Office of Fellowships Watson Application Pieces

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INTERNAL DEADLINE: OCTOBER 11, 2023

The Watson Fellowship prompts reflection, observation, and openness that will enrich your life and spur personal growth for years to come. The application itself will get you started. While you write, you'll  consider beliefs and values, what bothers or inspires you, and most of all, what you're curious about. 

While preparing an application for some other fellowships is easily broken down into successive steps, applying for the Watson can feel a bit circular. You may start with a topic and questions that feel solid, then find yourself exploring a new avenue as you gather information. Just when you think your itinerary is set, you'll find a country is now off limits and you have to regroup. Instead of letting this frustrate you (okay, you can get a little frustrated!), think of it as training for what the Watson journey may actually entail - plenty of moments to pivot. Start early - 2-4 months before the internal deadline - and you'll have time to let the process unfold. It will help to imagine the Watson application as a puzzle where you rotate the pieces as you go and look at them differently to get the right fit. 
Ready for the challenge? Great! Let's get started!  

When you put a puzzle together, first you look at the box to see the big picture. Have you done that? If not, read the Watson Overview page? Then, begin to sort your pieces. You might sort by colors, straight-edges, or patterns vs solids. As you sort out your ideas for the Watson, think about the parts of you that make up the whole. 

What fascinates you intellectually from classes you've taken, lectures you've heard, or books you've read? What do you do - hobbies, sports, art, other activities - that makes you lose track of time? What experiences have you had that have stayed with you, either for good or ill, and that you still wonder about? How do these interests intersect? In what ways do they align? What are you curious about that can't be answered strictly by taking a course or reading a book? Consider how these pieces might combine to form a project you want to pursue - a question or questions you want to explore.

Turn over ideas in your own mind, and with us, as early as you can - at least a few months before the internal deadline. Christine is here to listen and reflect with you. Request an appointment to start sorting the pieces. (If you've already met with one of us to discuss your candidacy, just send an email saying you want to chat further.)

Have you started sorting pieces? Okay, now you can begin to think about where to place them.
 

Now that you have sorted your pieces and developed a guiding question or theme, you need to consider where to place your project pieces. Planning a project in countries you've never been to means you may not realize what will or will not work there, regardless of your passion for it. Start by researching the countries that interest you -- that you think might be fruitful settings for your project. Look for people, orgs or institutions (avoid universities) that could serve as partners or hosts for your project (and don't forget to consider how you might give back to them). Scour websites, talk to friends of friends, use social media, consult former Watson fellows, or ask professors and classmates who've traveled to or lived in the country for leads. Then, reach out to potential affiliates in your host countries.

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While you don't need a formal letter from these folks, you will need to provide a list of them (names, contact info, organization url if available) to upload to your application and describe the nature of the support they're willing to give: making introductions so you can interview people; allowing you to do volunteer work alongside them so you can observe and learn; welcoming you into spaces where outsiders might normally not be allowed, etc. Many applicants have found this template email useful for initial contacts. Others have simply Facebook messaged or even called people on the phone. (Egad!) 

You'll need to explain "a day in the life" of your Watson project - for each country. Work on outlining specific activities you'll do to explore your topic. These can differ from country to country. Here's where things can get circular. Perhaps you talk to some interesting affiliates who say "you can't do that, but you could do this." That's great information and it's a little like turning a puzzle piece upside down and finding out it does fit in that space after all. Be prepared with questions to ask affiliates about the feasibility of things you think you want to do. Ask them to alert you to things or people you haven't thought of. Use what you learn to reform and refine your project plan. Keep notes on your conversations and research.

So, you're getting a sense of what the pieces are and where they might fit. What's next?

Putting puzzles together takes patience, imagination, persistence, and a willingess to squint hard at what's in front of you. Doing a Watson year takes all of those things, and more. A Watson is not, in fact, for everyone. The "ideal Watson candidate" is described on our Watson Overview page. (You read that, right?) Early on in your process, identify and ask for recommendations from two people who know you well and can assure Watson that you have most, if not all of those qualities.

There are some rules here: one must be from within Amherst (faculty or staff, not students) and the other may be from within or without. They must be able to answer specific questions about you. If they can't, or if they can't write enthusiastically about how you match the Watson characteristics, you should either ask someone else or reconsider your candidacy. Show them this sample form and talk through with them how/whether they can answer those questions favorably. Copy and paste the For Recommenders section of our Watson Overview page in an email to them so they have all the deadline, format, and content details. (Note: you'll need to waive your right to read the recommendation forms to apply through AC. More on where to do that below.) 

As you get further in assembling your puzzle (about a month before the internal deadline), you'll give your recommenders drafts of your application essays so they know what they are saying you can do. For now, though (2-3 months before the internal deadline), just having the conversation and making the request is good. Alert them that the rec will be due by the internal deadline above - same deadline as for you. 

Got that done? Great! Now you need a place to keep track of your pieces while you work with them.

You know how when you do a puzzle, you have to keep the pieces in the box lid so they don't fall off the table and get lost? When preparing a Watson app, keeping track of the pieces is equally critical to success. From the start, keep track of your conversations, ruminations, and essay ideas in a journal or Google or Word doc. But you'll also need to start loading your pieces into the "box lid." Ask us to register you in the Watson online application portal and once you receive the email from Watson with a link to the app, begin filling it out. The portal will ask for biological information, details about your work, internship, extracurricular activities, and leadership experiences. It will ask you to note languages you speak and travel you have done. There you will enter your essays (when they are finished) and upload your budget and contact sheets. You'll also trigger recommendation form requests to your recommenders. Finally, you will draft a bio about yourself and a summary of your project. You'll work on this throughout the months leading up to the deadline since you can save as you go and return to it. 

Feeling like things are getting under control? Good! Let's keep going!

Although your project may not be 100% fleshed out, now is a good time to complete the Watson Project Brainstormer, and hit submit.  Email Eric (info below) to say you have finished, and he'll respond with a proposed conversation or pointers before you draft the proposal.

Draft the Project Proposal (up to 1,500 words): The project proposal should focus on the project itself and not so much on you. (Save that for the personal statement.) In the proposal, describe your plan for the 12-month fellowship year including how in each country you will address your topic. Explain how you will partner with contacts on the ground. Acknowledge challenges you expect to face and how you anticipate being transformed by both anticipated joys and challenges. You may find it helpful to read essays by former Watson finalists and winners here. Once you've solidly connected the pieces, send it to Eric for feedback. Depending on how early you start, Eric may be able to offer a second or third round of feedback. However, we won't offer close edits on the essays unless you are endorsed. (See info on that at the bottom of the page.) Once your proposal is solid, copy and paste the text into the online application. 

This puzzle is starting to come together! But there's still a gaping hole in the big picture. Let's start to fill it! 

You've come a long way in putting together the Watson puzzle. Now comes the part of the application that is sometimes the most difficult - talking about yourself! It's time to draft the Personal Statement.

The Personal Statement is a 1,500 word essay where you describe the experiences, both academic and personal, that have led to your wanting to do the Watson. This will be the first essay reviewers will read. It will point toward, but not discuss the project itself. It's all about you!  Watson wants to know: What has convinced you to apply for the Watson? How do you hope to benefit from the year? How will this make you a more humane leader? Turn again to those sample essays to see how others have done this and for inspiration. Once you have a complete chunk of the picture, send it to Eric a Word doc for feedback. Depending on how early you start, Eric may be able to offer a second or third round of feedback. However, we won't offer close edits on the essays unless you are endorsed. (See info on that at the bottom of the page.) Once your personal statement is solid, copy and paste the text into the online application.

You are almost there! Just a few pieces left . . .

With puzzles, we tend to focus on identifiable images within the frame, and rightly so! But there are necessary pieces - sometimes all just one solid color - that are critical to completing the whole. To complete your Watson puzzle, you'll need to prepare and upload a contact list, a budget, your transcript(s), and a photo, and make sure your recommendations are submitted. Watson doesn't insist in a particular format for the first two. Use your judgement to make these docs neat and clear. About three weeks before the internal deadline, gather these pieces together:

✓ Recommendations - you've already asked people to write for you; now is the time to trigger the email request to your recommenders in the online application and monitor it to ensure they've submitted before the internal deadline
✓ Contact list - Make a list of the name of each contact, country, organization, nature/status of connection (e.g. contacted, waiting to hear, have had lengthy conversations), how the contact has informed their project or year, and upload to the supplemental materials section. (Once submitted to Watson, Budget and Contact List may not be edited. You may continue developing them in a separate document.)
✓ Budget - Make a chart showing countries, flights, visas, accommodations, and living expenses (clothes, food, health, communications, etc.) and upload to the supplemental materials section. (Once submitted to Watson, Budget and Contact List may not be edited. You may continue developing them in a separate document.)
✓ Transcript: Request your official AC transcript and study abroad or transfer college transcripts early enough to get them in the portal by the internal deadline. While Watson says they allow unofficial transcripts, because the name of the college must appear on it, AC students must use an official version. To aid you in this process, complete an “Electronic Transcript Request” and enter Eric Myers (ermyers@amherst.edu) as the recipient. Eric will convert the file to a Watson-approved format and send it to you to upload to your application.
✓ Photo - Files must be in a .png format and less than 800kb in size and high resolution (ideally 2" x 2" at 300dpi). If
awarded, the headshot photo may be used in public marketing materials. Choose a photo that you would like to
represent you. Make sure you are looking at the camera and that the photo is well lit, against a neutral background
but not a blank white wall. Do not upload a PDF. Upload to the photo section.
✓ Exhibits - IF your project involves some form of art (musical compositions, drawings, creative writing), you can upload some exhibits of those to the supplemental materials section. Consult with Eric as to whether this makes sense.

Phew! You've got yourself a puzzle! Anything else to do?

Once you finish your Watson puzzle, you'll want to say "ta-da!" by hitting a submit button. Funny thing - you can't. Watson doesn't enable a submit button unless you have been nominated, or endorsed, by the college. At this point, that's still up in the air. We recommend that at 12:00 PM ET on October 11, 2023 you stand on your chair and shout to the world, "I've finished my Watson puzzle!" to get that same sense of satisfaction. On our end, we will assume you have finished and wish to be considered for nomination as long as your recommendations are in and your application is complete. 

After the internal deadline, the Office of Fellowships staff will distribute the applications to the faculty Committee on Student Fellowships. A subset of applicants (about 10) will be invited to interview with the committee. In the 20-minute interview, you will have a chance to say more about your project ideas, demonstrate your enthusiasm and curiosity, and show your readiness for this endeavor by the content and manner in which you respond to questions. Following the interviews, you will be notified by email as to whether or not you have been selected as one of Amherst's FOUR Watson nominees. Then what?

Have questions? Please contact us.

Physical address: 100 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002

Mailing Address: AC #2214, PO Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002