Graduate students often ask: why should I apply for a fellowship? The fellowships team at UChicagoGRAD is happy to meet with students wondering how a fellowship fits into their academic career. Fellowships can provide funding to pursue academic research or travel abroad for enriching learning experiences. Students also remark that competitive fellowships strengthen CV’s and resumes. But there is more to gain from fellowships than funding and prestige.

Students benefit from the process of applying to fellowships, which require applicants to offer compelling reasons justifying their research to specialists and interdisciplinary audiences alike. Applying to a fellowship encourages students to think through important logistics of their research, such how to select research participants, how many documents can feasibly be reviewed in archival settings, and how to set achievable goals. Some fellowship competitions, such as the Fulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad, provide feedback to applicants, which is an excellent, low-stakes opportunity to discover how others are interpreting your research proposal.

Those who apply to fellowships are equipped to speak to a variety of audiences about their goals and contributions, a skill that will serve students’ academic and professional trajectories in graduate school and beyond. We encourage you to apply!

To learn more about fellowships, schedule an advising appointment to explore opportunities, sign up for an upcoming event, or join our fellowships Canvas site. We offer written feedback on draft application materials for all fellowship opportunities.