Thouron Award

We have tips for preparing your application for our fellowship award. We promise to keep them short and simple.

1️⃣ Double check your eligibility — we receive applications often from those who haven’t read the required eligibility for either study in the U.K. or the U.S.

2️⃣ Gather all necessary materials, including transcripts and information about secondary schooling — these details are very important for your application.

3️⃣ Line up references, and early! There is nothing worse than thinking you have a solid reference coming, but you haven’t confirmed nor followed up (professors forget too!)

4️⃣ Outline your personal statement — this will make easier for you to write out your story, with examples, and clarity.

Have more questions about our Thouron Award? You can learn more!

https://www.thouronaward.org/study/

London School of Economics has an incredible history of producing some of the most brilliant minds in our world.

It is widely recognized as the leading social science institution in the world. With many of the world’s foremost experts and cutting-edge research, we aren’t surprised that it is consistently in the tops of unis our Thouron Scholars from the U.S. choose to continue their academic careers.

Renowned for its work in economic and political science, it also offers curricula in law as well as a wide range of social subjects across 19 departments and numerous interdisciplinary institutes.

Are you ready to be amongst the good company? Learn more about our fellowship programme on our site.

Gordon Wolffe (Br’76) is not only a retired consultant periodontologist and former teacher at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, he is also a Thouron Alumni. Gordon studied periodontology at UPenn in 1976 after completing his studies in dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, London.

Today, Gordon still reviews scientific articles for colleagues in his field, and is involved in a variety of voluntary organisations as well. Some include his local Resident’s Association, wherein Gordon manages the common parts. One of his many pastimes include singing in a well-known choir and being a guide for the famous Highgate Cemetery in London.

Gordon holds fond memories of his time in the US as Thouron Scholar. As he had never been to America prior to receiving our fellowship award, Gordon was hugely impressed by the professors he came into contact with during his programme. “I met many wonderful people both in my study group and socially, and I still have contact with some of them,” he shares.

The Thouron Award provided Gordon with an opportunity to explore his field of interest and obtain work in Europe.

Summertime is here and Scholar, Caitlin Farrell, shares similar plans as many of our Scholars heading off to their studies this fall: travel!

This summer, Caitlin will complete a 5-month trip to Asia-Pacific, as she has been in Australia since January 2024. In May, Caitlin flew to Bangkok and is working her way through Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. This month, she heads back to the U.K.

Caitlin is not shy about squeezing in as much travel as she can this summer. Don’t worry, she also plans to grab a piece of the short and sweet British summertime before she heads to Philadelphia in mid-July.

LLM students have a 5-week pre-term course at UPenn after all!

Why did Caitlin Farrell apply to the Thouron Award?

The legal system in both the U.S. and U.K. definitely could do with more minds like Caitlin joining the ranks of law professionals! Caitlin will be pursuing her LLM at Penn this fall.

We are fortunate to have students continue to affirm their and show you that much is possible with our fellowship award!

We are only a few short weeks away from the Thouron Award application period for 2025/2026.

Need more details about the specifics?

Get a head start on your application materials! These should include:

✅ Transcripts and two references
✅ Separate application to the U.K. graduate programme you have chosen
✅ Personal statement about yourself, your story, your academic achievements and pursuits

🇬🇧 U.K. students who plan to study at UPenn, your required application materials are slightly different from U.S. students. They should include:

✅ Two references
✅ A separate application submitted to the Penn graduate programme you have chosen
✅ Personal statement about yourself, your story, your academic achievements and pursuits

📣 U.K Students: Your Penn graduate programme application is not reviewed by us as it must be submitted directly to the graduate programme office per their guidelines.



https://www.thouronaward.org/study/

Introducing Caitlin Farrell, one of our 2024-2025 U.K. Scholars.

Caitlin will be pursuing her LLM at the University of Pennsylvania beginning this fall. Growing up in Chelmsford, the daughter of two teachers, Caitlin was keen to dive into books very early in life. For uni she moved to Cambridge where she studied English and then went on to London to study law at City University London. From literature to law, Caitlin maintained her bookworm and theatre lover status. “I’m also a big art-lover, thought regrettably an incredibly poor artist — and [I] love exploring new galleries,” Caitlin excitedly shares. This will come in handy in Philadelphia where Caitlin hopes to check out the art scene.

Her love of learning makes Caitlin very passionate about access to education, and previously she volunteered by teaching English to asylum-seekers in the U.K. “In line with my legal studies, I’m also passionate about access to justice and have previously undertaken pro bono work for the Liberty and the Schools Consent Project,” Caitlin informed us. We’re proud of her commitment to continue her work for the latter in the U.S. too.

The most nerve-wrecking thing about studying abroad for Caitlin? The cold calling method of U.S. law schools. This level of high student interaction is not common in U.K. lectures, so Caitlin isn’t looking forward to having her name randomly called out! However, she is excited for how this will shape her learning experience. And the thing Caitlin looks most forward to? The opportunity to travel throughout the US of course. “Having never been to the States before, I’ve got a long list of places that I’m keen to visit,” Caitlin gleefully shares.

Bon voyage Caitlin!

The University of Pennsylvania has many wonderfully prestigious programmes for our U.K. Scholars to pursue.

One of the most popular is the Carey Law School.

We strongly believe that UPenn Carey Law offers students a cross-disciplinary programme unrivaled amongst leading law schools, globally. Our Scholars who attend the law programme at Penn have options for classes and certifications through Wharton and the Center of Bioethics as well.

More than half of the Carey Law School professors hold joint affiliations with other Penn schools, which means our accepted Scholars are better prepared for careers that engage virtually every major issue facing our global society.

Have you considered applying to be Thouron Scholar? Learn more on our site.

Scenes from last month’s Tie & Scarf Luncheon!

See anybody you know?

We’re gearing up for the best time of year!

With Summer upon us, our 2025/2026 Thouron Scholar Award application season is near.

Each year hundreds of academics apply for our prestigious fellowship program.

If you are interested in applying, please find the most detailed FAQs answered in this blog—link in bio 📚

Cheers, and happy application preparation!

All of our U.K. Thouron Scholars studying at Penn should know this park very well.

Clark Park is ✨THE✨ hang-out spot and great for a pick-up game with friends.

Located in the Spruce Hill neighborhood, this West Philly city park has been a hub since the 1800s.

Enjoy everything from food trucks, cute dogs, and/or LARPers are your thing, you are in for a treat this summer!

Calling all history buffs — we have an exciting recommendation from Alum Daniel Davies:

Daniel published a co-edited collection of essays with Manchester University Press titled Literatures of the Hundred Years War

About the book:

“Literatures of the Hundred Years War includes twelve essays that expand the boundaries of how we think about the impact of the Hundred Years War on literary history. On the one hand, essays explore the reach of the war into supposedly-peripheral sites including Wales, Scotland, and Italy; on the other, essays bring a renewed focus to genres such as tragedy, the pastourelle, and visionary writing to demonstrate the relationship between conflict and literary innovation.”

We look forward to diving in 📖

https://www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781526142153/9781526142153.xml

Remember that time we took Scholars out to a lovely day at Glenroy, where drinks and wonderful conversations in the basking sun were on the menu?

Ah yes, our 2015 Scarf and Tie Ceremony!

You just had to be there.

Keep calm and update your directory details!

Calling all Thouron Alumni, make sure you have joined and shared your most up-to-date information in the Thouron Alumni directory.

We wouldn’t want you to miss an opportunity to (re)connect with each other!

Do you know where this photo was taken?

One of the many unis where a U.S. Thouron Scholar can study with our fellowship award: Queen’s University, Belfast.

In 1845, Queen’s was founded by Queen Victoria herself! It is a dynamic institution with a strong embracement of diversity. Located in the bustling, cosmopolitan capital of Northern Ireland, any student attending will benefit from being here.

Belfast is the fabric of Northern Ireland, with global player status in areas of cancer studies and sustainability to pharmaceuticals and creative writing.

Where would you like to study as a Thouron Scholar?

Introducing one of our new American Scholars: Crystal Marshall 🎉

Crystal plans to get a MSc in Film Programming and Curating at the University of London, Birkbeck this Fall.

We couldn’t agree more with Crystal’s —community is paramount to our family and the fellowship award. Cheers, Crystal!

We could not be more elated to share our 2024/2025 U.K. Scholars with you! The Thouron Award is thrilled to announce the following brilliant minds are the latest recipients of our fellowship award:

Caitlin Farrell - LLM
Charlie Jenner - Master of Bioethics
Daniel Mayers - MBA (Master of Business Administration)
Ruaridh Owens - LLM
Amelia Stewart - Master of Science in Social Policy
Arianna Alonso Bizzi - MBA in Healthcare Management
Johannes Staufenberg - Electrical Engineering, MSE

Introducing one of our 2024-2025 Scholars: Crystal Marshall.

Crystal will be studying Film Programming and Curating at University of London Birkbeck beginning this fall. She is originally from Miami, Florida in the U.S. and thrilled to be embarking on this journey. As an avid reader, Crystal always has a book list full for the summer. One of her favourite last reads was The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan.

As a music lover, Crystal has been finding new loves with Hozier and the Strokes recently. Beyond her academic pursuits, she’s very much a supporter of tiny houses—hoping to live in one, one day.

With the help of our Thouron Award, Crystal can’t wait to spend time writing and purely enjoying the things that she loves most. While she’s sure her adventures in the U.K. will be wonderful, she will strangely miss the American accent while studying abroad.

Exciting news from multiple sclerosis (MS) researcher and Thouron Award Recipient: Emily Davis.

While getting her PhD, Emily Davis researched the benefits of ballet therapy for those with MS.

According to the article, “Ms Davis' research paper, Dance for multiple sclerosis - a systematic review, was praised as the sixth most read research paper in the international journal of MS care last year.”

Congrats Emily 🎉

How an American ballerina is helping MS research in Scotland After a successful career in the US as a professional dancer, Emily Davis moved to Scotland to research MS in 2021.

A directly from this month’s blog about Justin Marozzi. Justin, who studied at Penn, drives home that becoming a Scholar was truly joining the family.

Want to know more about Justin's story? Check out our latest blog.

https://www.thouronaward.org/justin-marozzi-international-journalist/

As a Thouron Scholar attending uni in the U.K., there are many great institutions you can choose from for your studies.

The University of Manchester has much to offer our Scholars, especially those who are interested in research in the areas of advanced materials, biotech, energy, and more.

As a university with global influence that informs global and U.K. policy, the University of Manchester also cares for its community.

With its 200th birthday nearing, expect many buildings like this one to welcome you with open corridors.

Fancy yourself a cup of kawh-fee as the Americans in the Northeast say?

If you’re studying at the University of Pennsylvania, there are plenty comfy and cozy coffee shops in Philadelphia for you to frequent.

The Green Line Cafe is one that comes highly recommended by our Scholars!

From yummy treats, delicious coffees and teas, to art from Philly creatives, we think this is the perfect spot for a pre-finals study session!

Congratulations are in order for Thouron Alum, George Robinson(Br’15)!

George was recently awarded the Most Excellent Order of British Empire by The King. It is one of the highest honors to have his services to the British Foreign Policy be recognized in this manner.

Congratulations are in order for American Alum, Judge Janice Bellace for her nomination and election as the President of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal, approved by the Bank’s Board of Governors.

Introducing one of our new American Scholars: Emma Søndergaard Jensen 🎉

Emma plans to get a MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science this Fall.

She shared with us why she applied and accepted the award. Welcome, Emma!

Application season for the 2025/2026 Thouron Award will open in just a few short months.

Summer 2024 is rapidly approaching, are you ready to submit a stellar application?

Learn more about our fellowship award in our blog and FAQs.

https://bit.ly/3vN2jzy

What to Expect When Applying for the Thouron Award - The Thouron Award Each year, we accept applications for new recipients for the Thouron Award, a graduate academic scholarship and cultural exchange between the University of Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom.

Join us in celebrating a theatrical and broadcast release from one of our Thouron Alums!

Andy Wolk’s film, ROUGH MAGIC: EXIT SHAKESPEARE, has spent months playing in film festivals across the US and will soon be streaming on Tubi. Andy studied at Royal Holloway as a Thouron Scholar in the 70s. He directed and co-wrote this film, which is set in 1611 during a single night where Shakespeare faces a crisis point in his career.

In addition to this fabulous news, Andy has another honour under his belt: The AV Club has included an episode of that he directed, “Boca,” in their list of the best 25 episodes from the HBO hit American crime drama series in honour of the show’s premiere 25 years ago. “Boca” found itself 6th on the list of 25!

Bravo, Andy!

We were thrilled to get to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Thouron Award this past August 2023 in London, U.K., across the Atlantic Ocean, and in Brooklyn, New York.

Want to relive the memories or catch up on the fun you missed?

Check out our blog on the celebrations.

https://www.thouronaward.org/60th-anniversary-alumni-celebration/

In honor of the upcoming tie and scarf luncheon next month, enjoy this throwback!

Does anybody know the year?

It is our most favourite time of the year! Today we are honoured and proud to announce the U.S. recipients of our 2024/2025 Thouron Award! Without further ado, please help us celebrate the following amazing minds:

Maya Brawer-Cohen - Master's Degree in Healthcare Management

Sonali Deliwala - Master’s Degree in Economic Policy For International Development

Sheil Desai - Master’s Degree in Planetary Health

Lynn Larabi - Master’s Degree in Policy Evaluation And Social Intervention

Crystal Marshall - Master’s Degree in Film Programming

Ellie McKeown - Master’s Degree in Social Research

George Morcos - Master’s Degree in Pathology

Emma Søndergaard Jensen - Master’s Degree in Philosophy

Joshua Yang - Master’s Degree in Public Policy And Economic Development

Penn announces nine 2024 Thouron Scholars | Penn Today Six fourth-year students and three recent graduates will use the award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom.