Chapter 1
An Introduction to Fellowships and Grants
Whether you call them fellowships or grants, the general principle is one and the same: to provide money toward study, research, and other academic projects. Both are awarded by foundations or individuals and pay for a wide variety of endeavors.
DIVERSE OPPORTUNITIES
Fellowships may support:
* Study in a given field, either as part of an organized program or as independent research
* Study in a particular location (in the United States or abroad) or research facility
* Student-conducted research
* Dissertation research
* Professional development
Unlike most U.S. colleges and universities, which offer aid based on need, fellowship committees often select recipients without regard for financial need -- their awards are given out on a competitive basis. In this manner, winners may be selected based on a number of key benchmarks, including grades, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and personal characteristics.
Just as the selection criteria for fellowships and grants are varied, so too are the kinds of organizations that offer these awards. From small, locally based companies to sprawling, nationally renowned corporations, fellowship-issuing organizations represent the gamut of academic fields and champion their causes in idiosyncratic manners.
Undoubtedly, the awards we all recognize by name are sponsored by large groups that have the type of prestige and money that engenders respect. But this is not to say that the only good fellowships are the ones that we hear about on the evening news. Just about anyone interested in pursuing a fellowship should be able to find at least one award that is perfect for him. There is no limitation on either the types of organizations that can offer fellowships or the types of prizes that these thousands of organizations can award.
Should You Apply?
Since the fellowship application process is often both highly competitive and time-consuming, you should consider two key elements of the application process before you embark upon it. First, you should figure out why you are interested in receiving an award. Second, you should look at your overall profile as an applicant and decide whether it meets the competitiveness level of the given award.
Why Apply?
For some students, applying for fellowships or grants is a matter of course. This Tulane University senior knew from the get-go that applying for a fellowship was the right thing to do:
There didn't seem to be much of a decision process about it. I had good grades, had had some interesting experiences, and had been involved in some interesting activities as an undergrad, so it made sense to aim as high as possible.
Applying for a fellowship or grant, however, is not always such a simple decision, and your choice should ultimately be based upon what you as a student are looking to gain through such an award.
Although successful fellowship applicants continue on to a wide variety of pursuits, college career advisers agree that the majority of applicants plan to attend graduate school or professional school, study abroad, and/or develop professionally after graduating from college. If your plans include any of these activities, going after a fellowship may well be the right step for you to take.
Sizing Yourself Up
It's one thing to fall in love with particular fellowships or grants. It's another to win their awards. How do you decide whether or not you've got a shot at them?
All fellowships and grants have several basic requirements you need to meet in order to apply. Before you begin, you need to be sure you fulfill these requirements, if only to avoid unnecessary embarrassment. Certain fellowships and grants are targeted for certain people. If you fall under the categories below, make sure to take advantage of anything in your background that may increase both your choices and your likelihood of earning an award.
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
Many fellowships and grants are only available to particular kinds of applicants. You may be eligible for such awards if you:
* Live in a specific region (either within the United States or abroad)
* Are a member of a specific racial, ethnic, cultural, or gender group
* Are a member of a particular group or organization
Some fellowships are extremely competitive, while others are less so. However, just like anything else for which you may have applied over the years, grades are definitely a key factor for most committees. If you've got a GPA of 3.5 or higher, great! You've earned a ticket to apply for the more prestigious fellowships available. But if you're not quite there, don't worry. An average academic record won't necessarily keep you from earning dough for your proposal.
Above and beyond what shows up on your transcript, award committees are looking for candidates who have contributed in some way to their particular field of study. One way you can achieve this end is through extracurricular activities at school and at home. Devoting yourself to your cause or field of study will certainly make you a stronger applicant. In addition, even if your grades aren't a strong selling point, the proposal you submit can make a world of difference. If your idea is well planned, relevant to your field of expertise, likely to produce concrete results, and, most important, feasible, you will most likely outshine a candidate with superior grades and an inferior proposal.
Once you've earmarked particular fellowships or grants, the best thing you can possibly do to help your chances is to research them thoroughly. Meet with people who have earned these awards in the past, and seek out those who have applied unsuccessfully to learn what to do and what not to do. Find out about the selection process. Be sure you're eligible to apply. And above all else, make sure you vision of the award meshes with the award's stated principles. A combination of all these factors can only make you a stronger candidate, and it can save you a great deal of stress during the application process.
Researching Fellowships and Grants
No matter which fellowships and grants you choose, the beginning of the application process is always the same. It involves hours of research and thought, which should culminate in a list of fellowships and grants that best suit your skills, needs, and interests.
Sources
While this book contains a comprehensive listing of fellowships and grants available, you may also want to search the World Wide Web for listings of fellowship and grant opportunities, as well as advice on how to start your search.From there, you can navigate to information about the school's financial aid offerings.You can check the home pages of schools abroad that interest you to see if financial aid information offered by the school is provided.Described here are thousands of fellowships and grants open primarily to graduate students, professionals, postdoctorates, and organizations.
Portable Fellowships and Grants Described on America Online
RSP Funding Focus
Keyword: RSP
If you are one of AOL's 18+ million subscribers, you can use RSP Funding Focus. This free site is set up to let subscribers both browse and search thousands of funding opportunities open to students attending or planning to attend graduate school either in the United States or abroad.
As useful as the fellowship-grant databases featured at these sites are, it is not advisable to rely upon any particular one of them too heavily. Each database uses different search criteria and lists different awards, so you may miss out on learning about good opportunities if you do not diversify your Web search as much as possible. Check out a range of sites for the widest possible coverage of available fellowships and grants.
The Undergraduate Career Services Office: A Mecca for Applicants
As you proceed further with your search for fellowships and grants, your undergraduate career services office is the best place to go. These offices usually offer an array of fellowship-related services for applicants, including information sessions, workshops, and advising. They may serve as liaisons between universities and major funding agencies and/or screening agencies, and they often administer and coordinate fellowship and grant applications. Their resource libraries should stock directories, past applications, program brochures, student evaluations of fellowships (from both those who were accepted and rejected from the fellowships), and other relevant information for prospective applicants. Many of these resources are also made available on career services office Web sites.
In general, your career services office can assist you most by pointing you in the direction of the people that can help you to ultimately win an award. Among the most qualified to give you guidance are fellowship advisers, committee members, and former applicants.
Fellowship/Grant Advisers
Fellowship/grant advisers are the people you go to when you need advice on the nuts and bolts of the application process. These are the individuals you want to seek out when you're deciding in which fellowships or grants you're interested and how to put together your application materials. Fellowship advisers will help you assemble an attractive file that shows committees not only why you're qualified for the award, but also how you're going to put the award to good use. Any time you have technical questions about your application -- whether it be how to phrase a sentence in your personal statement or which activities to put at the top of your résumé -- these are the people you should go to first.
Committee Members
While former award committee members are difficult to find on your own, your undergraduate career services office should have a list of those (often alums of your institution) who can answer questions for you. Committee members can provide invaluable advice on how you might consider packaging yourself in your application. One of the most important parts of the fellowship/grant application process is painting a portrait of yourself that is tailor-made for the specific award to which you're applying. Who better to ask about what a committee wants to see and hear than those who have served on committees themselves?
Former Applicants
Last -- but certainly not least -- you should seek the advice of former applicants to the fellowships and grants in which you are interested. You'll notice that this book is filled with sidebars that offer comments on the fellowship application process from these valuable sources. Read the sidebars, and find former applicants of your own to interview. Names of such people should also be on file in your career services office.
Perhaps the most important thing a former applicant can help you with is deciding for which fellowships you'd like to apply. They've gone through the process of paring down a list to a select few awards, which is often the most difficult part of the application process, use the advice they can give you on how to succeed in the fellowships race.
Q&A: How to Avoid Making a Fool of Yourself
There is a right and wrong way to go about gaining information from fellowship advisers, committee members, and former applicants. Of course, much of the etiquette for asking questions is stuff you've heard from your parents when growing up -- always be polite, seem interested in what they have to say (even if it's drivel), and look the other person straight in the eye.
But half the battle is just knowing what types of questions you should be asking these invaluable sources of knowledge. If you go into a session with one of them without a plan, they're going to think you're wasting their precious time. So below is a list of questions you can start out with. Where you go from there is entirely up to you.
Questions to Ask Fellowship/Grant Advisers:
* Where do I begin?
* What types of awards should I be looking for?
* How many awards should I consider applying for?
* How should I frame my personal statement?
* Who else should I look to for help in the process?
Questions to Ask Former Committee Members:
* What are committees looking for in an applicant with my interests?
* How should I package myself for committees?
* What do you think is the most important part of the application?
* Am I cut out for these particular awards?
* What makes a successful applicant?
Questions for Former Applicants:
* So tell me: how in the world did you do it?
* Do you think applying for your award was worth it?
* How did you prepare for interviews?
* If you could apply again, what would you change about your application process?
* Out of these fellowships and grants, which do you think I should choose?
Narrowing Your Search
The enormous range of fellowships and grants available reflects the varying styles and purposes of the funding sources. The application process, however, varies little among the majority of awards (the exceptions being several of the more competitive prizes). The first step toward earning an award is always the same: narrowing your search.
While conducting your search, it helps to focus on what you would actually do with your fellowship or grant if you landed it. It's extremely important to search for programs that fit your project, rather than to choose a fellowship or grant first and then conjure up an idea that falls within its general bounds. If you manage to pull this off, you will have hurdled one of the toughest obstacles of the process: matching yourself with the best possible fellowship or grant.
BASIC ANALYSIS
"When you're trying to pick the fellowships that best fit your academic needs, you need only apply a basic analysis:
1) Who: Is there a particular professor or group of professors you want to study with?
2) What: Which field or course of study do you plan to pursue, and what school offers the best such program?
3) When: Do you want to go directly to postgraduate academic work, and how many years do you want to spend?
4) Where: Choosing the right city or country in which to study is extraordinarily important.
5) How: How much money do you need, and which fellowships provide the best deal?
If you go through these simple steps and critically appraise your needs and desires, it will become clear which of the hundreds of fellowships you should pursue"
-- Yale University Senior
But because there are so many interesting fellowships out there -- and because many of us aren't that picky when selecting ones that sound "really good" -- applicants could find themselves swamped in attractive opportunities. Ultimately, your goal should be to whittle your final list to a number that will allow you to explore varied options without forcing you to spend all your time at a computer working on your application materials.
Show Me the Money!
Applying for fellowships and grants can yield a pot of gold for those lucky enough to have made it to the end of the rainbow. And depending upon which award you choose, it can be a really big pot.
Fellowship money serves primarily to cover the expenses you accrue in both studying and living independently. Fellowships may be awarded for only one year or for multiple years, and, depending on the competitiveness of the fellowship, they range anywhere from less than $1,000 to more than $30,000. Some fellowships pay for students' tuition and expenses in graduate school. Others cover the costs of research or travel. All of these factors make for a great range in terms of the amount each committee designates for its students.
Keep in mind that the amount you will receive depends upon factors over which you have only marginal control after you've graduated (or once you've chosen your major, if you're still in college). Make sure that the awards you pursue will compensate you adequately for the effort you put into them.
Your School's Role
Keep in mind that whether or not you have already graduated, your affiliation with your alma mater can play a large role in determining to which fellowships you may choose to apply. While the majority of fellowships or grants available to postgraduates are awarded through national competitions, many universities hold competitions of their own whose prizes are given only to current students or alumni of their particular school.
Furthermore, candidates for certain fellowships must be selected and endorsed by their academic institutions. The majority of these fellowships require current undergraduates or recent graduates to compete first with other candidates at their school. After students have sent their applications to a committee at their undergraduate institutions, it is at this committee's discretion to choose an allotted number of candidates from the applicant pool. The candidates endorsed by their schools then go on to the national competition, and their fate becomes at the discretion of the organization's own committee.
For How Many Should You Apply?
Many applicants narrow their list to between three to six fellowships, and the process isn't much different from the days when they were applying to college. It helps to rank these fellowships in terms of your likelihood of acceptance and your interest in them, ending up with a range of opportunities that includes at least one "likely" acceptance, a couple of middle-rangers (for which your chances of getting in are around fifty-fifty), and at least one "stretch." This way, you can still shoot for the stars and be pretty sure if you don't get your first choice, you'll have something to bank on anyway.
Maybe you think you're too lazy or don't have the time to apply for as many as six fellowships. Nonsense. A common myth is that the more applications you fill out, the more time you'll spend losing your eyesight from staring at your screen. This isn't the case (unless, of course, you apply for hundreds). Since the application process is similar for most fellowships, applying for one takes about as much time as applying for a handful.
Why not go for the glory and give several fellowships or grants a shot? If you end up getting one you didn't think you had a shot at, it'll just give you more money with which to play in the end.
Winning Multiple Fellowships
It is, however, important to note that just because you end up winning multiple fellowships doesn't mean that you can keep all the loot. If you apply for a number of opportunities that fund different aspects of your project, you will generally be able to use all the money you win. But many fellowships whose fields of study fall under the same general category require recipients to decline or defer all other offers until they have fulfilled the terms of the award.
It is possible to make use of multiple fellowship opportunities, but it can be tricky. For this reason, it is crucial to make sure you will actually be able to use the prizes you may receive before starting the application process.
The Chance of a Lifetime
Despite all the hurdles you must overcome in the application process, there is no question that the benefits of applying far outweigh the negatives. The bottom line is that those who take the time to map out their application plans well in advance and choose the awards for which they plan on applying wisely often end up sitting pretty in their first few years out of college.
Copyright © 1999, the Yale Daily News
