Identifying and Mentoring
Fellowship Candidates
Identifying and Encouraging Potential Fellowship Candidates
When you encounter exceptional students in your classes or elsewhere at the university, please encourage them to make an appointment with the CUSE Fellowships Office. Send us an email so we can follow up with them. Some students are so modest about their accomplishments and capabilities that they will not put themselves forward for such awards without the strong encouragement of faculty who they know and respect- perhaps you can tip the scales.
Encourage your students to avail themselves of challenging classes and research opportunities.
Invite your students to attend lectures and other events that will broaden and deepen their education.
When you host a visiting scholar, consider inviting two or three top students to join you for lunch. Here they can learn and practice interview and social skills as well as scholarly conversation.
Click here for a flowchart of student acadmic and achievement levels and possible national fellowships they might consider.
Mentoring Fellowship Candidates
When you know a student is applying for national scholarships, offer to review his/her application materials, possibly several times as s/he makes revisions.
Review the criteria for the scholarship for which the student is applying so you can critique effectively. (Hopefully, s/he will supply this information to you.) Be frank and honest in your feedback.
Assist the applicant with identifying graduate programs that will best fit his/her skill set as well as academic and career goals.
Offer to write letters of recommendation only if you have the time and personal knowledge of the student to write a detailed, thoughtful letter that will clearly set the student apart from his/her peers.
(Adapted from tips by Jeff Wing, National Scholarship Coordinator, Virginia Commonwealth University)
