Extraordinary Success Program grants students
money to pursue graduate studies

RELEASED: Dec. 7, 2006

DANVILLE, KY—Centre College is excited to announce this fall's recipients of the Extraordinary Success Program grants. Callie Adkisson '07 of Vine Grove, Ky.; Megan Collins '07 of Danville, Ky.; Ben Durham '07 of Crestwood, Ky.; and Brian Grieb '07 of Louisville. Each has each been awarded $750 to assist in their pursuit of graduate or professional school.

The Extraordinary Success Program seeks to encourage Centre seniors to pursue a broader range of outstanding graduate or professional school opportunities, particularly those available out of state. Objectives of the program include encouraging thoughtful conversation between faculty and students regarding graduate school planning and analysis as to which graduate schools are a good match for the individual.

"Dr. Joe Workman [associate professor of chemistry] first informed me about the ESP grants," Grieb says. "He encouraged me to submit a proposal because I'd already spent over $1,500 applying to medical schools. Admission to an M.D. or Ph.D. program is very selective. The more programs that I apply to, the better chance I have of striking gold and getting into a really good one. The grant will help to defray the cost of application fees, which can be anywhere from $25 to $100 per school, and traveling for interviews."

Grieb has applied to M.D./Ph.D. dual degree programs, known as Medical Scientist Training Programs (MSTPs) sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), at Harvard University,Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, Cornell University, Emory University, Duke University, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, University of Cincinnati and the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

"I decided to submit a proposal for an ESP grant because I didn't want to be limited in the number of programs to which I could apply, especially ones that aren't within driving distance," Collins says. "In the Clinical Psychology field, Ph.D. programs admit approximately one to 10 percent of the people that apply. For this reason, I needed to be able to apply to a broad range of programs, and the grant money will allow me to do this."

Collins is applying to clinical psychology Ph.D. programs at the Vanderbilt University, University of Louisville, University of Cincinnati, Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh and University of Kentucky; clinical psychology Psy.D. programs at Roosevelt University, Xavier University and the Virginia Consortium Program; and clinical psychology Masters programs at Western Kentucky University and Morehead State University. She will use the grant to pay for application fees and travel to schools outside of Kentucky.

"The grant has allowed me to explore all possibilities without being limited by cost," Durham says. "With this funding, I'm in a better position to afford travel costs for auditions, which are necessary for my acceptance into the programs to which I'm applying."

Durham is applying for a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting, with the ultimate goal of completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. He's applying to Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester), University of Michigan, Florida State University, University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), Ohio State University and Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

The Extraordinary Success Program is administered through the College's Career Services office. Students submit a faculty-sponsored proposal that is reviewed by a committee appointed by Centre President John Roush. Proposals must include: a cover letter outlining graduate school aspirations, a record of appropriate graduate or professional school standardized testing, a letter of support from a faculty sponsor, an expense budget and a resume.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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