Cornell Fellows > Application

Cornell Fellows Application

Cornell Fellowships are approximately eight weeks in length and occur throughout the calendar year. Preference is given to students who have at least sophomore standing and all students selected for fellowships must be enrolled at the College for the duration of the fellowship experience. Students completing fellowships during their senior year must be enrolled in at least one course on campus following the conclusion of the fellowship. Students may apply for multiple fellowships, but selection is generally limited to one fellowship per student. Applications may be submitted by the third Friday of blocks one, three, five, and seven. 

Fellowships are available in one of four ways:

1. Students may apply for fellowships that have been developed by the Cornell Fellows Program. These opportunities are ones in which Cornell Fellows has identified the fellowship site, a short-term project, and a site mentor. The general nature of these fellowships are set before students are selected.

2. Students may propose a research fellowship developed in collaboration with a faculty member. The personal statement must provide a detailed overview of the research project including the topic, research location(s), and connection to the student's curriculum at the College. Applicants should also provide a draft budget as an addendum to the personal statement. 

3. Students may apply for funding through Cornell Fellows to participate in a competitive internship program. In this scenario, students must have applied and been accepted into a competitive internship program offered through a reputable organization (e.g., government agency, corporation, non-profit organization). In addition, the applicant should also provide a brief overview of the organization, project, and site mentor for the internship as part of the personal statement. Applicants choosing this option must provide justification for financial support (i.e. the internship is an unpaid or low-pay opportunity) as an addendum to their personal statement; a draft budget outlining anticipated expenses with anticipated income is sufficient. Please note that Cornell Fellows funding support is generally limited to supporting housing, transportation, food, and supply expenses for students. Proposals which include the use of fellowship funds to support administrative program fees charged by organizations to have a student participate in their program may not be considered.

4. Students may propose a fellowship that has been created specifically for them. Students may partner with a reputable organization (e.g., government agency, corporation, non-profit organization) to create a high-level internship and propose the opportunity to the Cornell Fellows Program to be designated as a fellowship through the College. The personal statement should include the standard elements but also include a brief overview of the organization, project, site mentor, and timeline for the internship. Applicants choosing this option must provide justification for financial support (i.e. the internship is an unpaid or low-pay opportunity) as an addendum to their personal statement; a draft budget outlining anticipated expenses with anticipated income is sufficient. Please note that Cornell Fellows funding support is generally limited to supporting housing, transportation, food, and supply expenses for students. Proposals which include the use of fellowship funds to support administrative program fees charged by organizations to have a student participate in their program may not be considered.

Students who choose to apply for a Cornell Fellowship via options two, three, or four should provide a draft personal statement and budget to RJ Holmes-Leopold to review prior to having the documents reviewed by the Career Engagement Center and submitted to the Cornell Fellows Program. The purpose of the initial review is to provide feedback on content to make sure all appropriate information expected by the screening committee is included in the application.

All applicants should closely follow the fellowship application checklist below as they work through the process of applying for a Cornell Fellowship.

1. Secure a faculty sponsor. All Cornell Fellows must have a faculty member who is willing to write a letter of recommendation in support of their fellowship application. The faculty sponsor is also responsible for providing guidance and support to the Cornell Fellow during the fellowship experience. Additionally, some students may opt to earn academic credit for the fellowship and the faculty sponsor will need to approve the proposal for internship credit. The letter of recommendation should be sent directly from your faculty sponsor to the Cornell Fellows Program via campus mail (box 2316) or email to RJ Holmes-Leopold by the third Friday deadline for the fellowship you are applying to.
2. Update your resume. A resume outlining your academic, co-curricular, work, volunteer, and leadership experiences is necessary to help the screening committee review your credentials for the fellowship. The resume should be error free and no more than one page in length. All resumes must be reviewed by a staff member in the Career Engagement Center prior to submission to the Cornell Fellows Program.
3. Craft a personal statement. Do not repeat your resume in the personal statement; this essay is intended to share information that your resume does not. The personal statement is your opportunity to tell the screening committee why you are interested in the fellowship, what you are hoping to gain from the fellowship experience, what you intend to contribute to the fellowship host site, and how the fellowship opportunity is related to your academic and professional goals. It should be free of grammatical and spelling errors, double-spaced, and approximately two to three pages in length. Your personal statement must be reviewed by a staff member in the Career Engagement Center prior to submission to the Cornell Fellows Program.
   
4. Download unofficial transcript. You will need to submit an unofficial copy of your academic transcript as part of your application. You may submit a PDF copy of the website pages or many students simply copy and paste the website information into a Word document.
5. Schedule a mock interview. Cornell Fellows applicants are required to complete and submit an interview on Interview Stream.  In-person interviews with members of the CEC staff (Megan Hicks or Jason Napoli) are optional but recommended.
6. Submit your application. Carefully fill out the online application. It will ask for basic demographic information and is where you will upload your resume, personal statement, and unofficial transcript. Your faculty letter of recommendation should be sent directly from your faculty sponsor to the Cornell Fellows Program via campus mail (box 2316) or via email to RJ Holmes-Leopold.