1.) Submit a one paragraph abstract to the Chair of the Watson committee via email as soon as you have a general idea about the scope and nature of your topic. This may avoid confusion about the appropriateness of your proposal. Although the committee will not look over your draft before the due date, you will want to receive feedback based on the abstract. In such cases, the committee will not tell you what you should include nor try to alter your topic. Rather, we will try to clarify the nature of the Watson, identify problematic areas in your project that require forethought, help you ask the right questions, etc. In other words, this is your project and you are responsible for coming up with the topic, researching its feasibility, and establishing a plan. However, we want to help you understand what should be addressed, in what ways you could be more specific, and issues you may have overlooked. Remember, you are in charge of your proposal but the committee wants to make sure you understand the expectations of the Fellowship.
2.) Attach to the application a 5 page, double-spaced personal statement and a 5 page project proposal. Keep in mind that the project statement addresses specifically what you plan to do while your personal statement reflects why you are the person to carry it out. I include the Foundation's words below.
- "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 discuss how you are prepared to undertake your project. Please be sure that your project does not involve travel to countries which the U.S. State Department currently has under a travel warning. If you are not sure which countries carry such warnings, you can find a list at the State Department website."
- Among other questions, you should ask yourself: Is this really 'feasible'? What about language background, contacts, resources, accessibility to the right people? Can one really do what I hope to carry out? Have I given enough attention to specific details? Do I have a structured plan? Is it overly structured to the extent that I'm not 'my own boss'? Is this the best place(s) to carry out my project? Is my topic "creative", meaning an innovative way of looking at this for me?
- "In your personal statement, you should discuss how this is your project--how it reflects your talents, concerns, commitments. You may also want to describe your background, your college years, your professional goals and aspirations, and your reasons for seeking a Watson Fellowship to undertake this project."
- Among other questions, you should ask yourself: Am I building on past experiences and not just repeating them? Is this my passion? Can I really sustain an exploration of this topic for 12 months? Have I described how this is my project and not someone else's? Have I convinced the committee as to why this is so important for me to do? Am I expanding my world or just reaffirming it?
These are only a few examples of questions. There are surely others that need to be addressed in your particular case. Every Watson project is distinct, but keep in mind the general purpose of the statements: "Your project proposal and personal statement are opportunities to provide the foundation with a sense of who you are, including how you would embrace the challenges of immersing yourself in cultures other than your own for a year."
Final Hints:
- 10 pages is really not a lot of space to develop your ideas. The Watson Foundation encourages you to write a much larger rough draft with substantial development before you edit down to the 10 page submission. Save your rough draft because if you are one of the finalists, you will be asked to clarify, polish, rethink, and elaborate on certain ideas. Your original draft may help you..
- Make sure that you have proofed your paper carefully for mechanical errors and stylistics. Regardless of how good your proposal is, annoying errors distract the reader!