Jeremy Ratcliff

Marshall Scholarship, 2019

I’d been interested in pursuing postgraduate study abroad for most of my time at Hopkins, and had first become aware of the NFP office during the spring of my freshman year. I’m quite happy I had, as through their work I’m currently lucky enough to be pursuing a PhD at the University of Oxford as a recipient of a Marshall Scholarship. At Oxford, I research the co-evolution of viruses and the mammalian immune system during the day and play for the university football (soccer) team in the evening. Beyond just bringing me to the country, the Marshall Scholarship has given me a diverse group of friends from all walks of life and academic disciplines. While now they are primarily the individuals with whom I gallivant around the English countryside, the group of friends will form a rich professional network that I will heavily lean on upon the conclusion of my program in the U.K.

I couldn’t be more grateful to the National Fellowships Program. Beyond assisting me in securing this wonderful journey in England, their program and process challenged me in ways that resulted in huge personal and professional growth. I highly recommend anyone interested in these programs to get in touch, particularly if you want to experience life on this side of the Atlantic.