Fellowship advising guides UAH students through applying to nationally competitive fellowships, scholarships, internships, and graduate school. Although housed within the Honors College, all UAH students can take advantage of fellowship advising.

Although most fellowship application deadlines take place during the fall semester of senior year, students are highly encouraged to consider applying to fellowships and meeting with the fellowship advisor early in their undergraduate experience (as early as freshmen year!) in order to develop a viable application. This preparation includes:

  • Obtaining undergraduate research experience
  • Maintaining a high GPA (3.7 or higher)
  • Developing leadership/ambassadorial skills through participation in extracurricular activities
  • Creating a four-year plan with classes that pertain to your research/professional interests
  • Learning a foreign language (if applicable)

Fellowship advising helps students maintain a steady timeline both before and during the application process while providing students valuable feedback for common essays, short answer questions, identifying recommenders for letters of recommendations, and moral support.

Have a question about fellowships or fellowship advising? Take a look at the sections below.

Benefits of Applying

Receiving a fellowship and attending graduate school are very prestigious honors that require motivation, dedication, and independence. Many fellowships are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as teaching, conducting research, and living abroad for an extended period of time. Regardless of the type of opportunity, these credentials provide multiple benefits for students' professional careers:

  • Invest in your future
  • Get noticed in today's job market
  • Pursue your interests in more depth
  • Contribute to the world's knowledge
  • Generate more connections in your field
  • Increase your financial prospects
  • Earn academic recognition
  • Gain opportunities to work with the best
  • Earn an internationally recognized qualification
  • Develop new skills
  • Accelerate career growth

The terms "fellowship" and "scholarship" are often used interchangeably, though they do have distinct differences in definition.

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FELLOWSHIP

  • Graduate Funding
  • Research Abroad
  • Teach or Work Abroad
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SCHOLARSHIP

  • Undergraduate Funding
  • Research or Study Abroad
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INTERNSHIP

  • Local, National, or Abroad
  • Paid or Unpaid
  • Research or Work

Fellowship: Fellowships often refer to multi-year, merit-based funding support to a graduate program. They usually cover at least part of tuition, provide a living stipend, and provide some financial support for other educational expenses. Some fellowships provide opportunities like graduate-level research or teaching abroad.

Examples of a fellowship: NSF GRFP, Fulbright Research and English Teaching Assistantship Grants, the Boren Fellowship

Scholarship: Like a fellowship, scholarships are merit-based undergraduate awards that often provide some form of financial support and prestige. Some scholarships can provide unique study abroad opportunities usually in the form of foreign language learning. These opportunities are usually much shorter in duration than a fellowship, ranging from a few weeks to a summer.

Examples of a scholarship: Goldwater, Boren Scholarship, Gilman Scholarship, Critical Language Scholarship (CLS)

Internship: Internships provide students short-term work experience that is often relevant to the student's professional or academic interests. Internships can be paid or unpaid depending on the program. Many businesses and universities offer student internships for undergraduates, either throughout the semester or over the summer, and both locally and internationally.

Examples of an internship: DAAD RISE Germany, RCEU

Fellowship advising can assist students with the following:

  • Help identify fellowships suited to your major, career interests, and/or research interests
  • Discuss each fellowship application requirement
  • Establish a timeline that fits into your four-year plan for fellowship application
  • Keep you on track for both campus and application deadlines
  • Provide moral support for post-submission and award notification (whether or not you win!)

Students should begin the application process by starting early in their college experience. Honors students are eligible to take HON 201: Scholarship and Graduate School Prep for 1-hour Honors credit. This course is not required, but you should meet with our Advisor as early as possible to establish a timeline for application preparation and submittal.

Have questions? Contact your advisor!

Jennifer Staton

Jennifer Staton

Fellowship & Graduate School Advisor

Frank Franz Hall 113C
256.824.6451
jennifer.staton@uah.edu

Schedule an appointment

Jennifer Staton provides advising for students interested in applying for post-graduate opportunities such as graduate school and fellowships. Through one- on-one advising sessions, students are equipped with the tools necessary to identify the perfect graduate program or fellowship, manage application deadlines, and write competitive application essays. Jennifer's main responsibility is to guide students through the entire application cycle, from fellowship identification to award notification. She also promotes awareness of major fellowships that are well suited for all UAH students.

A UAH alumna herself, Jennifer graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. After graduation, she spent a year in Celle, Germany as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at the Grundschule Klein Hehlen. Jennifer also received a Masters of Arts in Linguistics and English Language Teaching from the University of Leeds in 2015. Nevertheless, she always finds her way back to Huntsville, having spent almost a decade in the defense and aerospace industry.