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The Commitment

OUR PROGRAM

Each year, the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship program selects fifteen students from twelve New York City partner colleges. It is a three-year program, centered on a succession of three summer internships with close supervision and meaningful work from which the Fellows can learn in addition to professional development opportunities which take place throughout the year. During the first two summers, Fellows take part in an orientation weekend in June, participate in a program of evening seminars designed to complement the internships, maintain a weekly professional journal, and attend cultural events. In the academic year, several term-time seminars, mock interviews, and a campus visit meeting continue to build on the summer experiences and provide additional advising and mentoring. The following sections expand on the purposes and activities of these program components.

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS

At the heart of the Watson Fellowship are successful summer internships. During the first summer internship, most Fellows experience for the first time the expectations, demands, and challenges of professional-level work in an office setting, usually in a nonprofit organization or, occasionally, in a government office. The second year internship is meant to be either in the government sector, in a private enterprise, or in internship closely related to law or business, For the third year internship, Fellows are given the added option to pursue a work experience outside of New York City. Most choose to go overseas, taking advantage of the opportunity to work in a new culture. The Watson Fellowship arranges pre-travel orientation and covers the costs of travel and immunizations. The overseas internships often involve social service activities in the field, rather than office work.

SUMMER SEMINARS

The weekly seminar program for the first-year Fellows is focused on “The Nonprofit Sector.” The Fellows learn the nuts of bolts of how nonprofits operate, and they find that the seminars nicely compliment their nonprofit internship experiences. The theme for the second year Fellows’ seminars focus on Private Enterprise and the World of Government, and introduce many new and engaging speakers who offer insights on their work.

PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

Each Fellow is expected to keep a reflective, professional journal for the summer. For the first two summers, we ask that students submit three pages of writing every week along with a specific one page writing assignment. The final Watson summer entails eight pages of journal writing submitted every two weeks. The journals are read thoroughly by a Watson staff member for content, grammar, and writing style. The exchange of the Fellow’s journals and the staff’s comments offers an opportunity for the Fellow to reflect on the internship and the summer program, and for the Watson staff to track the Fellow’s progress and address any issues that might prevent the Fellow from having a successful summer.

CULTURAL EVENTS

The cultural program is designed to allow you to experience the rich and vibrant cultural life of New York City. These summer events are also an opportunity for to build a community among the Fellows across classes, and to provide opportunities for connecting with each other in a more social setting. Fellows are required to attend a minimum of five such events, though the expectation is that Fellows will attend more of the planned events which take place weekday evenings and weekends.

TERM-TIME SEMINARS

The term-time year seminars are a critical component of the Fellowship because they continue the intense conversation begun in the summer and help prepare for the upcoming internships. These two or three meetings per semester, scheduled on Saturdays, keep us in contact with the Fellows and provide a venue for Fellows to reconnect and continue their Watson friendships. Normally, seminars include one practical “how to” topic such as writing a résumé, or how to prepare to compete effectively for national scholarships, and then a substantive general interest topic usually with an interesting outside speaker. As in the summer seminars, we hope the personal attributes and achievements of the speakers will be inspiring to the Fellows.

How to Apply

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must be a second semester freshman or sophomore at one of the twelve invited colleges, and you must have at least four semesters of full-time academic work remaining after the term in which you apply to become a J.K. Watson Fellow. You must be registered in a liberal arts track, demonstrate competence in college level work, be not more than 25 years old on March 1, 2013, and be an American citizen or “green card” holder. You may not be on an international student visa.

Candidates must attend and be nominated by one of the twelve participating New York City colleges. These colleges are:

Baruch College
Brooklyn College
College of Staten Island
Hunter College
John Jay College
Lehman College
Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus
Marymount Manhattan College
Pace University, Manhattan Campus
Queens College
St. John's University
The City College of New York

Click here for a complete list of campus representatives at each college.
How to Apply

Qualifications

Qualities sought in the selection of Jeannette K. Watson Fellows include:
  • Ambition
  • Demonstrated leadership ability
  • Self-discipline
  • Intelligence as reflected in a strong academic record
  • Well-developed writing and speaking skills
  • Integrity
  • Creativity and originality
  • Initiative
  • Follow-through
  • Ability to work in groups
  • Intellectual curiosity and eagerness to explore professional alternatives
  • A commitment to building a better society
How to Apply

Application Forms


Prior to completing your application, you should meet with your Campus Representative at your college. On the basis of the campus nomination process, each of the twelve participating colleges may nominate up to four candidates to be considered by the Citywide Selection Panel.

The following application link (MS Word) can be used to complete your internal school application. Finalists will be asked to provide this same information in the form of our online application which is expected to open up to finalists in mid-January.
  • Application
  • Other supporting material

The Citywide Selection Panel will interview finalists and choose fifteen Jeannette K. Watson Fellows at the end of March 2013. The Fellowship begins with internships in the summer immediately following appointment and requires a full-time commitment on the part of the Fellow. The 2013 summer will begin with a three-day orientation May 30 to June 1, 2013. Internships, seminars, and cultural events will extend through August 2, 2013. The Fellowship may not be deferred.
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