Programs

Carolyn Sorkin serves as coordinator for the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Gates, Luce, Keasbey and St. Andrews Scholarships. These prestigious awards require nomination by Wesleyan, and the first step in the process is to find out more about them by visiting the relevant websites:

For the 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. Provide me a mailing address and I’ll forward you personal statements written by Wesleyan graduates who earned an interview or a scholarship, so you can have an idea of what’s successful.

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. Provide me a mailing address and I’ll forward you personal statements written by Wesleyan graduates who earned an interview or a scholarship, so you can have an idea of what’s successful.

For Mitchell, the application is online. The scholarship is similar to the Rhodes, but offers scholarships at several 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. Provide me a mailing address and I’ll forward you personal statements written by Wesleyan graduates who earned an interview or a scholarship, so you can have an idea of what’s successful.

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 the committee.

The Keasbey Foundation Scholarship funds two years of study at select British universities.  A small group of American universities is invited to nominate candidates on a rotating basis; in 2003-04, Wesleyan was one of the institutions included.

You might also be interested in the Fulbright Scholarship , which is coordinated at Wesleyan by Professor Krishna Winston (685-3378), or in the Watson (contact Dean Louise Brown)or the Truman (contact Vancenia Rutherford ). 

Mortimer Hays-Brandeis: traveling graduate fellowship.