Middlebury Fellowships and Undergraduate Research
A font of information about undergraduate research, competitive fellowships, application processes and upcoming events and deadlines!
//Program Update from Fulbright: The Turkish Fulbright Commission is pleased to announce two awards in honor of the Commission’s 65th anniversary. These two Fulbright awards – one at the Master’s level, one at the Ph.D. – are open to students who wish to pursue a degree program at a Turkish university. More information on the awards is available here.
//Day 5, traveled to Wales to visit Cardiff University. Like Ireland, the country is bilingual, and signs everywhere are written in both Welsh and English. I have always considered myself pretty good with languages. However, we did have a Welsh lesson, and I can say with certainty, this is one language that I would have great difficulty with. Yes, it uses the Roman alphabet, but has far fewer vowels, new consonant arrangements are vexing (my rolled “R” in Spanish is brilliant in comparison to the Welch “ll”), and there don’t seem to be entirely predictable rules. Here’s the longest word:
But lucky for me, English is everywhere, just like in Ireland. Particular university strengths in Cardiff include Welsh studies (obviously!), performing arts (music, drama). You can find more about research agendas at Cardiff here. And for Dr. Who and Sherlock fans, those shows are filmed in Cardiff.
//Continuing the theme of historic things, among the delightful historical objects at the University of Bristol was the first-known portrait with a cricket paddle (18c) and the DNA model used by Watson and Crick (on view in an undergraduate lab room). Bristol is a comprehensive university in a medium-sized city. With aerospace technology nearby, there’s strength in the sciences, but also a commitment to humanities inquiry, particularly in the interplay with sciences. Had very interesting talks from faculty: Dr. James Ladyman on philosophy of science; Dr. Mark Horton from archeology (who has been exploring early colonial settlements along Cape Hatteras with the Croatoan Archeological Society); and Dr. Gareth Williams, who has recently authored a book about the history of the polio vaccine–and he himself was one of the early experimental subjects for Dr. Hilary Koprowski’s oral polio vaccine. You can find more information about graduate study at Bristol here. Also a place keen to attract more international students.
//Day 3. I always find it fascinating to walk around old cities. Living in the US, anything of the eighteenth-century vintage is noteworthy, but looking at a twelfth-century building? That is really something. And that history is part of the delight of Oxford.
and then there are all those famous Oxonians: Erasmus, John Donne, Sir Walter Raleigh, John Locke, Adam Smith, William Penn, Robert Harvey, Oscar Wilde, Cecil Rhodes, Benazir Bhutto, Elena Kagan, J. R. R. Tolkien to list a few. No doubt about it, there’s lots to recommend Oxford. I spent the day at the Rhodes House, talking with current Rhodes scholars, and then the afternoon in the Blavatnik School of Government , talking with faculty from economics, physics and history. Ended the day with a lovely meal at the Turl Street Kitchen, where the menu was largely organized around locally-sourced foods. Very much like home. So, if you’re interested in Oxford, research the programs of interest, talk with faculty and if you can, with current students. I spoke with students who were delighted with their experience, and others who did not feel it was the right fit. The 2008 RAE ratings are also helpful when evaluating specific departments and programs. I would also refer prospective students to the information about graduate study funding for international students; you need to apply by their January deadline to be considered for university or departmental funding (and this is entirely separate from Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships).
//Day 2–a short drive out of London to Royal Holloway, also part of the University of London system, although not located in London. The most immediately arresting feature of the campus is this building:
In a word, Hogwarts. But really, the Founder’s Building above was inspired by the Vassar campus–and Royal Holloway was initially established as a women’s college (at the suggestion of founder Thomas Holloway’s wife, Jane). University is highly ranked and most popular graduate degree programs are English, History, Media Arts. Distinctive courses: Holocaust Studies, Public History, and Crusader Studies. And yes, weather on this day really was as glorious as it looks in the photo!
Then, slowed by traffic for the Royal Ascot (horse race; I had to inquire), on to the University of Reading. Located in the Thames Valley (Britain’s Silicon Valley), it’s about a 3o minute ride to Paddington Station. Ten departments are ranked in the top ten; major focal areas include climate change, food security, health, and sustainable environments. You can read more about the 2008 RAE evaluation here. Definitely some noteworthy departments, including philosophy and archeology.