General advice given to all fellowship applicants:
- Show a clear trajectory. Refer to pre-college experiences that forecast future direction. Identify projects, courses, professors in college that sharpened focus, deepened interest, advanced understanding. Project future study and career plans. Show how fellowship provides the bridge from where you are now to where you're headed.
- Show not tell. Describe accomplishments/plans rather than feelings, hopes, philosophy. A student completing a demanding course of study with a high GPA (all evident from application packet) will be assumed to be hard-working and of strong character. These traits and their genesis need not be documented.
- Be careful in recounting details of your personal life. In Utah, a college junior who's married and has started a family is lauded. In most of the rest of the US (where the award judges come from), such behavior would be considered immature and irresponsible. Do indicate if you have served a mission, that accounts for the break in your college career, but lengthy treatment of your devotion to religion and family will not help you in this arena. Finally, for a female fellowship applicant to identify motherhood and care of husband/household as a significant career ambition would be the kiss of death.
- Guide referees. Each should focus on a different aspect of application: e.g. applicant's public service (if appropriate); academic prowess; independent research; arrangements made with institution abroad. Each referee should have copies of fellowship program philosophy as well as applicant's essay beforehand.
- Prepare essay well enough ahead of deadline to solicit feedback from referees and Honors Director.
