Tag: fellowships

Interested in Foreign Service? Seniors and alumni–check these out!

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding

There are some great programs that provide undergraduate and graduate funding for students interested in the foreign service. Check out the fellowships below. These programs are especially interested in supporting groups historically underrepresented in the foreign service and economic need. All have a service requirement, minimum GPA and require US citizenship. You apply directly for these, but we’re happy to talk with you about your interest and application–just let us know!

Pickering Graduate Fellowship: Provides up to $75,000 for two-year graduate program in area relevant to foreign service.  Deadline: January 16, 2015. http://woodrow.org/fellowships/pickering/

Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship : Provides up to $90,000 for two-year graduate program in relevant area and summer internships.  Deadline: January 20, 2015. www.paynefellows.org

Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program: Provides up to $70,000 for two-year graduate program in relevant areas, domestic and overseas internships, and mentoring. Deadline: January 14, 2015.  http://www.rangelprogram.org/

 

Last CLS Webinar is today, Friday, Oct 17!

Lisa Gates / / Education, Fellowships, Study Abroad
This is a reminder that CLS Program’s third and final webinar will be held TODAY – Friday, October 17th at 3pm EST.  This webinar will provide information about the CLS Program, offer tips for a successful application and give ample time for Q&A. This webinar will focus heavily on application tips and will go into this topic in depth. Students applying to CLS should attend–No RSVP needed.
 
 
 
If you missed our last two webinars and would like to view them, please find the links the recorded webinars below:
 
 
 
Also, the CLS application deadline is now LESS than 1 month away!!!! (November 12th at 8pm EST).

Nat Geo Fulbright Applicants

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Study Abroad

The first group of grant recipients were recently announced: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/07/09/first-5-fulbright-national-geographic-digital-storytelling-fellows-named/ . For those of you thinking about the Nat Geo Fulbright, in addition to the very helpful info and instructions on the Fulbright website, make sure you address the following in your project proposal:

  • Feasibility of your project in each country proposed.  How will this work in each country? Why is each country setting an important part of your proposal?
  • Who stands to benefit from your project and how? Think about the communities you’d be living/working with as well as US audiences
  • What is your language proficiency? How does lack of proficiency impact your project? How would you address that?

Reviewers will be looking for the demonstrated feasibility of your project in each setting, your demonstrated skills in digital storytelling, your connection to the topic and your genuine interest in exploring a topic (rather than approaching with a particular agenda or view).  The application tips are enormously helpful–read carefully!

Also, like any multi-country proposals, your proposal must be approved by each country you propose to visit. If you select three countries and one does not approve the project, your application will not be successful. So message is to choose what makes most sense for your project!

UK Graduate Programs: What to Look For

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, UK

Back from a quick visit to the UK. I visited multiple schools (9?) in one week and will profiles those I saw in additional posts. The most important take-away for those considering graduate study in the UK is to do your research about the university and the program. There are many excellent opportunities available for students at UK universities, and some are considerably less expensive than their US analogs. There are scholarship opportunities through Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill, Gates Cambridge and Fulbright for those who qualify. But there are also scholarships at the institution too–and I encourage interested students to research those as well. On the plane ride home, for example, I sat next to an American grad student who had just completed the first year of a DPhil (that’s PhD in the US system) in anthropology at LSE and received a full-tuition grant from LSE to support her program. Given the expense of graduate education these days, it’s worth exploring all the funding options open to you. A good place to start is looking carefully at the Russell Group of UK universities–this is an excellent collection of top research universities throughout the UK. See http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk . You want to research the program and faculty to determine whether this is a good fit for you. In addition to reading the websites, that will likely mean communicating with faculty and program advisors (and for a research degree or a fellowship application–that is a must!). You want to know that this is an excellent program for you, but also that you are a competitive applicant for the program in terms of your academic record, course and/or research background.

Scholarships for Study in the UK

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding

For rising seniors and alumni interested in fellowships for graduate study in the UK, there are several programs worth exploring. These are all highly competitive and all require a strong academic record (and some specify minimum GPAs) among other criteria. But one of the most challenging issues for many students is citizenship. Not all programs are open to citizens from all countries. So below is a rough breakdown of the scholarships open to US citizens and to citizens of other countries.

For US citizens:

For citizens of countries other than US:

Also look at scholarships at specific universities. For example, Oxford lists several for different citizenship types and/or programs of study. If you’re interested in a particular program at a particular university, it is worth looking around the website to see if there are scholarships you may be eligible for!