Applications

Navigating multiple offers is a wonderful problem to have! Here are a couple thoughts as to how to steer your way through this situation. Be honest with yourself. If you are not interested in pursuing one of the offers on the table, then decline the offer...

Some fellowship and scholarship competitions will ask a short list of candidates to conduct an interview. This part of the process is equally important as the written portion and you should give the interview as much preparation as you did for the...

Recommendation letters are a critical element of every application. They validate the claims you've made as an applicant, providing specific examples and details of your academic accomplishments, personal endeavors, and character. Selection committees...

The research proposal is your opportunity to show that you—and only you!—are the perfect person to take on your specific project. After reading your research proposal, readers should be confident that… You have thoughtfully crafted and designed this...

Some applications will ask for an essay outlining a proposed project, including details of the design and plan for carrying it out. Remember that your essay is essentially an exercise in expository writing, but with a twist—it also needs to be persuasive...

Some applications ask that you write an essay that draws on more personal reflections. These essays, sometimes called Personal Statements, are an opportunity to show the selection committee who you are as a person: your story, your values, your interests...

Budgets are typically required for independent research opportunities as well as some post-graduate fellowships. It is important that you think about your whole proposed project and break it down into specific budget items (food, lodging, transportation...

Many applications require that you submit a resume. Typically, the resume will be either one or two pages; it is important to adhere to this page limit. Even though you have achieved some incredible things during your time thus far at Harvard, it is...