1. WHEN SHOULD I BEGIN TO APPLY
FOR A FELLOWSHIP?
Take a look at our deadlines page
to find out when the applications are due. In general, you need to apply
18 months in advance. For example, if you want to apply
for a Fulbright Grant for the 2008-2009 year, you would need to attend the
one of the Office of Fellowships Fulbright workshops in
Winter and/or Spring 2007 and you would apply during the Fall of the 2007
school year.
You need to give yourself a few months to prepare your application
before the actual application is due. You want to give yourself enough time
to write a solid essay or proposal and have several pairs of eyes read it
over and give you feedback to make your application a polished piece of prose
of which you and Northwestern can be proud.
2. IS MY G.P.A. HIGH ENOUGH?
WRONG QUESTION!! You should be trying to match your program
of interest, social service, or extra curricular activities to those advocated
by the respective funding body.
3. HOW DO I GO FROM A TOPIC TO
A RESEARCH QUESTION?
From
a Topic to a Question:
How One Northwestern Fulbright Winner Developed a Research Project
• Topic
A Northwestern student seeking to go overseas after graduation began with
this topic for a Fulbright application:
“The Philippines have a very interesting and lively Pro Basketball league.
They play 11 months a year and are one of the most basketball-crazed nations
in the world. The most famous Filipino basketball player is Robert Jaworski,
the son of an American G.I., who played 34 years and led a team to the Philippine
Basketball Association championship when he was 49. Dozens of businesses in
Manila are supposedly named after him.... I'd love to work on a proposal to
go write a long-form Journalism book, maybe about basketball in the Philippines
as a whole or one element of it -- the American players who carve out a life
for themselves there, the way squatters in Manila live in tents and shanties
but have homemade basketball courts everywhere, or perhaps a long profile of
a Filipino star.”
•Question
This student did additional library research on his topic to discover and
decide upon a particular direction the research might take. The three steps
from a topic toward a question, as outlined in The Craft of Research (2nd
ed, p 56), ended up developing in this way:
I am studying basketball in the Philippines,
because I want to find out why it became a dominant force in
the lives of modern-day Filipinos
in order to understand how the country has adapted the remnants
of U.S. colonialism to its own ends.
• An Excerpt from the Finished Proposal
“Sports often reflect the history, value system and organization of
the societies in which they are played. An analysis of sports, therefore,
can help improve our understanding of a country’s social mores, its
national character, and the way its citizens spend their money and leisure
time. In the Philippines, where the relationship between culture and basketball
is particularly intense, my research will raise and answer questions regarding
the Philippine identity and the country’s response to colonialism.
After 350 years of Spanish and then American domination, the Philippine Republic,
consisting of thousands of islands and dozens of distinct, indigenous languages,
has had difficulty finding its own cultural identity. Basketball, now a source
of national pride and unity, and English, one of the country’s two
official languages, are both remnants of U.S. colonialism. From Manila, the
home of the professional Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), to the
southern island of Mindanao, where guerrillas belonging to Islamic separatist
groups (Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayyaf) have been seen on television
wearing second-hand NBA apparel, basketball touches nearly every Filipino.
The ways in which Philippine basketball has evolved from its American forbear
displays this post-colonial society’s ability to transform foreign
influences to meet its own needs. Such a cultural adaptation is the Governor’s
Cup, the Philippine professional league that limits its players’ heights
at 6’4’’ to prevent taller foreign players from dominating
the game.”
4. WHAT IS "THE OFFICE OF FELLOWSHIPS' RULE
OF 10?"
REVIEWERS SPEND 10 MINUTES PER APPLICATION
INTRODUCE YOUR MAJOR POINTS IN FEWER THAN 10 SENTENCES
WRITE AT LEAST 10 DRAFTS
A FONT SMALLER THAN 10 PT WILL DISQUALIFY
YOU
5. WHAT IS
AN INTELLECTUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND HOW DO I WRITE ONE?
INTELLECTUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY
This essay lies at the core of a fellowship application and supplements the
research proposal in dissertation fellowships. You must explain to
your reader how you decided to devote years of your life to a given topic. Do
not recount what you’ve accomplished in the past but rather describe
what you have learned from your past experiences. Begin by REFLECTING
upon
the following question/s:
***I knew I wanted to study . . .
*** When . . .
*** Because . . .
6. WHAT
IS A RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND HOW DO I WRITE ONE?
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
This essay differs from
your dissertation proposal in fundamental ways. It
makes an argument for why you should be funded to readers who are unfamiliar
with your subfield. First, assert the importance of what you study.
Then demonstrate you have a sound methodology and adequate time to answer
the questions you have posed. Begin by REFLECTING upon
the following question/s:*
*** I am studying . . .
*** Because I want to find
out . . .
*** In
order to understand . . .
* Questions from The Craft of Research, U. Chicago Press, 1995.
7. HOW CAN I EFFECTIVELY DEMONSTRATE MY LEADERSHIP IN
A FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION?
For each of your activities write down the following:
Summary
Target
Action
Result
Fellowship committees want to know about the OUTCOMES of
your leadership. Merely holding office is NOT enough!
8. HOW
DO I DEVELOP AN ACADEMIC NETWORK AND WHY SHOULD I BOTHER?
FROM REFRESHMENTS TO REFERENCES:
A GUIDE TO NETWORKING
Never underestimate the power of a
hot drink. If coffee energized
the Enlightenment and tea roused Americans to Revolution, imagine what
a steaming mug can do for your academic career.
- Socialize with faculty and others in your cohort. They are great sources
of information and advice.
- Attend guest lectures and performances. The guest may review your next
application, article, or audition.
- Sit on committees. Learn how academic institutions work from the
inside.
- Take a professor, speaker, or fellow student out for a cup of coffee
or tea. They need to know you outside the lab or library in order to help
you!
Mentor one another! There is strength in numbers.
9. AS I WRITE MY ESSAY OR PROPOSAL, WHAT ARE
SOME THINGS THAT I NEED TO KEEP IN MIND?
REMEMBER
You have 10 minutes to win a fellowship.
Make every second/sentence count!
Start Early
Read Past Essays
Solicit Readers
REWRITE & REWRITE & REWRITE
10. WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?
For resources available for international
students, please consult the
International Students
Brochure.
11. WHERE CAN I GO FOR GENERAL WRITING AND MLA STYLE
ADVICE?
For Questions on Style, you should
consult the
University of Chicago Manual of Style.
There are sample form,letters, and style sheets available. Most questions
about form or style can be answered in this manual.
12. WHAT DOES
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION WANT TO SEE IN MY PROPOSAL?
NSF
Graduate Research Fellowship Program Presentation
13
HOW SHOULD I DIVIDE MY NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION PROPOSAL INTO SECTIONS?
Section
Headings for NSF Application Essays
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