Many fellowships programs have specific, complicated application procedures. You must follow them carefully. If you have questions, please contact the fellowships tutors (lohofell (at) fas ).

Application Materials
Most applications for Harvard competitions are available from the Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Office of the Office of Career Services or the Committee on General Scholarships. Do not rely entirely on applications you find on national fellowship program websites. Some fellowships require University endorsement, and Harvard may use separate application materials for its endorsement process. Once you have found fellowships for which you would like to apply, use the online supplement to The Harvard College Guide to Grants to determine if Harvard requires additional materials.

Application Deadlines
Please note that fellowship programs will often have detailed submission requirements. Applications may have postmark, receipt, or online submission deadlines; specific submission times; or carrier limitations. If you are mailing applications internationally, it is suggested that you allow additional time and also use a service that will allow you to track your package.

All OCS applications have very strict 12:00 noon deadlines, and the OCS Fellowships Offices notes:
Common excuses like computer glitches, printer problems, alarms not working, not knowing about needing to make copies, late recommendation letters, waiting for transcripts, busy course schedules, traffic problems, etc. are simply not viable excuses for missing deadlines. Students should have their applications properly formatted and uploaded at least the night before the deadline, if not earlier. If you have any problems getting your recommendation letters, it is clearly stated on your application forms that you must still submit the rest of your completed application before the time the application is due.

Important: If you are having technical problems uploading your application (or other last minute problems), call or go in person to the OCS fellowships office (or to the appropriate office for that fellowship).

Writing Proposals

Please remember that fellowships are means to pursue important goals, and your primary opportunity to express the importance of this project is in your proposal. A fellowship proposal is not like a college application essay in that you are not writing to communicate all your activities and accomplishments. Rather, your proposal should be focused on the project you want to undertake. A proposal should also describe who you are and why there is a good fit between you and the project. Think of your writing as a story told through both a personal essay and a project proposal. Make a compelling case for you as an applicant, for the location of study or travel, and for the project you hope to pursue.

Additionally, think about the people who will be reading your proposal. Please keep in mind that selection committees for most general scholarships may not be overly familiar with the intricacies of your specific field, so try to keep jargon and technical language to a minimum.

Show your essay to someone before you submit it. The fellowships tutors are happy to review essays and give you feedback during our weekly office hours. We will read primarily for substance and content, not grammar or punctuation.

Personal Statements

It may help to view the personal statement from the perspective of the scholarship committee that will be reading your application. They have seen your list of activities, courses, and desired program of study. What questions will they have?

• What you want to do? (Proposal)
• Why do you want to do what you are proposing to do? (Motivation)
• What experiences do you have that qualify you for this proposal?
• How will the proposal benefit you?
• How will the proposal benefit other? (Should include career plans)

How much time you devote to each of these (and the order) will depend on your proposal. For example, if you are applying for a scholarship to study an obscure subject in the UK, you might devote most of the essay to explaining what it is you do and how it fits the goals of the scholarship (e.g. helping others) and hopefully in the process show your enthusiasm and expertise. While someone else who is applying to study delivery of care to AIDS orphans may not have to say much about why the work is important but rather devote more time to explaining their own motivation, expertise, and how the degree will help them achieve their goals this in the future. All of these questions should be answered using rich detailed examples--not general summary statements!

CV's, resumes, activities lists

Most fellowships require you to submit something that lists and describes each of your jobs, research experiences, and extracurricular activities. Even if the document is called an activity list, you are still expected to describe what you did within each organization, rather than just to provide a list.

Courtney has written a brief (7-page) guide on preparing CV's for fellowships applications. To get a copy, email lohofell@fas and request it. Then, once you have updated your CV accordingly, you can email lohofell@fas your updated CV for review at our fellowship office hours.

Letters of Recommendations

Almost all programs will require letters of recommendation. Here are a few tips to get you started on requesting letters of recommendation:

• Make sure you give your referees sufficient time to write their letters! Two weeks is a reasonable minimum.
• Don't feel guilty about asking for letters of recommendation. It's part of your professors' job. However, do ask them if they would be able to write a strong letter, and be sure to give them enough advance warning (4-6 weeks is ideal).
• If people have already written letters for you, don't be bashful about asking for more letters. Once your professors have written letters, it's not much work to change the addressee and send them out somewhere else.
• If possible, try to figure out what you're going to apply for and request all your letters at once (but don't let that discourage you from applying to other things later on).
• If you need a letter sent somewhere, include a stamped, addressed envelope.
• In the pile of information you give to your recommenders, include a cover sheet that says what thing(s) you're applying for and when the letter(s) is due. Include a copy of your CV and your essays/proposals (or, if you haven't yet finished writing, just include a synopsis of what you're planning to do). Please also send any comments and grades you received on material from their course, if applicable.
• Professors are busy and forgetful. Remind them when the deadlines are approaching. Keep following up until you know the letters have been submitted.
• If you're unsure what someone thinks of you, it's OK to ask whether that person feels she can write you a strong letter of recommendation. You can use her response to gauge whether you want to ask her for a letter.
• Letters should be from people who best know you and your accomplishments. It doesn't matter if the professor has tenure or even whether she's still at Harvard.
• It is OK to get letters from TF's. Letters written by professors tend to be stronger, but you are better off with a letter from a TF who knows you than a professor who doesn't. You can request that a letter from a TF be written jointly with a professor or at least be cosigned by her. More about this here.
• Write thank you notes when someone writes you a letter of recommendation.
• Whenever you request a letter of recommendation, have a copy sent to your house file (more information in the FAQ).
• •Read more about letters of recommendation in the recommendations section of the fellowships FAQ.

In the recommendations section of the FAQ, we offer several suggestions about who to ask (and who not to ask) for letters, how to ask, and how to use the House credential file.

Project Budgets

OCS has developed a brief guide to preparing project budgets, which are requirements for several research and travel-related programs.

Harvard Travel Policy

Students submitting proposals to support travel or study abroad should be aware that the University will not support or sponsor travel to countries for whom warnings have been issued by the U.S. Department of State.

Applying for Graduate Study

If you are applying for fellowships that fund graduate study, please note that most of these programs will not also coordinate your admission to the school. It is your responsibility to simultaneously apply for graduate school admission and fellowships; be careful to meet all admission and application deadlines.