George J. Mitchell Scholarships*
| Initial Bowdoin Deadline: | September 8, 2009 (noon) |
| Campus Interview: | September 11, 2009 |
| Bowdoin Final Deadline: | October 1, 2009 (noon) |
| Web site: | www.us-irelandalliance.org |
| Campus Contact: | Cindy Stocks, Director of Student Fellowships and Research |
Description.
The George J. Mitchell Scholarship is a national competitive fellowship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. The Mitchell Scholarship, named to honor the former U.S. Senator’s pivotal contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, is designed to introduce and connect generations of future American leaders to the island of Ireland, while recognizing and fostering intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to public service and community. Twelve Mitchell Scholars between the ages of 18 and 30 are chosen annually for one year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Applicants are judged on three criteria: academic excellence, leadership, and a sustained commitment to service and community.
Benefits.
Mitchell Scholarships support one year of graduate study in any discipline offered by an institution of higher learning in Ireland or Northern Ireland. The Mitchell Scholarship provides tuition, housing, a living expenses stipend, and an international travel stipend.
Eligibility.
- Applicants must be citizens of the United States of America.
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or older but NOT yet 30 by October 1 in the year they are applying.
- Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university before beginning study under the Mitchell Scholarship.
Bowdoin’s Internal Selection Process. The Mitchell Scholarship requires that Bowdoin students secure a formal institutional endorsement from the College. In order for the Committee to consider endorsing you, you must submit five collated packets of the materials listed below to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research by the “Initial Bowdoin Deadline.” The Committee will review these materials, and those students who are deemed competitive will be contacted to schedule an interview date and time. Based on the submitted materials and the interview, the Committee will decide which application(s) will receive Bowdoin’s endorsement.
- Personal statement (see details provided below in “Materials for Final Consideration”)
- Unofficial transcript (print off of Bearings)
- Current resume
- Three letters of recommendation. (Please note that if you receive Bowdoin’s endorsement you will need to submit five letters of recommendation.)
Materials for Final Consideration. If you receive Bowdoin’s endorsement, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your materials. Endorsed candidates are strongly encouraged to use the online application system to register Cindy Stocks, Director of Student Fellowships and Research, as their fellowship advisor. This will allow her to view, but not edit, your application before it is submitted to the Mitchell Scholarship office. By the “Final Bowdoin Deadline” endorsed applicants must:
- Electronically submit a complete, online Mitchell Scholarship Application, which includes:
- Personal Information
- Education and Employment Information
- Five Letters of Recommendation. If the applicant is a full time student, at least three letters must be from persons with whom the applicant has done academic work at a college or university. Applicants who have not been full-time students in the current or past academic year are required to provide only two letters of recommendation from an academic with whom they have studied. Applicants must register recommenders online and provide the email address of the recommender. Once registered, each recommender will receive an email with a login user name and password in order to submit the recommendation online. Applicants are encouraged to follow up with the recommenders to make sure the email instructions have been received.
- Awards and Activities Information
- Personal Statement. This statement should not exceed 1,000 words and should describe the applicant’s field of interest and the justification for the applicant’s proposed study in Ireland or Northern Ireland. The personal statement should include a list of at least three and up to five specific proposed graduate programs at universities in Ireland and/or Northern Ireland. It is essential that applicants list at least three different Irish/Northern Ireland university choices. Listing only one or two university choices will significantly weaken an applicant’s candidacy. This is because university placement is a factor in the selection process. Selection committee members will place special emphasis on the personal statement.
- Institutional Endorsement, which will be coordinated by the Office of Student Fellowships and Research. The applicant must register an Institutional Endorsement contact using the online recommendation system contained within the online application. It is preferred that applicants in their first year of graduate school should request an endorsement from their undergraduate institution. The Mitchell Scholarship program will accept Institutional Endorsements from the university president, dean or other administrative official responsible for graduate fellowships. The letter of endorsement should describe the on-campus university selection or review process of prospective candidates, if applicable. If applicants are not full-time students at the time of application, no institutional endorsement is required.
- Provide hard copies of the following supporting documents to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research, which will forward these documents to the Foundation on the applicant’s behalf. (They must be received by the Mitchell Scholarship Office no later than Monday, October 6, 2008.)
- Two photocopies of the applicant’s birth certificate, passport, or documented evidence of U.S. citizenship (a driver’s license is NOT a citizenship document). (The Office of Student Fellowship and Research will retain one copy for their files.)
- Six passport-sized photos of unmounted head and shoulders photograph of the applicant with the applicant’s signature on the back of each photo. (The Office of Student Fellowship and Research will retain one copy for their files.)
- Eleven copies of the applicant’s official college transcript. (The Office of Student Fellowship and Research will make these copies.) The original must be certified by the Registrar or other responsible university official. The remaining ten copies may be photocopies. If an applicant has attended more than one university, all transcripts must be submitted.
More about the Selection Process. On the basis of the application submissions, approximately twenty finalists will be invited for interviews by the Selection Committee, which will be held this year on Friday, November 20th and Saturday, November 21st, 2009. A number of semi-finalist interviews may be conducted before determining the finalists.
Please note that applicants are responsible for all photocopying needed for the internal selection process and as required by the foundation.
*Information derived from www.us-irelandalliance.org