Tag: fellowships

Fulbright Webinars for Applicants

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Study Abroad, Teaching English Abroad

Upcoming Fulbright Webinars
*Newly added*

For a full list of upcoming webinars, please visit the Information Sessions section on the Fulbright website.

Past webinars are uploaded to the U.S. Student Program website.

Dean Lisa Gates will also be offering an online/in-person info session for the Fulbright and Watson on Tuesday, August 4 at 4pm in Library 105B. Login instructions from off-site will be posted here and at go/fellowships shortly!

 

Rhodes Foundation Encourages 2nd BA as Option

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships

For students thinking about degree options through a Rhodes scholarship, the foundation continues to support second BA programs. This used to be a more common degree choice, and the foundation still feels it is an excellent choice, worthy of consideration. In choosing the second BA, students experience Oxford’s tutorial system–one of the institutions great strengths. The Oxford “MA” (Master of Arts) degree is awarded to anyone with an Oxford BA seven years after matriculation, i. e., five years after someone completes a two year BA with Senior Status, or four years after one completes a three year BA with Senior Status. All separately examined Oxford masters’ degrees are described as MSc, MStud, MPhil, Mlitt, MBA, MPP. Applicants thinking about a second BA should also have a potential graduate program in mind too, given the competitiveness in BA admissions. As always, degree choices are not a factor in selection as a Rhodes scholar.

RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS NOW OPEN TO INDIAN AND CHINESE STUDENTS STUDYING IN THE US

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships

New changes for Indian and Chinese citizens studying in the US from the Rhodes foundation:

From this application cycle, Indian and Chinese citizens studying in the US may apply for the Indian and Chinese Rhodes Scholarships, respectively.

Rhodes Scholarship for India

Citizens of India, who hold an Indian passport, or equivalent proof of citizenship, who are studying for their undergraduate degree at a US university may apply for one of the Rhodes Scholarships for India. Candidates must have completed, or be due to complete by 1 October 2016, their undergraduate degree (to a standard equivalent to a First class degree in India, ie GPA c3.75 or above).

Candidates must have undertaken formal study at an educational institution in India for a minimum of 4 of the last 10 years, and have completed a school leaving exam (10th or 12th standard) at a school in India. Please note that only one of the five available Scholarships for India (and in exceptional cases, two) may be awarded to candidates who are pursuing, or have pursued, their undergraduate studies abroad.

Candidates must have reached their nineteenth birthday, and not have passed their 25th birthday at 1 October 2016, i.e. must have been born after 30 September 1991 and on or before 1 October 1997.

Applications open: 15 June 2015

Closing date: 31 July 2015

For further details, including full eligibility criteria and how to apply: http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/india

 

Rhodes Scholarship for China

Citizens of the People’s Republic of China who are studying for their undergraduate degree in a US university may apply for a Rhodes Scholarship for China.

Candidates must have completed (or be due to complete by August 2016) their undergraduate degree in China or overseas. If studying overseas, candidates must provide evidence that they have received at least five full years, out of the last 10 years, in full-time education in China.

Candidates must have reached their 19th and not have passed their 25th birthday on 1 October 2016.   This means applicants must have been born after 30 September 1991 and on or before 1 October 1997.

Candidates must have a GPA in the top 5% of his/her class.

In addition, candidates for the China Rhodes Scholarship must provide

  1. TOEFL or IELTS certificate to the standard described on the Oxford website: http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/applying-to-oxford/application-guide
  2. A GRE or GMAT certificate.

Applications open: 1 July 2015

Closing date: 25 September 2015

For further details, including full eligibility criteria and how to apply: http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/china

Summer 2015 Watson Notes

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships

If you’re interested in applying for Watson Fellowship nomination in the fall and we haven’t yet talked, now is a great time to connect!  I am around for much of the summer, but will be traveling too—so my ability to respond to you may be faster or slower depending on when you contact me. You can reach me at fellowships@middlebury.edu and/or 802-443-3183.

For the fall deadlines, I may need to adjust slightly—will have everything set in August, but it won’t vary greatly from what I’ve outlined below. If you haven’t sent me a preliminary Watson application or spoken with me yet about your interest, summer is a great time to do so!

For the nomination process in September, you will need to submit the following:

  • Watson Application Cover Sheet (available by through go/fellowships)
  • A proposal explaining what you want to do, your background/experience, and the source of your interest in the topic. Please consult the Watson Foundation Web site; this statement should be a blend of the Personal Statement and the Project Proposal. Draft proposals must be no more than 5 pages long, double-spaced, double-sided, in 12-point font. (Yes, if nominated, you’ll be reworking this into two separate essays.)
  • Résumé
  • Academic transcript, printed from Banner Web (provide the chronological format, NOT the degree audit format. We do not need an official transcript for this.)

I will hold an info session again in the summer (date TBA) and am looking at a September 17 campus deadline for nomination applications. We will invite a group of applicants to interview with Watson campus committee members; that group will select up to four nominees and one alternate.

Application Process and Timetable:
By June 30: Have read through carefully information on the Watson fellowship site—both at go/fellowships (click on Watson in list) and at http://watson.foundation/fellowships/tj .
By July 20: Draft of cover sheet and combined proposal/ personal essay for nomination application (see materials above) to me for feedback. Do also share with other relevant people for feedback.

Early August: Look for online info session–date TBA.
Early September: Talk with those you would want to write letters of recommendation for you, just giving them a heads up. Note: letters are only needed IF you are nominated! But you do want to start the conversation with those you would ask.
By September 15: Have some local contacts in countries in place.
September 17: Submit your application for Watson nomination. And yes, this is right after the start of classes.
Late September/early October: We will hold Watson interviews for a subset of applicants. Dates/times TBD.
Early November: Watson foundation application deadline
For the most part, deadlines above are not absolute, but guidelines intended to help you organize the different parts of the application and get everything done so that you are ready to go by the September deadline. Note: the campus submission and foundation deadlines really are hard deadlines.

A few important notes about the Watson:

  • Really read through (and think through) the Watson website, especially the eligibility section.  There are lots of good questions for you to ask yourself and your project idea to see if this is a good fit.
  • Your application should really reflect YOU. This is not an academic fellowship. It’s about a deep, abiding personal interest you have and it’s also about you as a deeply curious, independent, courageous person. The Watson foundation is looking for fellows who are independent, imaginative, resourceful, responsible, bold, and self-motivated. Your project is just that—your project and should embody, reflect a passion you have. It does not have to be unique to you but definitely can be. It should grow organically from your life—things that you’ve done, explored, studied, wondered about, are inspired by—and should be personally significant to you. Watson priorities are person first, project second.
  • Selecting countries for visiting: you should be choosing places that are new to you (the stretch factor). You may have been inspired by a period of study abroad or travel in a certain place, but depending on the amount of time you spent there (more than 4-6 weeks typically), you should not include that country/area on your project list. (And often there are ways to adapt a particular interest to a different set of countries/areas). Also, some countries are of such a broad and diverse scale, you may be able to justify a visit to a different part of that country. China or Russia might fall into the latter category. The Netherlands would not.  For some of you, this is an area we may need to discuss further and think about how you might adapt your proposal. And any country on the US state department warning list (NOT travel advisory),  you may not include that country on your list. And as you develop your proposed  travel itinerary, keep in mind, this may be ideal and you should have back up plans. Sometimes things won’t work out, or the money won’t stretch that far—all possible. I don’t expect you have figured out everything with respect to the feasibility of all components for the nomination process, but I do expect you’ve given serious consideration to different ideas and are prepared for some shifts in your plan. The list of countries ultimately may change between application for nomination, application for Watson, Watson interview  and departure, and actual fellowship year. Any country on the US state dept warning list may be listed provisionally in case it changes (and of course, countries may also shift in the other direction too).
  • Contacts abroad may take some time to identify and connect with, so definitely allow for that. What you want from them may differ according to your project, but they should provide a resource and a kind of grounding for you in the community/country/project focus. You may also be contributing to them as well—but make sure that your mission, your project is still your own.
  • When thinking about recommendations—if you are nominated, you will need 2-3. If two, both can be from Middlebury or one from Middlebury and one external. If three, one must be from Middlebury, one external. If you are nominated, I will talk with you further about what is most helpful in these letters for the Watson selection committee.
  • Language ability: you will definitely propose going places where you do not speak the language—and you should. But do think about how you will conduct the work of the project in these spaces. Guides/interpreters may be essential in some cases.
  • In thinking about your blended personal/project statement for the nomination application, you want to describe the following: Your plan for the 12-month fellowship year, including a description of your project and details about how you intend to carry it out. (In addition to focusing on a topic you are passionate about, the project should be personally challenging (yet feasible), independent, and sustainable over 12 months.) Discuss why you chose your topic, how it developed out of previous interests or experiences, and how it represents a new challenge. You may also want to describe your background, your college years, your professional goals and aspirations, and your reasons for seeking a Watson Fellowship.