June Notes for Watson and Fulbright Applicants

If you’re thinking about applying for a Fulbright or Watson nomination in the fall, you should start working on those applications. Many of you have already talked with me about your ideas or completed a preliminary application this spring. But yes, you can still apply for these in the fall even if you did not submit a preliminary application! Below are a few notes for those of you just considering these now or already working on the applications:

Dean Gates is happy to talk with you, answer questions and review essay drafts. You can email questions to fellowships@middlebury.edu and/or make appointments at go.middlebury.edu/appt . Dean Gates has limited appointment hours during the summer.

Make sure you know the internal deadlines and application processes! See https://go.middlebury.edu/fulbright and https://go.middlebury.edu/watson for details. We often get questions that can be answered by reviewing the information on these pages, so please review carefully and then send me your questions. You will also find information about internal deadlines and application instructions on these pages. Note: the fellowships office must register Watson applicants in the online Watson system. As of today, everyone who has notified us of their interest has been registered! If you can’t find a link, check your junk/clutter/spam filters. For technical or password problems with the Watson online system, you must contact the Watson office for help.

If you haven’t sent in a preliminary application for Watson or Fulbright, you can still apply! Alumni, you can apply for Fulbright through Middlebury; you just have to follow our process and campus deadlines. At this point in the summer, I recommend you start working on the applications themselves (not the preliminary application form) and email or talk with Dean Gates about your ideas or questions. The online applications for both are open and you can begin working on those.

For more Fulbright info, check out the webinars offered by the Fulbright team–see the schedule here: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/information-sessions. There are some great sessions coming up, including answering the short answer questions on the Fulbright application and office hours focused on the Study/Research and ETA grants with program staff.