Bryn Mawr College has participated in the MMUF program since its inception in 1988. In any give year, there are ten MMUF students at the College, five seniors and five juniors. The application process is open primarily to sophomores and takes place every spring. The program accepts applications from:
The MMUF program has identified 21 fields of study most underrepresented by minorities in the academy.
Anthropology |
Ecology |
Mathematics |
Area Studies |
English |
Musicology |
Art History |
Ethnomusicology |
Philosophy |
Classics |
Foreign Languages |
Physics |
Computer Science |
Geology |
Political Theory |
Demography |
History |
Religion |
Earth Science |
Literature |
Sociology |
Each fellow is required to conduct an individual research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor during the junior and senior years. Guided research is the foundation of MMUF, and it is intended to prepare the student for graduate study.
Each fellow will be paired with a faculty mentor with whom she is expected to meet on a regular basis. Your mentor must be an active scholar and professor in one of the Mellon-designated fields. Mentoring represents a serious commitment of time and effort for both students and professors. The MMUF coordinator will meet with you and your mentor periodically to make sure you are engaging actively and productively in the mentoring process.
Students gather several times a month to present their research, exchange and critique ideas and support each other's goals.
New fellows attend a workshop on research at the end of the spring semester of their sophomore year. In subsequent years, workshops are offered on topics such as preparation for the GRE, writing and research skills, interview skills, presentation skills, navigating social codes of life in academia and financial aid. Students attend lectures or other events at nearby MMUF host campuses, as well. We have also planned cultural outings such as attending a Broadway play or dance performances.
Each fellow is currently awarded $2500 for the year, in regular monthly payments. This stipend is intended to facilitate opportunities for scholars to engage in research with a faculty mentor, by alleviating or eliminating the need to engage in additional paid employment. In exchange for the stipend, the Mellon Foundation expects fellows to conduct research for several hours per week during the academic year. We will ask you to reserve certain hours every week for MMUF activities.
The MMUF offers a summer stipend to allow fellows to participate, for a minimum of six weeks, in a meaningful research, learning or work experience that may be underpaid or even unpaid. Immediately after being admitted to the program, new fellows are encouraged to confer with their Mentor and Coordinators for help identifying or refining an area of intended study. Summer proposals for new fellows are due mid-May.
With the support of their mentor and/or coordinators, fellows in the junior year are expected to design a summer experience that will enhance and complement studies in their major.
All fellows will submit a brief summer proposal (including a detailed budget) to the coordinator(s) and faculty mentor. Funds, minus $300, are awarded when the proposal has been approved. The final $300 will be awarded once the final report on the summer project is received.
MMUF summer grant funds must be used for the purposes described in the proposal; unused funds must be accounted for. Changes in students' summer plans must be communicated promptly to program coordinators. PLEASE NOTE: MMUF summer grants may not be combined with any other fellowship or grant offered by the College unless there are special circumstances.
Students are encouraged to study abroad, but they must maintain regular communication with their Faculty Mentor and MMUF Program Coordinators.
While not guaranteed, travel funds may be available to support fellows' participation in academic conferences or to attend scholarly meetings that may expose students to ideas which expand their comprehension and insight of a research subject or career directions. Students who anticipate a need for travel expenses should speak with the coordinator(s) about the availability of funds and reimbursement procedures.
Fellows are eligible for up to $10,000 for the repayment of undergraduate loans, provided they enroll in full-time graduate study.
Fellows must demonstrate a serious effort toward academic excellence and continued academic progress. Although there is no established minimum GPA for participation in the program, fellows must maintain a solid academic record.
Fellows are required to participate in all MMUF programs and events, including:
Individual fellows will meet periodically with coordinators and are expected to participate in and be open to feedback and evaluation regarding their overall performance. Please respond promptly to emails and requests. If you miss more than one activity per semester, your stipend may be withheld. Repeated absences or general lack of participation and engagement in MMUF activities may result in being asked to leave the program.
Fellows must give evidence of attending to the achievement of postgraduate career goals. If at any time during your junior or senior years, you realize that a postgraduate career in one of the designated fields is not for you, please consider leaving the program so that someone else whose goals truly match those of the program may benefit from it.
In addition, there are specific requirements as follows:
A. First semester (Junior year). At the beginning of the semester, fellows will submit both an oral and a written report on summer research. (Oral due 9/3; written due 9/17.) Later in the semester, fellows will submit an MMUF project proposal, incorporating summer experiences (approx. 3-5 pages) and a tentative time line for their research during the next two academic years. (Due immediately before fall break.)
B. Second semester (Junior year). At the end of the semester, in addition to a proposal for summer research, fellows will submit a report on the status of the project and an annotated bibliography related to their research. The advisory committee will meet to recommend continuation in the program for the second year. See Evaluation below.
C. Third semester (Senior year). At the beginning of the semester, fellows will submit both an oral and a written report on summer research. (Oral due 9/3; written due 9/17.) By the end of the semester, fellows will submit a paper detailing the status of their project. They will also be expected to prepare a personal statement for graduate school, regardless of whether they are applying or not, by mid-November.
D. Fourth semester (Senior year). In addition to the public presentation at the end of the semester, fellows will be required to submit a 10-15 page paper describing the project. This may be a distillation of the senior thesis. Alternately, they may submit the senior thesis with a brief description of how the Mellon program contributed to development of the topic. In addition, all graduating seniors are expected to participate in an Exit Interview in early May.
All fellows appointed in the sophomore year will be reevaluated at the end of the junior year before being approved to continue for the second year. This will give students, mentors, and coordinators the chance to more fully determine if the program offers the right match between a student's career objectives and the MMUF goals.
Senior fellows are required to deliver a public presentation in the second semester of senior year on their thesis or a senior research paper or project.
The Mellon Foundation requires each fellow to submit regular records to the Foundation. Both the Foundation and the Bryn Mawr coordinators must have up-to-date contact information for fellows--even after graduation. Because the Foundation is making a long-term investment in its fellows, and collecting information to assess the effectiveness of the program, it is essential that accurate and up-to-date records be maintained on each student. Periodically, you will receive reporting forms (online or hard copy). Please complete and return them promptly.