Embrace the process: Developing competitive applications for fellowships and grants

How does a graduate student write a winning application for a fellowship or grant such as a Fulbright research grant or the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship? Wouldn’t we all want three easy steps that tell us some iteration of “do not do this” but “do this instead” that instantly lands us grant money like a gift bestowed by the gods? If I knew such lucrative secrets, I would probably be watching a gauzy, peach-hued sunset on a beach in Mykonos right now. I, unfortunately, do not have three magical incantations to make a 100%-without-fail winning application, BUT as ASU’s Senior Program Manager for Distinguished Graduate Fellowships at ASU’s Office of National Scholarships Advisement (ONSA), I DO have advice on how to make any application the best that you can make it, and that advice is simple: embrace the process. 

We complete processes all the time. Frying paper-thin crepes is as much of a step-by-step, methodical process as collecting data on algae blooms. These processes yield certain products, and how the process is followed shapes the quality of the product.

As a fellowships advisor, I guide applicants through three processes: reflection as a process, writing as a process, and the application as a process. I will write about each as a part of this blog series. While not magical spells or recipes for guaranteed success, embracing these three processes will nurture your development as researcher and scholar while increasing your chances of being awarded with funding, which is the tangible pot of gold at the end of a metaphoric rainbow. For this post, I’ll focus on the most important, and challenging, process: reflection.

Reflection as Process

Every foundation that funds a fellowship, grant, or scholarship has its own vision for the future and how to cultivate the leaders and innovators who can contribute to that future. One “secret” to any application’s success is that the application can provide the selection committee with a clear, persuasive argument of how an applicant, who they may never meet, will contribute to the foundation’s vision. These applications clearly communicate the applicant’s goals, character, values, motivations, and desire to make a lasting impact that fits in with the specific mission of a fellowship or grant. Selection committees are moved by narratives that communicate how an applicant contributes to the lasting and ongoing vision set forth by a foundation. Such compelling narratives are not a story that can be effectively told in the first draft of a personal statement—those stories were likely developed through deep, deliberative reflection and ongoing revision of multiple drafts.

A compelling story

When we gaze into a mirror or body of water, we will see our reflection staring back at us. In our physical reflections, we can assess our hair, makeup or complexion: the surface-level details. At ONSA, we have collaborated with many applicants on their personal statements and what many writers struggle to communicate in early drafts is the “why” of their goals and ambitions. I have read many drafts where an applicant dutifully lists their various accomplishments and interests, just as they would describe their hair color or eye color, and the essay is limited to describing surface-level details that could be found in their resume. Readers will remember a compelling story about your purpose long after your specific qualifications have faded from their memory because it’s stories that move us.

To tell a compelling story, one must look deeper than the surface-level details to glean an understanding of what is occurring beneath the surface. There is an ancient divination technique, called scrying, where an oracle looks into a body of water to not see their physical reflection but to make meaning from the murky shadows under the water’s surface. Our values, motivations and desire to make an impact are the forces under these shadows. In fellowships advising, we work with writers to look beneath the surface of their resume lines and scry for the deeper meaning behind their ambitions.

Deliberative reflection

Deliberative reflection is how we come to be better known to ourselves. This is challenging work, but by embracing reflection as a process, applicants are able to formulate an answer that explains the why of their story, the driving force behind their career and research goals. We cannot do this work alone and discover much below the surface—we need someone to ask us “why does any of this matter?” and poke and prod at our thinking to help us discover new insights about ourselves and our ambitions.

At ONSA, we provide opportunities for deliberative reflection that will help you tell your story, and we hope to be part of that process when you begin an application for a competitive fellowship or grant. Here are some questions to get you started:

• What is the impact you want to have on the world? What is your purpose?
• Why do you want to make that impact?
• Why are your career goals and/or research goals your specific path to making this impact?
• Name two values that influence your pursuit of your goals. How do these values shape your purpose in life? 

These are questions that may require us to stand in a corner and contemplate our answers for days. They are not easy questions to answer, but the things we want in life often do not come easily. I encourage applicants to mull over these questions as they wash dishes, take a walk, or undertake similar “mindless” activities that make room for mindful reflection. 

Coming up next

In the next posts in this series, I will explore writing as a process and the application as a process, and how ONSA can support you throughout those processes. I hope you continue to follow along!