Distinguished Fellowships: Frequently Asked Questions

If you are looking for clarification on any aspect of working with the Distinguished Fellowships team, please take a moment to read the following questions and answers.

  • Who are you?
    • We are the Fellowships team at CAPD! Kim Benard (benard@mit.edu) is Associate Dean, and Director of Fellowships. Julia Mongo is our Staff Writer and Fulbright Scholarship advisor. Ian Murray is our Program Assistant. We all offer advising meetings to students interested in pursuing a fellowship or post-undergraduate opportunity. You can book times with us on Handshake. You can also reach us all at fellowships@mit.edu. We look forward to working with you!
  • What is a fellowship?
    • A fellowship is a grant or funding opportunity for post-undergraduate education or research. These can take many different forms, and you may hear “scholarship” used interchangeably with fellowship. Fellowships offer a wide variety of opportunities for students to explore post-undergraduate education in the United States and abroad.

  • When should I begin the process?
    • It depends!
    • Most award competitions are due during a student’s junior and senior year, and you would want to meet with us at least a semester before applying
    • If you plan to apply for a fellowship that requires an endorsement from MIT, you will want to meet with the Fellowships staff as soon as possible.
      • Our internal deadline for nomination for the Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell is early June.
      • Our internal deadline for nomination for the Churchill is late July.
    • If you are interested in a scholarship that doesn’t require an endorsement from MIT (e.g., the Knight-Hennessy scholarship, Schwarzman Scholarship, Gates Cambridge Scholarship), you can apply at any time before the official deadline.
    • Never too early, but be mindful of time/deadlines
  • Will I have to apply to graduate school and a fellowship?
    • It depends upon the fellowship program.
    • Our team is happy to help advise you on how to navigate this in addition to the fellowships’ process.
    • Additionally, our career counselors in CS are happy to help with graduate school applications.
  • How will this impact other things happening during my senior year?
    • Applying for a fellowship is an undertaking, but our team is prepared to help you navigate the process. Our advisors will engage you at your pace.
      • Students with medical school interviews are encouraged to keep our team informed of their interview schedule and how it may impact the work they would like to do with the fellowships’ team.
      • Preparing applications for graduate school sometimes coincides with the fellowships’ process. Our team is prepared to help you navigate any challenges this may bring.
  • How long does the process take?
    • It depends! We work with students throughout their junior and senior years, depending on the fellowship or opportunity they are considering. We also work with alumni.
    • For the major fellowship deadlines due during your senior year, most students begin working on their applications during the spring of their junior year. They spend most of their time on the written application during the summer months.
  • What does it mean to be endorsed by MIT?
    • For certain scholarships (e.g. Rhodes, Marshall), students are required to have an official letter of endorsement from their university, and MIT is limited in how many students may be nominated. To make this process as fair and equitable as possible, we hold an internal nomination process for students considering applying for these selective international fellowships. If selected, you are provided with a letter of endorsement signed by MIT leadership naming you as an applicant representing MIT.
  • What’s different between MIT’s internal nomination process and the official deadline?
    • For the internal nomination process, you will need to work closely with the fellowship team to create a compelling application for institutional endorsement. These will be read by a panel of MIT fellowship alumni, faculty members, and MIT staff, and assessed based upon the criteria set forth by the official fellowships. Many awards require an official nomination by MIT, and you cannot apply without our support. This application allows us to assess your qualifications equitably.
    • For the official deadline(s), you will be assessed by the granting foundation. We will advise you on your materials and candidacy, but you are solely responsible for the student submission. You will need to make sure you are keeping all of the application materials ready for submission (e.g., letters of recommendation, essays) and submit in a timely manner.

  • Should my recommenders submit their letters to the Fellowships staff? How about the Fellowship organizations?
    • We use these letters to help us write a compelling endorsement letter on your behalf, as well as use them to understand the strength of your application.
    • You will need to request them to be sent to us. We have created a form to help you navigate contacting potential recommenders.
    • You will also need to make sure your recommenders submit their letters to the official fellowship organizations in a timely manner. Our team is happy to meet with you at any time to discuss these logistics.
  • When do I know a personal statement is ready for submission?
    • It depends! Composing an essay in the vein of a personal statement takes time, consideration, and care. Students will want to think of the type of story they want to share about themselves, their work, their values, and what they hope to gain from a fellowship. These questions are not answered easily, and our team will work with you through this process every step of the way.

  • How will the Fellowships staff help me prepare to apply?
    • Advising
      • Our staff has one-on-one advising meetings available on Handshake. If you have any issues booking an appointment, please email fellowships@mit.edu.
    • Mock interviews
      • If selected as a finalist or semi-finalist, we offer mock interviews to students to navigate how to answer questions they may encounter in a fellowships interview.
    • Panel practice
      • If selected as a finalist and offered a panel interview for fellowship, our team will work with the nominated student to organize practice panels with our staff and the members of the Presidential Committee for Distinguished Fellowships.
    • Coordination with Career Counselors
      • Our colleagues in Career Services are another wonderful resource to understand other career options and opportunities.

  • As an international student, which fellowships do I qualify for?
    • If you are an international student, there are fewer options, but we can work with you to determine the opportunities available to you.
    • The major fellowships we support that are open to international students are the Rhodes, Gates Cambridge, Schwarzman, and Knight Hennessy Scholarships.
  • Does dual citizenship impact my chances to apply?
    • If you are a dual citizen, you should come speak with the Fellowships team to discuss the specific implications, which vary greatly by fellowships and citizenship.