How to Win a Graduate Fellowship

Posted on July 3, 2006 6 Comments

How to Win a Graduate Fellowship by Michael Kiparsky

The odds may seem against you, but this is a worthwhile exercise. A month before submitting my NSF proposal, I was deeply distressed. Everyone else applying seemed so much more in control, confident, and focused. I came pretty close to chucking the whole thing. I’m glad I didn’t.

The reason I stuck with it was that I shifted my attitude from an all-or-nothing, win-or-lose mentality. I relaxed, accepted that my chances were slim (everybody’s are!), and approached the process as an opportunity to explore an idea that I actually wanted to pursue, without attachment to the notion of a big payoff.

The article provides some good advice. You must commit the time to do a good job, the competition is steep. At the same time the payoff is large and the process is a learning experience. He lists many fellowships, another one is the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship.

Also the Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP), provides an opportunity for students to participate in research at a Department of Navy (DoN) laboratory during the summer. And Science and Engineering Apprentice Program (SEAP) provides competitive research internships to approximately 250 high school students each year.

Note while I work for ASEE this blog is my own and is not associated with ASEE. ASEE administers, and I work on, several of these fellowships including the: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, SMART, NDSEG, SEAP and NREIP.

Previous posts on fellowships and scholarships include: Graduate Scholar Awards in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (a proposed addition to the current federal fellowships), Google Announces 2006 Anita Borg Scholarship Winners, Science and Engineering Fellowships Legislation.