Expectations of MMUF Program Fellows
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:
- Regular meetings with your mentor
- Scheduled meetings during the academic year
- Occasional assignments that may include reading articles, attending lectures, etc.
- National/regional gatherings of MMUF fellows
- Workshops, activities, and programs as assigned
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 provide both an oral and a written report on their summer research. The informal oral report (approximately five minutes) will be presented at the first meeting of the Fall semester (Spring semester for those who are abroad ). The written report (3-5 pages) will be due a week later. Both reports should consist of a summary of summer activities and how they might relate to the on-going Mellon project. 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.
Specific dates for proposals and reports will be posted on the MMUF calendar page.
