• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Log in

  • About
    • The GradFund Team
    • Success Stories
  • Advice
    • Blog
    • Planning When to Apply
    • Proposal Writing Advice
  • Fellowships and Grants
    • Search for Fellowships and Grants
    • SGS Managed Awards
    • SGS Competitive Awards
  • Resources
    • GradFund Self-Paced Guide to Grants and Fellowships
    • Research Development Support
    • Funding Directories
  • Questions
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact Us
  • Meet With Us

Inside the Mind of a Fellowship Advisor: Understanding the Application Review Meeting

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Fellowship Advisor

GradFund Meeting

By Alexandria Smith

One of GradFund’s services is the Application Review meeting, in which a Fellowship Advisor will review a student’s draft(s) of their application materials and provide substantive, personalized feedback. This post describes Application Review meetings from the perspective of a Fellowship Advisor. We hope that understanding the GradFund approach can help students ensure that they get the most out of their meetings.   

Before working with a student on an award application, Fellowship Advisors research the award the student is applying for in order to gather important contextualizing details. We gather information ranging from the mission of the funding organization, to previous awardees and their project descriptions, to the page and word limits for specific application materials. We also suggest that students do this research themselves, as it will allow them to write more effective drafts. The most critical goal of this research for Fellowship Advisors is to understand the funder’s goals and criteria for this award. This information will inform the suggestions and commentary that Fellowship Advisors provide to students.  

When reading application materials, Fellowship Advisors identify potential changes to the draft’s structure, organization, and biographical content that may help the applicant convey eligibility and fit with the funding criteria as clearly as possible. Examples of these revisions can include suggesting that a student focuses on three specific funding criteria points, and dedicate one paragraph to each, encouraging the applicant to begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the paragraph’s key point, or suggesting that the student incorporate information about a previous research or teaching experience listed on their CV. Fellowship Advisors refrain from giving research and scholarship-related revisions, other than suggestions about clarity. We encourage students to seek feedback from their advisors and in-field peers for research related revision questions.  

To optimize the effectiveness of Application Review meetings, Fellowship Advisors encourage students to identify their specific questions or concerns to be addressed during the meeting and to share any feedback their advisor has given. This information provides the context to helps us adjust our feedback to what is most useful for each student. Multiple Application Review meetings are encouraged, ideally with different Fellowship Advisors. Ultimately, we hope that our feedback is useful not only for the application in question but also encourages students to use GradFund peer advising strategies when reviewing their own work and when providing feedback to their peers. Consider scheduling an Application Review meeting for your next funding application.  

Filed Under: About GradFund, Announcements, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Cross Stage Support, Humanities, Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering, Social Sciences, Visual, Performing and Creative Arts Tagged With: GradFund appointments, GradFund services, Meeting with GradFund, working with an advisor

Stay in Touch!

Our newsletter will keep you informed about new funding opportunities and upcoming deadlines, as well as information about GradFund services and other resources that will help you search for and apply to funding opportunities.

* indicates required





Search Awards

Make an Appointment →

Get personalized help finding funding and writing applications

Founded in 2000, GradFund’s mission is to assist Rutgers graduate students in securing merit-based research grants and fellowships to support their graduate study and research. Read about our history and approach to working with graduate students. Learn more →

Copyright © 2025 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. All rights reserved. Log in