We just wanted to give a big shout out to all of the 2012 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship winners. This post is a roundup of recent articles we’ve collected from around the web. If you have an article and do not see it here, please feel free to add a link in the comments. Congrats everyone!
Alexandra Bentz (photo credit: Appalachian State University)
Appalachian State University
Have passion, seize opportunities and solve challenges, graduates told
Alexandra Bentz, received a $30,000 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. Read more.
From left to right: Erik Stout, Brian Perea, Michael Kenney, John Ingraham. (photo credit: Chakris Kussalanant)
Arizona State University
4 juniors win top national awards as up-and-coming scientists
Four remarkable ASU juniors who already are doing sophisticated research and presenting their work to national audiences have won Goldwater Scholarships, the nation’s premier awards for undergraduates studying science, math and engineering. Read more.
Bianca Williams (photo credit: Auburn University)
Auburn University
Two Auburn University seniors awarded National Science Foundation graduate research fellowships
Auburn University students Bianca Williams, a senior in chemical engineering, and Devin Kalafut, a senior in mechanical engineering, have been awarded National Science Foundation graduate fellowships. Read more.
(photo credit: Baylor University)
Baylor University
Baylor Doctoral Student Awarded National Science Foundation Fellowship
Zack Valdez, doctoral candidate in The Institute of Ecological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (TIE3S) at Baylor University, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate research fellowship in the geosciences. Read more.
Caroline Smith (photo credit: Veenema Lab)
Boston College
BC grad student wins NSF graduate fellowship
Caroline Smith, graduate student in Alexa Veenema’s lab, has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for her research on the neural mechanisms regulating social novelty-seeking. Read more.
Elyas Bakhtiari (photo credit: Boston University)
Boston University
PhD candidate Bakhtiari awarded NSF Fellowship
Sociology Ph.D Candidate Elyas Bakhtiari was awarded one of three graduate student fellowships under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellows Program. Read more.
Samuel McCandlish (photo credit: Brandeis University)
Brandeis University
Six scientists secure fellowships
Samuel McCandlish ’12 (Physics) , a current student who did research with Michael Hagan and Aparna Baskaran, resulting in a paper “Spontaneous segregation of self-propelled particles with different motilities” in Soft Matter(as a junior). Read more.
(photo credit: City University of New York)
City University of New York (CUNY)
Record 16 CUNY students win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
A record 16 CUNY students — 15 of whom earned undergraduate degrees at the University — have won National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships for work toward their master’s or doctoral degrees. Read more.
(photo credit: Rice University)
Rice University
20 NSF fellowships awarded to Rice students for graduate study
The six Rice seniors and 14 Rice graduate students chosen as NSF graduate research fellows will receive support for three years of graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in the fields of science and engineering relevant to the NSF’s mission. Read more.
Jennifer Sepulveda (photo credit: University of Arizona)
University of Arizona
Students Awarded NSF Graduate Fellowships
Five students who participated in federally funded graduate education preparatory programs for low-income, first-generation or underrepresented students at the University of Arizona have earned National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships. Read more.
Elizabeth (Lizzy) Mahoney (photo credit: University of Delaware)
University of Delaware
Ten win prestigious graduate fellowships from National Science Foundation
Ten University of Delaware students and recent alumni have received National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Program Fellowships. Numerous Nobel Prize winners are among past recipients of the prestigious award. Read more.
(photo credit: University of Hawaii at Hilo)
University of Hawaii at Hilo
UH Hilo students earn Graduate Fellowships
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has presented Graduate Student Fellowship Awards to a pair of University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo students enrolled in the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) master’s degree program. Read more.
Left to Right: Cameron Williams, Audrey Cheong, Darren Seibert and Thomas Markovich (photo credit: University of Houston)
University of Houston
5 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships awarded to UH students, alumna
From cognitive neuroscience to theoretical physics, this year’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellows from the University of Houston (UH) have their sights set on careers in fields ranging from medicine to energy. Read more.
Adam J Dixon (photo credit: adamjdixon.com)
University of Virginia
Ten U.Va. Graduate Students Earn NSF fellowships
This year’s fellowship winners will be conducting graduate work, in biomedical engineering, developmental psychology and social psychology. Four of them, all in biomedical engineering, earned their bachelor’s degrees from U.Va. Read more.
Katrina Noyes, Emerging Markets Development Advisor in Jordan
Katrina Noyes is a current fellow of the Emerging Markets Development Advisors Program in Jordan. EMDAP is a unique opportunity for students and recent graduates to contribute to emerging market business development by using their knowledge of business management practices to identify business solutions in diverse situations. MBA/MA students and graduates of International Development/Relations programs spend one year abroad in a developing country to work on a USAID project or directly with a community development organization. With the EMDAP application deadline approaching on May 25, 2012, we thought this would be a great opportunity to ask Katrina about her experience.
1. Why did you decide to apply for the Emerging Markets Development Advisors Program?
After working in finance and consulting in the U.S. for four years, I decided to redirect my career toward non-profit work. I completed my master’s degree and then began looking for professional opportunities that would provide me with international field experience in community development. EMDAP is focused on doing just that. I also had the flexibility that the program requires – when applying, you do not know what country or organizations you will be matched with. Moreover, EMDAP is implemented by a well-known organization and offers a cost-of-living stipend, health insurance, and language training.
I spent my first year with EMDAP at one of the King Hussein Foundation’s projects in the south of Jordan – the Aqaba Micro Business Incubator – where I worked directly with micro-entrepreneur clients. I decided to reapply to EMDAP for a second year to continue to learn about the Foundation and non-profit management from its main office in Amman, Jordan’s capital.
2. What do you think made your application stand out?
I believe that I have a good mix of technical skills, business knowledge, and academic experience related to international development. I made it clear in my cover letter and interviews that I am patient, flexible, and enthusiastic. These are three qualities that have helped me deal with both work and professional challenges in Jordan. I also made sure to thoroughly understand the job description for each position I interviewed for and give specific examples of work that I have done related to desired qualifications.
3. What tips would you give others applying for the Emerging Markets Development Advisors Program?
It is important that your resume is clear and, when possible, you should quantify your successes. Any examples of proposal writing and fundraising are always interesting to non-profit organizations that depend on donors. In interviews, show that you have a strong interest in working in other cultures and make sure you are able to articulate how the program relates to your short-term and long-term goals. For EMDAP, your resume should show you have diverse skills and interests that would be valuable to organizations working in different fields.
Finally, if you are interested in programs like EMDAP, you can apply in more than one year. Your chances of being hired will change from year to year depending on the positions available.
As an EMDAP fellow, Katrina Noyes works with the King Hussein Foundation in Amman, Jordan. She has an undergraduate degree in Economics from Colby College and a master’s degree in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management from the School for International Training Graduate Institute.
If you’ve applied for a fellowship and are invited for an interview, congratulations! You are fellowship semi-finalist, and that’s something to be proud of.
Normally a fellowship selection committee reviews the written applications and narrows down the applicant pool to a small number of semi-finalists. If you get to the semi-finalist round it means your written application and project proposal have made the cut. At this point, any one of you can win the fellowship. The interview is not for the fellowship organization to hear more about your resume or project proposal, it’s really for the selection committee to learn more about your personality, your social skills and your ability to represent the fellowship organization well.
The semi-finalists are normally invited to a central location for one or more interviews with the selection committee. For all four of my fellowships, I was invited to a multi-day interview event, which involved an individual interview with a selection committee and a group interview with all the candidates. Sometimes the group interview is formal, for example, the semi-finalist group would be provided a question and the selection committee observes how the group responds to the question (much like a team project for a class). In most cases, the group interview is informal. This means that the selection committee observes you and the other semi-finalists during a reception, dinner or other networking events. Often candidates do not realize that the dinner or reception associated with the interview event is a group interview, but it is. The fellowship selection committee is watching your every move from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave. Keep that in mind.
Some tips for the interviews:
#1: Do background research: It’s important to know the ins and out of your fellowship project proposal, of course, since you’ll be asked about it a lot. You should also have a good knowledge of the history of the fellowship organization, the location you are proposing to go to during the fellowship, and the people you will meet at the interview event. If you are interviewing for a fellowship abroad, it’s also extremely important to read up (and practice) cultural etiquette since representatives of that country will likely be at your interview events.
#2: Practice your elevator pitch: You are going to be asked a million times what your project proposal is, so prepare and practice a short and sweet description. It doesn’t matter how complicated your project is, you need to figure out a way to describe it in one sentence and avoid using jargon. Your ability to communicate effectively and succinctly is one of the things fellowship organizations look for in candidates, because it’s a good social skill. Also keep in mind some members of the fellowship selection committee may not work in your field, so don’t talk in technical terms unless it’s clear you’re speaking to someone who is familiar with your discipline.
#3: Be friendly, not smarmy: Smarmy is defined as “Ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is perceived as insincere or excessive”. Smarmy might work on Wall Street or at a sorority brunch, but it really doesn’t work in fellowship interviews. Fellowship organizations are looking for candidates who work well in teams, communicate well with high-level officials, are self-confident (not cocky), and act maturely in all social settings. They are looking for people who will maintain the fellowship organization’s good reputation both in the U.S. and abroad. This means you need to be friendly and sincere not just to the selection committee but to your fellow semi-finalists and anyone who serves you during the interview events. They are watching how to you interact with everyone, not just them.
#4: Don’t be intimated by other semi-finalists: I really mean this. Once you are at the interviews, it’s not about your resume, age or work experience, it’s about your personality, your self-confidence and your passion for your proposed project. At the fellowship interviews I’ve participated in, I’ve marveled at the backgrounds of my fellow semi-finalists and had moments of self-doubt. But I still managed to win the fellowships over semi-finalists who had more work experience, more academic credentials and dare I say, more interesting projects. I believe I stood out because I did my background research, I practiced talking about my topic before the interview, I conducted myself with poise, and most importantly, I expressed how passionate I am about my research.
Need more tips? Send me an email!
And check out the full series, beginning with #1: Create a Fellowship Application Plan.
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.
Listing fellowships on ProFellow is a bit different than traditional fellowship and scholarship databases so we thought it might be helpful to provide tips on how to do it. We’ve designed ProFellow to be a discovery platform: a place where fellowship organizations provide a brief overview of their opportunities, matching criteria and a link to their website. In turn, fellowship seekers can discover fellowships that match their background and interests, read pertinent details about each opportunity at a glance, and visit fellowship websites for more information.
Fellowship Name, Organization and URL
These fields are fairly self explanatory, however there are a few things you can do to ensure that listings are searchable, easy to maintain, and relevant to candidates. For fellowship and organization names, include commonly used acronyms inside parentheses when applicable. This ensures that if candidates search using those acronyms they’ll find your fellowship.
Also, avoid including date specific information in the fellowship name (i.e. 2012-2013). If there is specific information that relates to the current year only, it’s best for candidates to find this information on your website.
Third, in the URL field, include the direct link to the fellowship page on your website rather than a link to your website home page. This ensures that candidates find the fellowship details with ease. It’s also important to paste the full link, including the http://. The best way to do this is to copy and paste straight from your browser.
Here’s a good example of fellowship and organization titles:
Fellowship Types and Disciplines
These fields are also fairly straight forward. For each, select all that apply. For example, if the listing is for professionals and is offered only during the summer months, then selecting both “Professional” and “Summer Fellowship” is ideal.
As for Fellowship Disciplines, the disciplines selected should describe the focus of the fellowship, rather than the background of potential applicants. For example, a teaching fellowship like Teach for America may allow applicants from many different backgrounds and disciplines. However, we would define the disciplines of the Teach for America program to be “Education” and “Public Service”. To ensure users don’t miss out on great fellowship opportunities, we encourage them to be open-minded and look at fellowships categorized in different disciplines.
Keywords
Keywords are the extra details about a fellowship, the type of things that usually exist in a detailed description. Keywords should be used to describe things such as subdisciplines (i.e. adding aeronautical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, etc. to an engineering fellowship), specifics regarding fellowship locations (i.e. Berlin, Munich, Germany, United States, Washington, DC, Los Angeles), eligibility requirements (i.e. minority, Jewish, African American, etc.) and other meaningful information that candidates will likely consider when seeking a fellowship (i.e. young professionals, scholars, U.S. Congress, etc.).
You may have noticed that we don’t use the keywords for search - yet. We are gathering feedback from beta users now about how they like to search and find fellowship opportunities that best match their interests and eligibility. Once we get all that feedback we’ll updating ProFellow with new search and matching features.
Here’s a good example of keywords for the Ogilvy Fellowship UK:
Fellowship Locations and Citizenships
For these fields, select all that apply. For the fellowship location, select all of the continents where the fellowship can be performed. If the fellowship can be performed anywhere in the world, then select all continents. If the fellowship can only be performed in Germany, then select Europe. Use keywords to identify specific countries and cities.
For citizenships, select all from which candidates are eligible to apply. If the fellowship is for all graduate students currently attending U.S. universities, then select United States as the citizenship and check the box “Open to U.S. residents”. If candidates from any country are eligible then select “Any”.
Work Experience, Gender and Application Deadline
No surprises here. If your fellowship requires 10 or more years of work experience, is only for men or women, or has an application deadline, then it’s important to fill out these fields on the form.
For the fellowship deadline, if you have multiple deadlines (i.e. Spring and Fall), then enter in the nearest upcoming deadline. If you have a rolling deadline, then leave the field blank. In any case, we encourage users to check your website for the most accurate information.
Fellowship Description
The fellowship description is your opportunity, in as few a words as possible, to tell candidates exactly what they want to know about your fellowship. We’ve intentionally limited this field to 650 characters so it’s easy to maintain, and includes only the most pertinent information about a fellowship. We’ve also found that short descriptions make it easier for users to skim information and quickly find fellowships that match their background and interests.
An ideal fellowship description includes a brief overview of the program, the length of the fellowship, the stipend amount(s), and additional eligibility information that is not already accounted for in other fields. Please avoid including date specific references (i.e. info only relevant for one year), additional links, contact info, etc. Candidates can gather these details from your website. Here’s an example of a great fellowship description:
We hope this is a helpful overview for how to create effective fellowship listings on ProFellow. If you have any questions or would like to provide us with feedback, please see the recently added feedback link in the beta website.
Thanks for your participation on ProFellow! We look forward to hearing from you.
If you are not yet participating and would like to list your fellowships on ProFellow, please contact us.
We’re pleased to announce that our private beta is now under way. Throughout the last week we’ve gradually been inviting a select group of individuals and organizations to participate, something we will continue to do over the coming weeks and months. We want everyone to know how important it is to us to be transparent and accessible to our users, so moving forward we’ll be posting regular updates on our blog. Okay, here goes the first one!
Keeping it simple
To start we’ve intentionally made our interface very basic. Traditional fellowship, grant and scholarship databases tend to overwhelm users with lengthy forms or filters, upon filters, upon filters intended to make finding funding easier, but often times having the opposite effect. We know that there are many fellowships that individuals qualify for that they often unknowingly exclude themselves from. For this reason we’ve adopted a minimalist approach and will be relying heavily on testing and user feedback for new features. We’ve received excellent feedback so far. Please keep it coming!
We’re already growing
We started the beta with 200 fellowships, and this week alone, 70 new fellowships were added. Our database now represents nearly 14,000 fellowship awards worth more than $600 million in annual funding. Although we have several opportunities for foreign nationals, most of our current opportunities are for U.S. citizens and/or residents. This is by design, but certainly not permanent. We’ve partnered with several U.S. universities for participation in our beta so we’ve consciously focused on opportunities for those students. It’s our goal for ProFellow to be useful to people of all backgrounds and citizenships, so over the course of the beta we’ll continue to add more opportunities for all nationalities and disciplines.
Start the conversation
In addition to helping make the process of finding fellowships easier, we want to help you win them. No better way to do that than to start talking about the fellowships you’re interested in. Some of you may or may not have noticed the comments section at the bottom of each fellowship record. This is the ideal place to start the conversation!
Kudos
We just wanted to say thanks for all of the kudos that we’ve received so far. We have a long way to go, but we’re excited about ProFellow and are glad that you are too. Here’s a few of our favorites from this week.
“I would like to be the first to tell you that this website is so flipping cool.” – Rose, University of Delaware
“This site is amazing. It is making scholarship and fellowship search so much easier and less time-consuming.” - Allison, California State University, Fullerton
“I love your site. It’s fantastic for someone like me since I’m a rising college senior and will be applying to a lot of fellowships in the Fall.” - Julia, Swarthmore College
That’s all for now, but we’ll keep the posts coming. To make it easy for you to keep up with all beta related posts we created a “beta” category. Just click the link on our sidebar to see all of the posts. Have a great weekend!
In Part 1, I described how to break down the questions and how to identify and reach out to potential referees. Next, you’ll want to prepare a template letter for each one. The key is to make each template different. You’ll want each referee to highlight different aspects of your accomplishments, experiences and personality so that the fellowship organization has an opportunity to learn as many things about you as possible.
Example of instructions for recommendation letters from the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship application:
“Two letters of reference. Each letter should address the accomplishments and standing of the candidate; the candidate’s interest and experience in peace and security issues; the candidate’s ability to communicate, both orally and in writing; the candidate’s maturity and judgment, and the candidate’s potential to make a significant contribution to peace and security issues. Signatures are preferred but not required.”
Here’s how to start. In my last post, I took the example reference letter request above and broke it into 9 “questions”:
- accomplishments of the candidate
- standing of the candidate
- the candidate’s interest in peace and security issues
- the candidate’s experience in peace and security issues
- the candidate’s ability to communicate orally
- the candidate’s ability to communicate in writing
- the candidate’s maturity
- the candidate’s judgment
- the candidate’s potential to make a significant contribution to peace and security issues.
Referees need to address each of these questions. Therefore, think about the three types of referees you have - e.g. academic, professional, extracurricular, etc. – and begin drafting some bullet points for each of the 9 questions. For example, question #1 is “accomplishments of the candidate”, so you’ll want develop bullet points on your academic, professional and extracurricular accomplishments. Try to think of as many specific examples as possible.
What you’ll want to provide your referee is the business letter draft, including the addresses, date and saluation (see Part 1). You should also add an opening sentence and a closing sentence. For example, one letter can open with: “It is my pleasure to provide an enthusiastic letter of support for Victoria Johnson’s application and project proposal for the Ian Axford Fellowship in Public Policy.” It could close with: “Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is any further information I can provide in support of her candidacy. Sincerely,” For each template, make sure the opening and closing sentences are slightly different.
The second document you provide the referee should include the full recommendation letter question and the break-out questions you created, with bullet points listed for each. Again, each referee should be provided with different bullet points. With this, the referee can fill in the meat of the letter.
Also be sure to provide the referee any specific instructions about submitting the letter and the deadline. I recommend asking them to submit the letter no later than 3 days before the deadline.
Mark your calendar to remind yourself to give the referee a reminder one week before the deadline if they have not already submitted the letter by that date.
Next up: #9: Nailing the Individual and Group Interviews
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.
Alex Lang, 2010 NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Alex Lang, a graduate student at Boston University, is paying it forward. On his personal website, AlexHunterLang.com, Alex has collected and posted many examples of winning essays written by him and other winners of the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship, to help others prepare their applications. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides graduate students in science and engineering a three-year fellowship including an annual stipend of $30,000 and an additional $10K for your university. The application requires three letters of reference, a personal statement, and 2-page essays on previous research and proposed research. Alex gave us some insider tips.
1. Why did you decide to apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship?
I did some physics research as an undergraduate and loved it. So, when I was applying to graduate school, I also applied for various fellowships so that I could start the research phase of graduate school as soon as possible. While I applied for several fellowships, my main goal was always the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program since it offers flexibility. An applicant needs to specify their research interests (which I was unsure of at the time), but after talking to a current graduate student, I learned that the NSF really funds a person, not a project. This came in handy for me, since my application was on Quantum Computing but now I do Biophysics research.
2. What do you think made your application stand out?
I had several different research experiences as an undergraduate. I was lucky that the research I was doing for my senior thesis was progressing well enough to have a paper submission at the time of applying. I also had a unique extracurricular activity. I had been Vice President of my hometown School Board, and one of the big issues while I was on the board was the changing of the math curriculum. That experience gave me plenty to write about in my essays.
3. What tips would you give others applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship?
Don’t be intimidated! The application can seem daunting since it involves three essays judged by “Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.” Even today after applying and helping others apply, I can’t define what NSF means by those criteria. But, when I was applying, I found it really helpful to learn by example and I talked extensively with graduate students that had an NSF GRFP. I found it so helpful that it motivated me to put my essays on my website and try to collect as many other examples as I could find. So don’t be afraid to look and ask for help.
Alex Lang is a second year graduate student in Physics at Boston University and blogs on his experiences at alexhunterlang.com. He’s also getting married in May. Congrats Alex!
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.
Most fellowships require one to three recommendation letters from people who can speak to your intellectual and professional accomplishments, as well as your personality. Many applicants simply take the instructions for the recommendation letter and flit them off to their chosen referees via email. Some university advisors may even suggest that this is the best approach. However, if you want winning recommendation letters, there’s a much better way to guarantee success.
Example of instructions for recommendation letters from the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship application:
“Two letters of reference. Each letter should address the accomplishments and standing of the candidate; the candidate’s interest and experience in peace and security issues; the candidate’s ability to communicate, both orally and in writing; the candidate’s maturity and judgment, and the candidate’s potential to make a significant contribution to peace and security issues. Signatures are preferred but not required.”
To start, look closely at the instructions for the reference letters. Similar to my advice for developing a strong personal statement, I suggest you start by breaking down the question. As an example, I’ve broken down the reference letter question from the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship above. The highlighted phrases are:
- accomplishments of the candidate
- standing of the candidate
- the candidate’s interest in peace and security issues
- the candidate’s experience in peace and security issues
- the candidate’s ability to communicate orally
- the candidate’s ability to communicate in writing
- the candidate’s maturity
- the candidate’s judgment
- the candidate’s potential to make a significant contribution to peace and security issues.
You now have 9 “questions” and it’s important your referee answers each one.
Now think about who can answer these questions about you and would be willing to prepare you a positive letter. You should not ask for recommendation letters from people who have not worked with you in some capacity. Not only do you put those people in an uncomfortable position, but you’ll get a much better letter from someone who knows you. Letters from Congressman, university Presidents, CEOs, etc. are pointless unless you have worked with that person in some significant way.
Also, rather than asking people who have worked with you in a similar way (two professor or two bosses) try to identify two or three people that have a different relationship to you: one person who can speak to your academic accomplishments, one who can speak to your professional development, one who can speak to your extracurricular activities, etc.
Now ask yourself this: what’s the guarantee that your referee will specifically answer all 9 of the questions above if you just send them the instructions? It’s zero. As someone who has written many recommendation letters for others, I can tell you that the inclination to brush over or skip one or two of these questions is high, especially when I have very little time to sit down and write a glowing letter from scratch. The best thing you can do is prepare a template for every single one of your referees. People like editing much more than they like writing from scratch, and by preparing a template you will increase your chances of getting a strong, detailed recommendation letter by tenfold.
Email each one of your potential referees and tell them about your intentions to apply for the fellowship and politely ask for a letter of recommendation. In the email, tell them you would be happy to provide him or her a draft letter if they prefer one (In the upwards of 50 times I have asked for a recommendation letter, 100% have preferred to be provided a draft – enough said).
Once you receive a confirmation from them, prepare a template letter for each one. Start by creating a business letter template in Word with the date and the fellowship organization’s address. Also insert “[on letterhead]“ at the top of the page to indicate that the letter should be placed on the person’s letterhead. Also add the salutation (Dear) with the name of the person who the letter is being addressed to. If there is no specific contact for the fellowship, direct the letter to the head of the organization and be sure to include the correct title (e.g. Dr.).
In my next post, I’ll go into detail about the next part of the template.
Next up: Get a Great Recommendation Letter, Part 2
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.
Many fellowships require a project or research proposal describing exactly what you plan to do during the fellowship period. The Project Proposal question in the fellowship application may be a series of questions, and it’s important you answer each one in your essay. Below is a list of the common questions, and what the fellowship committee really wants to know:
1. Question: What is the topic of your research?
What they’re really asking: Can you concisely explain your research question and goals?
2. Question: What is the purpose and merit of the research?
What they’re really asking: What will this research contribute to your field and to society, and are these contributions significant? How will the success of this research reflect on the fellowship organization?
3. Question: What is the research methodology?
What they’re really asking: Is the proposed research feasible in the time period of the fellowship, and will the candidate have adequate resources? Is the research over-ambitious or under-ambitious?
4. Question: How well-qualified are you to conduct this type of research?
What they’re really asking: Why should we believe you can successfully pull this off?
5. Question: How will you disseminate the results of your research?
What they’re really asking: Do you know the important people, journals, conferences and organizations in your field?
6. Question: What are the benefits of this project to you personally?
What they’re really asking: Are you passionate about this work? Will the completion of this research advance your career goals? Why is this fellowship opportunity more important to you than other opportunities?
Before you begin writing in earnest, it is a good exercise to develop several project proposal ideas and share them with former fellows, professors, colleagues and friends. In my previous post, I discuss the importance of tying your project ideas to something in the news and something time-specific.
Similar to my advice for preparing a strong personal statement, my advice for preparing a project proposal is to start by breaking down the questions and drafting potential answers in bullets. Once you have several bullet points under your questions, take the best ideas to begin writing sentences that directly answer the questions.
Think carefully about the methodology you are proposing. Proposing a project that is overly ambitious is as dangerous as proposing a project that is too simple. If you have a lot of uncertainty in some aspects of your proposal, such as access to research participants, ethics issues, and costs, I strongly suggest you propose a modified version, or even a completely different project, that allows no uncertainty about your ability to complete the research. For obvious reasons, fellowship organizations do not want to fund projects that may not succeed. Get as much advice as possible from professors, colleagues and experts on your methodology.
Another piece of advice I give to fellowship applicants, particularly those applying to a fellowship abroad, is figure out a way to incorporate travel in your research. You can propose a project that will chain you to a desk or a lab bench 5 days a week, but why not propose a project that requires focus groups, interviews or observations in different parts of the country? Your fellowship may allow you to travel on weekends, but if you can, make travel part of your job. That’s what I did.
The biggest advantage to writing a strong project or research proposal for your fellowship application is the knowledge that you don’t necessarily need to do exactly what you proposed once you win the fellowship. What is important is your ability to effectively convey an idea and an approach. For fellowship committees, the strength and effectiveness of your project proposal is the best indicator of your success. The idea itself is less important, and what we found from speaking to hundreds of fellowship winners is that many people change their idea after they win the fellowship.
Next: #8: Get a Great Recommendation Letter
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.