COACHING
Apply with clarity & confidence
FELLOWSHIP COACHING
Step-by-step support for fellowship applicants
Apply strategically
I’ll help you decide which fellowships and scholarships fit your academic & career goals
Tell your story
Learn how to write compelling fellowship essays from a fellowship director, selector, and five-time national fellowship awardee
Follow your dreams
Use your proposal writing skills to get funding for research, graduate school, study abroad and more!
-Aylin Duarte, Fulbright Grantee to Argentina
-Morgan Robledo, University of Texas at El Paso Graduate
Fellowship Trek's Approach
Dream Big
What matters to you, and what do you hope to do in the world? Applying for fellowships is a great way to expand your options during and after college. Instead of asking “which fellowships can I win?” ask yourself “what do I want to do? Which fellowships can help me get there?”
Think Strategically
You may already have a few fellowships in mind. My job is to help you decide which ones are a good investment of your time and energy. We will also talk about your application timeline and how to get strong letters of recommendation.
Write Authentically and Persuasively
Strong application essays make the case for why you are the right person for the award. This requires reflecting on your values, strengths, life experiences and future goals, and tracing a through line that convinces the committee that the fellowship is the next logical step in your career.
Seek Feedback, Revise, Repeat
Your essays are your first (and usually only) opportunity to introduce yourself to the selection committee, so it is important to get feedback from multiple sources. Applicants should expect to go through 5-12 drafts of each essay. I will work with you as you draft and revise, and will help you decide whom to ask for additional feedback.
Look Forward To Your Next Application
Writing compelling funding proposals is a skill honed through practice—whether you are applying for a fellowship, a job, or to graduate school. I help students sharpen their reflective and persuasive writing skills so that they can move through subsequent applications with ease.
We work with students who are
- Incoming freshmen, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, or transfer students at four-year non-profit accredited colleges and universities in the U.S.;
- Recent alumni/graduates (bachelor’s degree holders);
- Master’s and doctoral students at U.S. institutions;
- Students in all majors (STEM, humanities, arts, social sciences, health professions, law, etc.).
Applying for these and other awards
Boren Awards
Critical Language Scholarships
DAAD RISE Germany
Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship
Freeman Asia
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship
Fulbright U.S. Student Program Study/Research
Gilman Scholarship
Goldwater Scholarship
Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers
Marshall Scholarship
Mitchell Scholarship
NOAA Hollings Scholarship
NOAA EPP/MSI Scholarship
NSF-GRFP
Payne Fellowship
Pickering Fellowship
Rangel Fellowship
Ralph Bunche Institute
Rhodes Scholarship
Schwarzman Scholarship
Truman Scholarship
Udall Scholarship
And more…
Services
Our work together is tailored to your needs and may include:
Fellowship advising
- Help searching for, and identifying fellowships, scholarships, and other awards that fit your educational and career goals;
- Help clarifying your eligibility for fellowships of interest;
- Set up timelines for gathering, drafting, revising, and polishing application materials;
- Advice on how to choose recommenders and secure strong letters of recommendation;
- Guidance on how to request a campus nomination or endorsement letter for awards that require it;
- Guidance on how to reach out to previous fellowship awardees for application advice and informational interviews.
Essay coaching
- Workshops to generate ideas for the personal statement and statement of purpose essays;
- Provide feedback on draft application essays;
- Instruction on developing ideas, organization, narrative structure and style;
- Proofreading of application essays for grammar, spelling, punctuation;
- Help identifying professors on your campus who can provide additional feedback on your essays.
Final review of application
- Final review of entire application for content, formatting, and overall argumentation and cohesion.
Interview preparation
- Practice interviews and guidance on how to prepare for fellowship interviews.
About Melanie Meinzer, Ph.D.
Dr. Meinzer (she/her) has a Ph.D. in Political Science from The University of Connecticut and previously directed the British Marshall Scholarship in New England and post-baccalaureate fellowships for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program. As a former Boren Fellow (West Bank) and Critical Language Scholarship (Arabic) awardee, she enjoys helping students connect their passion and purpose to fellowships. Dr. Meinzer served as a Fulbright Program Adviser and mentored hundreds of students in her role as Director of National Fellowships at The University of Texas at El Paso. Her students have won Fulbright, Boren, NSF-GRFP, Gilman Scholarships and other honors. Dr. Meinzer held a Consortium for Faculty Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship at Denison University and an American Council of Learned Societies Leading Edge Fellowship at The Center for Cultural Power. Her writing on international development, climate change, and culturally responsive mentoring appears in academic publications, and in Jadaliyya, Alliance Magazine and Inside Higher Ed.
Curriculum Vitae | Media | Closing the Fellowship Diversity Gap
Ready to transform your career?
Contact Fellowship Trek by e-mailing consulting [at] fellowshiptrek [dot] com to set up a meeting to talk about support for your application(s).
