Aix-en-Provence is gorgeous. Especially at the end of July, which was when I headed over there to do archival research for my IS. I ended up spending a week in Southern France, researching the negritude movement at the French colonial National Archives.
I spent my time there researching previously classified documents, such as police reports and diplomatic telegrams for my IS concerning identity in the negritude movement. Through this experience, I was able to find the research necessary for my IS as well as gain experience researching in a foreign setting. Being a history eccentric, to me, these documents were awesome – they had the words “Secret” or “Top Secret” stamped on them, written in old blue ink (which made some of the documents difficult to read). The experience made me more excited about my IS topic, which in turn, allowed me to narrow my area of study.
My advice for those students who are on the fence about applying for Copeland Funding: apply. The application itself is not difficult – just a proposal, a recommendation and a short form listing your major, class year, etc. That is not to say that you should put little effort into the application, but more to encourage you to take it seriously and actually apply. The Copeland Fund provides once in a lifetime opportunities in research that few other undergraduate universities offer. The experience you receive from this opportunity also sets you apart from other applicants later in life- whether your career plan brings you to employment or graduate school. This also allows you to preform research that you truly care about, to help better your IS – a unique project within itself.
In this case, follow the model of Nike, and just do it. You won’t regret it.