Churchill Scholarship

At least fourteen Churchill Scholarships are offered annually.  The Scholarship is tenable for nine to twelve months, in accordance with the academic program.  The Churchill Scholarship covers all University and College tuition and fees, offers a living allowance, includes an allowance of up to $1,100 for travel to and from the United Kingdom, and reimburses Scholars for application fees for a UK visa.

In addition, the Foundation now offers a Travel Award of $500 to enable Churchill Scholars to take better advantage of opportunities to travel in the United Kingdom, on the Continent, and wherever else good airfares lead them. 

The Foundation also offers the possibility of a Special Research Grant of up to $2,000; this grant may cover travel for presentations at international conferences, short stays at another university or institute for special research, and other activities.

Married students should consult with the Foundation about the possibility of additional support in accordance with the guidelines of the University of Cambridge.

• You must apply to the University of Cambridge separately by mid-October. Look at the University’s website and Scholarship Application Instructions for details.
• One must be a citizen of the United States, either native born or naturalized.
• One must be a senior who is enrolled in one of the institutions participating in the Scholarship Program or a student who has recently graduated from one of those institutions.
• Upon taking up a Churchill Scholarship, one must be between the ages of 19 and 26, must hold a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent, and may not have attained a doctorate.
• Exceptional academic talent and outstanding achievement, especially in the major, as indicated by course grades (recent Churchill Scholars have had a GPA of at least 3.7 and usually have 3.9 or above).
• A capacity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the sciences, engineering, or mathematics by pursuing original, creative work at an advanced level as demonstrated by awards, prizes, research, and letters of recommendation. Applicants in the sciences and engineering will demonstrate extensive laboratory experience, internships, or other related work, while applicants in mathematics will show substantial independent work or other projects.
• Outstanding personal qualities. Understanding the time commitments required by research, the Churchill Foundation does not seek so-called "well rounded" applicants; instead, it seeks applicants with what we call interesting "jagged edges."  Nonetheless, it should be noted that successful applicants display a bewildering array of talents and activities outside of academic pursuits, especially in music, athletics, social service, among other activities.
• 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.

Interested students are required to complete an intent to submit application in the spring preceding the fall in which they hope to apply. Members of the Student Fellowships Committee will review the applications and briefly interview each candidate. Based on each candidate’s intent to submit application and interview, the Student Fellowships Committee will either endorse, conditionally endorse, or not endorse each applicant.

• Endorsed:  The candidate has received the College’s endorsement and does not need to be interviewed by the Student Fellowships Committee again.

• Conditionally Endorsed:  The Student Fellowships Committee invites the candidate to continue to work on their application over the summer and be re-interviewed by the Committee at the end of August or early September, at which point the Committee will make a final decision about endorsing the candidate.

• Not Endorsed:  The Student Fellowships Committee determines that the candidate is not yet ready to apply.

Students will be required to provide information about themselves (e.g., class year, citizenship, etc.) and whether they have any Honor Code violations. Applicants will also be required to indicate which fellowship(s) they are interested in applying to and upload the following three documents:  

• Unofficial Academic History from Polaris
• Resume (PDF format)
• Personal essays, which should be submitted as a single PDF addressing the following five prompts. Please label each prompt and put your name in the header. 

  1. Please describe why you are interested in applying for this particular fellowship(s) (500 words). The primary purpose of these fellowships is not to offer financial aid to students in need but rather to create a community of scholars who will fulfill and carry out a mission particular to each national fellowship. But another way, each fellowship is looking for students who possess intellectual merit, a history of exercising leadership, and a "something else" that is particular to the mission of that fellowship (e.g., Marshall's "something else" is ambassadorial qualities and Schwarzman's "something else" is a reason for wanting to better understand China). Briefly explain why you believe you possess the "something else" that is particular to the fellowship(s) to which you intend to apply and how your affiliation with the particular fellowship(s) will enable you to better achieve your aspirations.

  2. Proposed Academic Program (600 words). Describe the graduate degree you propose to undertake during your fellowship(s) and at what institution(s). Please follow the guidelines provided by the fellowship(s) to which you intend to apply. For example, if applying to Marshall, please provide two, two-year plans. Describe why this is the appropriate course of study for you (e.g., are there particular faculty you want to work with, are there particular research centers at this institution that you would like to engage with, etc.). If your proposed academic program requires a thesis, outline what you might focus on. Have you been in touch with anyone at these universities?

  3. Connection to Your Future (300 words). How will the graduate degree(s) you have identified build on what you have done to date and prepare you for your future professional goals?

  4. Leadership (500 words). All the national fellowships that support graduate study value leadership. Please describe a time when you exercised leadership, regardless of whether you were in a position of authority. What changed because of your actions? What impact did your efforts have on others? Please be as specific as possible.

  5. Engagement (300 words). If you are awarded a fellowship, in what ways will you engage with your local community and/or new institution(s)?

  6. Recommendations. Who would you ask for letters of recommendation? If you are applying for the Rhodes, please list eight names, including titles and brief descriptions of how you know each individual. If you are applying for any of the other fellowship(s) please list four recommenders, including at least one that could speak to your leadership qualities.

In the intent to submit application, you will also be asked to identify one Bowdoin faculty mentor. The application will automatically generate an email to that individual, asking them to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Please make sure you have already discussed this recommendation with your mentor before you complete your intent to submit application.

Bowdoin’s Internal Selection Process. Bowdoin is allowed to nominate only two students annually for the Churchill; therefore, the Committee will review the materials listed below to select Bowdoin’s nominees. By the “Initial Bowdoin Deadline,” please submit the following materials to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research:

• An electronic copy of a completed online Churchill Scholarship Application
• Unofficial academic history from Polaris
• Signed and witnessed "Permission Form and Waiver"
• Four academic recommendation from teachers, laboratory directors, and others with whom the student has pursued his/her research and studies and who know the student's work well. A faculty member should electronically submit his/her letter to Gina Pappas (gpappas@bowdoin.edu) by the "Initial Bowdoin Deadline".

The above items should be saved as PDFs and electronically submitted to gpappas@bowdoin.edu.

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,” Bowdoin’s nominees must submit the following materials to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research, which will send all materials directly to the program for further consideration.

• Electronically submit a completed online application. This will include the following documentation:
  • A list of scholarships, prizes, and awards (no more than one page)
  • A list of your research/employment experience (no more than one page)
  • Your proposed program of study essay (no more than one page)
  • Personal statement (no more than two pages)

  These four uploaded documents must stridently follow the following formatting guidelines:

  • They may only be in DOC, DOCX, or PDF format
  • They should have one-inch margins on all four sides
  • They should be single-spaced, except for paragraph and section breaks
  • The text should be 12 pt. Times New Roman font
  • Every page should include a heading in the upper-left corner with your name and home institution on the first line and the title of the section on the second. For further instructions, click here for Application Instructions.

• Four letters of reference – two more than the Cambridge Application. The Foundation requests four academic recommendations from teachers, laboratory directors, and others with whom you have pursued your research and studies. Please do not request recommendations from teachers in fields not related to your research in science, engineering, or mathematics (e.g., history, literature, or philosophy), and please do not submit personal recommendations (e.g., from clergy, directors of charitable organizations, etc.).
  • Those whom you have selected for your recommendation should write their letters on departmental letterhead, and they should upload their letters directly to the portal using the link they received in the email from Churchill.
• An official transcript from each institution you have attended. The transcript(s) should also be sent directly to Bowdoin’s Director of Student Fellowships and Research.
• A letter of interest or commitment from a directory of a laboratory at Cambridge, if available and relevant.

The Office of Student Fellowships and Research is responsible for obtaining the letter of institutional endorsement and will include this document in the final packet sent to the Foundation.

Zoe Dietrich '21

As an Earth and Oceanographic Science and Biochemistry double major, Zoë Dietrich is fascinated by chemical reactions in marine environments and the microbes that catalyze them. After studying these reactions in Gulf of Mexico undersea caverns and mudflats of New Zealand, she looks forward to exploring carbon transformations and greenhouse gas emissions in estuaries near the University of Cambridge, UK, as a Churchill Scholar. The Scholarship funds a year-long MPhil by Thesis degree, which she will begin in October of 2021. Afterwards, she plans to pursue a PhD in biological or chemical oceanography.