre-med isn’t the best thing to major in to get into med school flies in the face of logic/conventional wisdom.First off, I’d like to correct myself by saying that (for example) getting into med school with a pre-med undergrad isn’t harder from what I understand, but it’s not necessarily any better than majoring in something else. There’s two major reasons for this.One, med schools/other grad programs want to be able to claim diversity in their population when it comes to their students undergrad majors. They want to be able to point at their grad students and say “Look! We have students from every field of undergrad studies!”Two, schools care a lot more about how you do as a student rather than the classes you take. They want hard working dedicated students, which there are plenty of outside of pre-med/pre-law/whatever else.I hope that made sense! If you have more questions you can keep asking.

College Comparison and Application Checklists

Hi guys! As an obsessive spreadsheet maker, I am constantly using Excel for EVERYTHING, including when preparing to apply for college. I’ve just been told that, for once, the spreadsheets I made for comparing college options and organizing my application checklist are actually helpful, so I’m here to share them!

The first can be used for initially comparing and deciding which colleges you are interested in and the second can be used more as a checklist to see if everything has been submitted or completed.

To make things convenient, I’ve made them available in Google Sheets, from which you can copy to your own Google Drive or download as a Microsoft Excel file! They are also both editable so that you can add or remove categories and compare what’s important to you. Colleges are not one-size-fits-all, so feel free to edit the spreadsheets to cater to you. As a quick example, I’ve used Harvard to demonstrate what each category is for, but you can use it however you see fit. Since I personally have not looked into Harvard, the examples used are not the most thorough, but they should still provide a general idea.

**DISCLAIMER: I am still in high school and have not yet applied or gone to any colleges/universities. I am no expert on college admissions and do not know everything about finding and selecting the perfect college. Please keep this in mind. Any constructive feedback is welcome!

College Comparison Spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AVSidBtOpGOHafgkHVeKYSL0ceyaSZvx2VNzIG3uZTc/edit?usp=sharing

College Application Checklist:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ncT6dwddihoQOLsW17c6wZuXXqrp5F4hIqPWnop5M7M/edit?usp=sharing

To use, click on the link, go to “file”, then either click “make a copy” and save to your drive or click “download” and then whatever format you want. A guide to using each is below the cut. Happy college hunting and good luck!

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Voice Actor Applications

[Image ID: Yellow gradient graphic with the text 'MCYT META ZINE' followed by 'Voice Actor Applications are OPEN' and then '12th - 26th May'.]

Are you someone who loves bringing written text to life? Do you enjoy meta analysis within MCYTblr? Whether you're trying voice acting for the first time, or you're a seasoned video essayist, we'd love to have you here on the Metazine!

The forms to apply as a Voice Actor for the MCYT Metazine are open until May 26th at 11:59 UTC!

VOICE ACTOR APPLICATIONS

This role involves reading out the written pieces that have been created by our wonderful analysts, or voice acting on behalf of a contributor during a short interview segment. We'll provide a list of pieces and you can let us know which you'd prefer to read - more information will be within the application form.

As part of the application process, we'll ask for you to read out a short extract and send it over. Make sure you have a good mic so we can hear you at your finest - if you don't have one at home, it's likely your local public library may have one you can borrow!

Don't forget to check out our FAQs, and send us an ask if you have any other questions. Good luck!