Gaither Junior Fellows Program

The application process is highly competitive. Approximately 5% of applicants are ultimately selected for positions. Applications are judged on the quality of the written essay, related academic study and/or work experience, grades, recommendations, and personal interviews.

• Applicants must be graduating seniors or students who have graduated during the last academic year. No one who has started graduate studies is eligible for consideration.
• Applicants need not be a U.S. citizen if they attended a university located in the United States. However, all applicants must be eligible to work in the United States for a full 12 months from August 1 through July 31 following graduation. Students on F-1 visas who are eligible to work in the U.S. for the full year (August 1 through July 31) may apply for the program.
• Applicants must have attended one of the approximately 400 participating schools. (Bowdoin is a participating school.)
• Applicant should have a strong academic record. (Although there is no official GPA requirement, Carnegie Junior Fellows typically have GPAs in the range of 3.7 and higher.)
• Applicants should be aware that the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs is involved with the campus review process.  Students with serious social or academic violations, such as those that are included as part of their permanent record at Bowdoin, are advised to consult with the Director of Student Fellowships and Research early in the process. Students may also consult with their dean for guidance.

Below are the program areas:

• Democracy, Conflict, and Governance
• American Statecraft—Background in history, international relations theory, or international economics is essential, along with an interest in military issues and U.S. foreign policy process.
• Nuclear Policy
• Technology and International Affairs—Strong writing skills (ability to write well and assimilate feedback in a timely manner), diverse research skills (e.g., ability to find and distill content from scholarly and gray literature, ability to use Excel to organize and analyze information), attention to detail, and ability to communicate effectively with a diverse team are essential.
• Middle East—Strong reading fluency and the ability to perform academic as well as on-line research in Arabic essential. Strong background in Middle East politics and/or history is a huge plus.
• International Security and Political Economy (to work with the International Security and South Asia Program)—Quantitative data analysis and GIS skills are required. A strong mathematical background is a plus. Ideal candidates will have a strong academic background in international relations theory, political theory, or international political economy along with an interest in military issues.
• Asia Program—Mandarin Chinese language skills are essential. Proficiency in another Asian language is a plus.
• Russia and Eurasia—Excellent Russian reading skills required.
• Africa Program—The program examines the economic, social, political, and external factors shaping Africa today, with the aim of helping regional and international policy actors strengthen their contributions to a prosperous and stable African future.
• Global Order and Institutions
• Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics—Basic data skills (such as helping create graphs or tables forCarnegie publications) are a plus. Applicants should have completed coursework related to sustainabilityand climate issues.
• Europe—Fluency and the ability to perform research in a European language other than English are aplus. Background knowledge on European politics is essential.

Bowdoin's Internal Selection Process. Information regarding the application process and a link to the Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellows Program application can be found below.

• Application Procedure & Essay Questions
• Application Form
• List of Frequently Asked Questions
• Bulletin/Listing of Carnegie Endowment Programs (and required skills and background)

Bowdoin is allowed to nominate no more than two candidates (or three if at least one of those three applicants is from a historically underrepresented group). To be considered, applicants must submit the materials listed below to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research by the “Initial Bowdoin Deadline” (see above). Bowdoin’s Selection Committee will review these materials and those applicants determined to be most competitive will be contacted to schedule a campus interview. Based on these materials and the campus interview, the Committee will determine which students will receive Bowdoin’s nomination.

If you receive Bowdoin’s nomination, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your materials and to secure your letters of recommendation by the relevant deadline. By the “Final Bowdoin Deadline,” each Bowdoin nominee must submit the items listed below to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research, which will send all materials directly to the program for further consideration.

More about the Selection Process. The application process is highly competitive. Approximately 5% of the applicants are ultimately selected for positions. The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program Selection Committee chooses approximately 25 applicants for interview. Those not selected for interviews will be notified during the month of February. “Finalists” are interviewed in February or early March and will be notified of selection/non-selection no later than March 31. Applicants are judged on the quality of the written essay, related academic study and/or work experience, grades, recommendations, and personal interviews.

Will Ossoff '15

With the Carnegie Junior Fellowship, Will has the opportunity to support the research of leading nuclear policy experts at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. Will gained an interest in nuclear policy after his junior year, when he served as the security policy intern at Physicians for Social Responsibility in Washington. As a Government major at Bowdoin, Will completed an honors thesis that investigated the intersection between national security and human rights in US foreign policymaking. He plans to pursue a career in international affairs, with a focus on diplomacy and security.