To begin the application process
The first step is to let me know that you are interested,
and in which fellowship(s). You can do this by phone
(x2550), email (csorkin@wesleyan.edu),
or a visit to the OIS.
Once you have done this, you must submit the following
materials to me by the internal Wesleyan deadline listed
here:
Gates: No
internal Wesleyan deadline, Apply
to Cambridge directly
Luce:
1000-word personal statement and 1-page resume by
Friday, September 28, 2007
Marshall:
1000-word personal statement, 500-word research
proposal, and 1-page resume by
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Mitchell: 1000-word personal statement and
1-page resume by Wednesday, August
1, 2007
Rhodes:
1000-word personal statement and 1-page resume by
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
St. Andrews: 200-word statement on why you wish
you continue your education beyond college, 200-word
statement on why you wish to study in Scotland, and
1-page resume by Friday, September
28, 2007
This is not your
college-application personal statement; it is essentially a
research proposal, in which you should outline what you plan
to study, where you want this experience to take you, what
you have done that prepares you to make the most of the
opportunity, and why what you are proposing to do matters.
These awards tend to go to people who are pretty focused, so
construct for yourself a relevant plan for your future. You
may well not stick to it in the long run, but it’s important
for you to think about where you’d like to be professionally
in 5, 15, and 25 years. If you forward me your mailing
address, I will send you sample statements written by past
Wesleyan applicants who reached the interview stage or won a
scholarship, so you’ll have an idea of what’s successful.
Resume: This should be
a graphically clean, one-page document, highlighting
leadership, interesting extra-curricular activities, and
other notable achievements.
For
Gates,
you must be accepted to Cambridge in order to apply, so
visit the web site, see how the process works, and visit the
Cambridge site links to figure out what you’ll apply to do.
Cambridge applications are due in the fall. Be sure to let
me know you’re applying so we can work together on your
statement, even though you won’t go through a selection
committee on campus.
The
Luce is
for students with no background in Asia to spend a year of
internship and language study in Asia. You need an academic
project, and the usual combination of academic achievement
and personal breadth (and charm), for Luce. We can only
nominate two people this year. Visit the site and do some
homework on what you think you'd want to do, and be sure to
get yourself on my list of Lucies by getting a resume to me
in September with some indication of what you're planning.
You must be nominated by the Wesleyan International
Scholarships Committee in order to apply; nomination follows
an interview by the committee.
For
Marshall,
the application is online, and the scholarship is for two
years of study anywhere in the UK (you may split the time
into two one-year stints at two different institutions, and
there is an opportunity for Marshall Scholars to extend the
scholarship for a third year, although this is not
guaranteed). You will have to write both a personal
statement and a research proposal. Preference goes to people
who don't want to study in Oxford, Cambridge, or London, so
focus in the personal statement on the broader question of
your field of study and scholarly goals, and on the
relevance of the particular institutions you choose. See
which institutions are strong in your field by visiting
http://www.hero.ac.uk/rae, which rates UK institutions by
discipline, and clicking on "the outcome." Then look at the
universities’ web pages individually, many of which are
linked to the OIS website on the list of approved Europe
programs under Great Britain). The Marshall committee is
interested primarily in You as Intellect, but also considers
public service, broadly defined, in its deliberations. You
must be nominated by the Wesleyan International Scholarships
Committee in order to apply; nomination follows an interview
by the committee.
For
Mitchell, the application is online. The scholarship
is similar to the Rhodes, but offers scholarships at Irish
universities, and aims to increase American awareness of
Ireland and vice-versa, along with its academic goals, so
your personal statement might reflect the relevance of
Ireland to your proposed field of study. You must be
nominated by the Wesleyan International Scholarships
Committee in order to apply; nomination follows an interview
by the committee.
For
Rhodes,
include a bit about what you want to do academically at
Oxford, which means investigating what fields and courses of
study Oxford offers, and who teaches there. The Rhodes
Scholarship Committee will be interested in the Whole You,
so in addition to discussing academic goals and interests,
be sure to discuss other experiences and plans you have that
relate to your preparation and future. Rhodes places great
emphasis on public service, so consider the relevance of
both your academic and long-term professional goals in this
light. You must be nominated by the Wesleyan International
Scholarships Committee in order to apply; nomination follows
an interview by the committee.
The
St.
Andrews is for a year of study in Scotland.
Eligibility is determined not only by academic merit, but
also by heritage and geography: you must live or study
within 250 miles of New York (as a Wesleyan student, you
do), and you must be able to show some Scottish heritage.
This application is less onerous than the others. You must
be nominated by the Wesleyan International Scholarships
Committee in order to apply; nomination follows an interview
by Wesleyan’s International Scholarships Committee.
So, what should you be
doing the summer before you apply?
·
Figure out why you want this award: you need
to really want this and have a good academic reason
why. In other words, “I had a great time in country X when I
studied abroad and want to go back” isn’t convincing, but “I
want to spend the next Y time period studying/working on
project Z, which relates to my academic interests A and B,
and my professional goal C, and on which I have already done
the following research” is. Research options via Internet or
any other method that occurs to you.
·
Draft your statement (you need to be thinking
about how you want to present yourself after graduation
anyway, so consider this a Voyage of Personal Discovery).
·
Polish your resume
·
Become literate in contemporary life (see "Notes"
if you have them; if not, get me your mailing address and
I’ll send them to you). You should be able to talk sensibly
about US involvement in Iraq, Bush’s energy policy, David
Mamet's plays, the implications of cloning technology,
whether we should abandon the electoral college, and such --
obviously not everything, but the sorts of issues you find
in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal and on National
Public Radio and the BBC every day. Know what you like to
read and why; have (informed) opinions about global issues.
If all this is completely outside your interests, then this
is probably not the right set of awards for you - they
really do expect people to be very much engaged in the world
at large.
Some International Graduate Scholarships
Not Through OIS
