Watson Nomination Info and September Events

For all of you thinking about the Watson–read on:

  • Watson Information Session: Wednesday, Sept 10 at 7:30 pm in Hillcrest 103
  • Watson Fellow Barbara Ofosu-Somuah ’13 will talk about her Watson Year, Tuesday, Sept 16, 4:30 pm in Hillcrest 103 AND be available for informal conversation with applicants and interested students in the CTLR 8-10 pm
  • To apply for nomination: instructions at go/fellowships, click Listing of Fellowships and then click on Watson. You’ll find instructions for submitting an application for nomination. Submit your  application as a single PDF file to fellowships@middlebury.edu by Monday, September 22, 2014 at 12:00 noon. No late applications will be accepted. Selected applicants will be interviewed in late September/early October. Middlebury may select up to four nominees and one alternate.
  • I am available to read drafts of essays (send as email attachments to fellowships@middlebury.edu) and discuss your proposal in person or by phone. To set up a time, see instructions at go/fellowships .
Barbara Ofosu-Somuah '13, Watson Fellow
Barbara Ofosu-Somuah ’13, Watson Fellow

Questions? Contact Lisa Gates at fellowships@middlebury.edu .

Fulbright Application Info for Fall 2014

If you’re thinking about applying for a Fulbright, here are some important dates/deadlines and information:

  • Fulbright Info Session for Applicants: Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 4:30pm, Hillcrest 103
  • To apply: Complete the online application through the Fulbright website: http://www.us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/getting-started . You are responsible for obtaining and uploading all required materials. For your Middlebury transcript, if you are registered in the Embark system by Monday, Sept. 15 at 8:30am, the fellowships office will order your transcript for you (no charge!) and send you a pdf that you can upload. If you have other transcripts, you must order and upload those yourself.
  • Submit your application in the Embark system by Friday, September 26, 2014 at 12:00 noon. You will receive confirmation that the application has been submitted successfully–make sure you get that! Late applications will not be accepted. Applicants (those who submit applications by the noon 9/26 deadline) will receive instructions about interview sign ups, scheduled in early October.
  • Alumni applicants: if you are applying through Middlebury, select the enrolled student status. If you do not do this, you will be considered “At Large.” If you have questions let me know.
  • I am available to read drafts of essays (send as email attachments to fellowships@middlebury.edu) and discuss your proposal and questions in person or by phone/Skype. To set up a time, see instructions at go/fellowships .
  • And if you’ve started an application in Embark and decide by Friday, Sept.12 that you will definitely NOT be applying, please let me know via email! I don’t want to order unnecessary transcripts (creates unnecessary work for very busy people in the Registrar’s office!)
  • A note about recommendations: once you add information for an individual, they will receive an email with a link to a confidential form or space to upload letter. So make sure these are the best individuals to write on  your behalf. And if you’re not sure, ask me–I’m happy to discuss. Also, if you are using the same individual for a recommendation and the language evaluation form, you must have two different email addresses for that individual.
  • Note that applications submitted on Sept 26 should be polished, proofed and as compelling as you can make them. If we notice egregious typos, errors or if clarifications are requested through the interview process, you will be able to fix those.
  • Deadlines–internal and external–are final, so be certain you give yourself, your recommenders and your affiliations enough time to get all materials added to your application prior to Friday, Sept. 26 at noon. If you encounter serious problems, talk to me as soon as the problem arises!
  • If you have questions, you can reach me at fellowships@middlebury.edu.

We look forward to your application!

Additional Notes for UK Scholarship Nominations

A few miscellaneous notes:

1. selecting a region for the Marshall/Rhodes–you should not need to determine that at the nomination stage. If you are nominated, we can discuss. You must choose a region before submitting–but you will be able to save or print to a pdf without that. I trust it is similar with the Rhodes application–but harder for me to see the online environment. The  issue is, if invited for an interview, you will need to travel to the district you select (based on where you reside or where you study–and these may be different). Happy to discuss the choice with you after nomination.

2. where are the applications accessed? on the specific foundation’s website! see go/fellowships for links if you need them.

Well, can’t recall the third, so am stopping here!

Applying for Nomination for British Scholarships?

Here are your instructions:

Submit the following as a SINGLE pdf to fellowships@middlebury.edu:

  • A good working draft of the relevant application (Churchill, Marshall, Mitchell, Rhodes)–you can save or print to pdf. Note: NO LETTERS OF REFERENCE AT THIS POINT. However, we do need to know who you intend to ask for letters. If entering that data automatically triggers an email request to the recommender, you can simply add a page listing the names of people you intend to ask to write on your behalf.
  • A degree progress report. You do not need to submit an official transcript at this stage.
  • A current resume

Your materials are due by 5pm on Monday, September 2. Once I know who is applying, I will send you information about signing up for an interview with the British Scholarship Committee, to take place the week of September 8th (but not on the first day of classes–I assure you!).

Any questions or difficulties or if I’ve overlooked anything, let us know at fellowships@middlebury.edu or by phone 802-443-3026. Please note: Colleen and I will both be out of the office from August 20-26.

If you are applying for the Gates-Cambridge, you do not need to apply for nomination. I am happy to talk with you about your application, provide feedback on essays etc, but you apply directly to that scholarship–see instructions on the Gates-Cambridge website.

2015 NSF GRFP Info online!

From the NSF:

The 2015 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Solicitation has been published. All prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to review the 2015 Solicitation for important information about eligibility and supported fields of study, application preparation and submission instructions, and the merit review criteria.

The 2015 NSF GRFP application is expected to open in early August.