The Thomas J Watson Fellowship Program
Application for Fellowship
APPLICATION FORM
Personal Data
Applicant Name
Undergraduate Major
Project Information
Proposed Project Title (75 characters or less)
Proposed Countries
Brief Summary of Proposed project (575 characters or less)
Please list your equipment needs, if any, indicate your total equipment purchases
(expenditures in excess of $1000 will require approval by the fellowship program)
Permanent Address
Street
City
State
Country
Zip code
Phone number
If not a US citizen, are you a permanent resident? If yes check the box
Miscellaneous Information
Plans for Postgraduate Study and Future Career Possibilities
Current Marital status
Do you intend to have a spouse or dependent child accompany you on your Watson fellowship? If
yes check the box
If yes, please provide the name of your spouse or child
Secondary School (name, city, state) and Year graduated
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Do you have any medical or other conditions which may preclude or limit your ability to carry out your
proposed project? If yes check box
If yes, explain how you would carry out your project
Are you aware of any reason why you would be unable to pursue a Watson fellowship abroad for a
continuous year? If yes check the box
If yes, please explain
Nominees for Watson Fellowship may have extensive previous foreign travel experience or
none at all. We request the information in this section to assist in evaluating the project
proposal and to have a better understanding of a nominee’s overall background.
All previous Foreign Travel & Experience Living outside the United States
Please list countries or areas lived in or visited, including the date, duration, and reasons for travel. If
you have not traveled abroad, please state so.
Please indicate your participation in any academic programs abroad, including when, where, and the
program sponsor.
Competency in Language other than English
If you do not have any language competency please type none (the proficiency can be left blank in this case)
Proficiency
Language
Proficiency
Language
Proficiency
Language
Activities (If you do not have any activities type none)
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REFERENCES
Please list two references (one must be a faculty member from Vassar College)
Full Name
Email Address
Phone
Mailing Address
Full Name
Email Address
Phone
Mailing Address
In order to be considered for this opportunity you must complete a confidentiality waiver and submit it
to the Office for Fellowships. This should be submitted BEFORE you request letters of
recommendation.
Project Proposal and Personal Statement
The specific content of the statements are up to you, but it is required that neither statement exceed 1500
words, using at least 11 point font. Note also that paragraphs must be separated by a blank line, making
material easier for the selection committee to review. We do not seek bibliographies and suggest keeping
footnotes to a minimum: This is not a research paper. The committee will frown on statements that do not meet
program guidelines.
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The project proposal should describe your plan for the 12 month fellowship year, including a description of your
proposed project and details about how you intend to carry it out. In addition, you should include information about what it
is that prepares you to undertake your project. Please be sure that your project does not involve travel to countries under
a US travel warning or embargo or to areas where you have lived or studied for a significant length of time. If you are not
sure which countries carry such warnings, you can find them on the State Department website. You should also
familiarize yourself with the visa requirements for the destinations you propose. The specific content of the proposal is up
to you, but we require that it is double spaced and not exceed 1500 words.
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In your personal statement, you should discuss how your project is your project--and how it reflects your talents,
concerns and commitments. It may include a description of your background, your college years, your professional goals
and aspirations, and your reasons for seeking a Watson Fellowship to undertake your project. The personal statement is
an opportunity to provide the Watson Fellowship Program with a sense of who you are, including how you would benefit
from the unique experiences the Watson Fellowship permits and how you would embrace the challenges of immersing
yourself in cultures other than your own for a year. The specific content of the personal statement is up to you, but we
require that it is double spaced and not exceed 1500 words.
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Autobiographical Abstract: Because the Watson Fellowship emphasizes the “person” first and project second, we ask
you to supply a short biographical summary that we can use in our materials and publications. Within the 100-word limit,
feel free to mention your accomplishments while also demonstrating how your project might be rooted in your past and/or
present life. Indeed, because Watson projects often grow organically out of who you are and what you’ve done, it is
especially nice for the biography to reflect such connections. The Watson foundation reserves the right to edit your
abstract for size, content and style.
Transcripts - It is necessary for the Watson selection Committee to have a copy of your Vassar
transcript and schedule. Please provide a copy of each with your application.
To download a copy of your unofficial transcript and current schedule from Ask Banner:
Open your transcript and schedule in Ask Banner:
o For a Mac: save as a pdf file (Select print, select the pdf button on the bottom of the
print box, select “save as a pdf” from the dropdown box)
o For PC: save as a text file
o Name the file as follows: your last name.first initial.trans.pdf or .txt
o (for example: doe.j.trans.pdf for a Mac user/ doe.j.trans.txt for a PC user)
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