No matter how bright and talented you are, you cannot win a major scholarship on the basis of your efforts alone. Schools with the best track records in major scholarship competition know this, and they report that their successful candidates had a great deal of help along the way. In 1996 the Dixon Fellows Program was established at Clemson University to identify and assist promising students in competing for postgraduate fellowships. To apply for a major fellowship, you do not have to be involved in this particular program. Whether or not you are a Dixon Fellow, early in your college career you should develop close relationships with people who can suggest a reading program, review and critique your personal statement, monitor your academic progress, sharpen your writing and speaking skills, give you tips on interviewing and resumé writing, and generally serve as a source of encouragement. Naturally, you will want to seek out professors in your major. It's also important to cultivate faculty in other disciplines, student development staff, and business and community leaders.