Middlebury Fellowships and Undergraduate Research
A font of information about undergraduate research, competitive fellowships, application processes and upcoming events and deadlines!
//For those thinking about the Rhodes in particular, Frank Bruni’s recent column about second-term mayor Pete Buttigieg is an interesting read:
The First Gay President? (June 11, 2016)
//For those applying for a British Scholarship (Churchill, Gates-Cambridge, Marshall, Mitchell, Rhodes) in the fall, read on for notes to help you structure your work on applications.
I am here during summer, but will be traveling too—so my ability to respond to you may be faster or slower depending on when you contact me. Available appointment hours are online at go/fellowships. Contact me at fellowships@middlebury.edu or x3183 with questions.
Please note: The schedule below is organized around the competitions requiring nomination by Middlebury. Nomination interviews took place in late spring for the Fall 2016 application cycle. Instructions are the same for those are being nominated and for those whose materials require a review before a decision about nomination is reached. For all candidates, you nomination is dependent on your continued work on these applications and your responsiveness to deadlines and requests from the fellowships office.
For direct apply fellowships–the Gates Cambridge and others–you do not need to be nominated to apply, but I am glad to talk with you about the process and discuss essays with you. See list of other UK ideas here. [add link]
Application Process and Recommended Timetable (note the deadlines!):
Spring/summer: 1. Identify your potential recommenders for the various competitions and discuss your interest and proposed plans with them. Recommenders will need to submit letters (if you are nominated!) in the online application system by Friday, Sept. 23. Make sure they are aware of this deadline. For those who are awaiting decisions about nomination, we will endeavor to have final decisions to you prior to Labor Day (Sept. 5) so that you can notify your recommenders. I recommend that you share with them a copy of your application, your resume and transcript, the selection criteria for the scholarships you are applying for. Please also talk with them about you would like them to focus on. You should also confirm with me who you will be asking for letters of recommendation for each application.
By July 1: Confirm the program(s)/universities you propose to apply to and which faculty or program contacts are important for you to connect with. You will want to have conversations (typically done through email, sometimes phone) to discuss your research interests, how they align with faculty in the program, and be certain this is a program that will help you reach your educational objectives (and that you’re a good candidate for it). If you’re planning on pursuing research with a faculty member, you will need to talk with them about your interest and affirm their interest in having you join their lab/project. You will need to note this in your essays.
By July 15: Complete a functional draft research proposal and/or application essays. Share with me and relevant faculty/advisors for feedback. Don’t underestimate how much writing/revision is needed for these. They are short, but challenging. Note the Rhodes and Mitchell policy about feedback on the essay; you cannot solicit feedback on your drafts. I am happy to advise you about the policy.
August 15 deadline: Turn in a solid, working application draft in PDF form for the fellowships you are seeking nomination for, as outlined in emails I sent to you following the nomination interview. Committee members will review this draft, provide feedback and make final determinations about nomination status where that is still needed.
Early September: You will be notified of final nomination decisions. Let your recommenders know and remind them that we need letters submitted by Friday, September 23.
September: Work on revising and polishing application and essays. For Marshall, I would like your work on applications fully completed by September 28. For Mitchell and Rhodes, you will manage the application process yourself. You will need to make sure everything is in and finished in advance of the deadline so that you can submit. I do not manage this for Rhodes or Mitchell. Please note that there is heavy submission volume close to the deadline, so I strongly recommend submitting your applicaiton a day in advance of the deadline.
The schedule above is intended to help you organize the different parts of the application. If you are confused about any details, please ask!
//April 15 is an important deadline for the following:
For these internal fellowship applications, you do not have to have everything thought out; you may not have entirely settled on a particular topic or country. That is fine–the preliminary application just forces you to get started. It is helpful if you’re applying for nomination for a British or Irish scholarship to be as precise as you can regarding your choice of programs and why this program makes sense for your trajectory.
Questions? Contact us! fellowships@middlebury.edu or uro@middlebury.edu .
//Join Fellowships Dean Lisa Gates for a conversation with Ed Johnson, a Middlebury parent, scientist and Rhodes scholar on Thursday, March 3 at 7pm in MBH 104.
This may be especially relevant for science students, but all interested in graduate study in the UK or British scholarships (Rhodes, Marshall, Gates-Cambridge etc. which generally need a GPA of 3.7 and up) are welcome!
A Scientist Looks at the Big Name Fellowships and Graduate Study in the UK
Dr. Ed Johnson, a scientist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist based in Boston will talk about science careers, big name fellowships, and how it works to go abroad for a few years after college. Many of the post-graduate fellowships, especially the famous ones, seem to be aimed at students in the humanities and social sciences. Can a natural science student win one of these? If they do, how will it impact their research career?
More about Dr. Johnson: A physicist by training, Dr. Johnson is a Rhodes Scholar, who earned his doctorate at Oxford and went on to success in government, corporate, and academic settings. Dr. Johnson started a technology company and led it through an initial public offering. He now consults with university-based groups and start-up companies on strategies for product development and company spin-out. His main current project is at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, helping to imagine the physics, engineering, and economic challenges of a fusion energy future.
With roughly two hundred published papers and eighteen US patents, Dr. Johnson has served on a number of state and national boards, including the Massachusetts business development council, the US Department of Energy council on sensors for next generation vehicles, and the Washington and Lee University science board. He remains active in the Rhodes Scholar alumni organization and every year, he coaches applicants for Rhodes, Marshall, and Fulbright fellowships.
see go/british for more information about British Scholarships
//Overview of British/UK and Mitchell Scholarships
Tuesday, March 1, 7 pm in Library 201
Lunch with Prof. Ellie Gebarowski-Shafer Discussing Graduate Study at Oxford
Tuesday, March 8, 12:30 pm in Library 145
sign up now at go/appt
Lunch with Mitchell Scholarship Director Serena Wilson
Monday, March 14, 12:15pm in the CTLR
sign up now at go/appt
These scholarships vary in terms of eligibility, but they all seek intellectually accomplished students with a clear vision of what they want to achieve (minimum GPA of 3.7). Significant leadership, research, and/or accomplishment in the areas you engage in are also vital. All scholarships support 1-2 years of graduate study at various universities in the UK and Ireland in various disciplines. Some of these are also open to young alumni.
You must apply for nomination for the Churchill, Marshall, Mitchell and Rhodes by April 15 to be considered for nomination. (If you’re abroad, we will use Skype.) You do not need nomination to apply to the Gates-Cambridge. The St. Andrews nomination deadline will be in the fall. Note: Gates-Cambridge and Rhodes are open to multiple citizenship types; the others are restricted to US citizens.
More information and nomination applications are online at go/british. Questions? Contact Dean Lisa Gates at fellowships@middlebury.edu.