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.

Watch a video "slideshow" created with photographs from recent Watson fellows.

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 155 finalists and awards up to 40 fellowships.

Eligibility.

• Candidates must be a currently enrolled graduating senior at one of the Watson Foundation's participating institutions 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.   By the “Initial Bowdoin Deadline” (see above), applicants must email the materials listed below to Emily Briley in the Office of Student Fellowships and Research:

• Personal Statement (1500 words or less, approximately five pages double-spaced)
• Project Proposal (1500 words or less, approximately five pages double-spaced)
• Submit a brief video (Click here for instructions)
• Unofficial transcript (print off of Bearings)
• Current resume
• Names of the people who will be submitting letters of recommendation and their relationship to you if you are one of the four students nominated by the Campus Selection Committee to compete at the national level as a finalists
• 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.

Please note:  Applicants should make sure their name is included on each page of each component of the initial application.

Materials for the Final Application. If you receive Bowdoin’s nomination, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your materials.  By the “Final Bowdoin Deadline,” which is slightly earlier than the deadline posted on the Watson website, Bowdoin’s nominees must electronically submit a completed online application form, which includes:

• Personal information
• Biographical abstract
• A personal statement of 1500 words or less (pasted into a text box within the application)
• A project proposal of 1500 words or less (pasted into a text box within the application)
• A scanned version of your college transcript. Watson recommends scanning an unofficial version (from Bearings) to meet the size requirement of 600KB or smaller. A hard copy must be provided to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research one week in advance of the Final Bowdoin Deadline since the Office must certify that the uploaded version accurately reflects the hard copy.
• One passport-style, digital photograph uploaded to the on-line application (jpg file, cannot exceed 150KB)
• Letters of recommendation. Two letters are required, with at least one being from a faculty member; three letters are allowed, if one is from an off-campus source. Upon receiving Bowdoin’s nomination, nominees should list their recommenders in the online application system. This will trigger an email to recommenders with instructions on how to electronically submit their letter of recommendation. Recommenders should be in touch with Cindy Stocks prior to submitting their final letter of recommendation.
• Supplemental materials as applicable and allowed by the guidelines.  Finalists are encouraged to include a budget and list of contacts as part of their supplemental material.

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

Teona Williams '12
"A Search for Playtime: Understanding the Meaning of Nature Among Marginalized Groups"
India, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Dominican Republic 

Teona will spend her Watson year visiting developing countries with a mixture of social classes and "breathtaking landscapes". The nations she will visit have also all experienced colonialism, and so have been exposed to Western values, including, perhaps, the Western perception of nature. Williams hopes to collect oral histories of community members to explore their relationship with nature and supplement these narratives by visiting national parks to observe who has access to natural spaces. (Read more)

Joshua Magno '11
5, 6, 7, 8, Instep, Outreach: An Exploration of Dance as Community Service
India, Uganda, Egypt, France, the United Kingdom, Argentina

Joshua will spend his Watson year exploring his passion for movement and non-profit volunteer work by participating in several dance communities that integrate performance and community service. He hopes to learn how performers in these studios address issues pertaining to sexuality, disabilities, disease, and the environment through performance. With this greater understanding, Joshua aims to understand how cultures sublimate their hardships through art. (Read more) 


For a comprehensive list of Bowdoin fellowship winners, click here.