Getting Started

During your time as a student at Newcomb-Tulane College, you will discover wide-ranging resources to support your studies and academic endeavors - in and out of the classroom. The Office of Fellowship Advising (OFA) is the nexus for finding information relating to undergraduate/postgraduate fellowships and the support required to pursue them.

OFA Meeting

PLEASE REMEMBER: OFA application deadlines are strictly enforced, particularly regarding internal campus deadlines, which are often much earlier than national deadlines for nationally competitive awards. The Office of Fellowship Advising will not accept late applications. Exceptions must be appealed in advance of the deadline and with a written explanation from your academic advisor.

Let's get started with a few definitions and an invitation.

Fellowships, scholarships, grants, awards...what are they exactly?

In short, these are all funded opportunities made available to their recipients to pursue:

a degree program at the undergraduate or postgraduate level
independent research activities
experiential projects such as public service, teaching, or purposeful travel

It is safe to say there are fellowship opportunities for nearly all activities, demographics, and geographic locations.

What’s required to get involved?

Fellowships are available via competitive application processes. You must:

meet the eligibility and selection requirements set out by the funding organization(s),
be willing to commit yourself to honest self-assessment,
devote significant time to developing persuasive reasons to convince selectors that you are the right person to select as a recipient of their fellowship, and
follow OFA’s established application processes and acknowledge our policies regarding expectations of applicants.
some awards require endorsement or nomination from NTC to compete...either way don't worry! We are here to help you with your application.

What’s in a fellowship application?

While it varies across competitions, applications usually include:

application forms to collect your personal/contact information
college-level transcripts
resume
project proposal essay and/or personal statement
letters of recommendation

The Invitation

So, if you had the support and backing of a fellowship, where would your journey take you? What would be the goal that is on your heart to pursue? What would be the questions that you would ask of yourself and of the world around you? As the answers to these questions come into clearer focus, the OFA is here to help you identify new ways and places for exploring them.

Is there a degree program you would like to pursue?
Do you have a research topic that you are eager to investigate?
Is there a foreign culture you would like to explore?
Do you have urgent personal questions that need addressing?
Are there skills and methodologies you are ready to use and/or develop further in service of a community in need?

The right fit and finding assistance.

As you consider the above questions and explore Fellowship Opportunities detailed here and elsewhere, pay careful attention to what exactly is being offered by the funding organization and whether it matches with the kind of experience you are seeking to have. Fellowships can vary in nuanced and subtle ways. Be sure you have identified the differences across seemingly similar awards and prepare to tailor your applications accordingly.

In addition to OFA resources, consult trusted advisors and mentors in your network at Tulane to discuss the fellowships you are considering. They may even know of others you should be exploring. The NTC community is ready to support you. We all look forward to working with you very soon!