How to Apply for an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship

If you are a poor, starving college student working toward a Ph.D. in a humanities field, consider applying for an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship, which could provide you with a $15,000 stipend for room and board, plus tuition and fees for the first year of doctoral study at any accredited college or university in Canada or the United States.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Printers
• Internet Access
• Printer Paper
• Computers
• Word-processing Software

1. Make sure you fit the basic profile before requesting an application. You should have already taken the GRE, be applying for graduate school admission and intend to study a humanities topic.

2. Call the Mellon Fellowships office at [phone], or request an application online. (See mellon.org.) The Mellon Fellowship staff will pre-qualify prospective applicants before sending out an application.

3. Look for the hard copy of your application in the mail or choose to complete your application online. With the latter option, you will be given an authorization code so you can access the form online.

4. Seek out the Mellon campus representative at your school for help in preparing your application. You can easily look up the name of your campus rep on the Mellon Fellowship Web site.

5. Talk to past and present professors and teaching assistants about writing a recommendation letter for you. Let them know they can even submit their recommendations online.

6. Purchase a daily planner to keep track of the important dates and things to do in order to ensure you get your application submitted before the December deadline.

7. Request transcripts a couple of months in advance, especially if you will be waiting on more than one school.

8. Put a lot of thought into writing a 1000-word essay explaining your passion for your chosen field and also into choosing a 5- to 7-page academic writing sample for submission.

9. Submit your application to Mellon Fellowships, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, 5 Vaughn Drive, Suite 300, Princeton, NJ 08540-6313. Wait to be assigned a region for a potential interview; those selected will be invited for a 30-minute personal interview before the appropriate regional committee in March.

10. Cross your fingers and wait to be notified you are a Mellon Fellow during the first week of April.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't worry about travel expenses to and from your interview. The competition covers all expenses.
• Check with your college or university on the specific dates and deadlines for the competition each year. Some institutions require submissions earlier than the actual competition deadline and often deadline dates change depending on the year.
• Mellon Fellowships are awarded mainly on the basis of merit, but members of underrepresented minority groups are especially encouraged to apply.
• Don't assume only U.S. or Canadian residents can apply. The competition is open to everyone interested in a career in the humanities.
• Be sure you can begin your doctoral studies immediately, and be prepared to carry a full course load during the fellowship term. Mellon Fellowships cannot be deferred, nor do they cover part-time study.
• You risk being cut off if you accept any additional awards or scholarships or take a job during the tenure of your fellowship.