Before Accepting Fellowships
- The fellowship - do you completely understand what it is you will be receiving? Does it provide a living stipend? Does it cover tuition? Does it require someone else to pay your tuition? What are the stipulations to accept it? Will accepting it impact other funds you have already received?
- Supplemental funds - are there funds available for extras such as travel, conferences, research expenses from your fellowship? Is it possible to accept other supplemental funds from outside sources?
- Working stipulations - Are you required to work for your fellowship? Are you able to accept employment while on the fellowship? Would working help or hinder your progress and skills? Is there a limit (hours per week or dollar amounts) that you can accept while on the fellowship?
- Combining awards - is it possible to accept more than one at a time? Is there a limit? What about the timing of various grants? Can you defer or overlap fellowships?
- Does it come with health insurance or other benefits?
- Keep copies of all correspondence (letters, e-mails, guidelines, etc.) for your reference as well as for your files (ie: taxes and the IRS).
Be proactive on your investigations of funding sources for your academic career. Do not wait for someone to seek you out and hand you a fellowship or assistantship (in most cases, that will never happen!). Think creatively!
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