Student Fellowships & Research

Description.
Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. Up to 40 Scholars are selected each year to study at graduate level at an UK institution in any field of study. As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars will strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent and wide-ranging, and their time as Scholars enhances their intellectual and personal growth. Their direct engagement with Britain through its best academic programs contributes to their ultimate personal success.  The objectives of the Marshall scholarships are:

• To enable intellectually distinguished young Americans, their country’s future leaders, to study in the UK.
• To help Scholars gain an understanding and appreciation of contemporary Britain.
• To contribute to the advancement of knowledge in science, technology, the humanities and social sciences and the creative arts at Britain’s centers of academic excellence.
• To motivate Scholars to act as ambassadors from the USA to the UK and vice versa throughout their lives thus strengthening British American understanding.
• To promote the personal and academic fulfillment of each Scholar.

Benefits.
The award covers university fees, cost of living expenses, annual book grant, thesis grant, research and daily travel grants, fares to and from the United States and, where applicable, a contribution towards the support of a dependent spouse.  Therefore, the total value of a Marshall Scholarship varies a little according to the circumstances of each Fellow (subject area, place of residence, marital status, etc.), but the figure tends to average to be about £23,000 a year. Please see the Web site for complete details.

Eligibility.

• Applicants must be citizens of the United States of America (at the time they apply for a scholarship).
• By the time they take up their scholarship (i.e. September after applying), applicants must hold their first undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year college or university in the United States.
• Applicants must have obtained a grade point average of not less than 3.7 (or A-) on their undergraduate degree. (Exceptions will be considered only on the specific recommendation of the sponsoring college.)
• Applicants (Bowdoin alums) must have graduated from their first undergraduate college or university after April two years prior to their application.
• Applicants must not have studied for, or hold a degree or degree-equivalent qualification from a British University

Applicants are urged to read carefully the Marshall Commission's "Candidate Evaluation Criteria".  In addition, students are encouraged to read Info for British Fellowships for tips on putting together a competitive application.

Bowdoin’s Internal Selection Process.  By the Initial Bowdoin Deadline, (see above), applicants must:

• Electronically submit the Marshall Scholarship online application. Please note that by “submitting” your application, you are releasing it to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research; you are not actually submitting it to Marshall at this time. The online application should include your four letters of recommendation (two of which must be academic). The people that are named as Recommenders are contacted by the online system via email with a login which allows them to enter their letter into the system. The form for these letters is word limited to 1000 words (approximately two pages). Anything over this will not be accepted. The form provided will allow recommenders to type directly into the form or copy and paste a Word document. They will also be able to edit and save their letters as often as they wish until they submit it.
• Unofficial transcript (printed off of Bearings).  This document can either be hand-delivered to Emily Briley in 113 Kanbar Hall or electronically submitted to ebriley@bowdoin.edu.
• Signed and witnessed "Permission Form and Waiver" to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research.  This document can either be hand-delivered to Emily Briley in 113 Kanbar Hall or electronically submitted to ebriley@bowdoin.edu.

The Committee will review these materials and interview all applicants deemed competitive. Based on the submitted materials and interview, the Committee will decide which applicants will receive Bowdoin’s endorsement.

Materials for the Final Application. If you receive Bowdoin’s nomination, your electronic application will be released back to you so that you may continue revising it. It is your responsibility to continue to collect your materials and to remind people writing your recommendations of all relevant deadlines. By the “Final Bowdoin Deadline,” nominees must:

• Electronically submit a completed, online Marshall Scholarships application form, including four letters of recommendation.
• Provide an original of all official transcripts to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research, which will submit these documents on the applicant’s behalf.

The Office of Student Fellowships and Research will be responsible for securing a letter of institutional endorsement (1000 word limit) and upoloading it to the nominee's online application. As with the letters of recommendation, an applicant will be able to see when his/her letter of endorsement has been uploaded, but the contents will not be accessible to the applicant. Once complete, the Office of Student Fellowships and Research will submit the application through the system to the appropriate regional committee.

It has been several years since a Bowdoin student has been awarded a Marshall scholarship; however, you can learn more about a Marshall Scholar's experiences in the UK by visiting Rebecca Farnum's blog. Rebecca is a recent graduate of Michigan State University and was a named a 2012-13 Marshall Scholar.