Watson Fellowship Mission: "The offers college graduates of "unusual promise" a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel—in international settings new to them—to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community."
The following questions are from the recommendation form that the Watson Foundation uses to collect recommendations. This is what they say about these questions:
The following questions are especially relevant when selecting fellows for the significant year intended by the Watson mission. Please answer each question as fully as possible, elaborating as necessary. You may also add additional comments at the end of this form. We appreciate the effort required to write a thoughtful and personal recommendation. Thank you in advance for your candor and time.
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How long have you known the nominee, and in what capacity? (100 word limit)
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In choosing fellows, we look for a collection of qualities that we call “Unusual Promise.” These characteristics include: Leadership, Imagination, Independence, Emotional Maturity, Courage, Integrity, Resourcefulness, and Responsibility. How does the nominee exhibit these qualities? (200 word limit)
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What are the nominee's areas for growth or improvement? (200 word limit)
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What evidence can you provide of the nominee’s investment in the proposed project beyond academic coursework? (200 word limit)
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Please share any additional thoughts that you would like us to know or consider. (200 word limit)
Internal Recommendation
Please use the questions above as a guide when writing your internal recommendation for the internal deadline for Reed's Watson Campus Selection Committee. It's most helpful for our campus committee if you respond to each question separately, but you may submit your response as a letter for the internal deadline if you prefer. Internal recommendations should be sent to clbrfellowships@reed.edu.
If the student is nominated by the college, then they will add their recommenders to their online application which will then trigger an email to that recommender. The nominee will also let recommenders know separately about their nomination. Final recommendations will need to be entered into the online form by the recommender.
Questions? Please contact clbrfellowships@reed.edu.