Rhodes and Marshall Scholarship 2012-2013 Brown Request for Reference Campus Submission Deadline: August 3, 2012 Instructions for applicants When applying for the Rhodes and/or Marshall scholarships, you must submit five letters of reference, one of which must be from your primary academic recommender, to the Brown Rhodes and Marshall Nomination Committee by August 3, 2012 Please give your referees “The Information for Referees” instructions which begin on the second page of this document To make the process easier for your referees and to ensure that you receive the strongest letters possible, give your referees these instructions at least one month in advance and ideally at least to weeks before the end of the semester If you have any questions about the choice of referees, consult with Dean Linda Dunleavy The Online Application System Both the Rhodes and the Marshall applications are online and require letters of recommendation to be submitted electronically Once you register your referees on the online application, you will not be able change your recommenders should you decide to or should Brown’s committee suggest that you so In addition, if your referees submit their letters online, they will not be able to make any changes to their letters for the national deadlines Therefore, we advise you to wait until after the Brown nomination/review process to register your referees on your online Rhodes and/or Marshall applications Rather, ask your referees to submit their letters to our office either in hard copy or as email attachments Provide them with this document, which explains the process of writing a letter of support for your application(s) for these awards BROWN Rhodes and Marshall Scholarship 2012-2013 Information for Referees Campus Submission Deadline: August 3, 2012 National Committee Deadline: late September/early October IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please note that you will need to submit your letter(s) of reference twice First, to the Brown Rhodes and Marshall committee in early August, and then to the national committee(s) in early October About the Scholarships The Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships are two of the most competitive and prestigious international fellowships The Rhodes Scholarship Trust brings outstanding students from many countries to the University of Oxford The Marshall Scholarships support scholars pursuing a graduate degree at any university in the United Kingdom Both scholarships are intended to foster good relations between the US and the UK and are awarded to people who are likely to become leaders in their chosen fields of work and study Institutional Endorsement The Rhodes and Marshall scholarships require institutional endorsement for all applicants Though the competitions are separate Brown evaluates and supports applicants for these awards through a single process Brown’s Rhodes and Marshall Nomination Committee reviews student applications and determines which applicants should be endorsed by the University For the campus review process, recommenders for students who are applying for the Rhodes, the Marshall, or both can submit one letter of recommendation directly to the Brown Rhodes and Marshall committee If the student is endorsed for both fellowships, two separate letters will need to be submitted to the national committees through their online application systems Campus deadline for references Brown’s review and endorsement process for the Rhodes and the Marshall occurs in August Please submit your letter by Friday, August You may fax your letter to 401 863-1961 or email it as an attachment to Linda_Sutherland@brown.edu Please have the subject line read: Rhodes/Marshall letter for [Student Name] National deadline for the Rhodes Students who receive institutional endorsement for the Rhodes will register you as a recommender in their online Rhodes applications You will receive an email with log-in information and a password as well as instructions for submitting your letter online You must upload your letter by October 3, 2012 Note that the Rhodes online system will not accept letters of recommendation that exceed 1,000 words National deadline for the Marshall Students who receive institutional endorsement for the Marshall will register you as a recommender in their online Marshall applications You will receive an email with long-in information and a password as well as instructions for submitting your letter online You must upload your letter by September 26 Note that the Marshall online system will not accept letters of recommendation that exceed 1,000 words If you have questions about or difficulties with the letter, the submission process to Brown’s committee, or the Rhodes or Marshall online application system, please email Linda_Sutherland@brown.edu or call 401 863-2538 Linda will be happy to assist you Writing Letters of Recommendation for the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships The Marshall and Rhodes are extremely competitive, and letters of reference play an important role in a student’s application both for the internal Brown committee and the regional and district committees The recommender should know the candidate well, believe he or she is truly outstanding, be able to write a strong and detailed letter of recommendation, and be able to testify to one or more specific experiences of accomplishment or performance by the candidate Faculty who have served on past endorsement committees have found it most helpful when referees provide details or examples to support their claims Discussing a student’s personal characteristics as well as his or her intellectual ability is also encouraged Unless a student is first in a class, it is often not helpful to give a class ranking However, if a student could be said to be the best, or among the best, in some particular way (the most insightful or imaginative in 15 years, for example), please say this and follow up with a brief explanation If you feel that you cannot write an unequivocally supportive recommendation for a student, please decline to write a letter at all Also, if you not know the student well enough to write a detailed letter, or if you not have the time to write a detailed letter, please decline Students should have given you information about the scholarship(s) for which they are applying, as well as copies of their personal statements, proposals of study, and information about extracurricular activities They should also have outlined, and preferably discussed with you, why they are applying for the scholarship and things they would like you to remember about them when you write your letter Writing for the Marshall NB: The Marshall online application system will not accept letters longer than 1000 words Marshall Scholars are expected to be good ambassadors to the UK and to represent the UK well in the US Your letter should be from 750 to 1000 words and should testify to one or more specific outstanding accomplishments or performances by the candidate The Primary Letter of Recommendation from the “Preferred Recommender” must discuss the candidate’s suitability for the proposed course of study, and provide a substantive assessment of the candidate’s other qualifications for the scholarship This letter carries unusual weight Criteria your Marshall letter should address: • Distinction of intellect and character as evidenced by a student’s scholastic attainments and by his or her other activities or achievements; • Adequate preparation for the proposed course of study, particularly upper-level course work/research, and demonstrated strength in a major field; • Why the candidate’s studies and proposed career would be best served by spending two years at a British university; • Ability to play an active part in the life of a university in the United Kingdom, and the potential to make a significant contribution to his or her own society More information about the Marshall, including profiles of current and past winners, is available online at http://www.marshallscholarship.org/ Information for recommenders is available at http://www.marshallscholarship.org/applications/recommendersinfo Writing for the Rhodes NB: The Rhodes online application system will not accept letters longer than 1000 words Rhodes Scholars are expected to be good ambassadors to the UK and in turn to represent the UK well when they return to the US or Canada The scholarship is intended for people who will be leaders in their fields and contribute to the well-being of others It should also be clear that the applicant has the potential to perform well in his or her chosen program at Oxford, where students are unlikely to find as much support, encouragement, or on-going academic feedback as they have at Brown Criteria to address in your letter: • Proven intellectual and academic achievement of the highest standard; • Integrity of character and demonstrated interest in and respect for his or her fellow beings; • The ability to lead and the energy to use his or her talents to the full • In short, “excellence in qualities of mind and in qualities of person which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead” (from the Rhodes Trust) More information about the Rhodes, including profiles of current and past winners, is available at www.rhodesscholar.org (for the US Rhodes) Letter writing assistance Linda Dunleavy, the Associate Dean of the College for Fellowships, is happy to comment on drafts of fellowship letters; her contact information is at the end of this document You can also find guidance about letters of recommendation on our fellowships website under “Information & Resources” at http://www.brown.edu/college/fellowships Brown’s committee only requires one letter of recommendation for students applying for both the Rhodes and Marshall For students who are nominated, referees will need to prepare two separate letters, one for the Marshall and one for the Rhodes, and these will be submitted through the respective online systems in early October ********************************************************************************** Thank you for supporting this student’s candidacy for the Rhodes and/or Marshall Scholarship! If we may be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask Linda Dunleavy Associate Dean of the College for Fellowships Dean of the College Office Brown University Box 1828, UH 213 Email: Linda_Dunleavy@brown.edu Linda Sutherland Program Coordinator, Fellowships Telephone: 401 863-2538 Email: Linda_Sutherland@brown.edu United States Postal Service Address Brown University Fellowships Office of the Dean of the College Box 1828 Providence, RI 02912 Fed Ex/UPS/DHL Deliveries Brown University Fellowships Office of the Dean of the College Prospect Street/UH 213 Providence, RI 02912 ... recommendation for students applying for both the Rhodes and Marshall For students who are nominated, referees will need to prepare two separate letters, one for the Marshall and one for the Rhodes, and. .. Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships The Marshall and Rhodes are extremely competitive, and letters of reference play an important role in a student’s application both for the internal Brown committee and. .. letter(s) of reference twice First, to the Brown Rhodes and Marshall committee in early August, and then to the national committee(s) in early October About the Scholarships The Rhodes and Marshall