How to Apply for a Clare Boothe Luce Graduate Fellowship

The Clare Boothe Luce Graduate Fellowship provides two years of funding for women graduate students in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, meteorology, engineering, computer science and mathematics.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet Access
• Personal Computers
• Word-processing Software

1. Make sure you meet the criteria: that you are a woman, an American citizen, and a doctoral candidate in physics, chemistry, biology, meteorology, engineering, computer science or mathematics.

2. Keep in mind that financial need doesn't matter. Neither does race, age, religion or ethnic background.

3. Check to see if your university is either a "designated institution" or an "invited institution" that receives funds for the fellowship. If not, then you aren't eligible to apply.

4. Contact your university's fellowships office for specific information about application procedures, as the fellowships are administered on a campus-by-campus basis. Deadlines and supporting materials also vary by campus.

5. Notify professors and teaching assistants well ahead of time about any letters of recommendation you need from them.

6. Apply well before the application deadline to avoid the risk of missing it.

Tips & Warnings

• Amounts of funding vary from school to school, as do selection criteria, but all share academic excellence as the primary criterion. In some cases, students in master's degree programs will be considered.
• Photocopy your application materials before sending them in, and keep a copy for your records.
• Clare Boothe Luce was a playwright, journalist and politician - and at one point the U.S. ambassador to Italy - who was committed to helping women advance in fields historically dominated by men.
• Be wary of any fellowship that sounds too good to be true; it probably is. (See "eHow to Watch Out for Scholarship Scams.")