Student Fellowships & Research

Description.
The Mitchell Scholars Program is a national competitive fellowship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. The Mitchell Scholars Program, named to honor former U.S. Senator George Mitchell'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. Up to 12 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, accommodations, a living expenses stipend, and an international travel stipend.

Eligibility.

• Applicants must be citizens of the United States of America (permanent residents and U.S. Nationals are not eligible).
• Applicants must be 18 years of age, but not yet 30 years by 30 September (those whose 30th birthday is on 1 October may apply).
• Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (not necessarily in the U.S.) before beginning study as a Mitchell Scholar.

Bowdoin’s Internal Selection Process. The Mitchell Scholars Program requires that Bowdoin students secure a formal institutional endorsement from the College. In order for the Committee to consider endorsing you, you must submit 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 applicant(s) will receive Bowdoin’s endorsement.

• Personal statement (some details provided under the "Final Application" tab; complete details can be found on the Mitchell Scholars Program website)
• Unofficial transcript (printed off of Bearings)
• Current resume
• A listing of at least three specific proposed graduate programs at three different universities in Ireland and/or Northern Ireland
• Signed and witnessed "Permission Form and Waiver"

(The five above items can either either be hand-delivered to Emily Briley in 113 Kanbar Hall or electronically submitted as PDFs to ebriley@bowdoin.edu.)

• Four letters of recommendation.  A recommender may either electronically submit his/her letter to Emily Briley (ebriley@bowdoin.edu) or give it to the student in a sealed envelope, in which case the student is responsible for delivering the letter to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research by the "Initial Bowdoin Deadline".

Materials for the Final Application. 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 elctronically submit a complete, online Mitchell Scholarship Application, which includes:

• Personal Information
• Education/Employment Section
• Four Letters of Recommendation and an Institutional Endorsement. All applicants are required to provide four letters of reference using  the online reference system contained within the online application. Candidates register those who are providing references online and must furnish and email address for each person. Once registered, each recommender will receive an email with a login user name and password in order to submit the recommendation online.
  
  Letters of recommendation should comment on the candidate's general fitness for the proposed course of study. Confidential observations, negative as well as positive, on the candidate's character, integrity, generosity of spirit, intellectual distinction, leadership and commitment to service will be of great value to the selection committee in deciding which candidates should be Mitchell Scholars.

• Awards and Activities Information
• Personal Statement. Selection committee members will place special emphasis on the personal statement. The essay should not exceed 1000 words and should be written clearly and thoughtfully. Applicants can enter a statement directly into the application form or upload it from his or her computer. Although the online application system will accept documents in many formats, it is recommended that the applicant use Word to format the essay. The applicant must certify on the online application that the essay is his or her own work.
• Supporting documents. The following supporting documents must be uploaded as part of the online application before the national deadline. Finalists will be required to provide these documents in hard copy in advance of finalist weekend.
  
  • ONE electronic image file of passport-sized photo, unmounted head and shoulders, of the applicant must be uploaded. Finalists must provide ten hard-copies of this image with signatures on the back of the photos in advance of finalist weekend.
  • ONE electronic image file of the applicant's signature must be uploaded. Finalists will be required to sign the back of their photos submitted in hard-copy in advance of finalist weekend.
  • ONE electronic file containing unofficial copies of [all] a candidate's college [and graduate, when applicable] transcript[s] must be uploaded in pdf format. Finalists will be required to submit ONE official hard copy of all transcripts (upon request in advance of finalist weekend). ORIGINAL offiicial transcript[s] must be certified by the Registrar or other responsible university official.
  • The following document is NOT uploaded at the time of inititial application:
    • ONE electronic image (ONE pdf file) of the applicant's birth certificate, passport, or documented evidence of U.S. citizenship (a driver's license is NOT a citizenship document) must be available so that the candidate can provide it upon request (before the semi-final interview).  Finalist may be asked to furnish hard-copy of this document (upon request in advance of finalist weekend).

More about the Selection Process. Initially, a team of Readers evaluates the applications, based on the material available to them, including the application, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and academic transcript[s]. Following evaluation by the Readers, roughly thirty semi-finalists are selected and may be invited for semi-final interviews held via skype. Semi-finalists will be invited via email and assigned a fixed date and time for the interview. Approximately twenty finalists are then invited to Washington, DC, for interviews with the Selection Committee. Final interviews will be held Friday and Saturday, 16 and 17 November 2012. All applicants who wish to become Mitchell Scholars must be present on both days. Travel and accommodations arrangements are made by the Mitchell Scholars program at no cost to the finalist.

Please note that applicants are responsible for all photocopying needed for the internal selection process and as required by the foundation.