Fellowships and Scholarships

• Be active in looking for funding

• Why apply?

  • Prestige- boost future applications competitiveness

  • Free money! Scholarships are a great way to open up opportunities. Fellowships also often offer a huge bump in your stipend

  • Once you earn one fellowship/scholarship, other fellowships/scholarships and recognition start to follow

  • Establish a network with other fellowship/scholarship recipients

• Who is a good applicant?

  • usually >3.2 GPA

  • involved outside of the classroom

  • has life experiences that can contribute to your career

• What is needed to apply? Usually...

  • transcripts (check if official ones are needed!)

  • 2-3 recommendation letters

  • various essay statements: personal, research, etc.

• Start thinking and preparing: figure out which fellowships you are interested in/eligible for early; start preparing application materials by the summer before at the latest- many deadlines happen in the Fall semester

  • Take your time crafting your statements (research, personal, etc.)- it takes many drafts and iterations to polish everything into a strong statement

• Talk to your PI, advisor, (faculty or student) mentors: get advice on how to form your statements, get help in editing your statements; people are often willing and eager to help if you just ask