Here at GradFund, we have the privilege of serving the Rutgers graduate student community in a variety of ways related to the pursuit of external grants and fellowships. Our primary mode of service lies in our individual meeting format where Rutgers graduate students meet with our team of Fellowship Advisors and Peer Mentors, a cohort […]
Advice
Advice
How do I revise my application? (Roundup Post)
In this Roundup post, we collected a group of six blog posts from GradFund Conversations that speak to the topic of revising your application, regardless of this being your first time applying, or a resubmission to the same funder, these blogs contain useful tips and advice for tackling the revision process. Revising after you have […]
Eligibility vs. Competitiveness: Understanding the Difference and Why It Matters
Eligibility is one of the most important factors an applicant should look into as they are searching for funding options. After all, if they don’t fit within the criteria specified by the funder, applicants will be disqualified from the competition even if they submit the perfect application. But there is another very important application criterion […]
Finding Funding for International Research: A Beginner’s Guidepost
There are myriad awards, some of which are open to both domestic and international students, that allow an applicant to conduct up to a year of research abroad. At Rutgers, our students generally look into these opportunities to conduct a portion of or their entire dissertation research abroad. Like crafting any other application, applying for […]
Grant Writing: A Fundamental Tool for Building Your Scholarly Community
Doctoral students seeking grants and fellowships generally think about funds as the primary reason for applying for extramural awards. At GradFund, we often remind students that applying for grants and fellowships is not merely about acquiring financial support, but also about building an essential skillset that will be beneficial for a student throughout their career. […]
Using GradFund Over the Course of Your Graduate Study (Advice from the Archives)
Advice from the Archives Series Note: Occasionally, we dig into the archives to uncover a post we feel holds relevant and timely information worthy of a repost. If you are interested in learning more about research grants and fellowships to support your graduate study, be sure to visit the GradFund Database. The project I proposed during GradFund’s Summer […]
Applying for History Research and Travel Grants
At GradFund, we offer graduate students and post-doc scholars alike, guidance and advice for applying to different types of external funding. Most students know about the Fulbright-Hays fellowships, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, and the Ford Foundation Fellowships. However, there are many smaller awards for research and travel that are also available to students […]
So You’ve Decided to Apply for Funding: Tips on Planning Your Next Step
As a fellowship advisor, one of the questions that I most frequently encounter at the end of my meetings with students is, “What do I do next?” By asking this question, students are right on point in identifying a crucial piece of knowledge in their interaction with the funding world: It is not just enough […]
Coping with Imposter Syndrome
As a graduate student, have you ever felt like you don’t belong? That you’re not actually that smart? That you got into your program by a fluke, and soon everyone will find out? That is called “imposter syndrome,” and many graduate students experience it. Imposter syndrome is particularly acute for students who are members of underrepresented […]
The Curse of Knowledge
In order to write an effective funding proposal, it is necessary to translate what you know into something a review audience will be able to understand. This act of translation is often inhibited by the “curse of knowledge,” a phenomenon first identified by economists, and more recently developed by thinkers such as Steven Pinker. In his […]