Mitchell Scholarship

Applicants must be U.S. citizens under the age of 30 with at least a B.A. or B.S. who have a record of intellectual distinction, leadership, extracurricular activity, and service to others.

Applicants first submit their materials to a campus committee for review in August. The Cornell Endorsement Committee interviews all applicants and chooses nominees to the national competition. Applications must be processed and endorsed through the CCS fellowships office to be eligible. Endorsement decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Selection decisions (on campus and the national level) are based on the criteria below.

• High academic achievement.
• Personal Statement. An essay of 1,000 words or less should give the committee a clear sense of who you are, how your interests have developed, and why study in Ireland fits into your future plans. Both you and the Fellowship Coordinator will be asked to attest in writing that you have received any assistance (including but not limited to scholarship advisors, faculty members, former and current Mitchell Scholars, writing center staff, family members, friends, and online services) in writing the statement.
• Four letters of recommendation are required. Choose your recommenders carefully and in consultation with the Fellowship Coordinator. Each letter should offer a piece of information about your candidacy unavailable from other recommenders. Two of the letters must be from professors with whom you have done academic work. Do not choose someone who does not know you well but has a “big name.”

Students’ and alumni’s applications must be processed and endorsed through the CCS fellowships office to be eligible for the competition at the regional and/or national level. Endorsement decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

APPLICATION MATERIALS DUE to the Fellowship Coordinator August 21, 2023

The application form is available from the Mitchell website. You must make an appointment with the Fellowship Coordinator to register your intent to apply through Cornell. Make sure that you read the fine print on the application form and that you have filled in all the blanks as you would for the final submission. The Fellowship Coordinator will forward your application materials to the Cornell Endorsement Committee.

• Application form
• Personal Statement (not to exceed 1000 words)
• Resume or a list of activities including honors and awards
• Official transcript(s) of all college work
• Four letters of recommendation

At least two of the letters must be from faculty with whom you have done academic work and who know you well, both academically and personally. Recommenders are asked to evaluate your maturity, character, integrity, intellectual distinction, leadership qualities, and commitment to service.

Letters are a crucial component of your application. Give your recommenders fair warning of the August deadline, make sure they understand the selection criteria sought by the Mitchell committee, and provide them with enough information about your candidacy to write a detailed, evaluative letter.

Endorsement

If endorsed, nominees must submit the final version of their materials for approval to the Fellowship Coordinator by September 21, 2023 before submitting the application electronically.

A complete application consists of:

• Application form
• Personal Statement
• One pdf image of a passport-type photo
• One pdf image of applicant’s signature
• Official transcript(s) of all college work
• Four letters of recommendation