Applying for the Fellowship

Please submit all the of following:

1. A completed online application form, which includes uploads of

• a two-to-three-page statement of purpose in which you describe your academic interests, a potential independent research project you would like to pursue, and why you are interested in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF). Please also indicate the name of at least one professor who you would like to be your MMUF mentor(s); ideally, this professor is in the department/field in which you want to do research.  
• an essay/paper you wrote for a college course that highlights the kind of thinker you are or the kind of research you want to do.

2. Letters of recommendation from two professors — submitted using this online form. For at least one of these professors, please discuss your interest in the MMUF program with them and tell them about the research you would like to conduct if you become a fellow so that they can comment on this in their letter of recommendation.  

We have modeled the MMUF application materials on graduate school application materials. Grad school applications include a statement of purpose (in which you describe your intellectual trajectory, your envisioned future research projects, and why you are applying to that particular graduate program); a writing sample (usually your senior thesis); and 3 letters of recommendation. In setting up our application this way, we aim to give you an opportunity to practice this kind of writing. 

Please note that the applicant is responsible for timely submission of the complete application. Based on the review of your application by the selection committee, interviews will be scheduled.