Boren Scholarship:

Instructions for recommenders are provided on the Boren Awards website.

Carnegie:

The Carnegie Foundation for International Peace seeks junior fellows who will be able to contribute to the kind of analytical essays you can find on the Carnegie Foundation website. Students should have excellent research skills, the requisite grounding and/or language skills in their particular field of interest (these are outlined in the application materials and the applicant should provide you with information about the requirements), and very strong academic records.

Churchill Scholarship:

Guidance on the letters of recommendation is offered by the Churchill Scholarship, and your actual letter will be requested via their application system. Your recommendation should be at least two pages long.

Fulbright UK Summer Institutes:

These are the only instructions available (provided to applicants): “Each applicant must submit two (2) references in support of their application. The letters must be written exclusively for the Fulbright application. We will only accept letters from people who know you in a professional capacity. All letters should be included as part of the online form. We will not accept letters of reference in the form of an e-mail or as letters from family members or friends.

You should ask people who know you very well; preferably those who can comment on your academic ability as well as your character and interests. At least one of your references must be from a teacher, tutor or professor who has taught you in an academic context. Teachers, professors, careers counselors, coaches, youth group leaders, employers etc., are all good examples of who to ask for a reference.

Think of the programme goals, and try to identify people who have seen you demonstrate the qualities you have highlighted in your application. Make sure you explain the programme to your referees and we suggest that you show them your application essays so that they can write a strong statement of support.”

Fulbright US Student Program

For English Teaching Assistantship or Study/Research Grant following the BA: Please see our detailed information for recommenders.

Goldwater Scholarship:

Three online recommendations are required. Recommendations should be from individuals who know enough about the student to assess their personal characteristics, motivation, and potential for a research career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. The best recommendations are those that come from faculty in the student’s field of study or from individuals who have supervised their work in a research facility. The Goldwater Scholarship website provides some guidance for recommenders.

The recommendations must be from:

  • Two faculty members who can discuss the student’s potential for a research career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. At least one of these must be a faculty member in the student’s field of study
  • Another individual/faculty member who can attest to the student’s potential for a research career. If the student has been involved in research, one recommendation must be from the individual who supervised the student’s work. Evaluations from former high school teachers, coaches, or family friends are generally of little value.

Note: Recommendations will be requested for all potential Carleton nominees as part of the on-campus competition, and will be sent to the Office of Student Fellowships.  Following the selection process, recommenders for Carleton’s nominees will be asked to finalize their letters and provide them on letterhead.

Marshall Scholarship:

If you agree to provide a recommendation for a Marshall applicant, the Office of Student Fellowships will provide you with specific guidelines and an explanation of our campus process.

Mitchell Scholarship:

If you agree to provide a recommendation for a Mitchell applicant, the Office of Student Fellowships will provide you with specific guidelines and an explanation of our campus process.

Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship:

Please consult the ‘13 dimensions ’ as you consider the qualities and qualifications of the student/applicant; the student should also provide you with copies of their application statements. Letters should be at least two pages in length.

Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program:

The Summer Enrichment Program requests three letters of recommendation, two from faculty members and one from a community leader. The community leader should be an individual in a position of responsibility who can comment on the applicant’s non-academic accomplishments and potential for success as an emerging professional. The best letters focus on skills and experience relevant to professional activities, including work ethic, initiative, dependability, composure, interpersonal skills, communication, goal-orientation, etc. They link these skills to success in the program and/or career.Examples of community leaders could include a work or internship supervisor or a faculty advisor for a student organization.

Rhodes Scholarship:

If you agree to provide a recommendation for a Rhodes applicant, the Office of Student Fellowships will provide you with specific guidelines and an explanation of our campus process.

Truman Scholarship:

The Truman Scholarship requests three letters of recommendation. Each of these is expected to comment specifically on one of three criteria that interest the Truman Foundation. Here are some specific points that should also be in the ‘for candidates’ material (and should therefore be provided to you by the student):

Leadership Abilities and Potential: This letter should confirm the experience described in application question 7 (specific example of leadership). The letter writer need not have witnessed the example first hand, but should be able to discuss the example and how it fits within the context of the student’s leadership.

Commitment to a Career in Public Service: This letter should confirm the experience described in application question 8 (recent, satisfying public service activity). The letter writer need not have witnessed the activity first hand, but should be able to discuss the example and how it fits within the context the student’s commitment to a career in public service.

Intellect and Prospects for Continuing Academic Success:This letter should discuss the student’s overall academic background in context of the student’s future plans for career and graduate school (application questions 11 to 13). It is recommended, though not required, that the writer have taught the student at some point.

Udall Scholarship:

The best Udall Scholarship letters provide concrete evidence of the student’s abilities and demonstrate a strong personal relationship between the student and the letter writer. The strongest letters emphasize the student’s dedication to his or her field of study and stress the student’s communication skills. In addition, the letter writer’s ability to comment briefly on the student’s application essay or on the student’s potential for making contributions to the field of environmental public policy can have a significant impact on the student’s chances of winning a scholarship.

When writing a Udall recommendation, beware of shortchanging the student by providing too little detail or by focusing too much on the nature of the scholarship itself. Perhaps because of the scholarship’s link to Congressman Udall and his impact on the nation’s environmental policy, some letter writers in the past have spent considerable time discussing Udall and his work. But such a practice can become digressive, especially because it is the student’s job to evaluate Udall’s accomplishments in the application materials. Any discussion of Udall himself or the scholarship’s goals should be done with efficiency and refer immediately back to the applicant as a good candidate for the award.