Tag: UK

Additional Notes for UK Scholarship Nominations

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, UK

A few miscellaneous notes:

1. selecting a region for the Marshall/Rhodes–you should not need to determine that at the nomination stage. If you are nominated, we can discuss. You must choose a region before submitting–but you will be able to save or print to a pdf without that. I trust it is similar with the Rhodes application–but harder for me to see the online environment. The  issue is, if invited for an interview, you will need to travel to the district you select (based on where you reside or where you study–and these may be different). Happy to discuss the choice with you after nomination.

2. where are the applications accessed? on the specific foundation’s website! see go/fellowships for links if you need them.

Well, can’t recall the third, so am stopping here!

Applying for Nomination for British Scholarships?

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, UK

Here are your instructions:

Submit the following as a SINGLE pdf to fellowships@middlebury.edu:

  • A good working draft of the relevant application (Churchill, Marshall, Mitchell, Rhodes)–you can save or print to pdf. Note: NO LETTERS OF REFERENCE AT THIS POINT. However, we do need to know who you intend to ask for letters. If entering that data automatically triggers an email request to the recommender, you can simply add a page listing the names of people you intend to ask to write on your behalf.
  • A degree progress report. You do not need to submit an official transcript at this stage.
  • A current resume

Your materials are due by 5pm on Monday, September 2. Once I know who is applying, I will send you information about signing up for an interview with the British Scholarship Committee, to take place the week of September 8th (but not on the first day of classes–I assure you!).

Any questions or difficulties or if I’ve overlooked anything, let us know at fellowships@middlebury.edu or by phone 802-443-3026. Please note: Colleen and I will both be out of the office from August 20-26.

If you are applying for the Gates-Cambridge, you do not need to apply for nomination. I am happy to talk with you about your application, provide feedback on essays etc, but you apply directly to that scholarship–see instructions on the Gates-Cambridge website.

Cardiff, Wales

Lisa Gates / / Education, Fellowships, UK

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.

University of Bristol

Lisa Gates / / Education, Fellowships, UK

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.

Ah, Oxford

Lisa Gates / / Education, Fellowships, UK

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).