Creating a Competitive Application

1. Prepare an application development timeline.

Applying to a fellowship takes a good deal of time and effort, so it’s important to take a moment to prioritize and organize your activities accordingly. Sketch out an application development timeline that works for you. Consider:

• Are there questions you still need answered that are preventing you from getting started?
• Have you spent time researching the fellowship program and reviewing the bios of past recipients, gaining a more nuanced idea of the fit between the fellowship and your goals/interests?
• When do you plan on completing a first draft of the application?
• When do you plan on signing up for individual advising hours with CRF?
• By what point will you need to request letters of recommendation to allow your recommenders enough time?

Set deadlines each week by which you intend to draft certain components of the
application or complete relevant tasks (i.e. researching the details of the program,
talking with – and preparing materials for – recommenders, considering the specifics of your goals, etc.). By doing a little bit each day or each week, you will give your application the time and attention that it deserves.

2. Define the vision.

Next, before diving into the fellowship application, it’s important to first reflect on a set of questions that will set the stage for everything that follows: What impact do you wish to have in the world? Looking ahead, what is a trajectory that you find particularly compelling? Who is doing the type of work that you admire and find impactful?

The answers to these questions will enable you to pinpoint a clear and specific set of goals. This clarity of purpose is crucial in helping the selection committee to understand why they should invest in you and how and in what capacity you intend to have an impact in your field. For instance, a candidate who speaks generally about wanting to do cybersecurity work will not stand out as much – or be nearly as competitive – as a candidate who speaks to a specific goal like becoming a research fellow at the Brookings Institution in the Center for 21st Security and Intelligence. See the difference?

Keep in mind that a fellowship application is not a contract. The selection committee is very aware that things may change and that you find yourself on a different path. However, for now, they want to understand how you are thinking through your trajectory. Treat this as a thought experiment— an opportunity to design a blueprint for your life that will help you get to where you want to be.

3. Craft the narrative.

Moving forward, it is important to determine which aspects of your background and experiences have laid the groundwork for— and evidence your commitment to— the vision that you have identified.

In your application you are making a case for yourself, so you want to be strategic with regards to what you choose to write about. Rather than being a series of interesting but disconnected anecdotes, the application should highlight formative, significant aspects of your background that provide insight into your credentials and motivation as they relate to the fellowship criteria and your chosen path.

If your fellowship application involves a series of written responses, think about how to thread your responses back to the overarching theme and vision. Not all of your experiences may be topically related to your career goals but they may say something about how how you’ve learned lessons, gained skills, or developed approaches that are applicable to your intended path. Your application should have a clear and cohesive through line.

4. Identify your issue.

You’ve pinpointed your goals and taken stock of where you’ve been and what
you’ve done as it relates to those goals. Now what? It’s time to think about the
practicality of making a difference, distinguishing your “issue” within a larger
problem.

A problem is something that’s amorphous, perennial, and enduring (something that doesn’t change regardless of how long you work at it). An issue is something that you can do something about. For instance, a problem might be prison reform; the issue might be narrowing the distance between incarcerated individuals and their families so as to reduce the strain on families and, in particular, children. Another problem might be climate change; the issue might be regulation of deforestation practices.

Specificity is critical in helping you to stand out in the applicant pool. The selection committee wants to understand how your experiences and interests have shaped your thinking and informed your intended approaches in your field.

5. Secure appropriate recommenders.

In a fellowship application, your recommenders corroborate your narrative,
speaking to your credentials and accomplishments as they relate to the fellowship selection criteria and evidencing your ability to succeed in your chosen path.

Because of the critical role that your recommenders play, you want to choose
individuals who know you well and will be able to speak in enthusiastic detail AND offer relevant insight about you. Collectively, they should highlight you in the round. Do not get letters from peers or family friends; those will not be taken nearly as seriously as letters from professors and supervisors.

As a matter of professional courtesy, you should ask your recommenders for letters at least three weeks in advance of the deadline. Consult our “Guide to Supporting Recommenders” for information regarding what to include in your ask.

6. Write and revise. Again and again.

Preparing a competitive fellowship application requires a commitment to writing
multiple drafts and completing multiple revisions with feedback from your CRF advisor(s). No one writes a perfect set of drafts on the first go! It takes time to present a clear, specific, and compelling narrative.

It’s important to engage in some prewriting exercises, during which you brainstorm, outline, and map out what you want and need to cover. Think about the takeaways of each section, and consider each section as a piece of a larger narrative thread.

As always, use specific details and anecdotes to support your claims. Read your drafts critically, evaluating whether your statements are so broad that they could just as easily appear in another applicant’s materials. If so, you’ll want to get much more grounded, focusing on the evidence, stories, and goals that are specific to you.

As you write, keep the reader in mind. Consider not only the content but also how you present the content in an engaging way that remains true to your own voice.

7. Proofread!

Finally, edit your application materials for clarity and grammar, as you want to put your best foot forward. The reader will not take time to consider seriously your application if it is clear that you did not take the time and care to prepare it!