Information sessions are held annually to discuss some of national and international fellowships. The announcement of these meetings will be sent out through e-mail.

What is a fellowship?   |   Researching and applying for fellowships   |   Reasons to apply
Reasons not to apply   |   Checklist for applicants   |   Checklist for recommenders
Helpful tips   |   Some perspective   |   Helpful links

What is a fellowship?
Fellowships, scholarships, and grants provide money and other forms of support for study, research, special employment experiences, and special projects. Some funding programs support only certain subject areas, or schools, or geographic areas. Sponsors may also stipulate such eligibility criteria as ethnicity, age, or gender. There published materials in the OCS that can provide a good place to start.

How do I research and apply for fellowships?

• Start Early - Fellowships are highly competitive. Talent and accomplishments are necessary ingredients for success, but the effort devoted to completing a first-rate fellowship application often makes the difference for success. It is not too early to begin familiarizing yourself with graduate fellowships in your first year. The first semester of the senior year, however, is probably too late to begin preparing for highly competitive fellowships like the Rhodes or Marshall.
• Note Overlapping Opportunities - Many students apply for more than one fellowship, and use essentially the same personal statement and research proposal for each one. Once you have put the work into getting your personal goals and educational/research objectives on paper, make sure that you apply to all the programs that are a match for your interests.
• Consult The Experts - Be sure to let the advisors know of your interest in the fellowship, and direct specific questions to them. Of course, your academic advisor and professors can also be sources of advice and ideas.
• Keep looking - There are many fellowships which are of interest to more specialized audiences.  Please see Section 40 of the Career Resource Library.

Reasons to apply
There are many reasons you might want to apply for a fellowship.

1. Experience writing grants
   Your success as an independent scientist depends not only on the quality of your work, but also on your ability to maintain a steady supply of funding to support your research. Even if you are a salaried professor/researcher, you need to write (and win) grants to recruit and train students and research assistants, and acquire the equipment and resources you need to do your work.
2. Increased salary
   Many fellowships provide more money than the standard TA stipend. What you do with that extra cash is your choice, though it's never too early to start investing for retirement, saving for a mortgage, or planning a trip abroad.
3. Helps your advisor/the department
   Science is a collaborative enterprise; individuals need each other to learn, to work, to succeed. This is true not only intellectually or technically-it is also true financially. When one person wins a fellowship, it's obviously good for that person. However, it also helps the fellow's research group, since it helps the advisor. This, in turn, might mean more money available for travel to conferences and workshops.
4. (May) help you finish faster
   A fellowship will provide you with the freedom to take additional courses or conduct research earlier in your graduate career. This, in principle, may shave some time off your time to completing the PhD. You life could be slightly less stressful if you don't feel compelled to take a full course load, TA, and start a research project. In other words, even if you don't finish faster, you may have a slightly better quality of life.
5. Helps your career/future
   While there is little correlation between winning something like an NSF fellowship and becoming a good scientist, it is a mark of prestige and accomplishment. Like all marks of prestige, you shouldn't take it too seriously or to heart. However, it will give you additional credibility, both within the scientific field and outside of it (e.g., policy, education). The fellowship process rewards initiative as much as talent; so does the rest of the world.

Remember: you can't win a fellowship if you don't apply.

Reasons not to apply (and why they are bogus)
There are many reasons you can invent for not applying; all of them are bogus.

1. Poor undergraduate record
   If you work hard in graduate school, you can put your checkered past behind you. If your application impressed an admissions committee, your fellowship application will probably look equally appealing to a fellowship review committee. Low self-appraisal is the worst reason to avoid applying. Also, don't underestimate the value of extracurriculars, even at this stage in your academic life. If you have done anything related to your field--outreach, service, policy, management, etc.--you may be able to highlight this to add some shine to a lackluster academic record.
2. No recommenders
   Chances are that there are at least three or four people who know your work and would write you a letter of recommendation, if not vouch for your status as a human being before a judge. It's time to start talking with people in the department, whose letters and connections will matter much more for your future--in both the short and long run--than all those professional bridges you burned in your past.
3. Lousy GRE scores
   While your scores might not be great, it's not a good enough reason to not apply for a fellowship. If you were accepted to a graduate program, your application indicates you are a strong enough candidate to complete an advanced degree in your subject area. Admissions committees are staffed by veteran professors who know that GRE scores are a very poor indicator of a student's promise as a researcher. Fellowship review committees are similarly aware of this. A lukewarm GRE score can be offset by strong outreach or research experience. If you really do poorly, then go ahead and retake the exam. GRE scores might be used to help sift between borderline candidates, but they are not the defining factor in an application.
4. No project
   The NSF and other fellowships require you to write a research proposal. I have it on good authority that the purpose of this is to see that you are capable of drafting a coherent research plan and your research fits in with the funding organization's goals. Talk with your professors. They are professors because they have interesting research ideas and know how to follow through on them, and are interested in the welfare of the next generation of scholars.
5. No time
   Consider the amount of time spent on a set of fellowship applications. Then consider the amount of time spent teaching class after class after class. Now consider that while teaching is a valuable experience in itself, that there are no degrees awarded solely for teaching.  Also consider that your advisor may have funding one year, but not the next; RAs are a privilege, not a right! Finally, consider that convincing others to give you money is a useful and important life skill, important in any job, but absolutely essential in research.
6. No clue
   If you have no clue what you want to work on, or who you want to work with... well, that's tough. However, it helps a lot to have a professor in the department who will write a letter of recommendation for you. Also, these professors will have research projects and ideas that are just waiting to be converted to PhD theses. Ask politely to read a professor's grant applications proposals. They will provide insight into both interesting research areas and the funding process.

Checklist for applicants
Here is a checklist to help you organize your application:

1. Research fellowships and choose the relevant ones.
2. Make a calendar of all deadlines.
3. Talk to potential recommenders, and choose three (or four) who know you and like you.
4. Create an organized list of all fellowship application deadlines and details about the information each requires. Give this list to each of your recommenders EARLY.
5. Send out all relevant test scores (e.g., GRE general and subject) and transcripts early.
6. Choose a project that you would like to work on during your fellowship tenure.
7. Find some review articles/old proposals that will give you an overview of the state of research in your field, and how your project contributes to scientific understanding and progress in the area. Articles/proposals provide you with the background you need to write intelligently, as well as excellent examples of the organization and style required in a professional proposal.
8. Write a draft application for each fellowship. Using the same proposal for all fellowship applications is not recommended, since each fellowship has its own mission/review criteria.
9. Ask a professor or senior researcher (preferably the one you will work with) to review your essays. Send a copy of your application essays to each recommender, even if they can't return a copy with edits. The draft will help your letter-writers compose a more relevant and focused letter of support.
10. Edit/rewrite drafts until you get something that works.
11. Submit your application materials ahead of schedule; most websites that take electronic submissions crash the day of a proposal deadline.
12. Thank your recommenders, editors, and anyone else who helped you through the process.

Checklist for recommenders
Give your recommenders the following:

1. Your resume. Provide additional biographical information to your letter-writers, especially if they don't know much about you. Include extracurriculars if you think they would be helpful to illustrate your character and personality, as well as your levels of commitment in your professional and personal spheres.
2. Your transcript (unofficial is ok).
3. A copy of a decent draft of your application essay. This will help them coordinate what they write with the intent of your essay.
4. Detailed list of application deadlines.
5. GRE scores. These won't be particularly important, but they can only strengthen your case.
6. A big thank-you for their time and generosity!
7. Note that you should check in with your recommenders periodically a few weeks before the deadline. Some will submit the letters the night before; some will do it weeks in advance. Remember, they are doing you a favor, so be as polite and gracious as possible.

Some useful tips

1. Make time.
   You will need time to assemble letters of recommendation, transcripts, the required information, and to write your essays. Even if you are organized, efficient, polite, and persistent (especially about rec letters), expect this process to take a long time.
2. Think big.
   Why should they fund you? Yes, your project might be interesting. It might even be important. But how important? Will other fields benefit from your project? Does it have the potential to create new fields, or new technology? What about its impact on society, the quality of life, national security? Can this help with problems great and small in America and the world today?  Not everyone has a project which will cure cancer, or save the human race. However, everyone, hopefully, has a sense of how their individual work fits into a broader whole. Without that, it becomes very difficult to convince an agency that they are funding something other than an obscure sideshow. More seriously, without that sense of how your work is connected more broadly, you run the risk of losing your way in graduate studies, becoming frustrated, unmotivated, or otherwise discouraged.
3. Identify the mission/goals of the granting agency.
   Every organization has a mission and a goal. It makes sense, then, to tailor your application to fit that goal. But do not lie. Not only is it bad for your heart; if you promise to do something for which you have little interest or ability, it probably means you won't write a good application, and your reputation will suffer. However, certain projects are more likely to get funded than others. Save yourself time and trouble by focusing on the fellowships whose mission/interests match your own.
4. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Program tips
   If your field is interdisciplinary, focus your application on the fields which are better funded. Emphasize the interdisciplinary aspect, but not at the cost of diluting the case for a particular agency to fund your project on its impact and merits within the field of interest. For example, the NSF fellowship weighs broader impacts equally with scientific merit. Broader impacts could mean a number of things. It could mean that your work will help solve a critical problem facing America today (e.g., energy policy). It could mean that your work will be critical to opening up a new area for research. It could mean that you personally are acquiring the skills, connections, and mentality to be the exemplary citizen-scientist who will be both influential and essential to the 21st century.
5. Narrow your focus.
   For most fellowships, you need to write a research proposal. You must be specific, concise, and clear. Make sure your project can be completed within a typical PhD student's career (5-6 years), and is not contingent on projects that are likely to be cancelled. Use references. While the reviewer will not have time to look up the referenced papers, it demonstrates that you have thought about this project and carefully studied how it builds upon/ extends known results. This preparation will also actually help you organize your thoughts and complete the project.
6. Make your proposal crystal clear.
   Most of your reviewers won't be intimately familiar with your subfield and its associated jargon. Write for an intelligent, scientifically literate audience. Use active voice. Break up long, complicated sentences into many shorter ones. Also, this should go without saying, but bad grammar and typos will torpedo your prospects. You may want to use some of your scarce space to put a diagram in your proposal. A picture can be the simplest, most direct way of expressing important information.
7. Pay attention to format requirements.
   Many agencies, NSF in particular, have stated explicitly that they will reject proposals without review if they do not follow the formatting instructions. If it says two pages maximum, then keep it under two pages. Better yet, make your proposal shorter than the maximum permitted, and you will earn extra points from your exhausted reviewers. Don't tweak the margins or the font. Your reviewers have PhDs, have taught many students, and know all the tricks of the trade.
8. Write many drafts, and use outside readers.
   Writing drafts will help you narrow your focus and improve the flow of your application. An outside reader (especially your advisor or another student) will help tremendously on both counts. The professors and researchers in this department have years of experience writing proposals. Ultimately, to become a successful, independent researcher, you must be able to learn not only how to do science, but to fund a research group. Note: fellowship rules change every few years. Consequently, it might be more helpful to have a current graduate student evaluate your essays. The ideal reviewer would be a graduate student who has successfully applied for and received a fellowship, to evaluate your essays. That said, the more sets of eyes that look at your proposal, the more feedback you will receive, and the stronger it will be. I recommend asking at least one graduate student and your advisor to help you edit your proposal.
9. Choose and prepare your recommenders carefully.
   Choose people who will be able to speak about you as a person. At the very least, make sure that you have not given them significant offense and have displayed minimal competence in their presence.
10. Remember: the fellowship committee is looking to fund YOU, not a project.
    At the end of the day, you must demonstrate why you-not your project, not your research group, not your instituion-are worth supporting. The private insecurities and doubts everyone has do not belong on an application. Your experiences, both professional and personal, have brought you to a position which few could dream of, and fewer still can realize.

Some perspective
Fellowships are not a referendum on your worth as a person, or even as a researcher/ academic. Intelligence alone does not create progress, and intelligence alone will not win you a fellowship. Many intelligent, hardworking, resourceful people receive fellowships; many do not.  So if you win a fellowship, don't get a big ego about it. If you don't, don't worry about it either. Finally, a fellowship is a means to an end. The end is not the PhD. The end is not the thesis. The end is to become competent in your field and capable of independent, significant research.
Ryan Yamada '05

Some helpful links:

It is important to see the specific websites for exact due dates.

US Government
National Science Foundation
Awards of up to $15,000 stipends and $9,500 for tuition and fees per year for three years to support graduate study in the areas of: mathematics, physical science, biological science, engineering, behavioral science, or social science. Due in November. 

Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowships
The Foundation provides fellowships to the exceptionally talented in the study of applied sciences and engineering. Due in October.

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program
The Department of Defense offers fellowships to individuals who have demonstrated ability and special aptitude for advanced training in science and engineering. Due in January.

NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program Awards
Felllowships for graduate study leading to master’s or doctoral degrees, related to NASA research and development, in the fields of science, mathematics and engineering. Due in February. 

Department of Energy, Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
The fellowship provides support and guidance to some of the nation’s best scientific graduate students. Due after October.

International
Churchill - A scholarship program to promote exchange between the United States and Great Britain. The purpose of this program is to enable outstanding American students to do graduate work in engineering, mathematics and science at Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Due in October. 

Fulbright - Scholarships for seniors and recent graduates interested in graduate study and research abroad. Due in October. 

Gates - A merit-based scholarship in any subject area for students to pursue a graduate degree or a second bachelor’s degree at the University of Cambridge. The scholarships are for one to three years, with a possible extension to a fourth year. Due in October.

Rhodes - Awards tuition fees and a maintenance allowance for two to three years for a  postgraduate student at the University of Oxford. Due in October. 

Marshall - Finances two years of postgraduate study that results in a bachelor’s or master’s degree at select universities in the U.K. Due in October.  

Watson - Fellowship enables college graduates of unusual promise to engage in a post-graduate year of independent study and travel abroad. Due in September. 

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship - An annual scholarship for one year to a graduate student outside of the U.S. with a stipend of up to $25,000. Due in March. 

Mitchell - Awards tuition, room, and an $11,000 stipend for post-graduates to pursue one year of study at institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Due in October.

Others
Barry M. Goldwater - An annual scholarship funded by Congress to honor the past senator and to encourage outstanding undergraduate students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields. Due in January. 

Jack Kent Cooke - This program awards scholarships worth up to $50,000 each to college seniors or recent graduates to attend graduate or professional programs. Due in April.

Truman - An annual scholarship funded by Congress in memory of the past president. Awards granted to juniors aspiring to leadership positions in federal, state or local governments or in non-profit and education sectors for a senior year stipend and for graduate study. Due in November.

Cornell Graduate School Fellowship Database
University of Missouri Guide to Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Harvard Guide to Grants
Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Master's or PhD (book from Amazon)