Freshman business students interested in applying for the Neeley Fellows Academic Honors program must attend an information session Tuesday to begin the preparation process for applying, Beata Jones, director of the Neeley Fellows, said.

After attending the information session, students can then submit an “intent to apply form” in early April that enables them to be paired up with a current Neeley Fellow for an informational interview, she said. The interview is for prospective applicants to ask the current Fellows for further and more detailed information about the program.

“We want to make sure that students who get in the program are fully aware of the expectations we have [for] the students,” Jones said.

Jeff Tushaus, a freshman pre-business student, said he was planning on applying to the Fellows program.

“It’s a lot of pressure 8212; I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” he said.

Tushaus said he was ready for the long nights and extra workload ahead because he came to college to get ahead in the job market and the Fellows program will help him in that aspect.

Tushaus said the Neeley Fellows was his first choice for an extracurricular business activity.

“There are alternates I will look at later. I’m really putting my focus on Neeley Fellows though,” he said.

He said the most important aspect of Fellows was working with 30 other students who are all hoping to become the best they can be through the program.

Mike Vosters, a senior marketing major and member of the Neeley Fellows, said applicants should include as much as possible on their résumés and not be afraid to show their personality in the application process. He said with the Neeley Fellows, it is not only how smart a student is, but also what other skills, such as communication skills and work ethic, a student can demonstrate.

Jones said the program looked for well-rounded students who placed their focus on academics, but she said extracurricular involvement and motivation to work hard is also very important to the Fellows.

After the informational interview, students still interested in applying can submit their official application by April 30, she said. Students must submit a résumé and a cover letter, which describes the motivation behind a student’s application and the student’s qualifications.

“The cover letter tells us a lot,” Jones said. “We treat it as a written communication piece.”

Bethany Gorham, a sophomore finance major, said she had almost completed her first year in the Fellows program, and she said when she applied to the program, the cover letter took her the most time.

“I had to really focus on the reasons I wanted to be a Fellow,” Gorham said. “I put in a lot of time and effort into the cover letter, [and] it was worth it.”

Gorham said the Neeley Fellows program was one of the reasons she chose to attend TCU.

Upon first entering the program, Gorham said she had to “work twice as hard to receive the same grades” but “you have the same 30 students in your classes, [and] we all really rely on each other.” Students in the Fellows support each other by studying together as well as helping with networking connections outside of class, she said.

Jones said that in addition to the eight exclusive classes that Fellows students take together, there are two trips available to the Fellows to experience business markets in New York as well as internationally in Chile and Peru.

Vosters said that as a senior, the array of business and communications skills he learned through the Fellows will help him in the business world after he graduates in May. He also said the program provided valuable connections for finding internships.

Jones said although there was not a specific date the new Fellows will be announced, students accepted into the program will be notified by the end of the school year.

Facts:

The average GPA of selected freshmen over the last three years was a 3.86.

30 students

Required GPA – 3.5

Class of 2013 – 29 students

16 men, 13 women

The Fellows go on a spring break trip to New York City the spring of their sophomore year.

Students take eight exclusive classes with the fellow 30 students.

Students have an option to travel to Santiago, Chile and Peru the first week after the spring semester of their junior year.

Information Session:

Tuesday, Feb. 22

3:30 p.m.

Smith 204

Freshman business majors only.