General Information

Why apply for competitive national fellowships when the odds, per The Hunger Games, may not be ever in your favor? The Office of Fellowship Advising works to make sure that the application process for national fellowships is part of the educational mission of the College. Regardless of the outcome of your application, if you take the process seriously and work hard to create a strong application, you are guaranteed a number of positive outcomes:

• Insight into your educational and career goals. In addition to spurring you to begin researching graduate programs and career trajectories, past applicants have found that the fellowship process has made them aware of opportunities they may have overlooked and helped them determine the best path to achieving goals.
• Connections with faculty. Although asking for recommendations can seem stressful, doing so can be a way to seek more mentorship from faculty. Once they write a letter for one fellowship, it is fairly easy for them to submit additional recommendations for other fellowships or graduate programs.
• Knowledge of how to be a strong applicant. Beyond Dartmouth, you will face many different application processes: for graduate school, jobs, grants, and other fellowships. After you apply for a national fellowship, you will have learned valuable skills about how to present yourself and write about your background and skills. You may also have the opportunity to develop interview skills.

In addition to the potential benefits, be sure that you are aware of the possible challenges of fellowship opportunities. For instance, being abroad can expose you to obstacles and risks related to political and public health issues.

Many fellowships require that you be endorsed by your college or university before you can apply.  

For more information, see the Dartmouth endorsement process.