Student Fellowships & Research

Description.
The mission of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program is to offer college graduates of unusual promise a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel outside of the United States in order to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community.

The program provides Fellows an opportunity for a focused and disciplined year of their own devising – a period in which they can have some surcease from the lockstep of prescribed educational and career patterns in order to explore with thoroughness a particular interest. During their year abroad, Fellows have an unusual, sustained, and demanding opportunity to take stock of themselves, to test their aspirations and abilities, to view their lives and American society in greater perspective, and, concomitantly, to develop a more informed sense of international concern.

The Watson Fellowship program is most concerned with holistically identifying individuals who demonstrate leadership, resourcefulness, imagination or vision, independence, integrity, responsibility and emotional maturity, and courage. A candidate's academic record, while not of primary importance, is also considered, together with those extracurricular activities that reflect both initiative and dedication.

Benefits.
The stipend for the fellowship year is $25,000 ($35,000 for fellows accompanied by a spouse or dependent child). Each year, the Foundation interviews approximately 195 finalists and awards up to 50 fellowships.

Eligibility.

• Candidates must be a currently enrolled graduating senior and be scheduled to receive a degree in the winter or spring of this academic year.
• The proposed project should reflect a candidate’s genuine interest in, and long-standing commitment to, a specific concern, whether or not this interest is evident in a formal course of study.
• The project must be one that can be pursued with great independence and adaptability, and it cannot involve formal study at a foreign institution.
• The project must involve travel to areas where the student has not previously lived or studied for a significant length of time.
• The project should be personally significant, imaginative, and feasible.
• Fellows are not allowed to return home at any time during their Fellowship year.
• A candidate's academic record, while not of primary importance, is also considered, together with those extracurricular activities that reflect both initiative and dedication.
• Fellows may not plan travel to countries assigned “travel warnings” by the U.S. State Department, or which are under embargo. (See www.travel.state.gov to view list.)

Bowdoin’s Internal Selection Process. The College is allowed to nominate four Bowdoin students annually for the Watson. The Selection Committee will review the materials listed below, and those applicants deemed most competitive will be contacted to schedule a campus interview. To be considered applicants must submit five collated packets of the materials listed below to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research by the “Initial Bowdoin Deadline” (see above). Based on these materials and the campus interview, the Committee will determine which student will receive Bowdoin’s nomination.

If you receive Bowdoin’s nomination, the Office of Student Fellowships and Research will create an account for you within the Watson Foundation’s online submission system. This will trigger the system to send you an email with complete instructions on completing the online application.

Materials for Final Consideration. If you receive Bowdoin’s nomination, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your materials.

By the “Final Bowdoin Deadline,” Bowdoin’s nominees must electronically submit:

In addition, the Office of Student Fellowships and Research will be responsible for drafting and submitting Bowdoin College’s letter of nomination.

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