Application Help

The application requirements for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) are modeled after applications for many U.S. PhD programs in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. This is designed to be an early step for you along your trajectory to a PhD–encouraging you to reflect on whom you have been and to clarify your vision for whom you want to be, with a focus on how graduate school can help you toward that future. Working through the application components will give you preliminary drafts of materials that you can continue to revise for fellowships, scholarships, research grants, and graduate school applications in the coming years. In these ways, we hope that going through the application process will be valuable to you, no matter what.

We recognize that the process asks you to engage in modes of thinking and writing that may be new to you. To support you in that, we offer a number of different types of resources to help you produce the strongest application you can.

Written Application Resources

Our Application Component pages offer guidance in preparing for, and composing, each element of your application. Scroll down to the bottom of each page for guides, worksheets, and templates tailored to the various components of the MMUF application, which are available to help you as you draft and revise your materials.

Individual Application Consultations

Current Mellon Mays Fellows and the MMUF Faculty Director are available to meet with you individually at any stage of your application process, from talking through ideas to giving you dedicated feedback on drafts as you revise them.

With the MMUF Faculty Director

You can schedule an appointment with Professor Dan-el Padilla Peralta by email.

With Current MMUF Fellows

To set up a time to talk with a current Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and get feedback on your application, email that Fellow directly using the information provided below.

Application Help Sessions

We hold a series of group application help sessions. Each session will have a focus, though you can come to any one to ask questions about the application, or the MMUF program more broadly, and get personalized help from current Mellon Fellows and the MMUF program director on your materials. All sessions take place in Conference Room 111, Morrison Hall, unless otherwise noted.

  • Monday, December 2, 2024 | Application Portal, Timeline + Letters of Recommendation | 4:45-6:45pm 
  • Tuesday, December 3, 2024 | Research Proposal | 4:45-6:45pm 
  • Thursday, December 5, 2024 | Personal Statement | 4:45-6:45pm 
  • Friday, December 6, 2024 | Writing Sample + FAQ | 4:45-6:45pm 

 

  • Monday, February 17, 2025 | Wrap-up Write-on-Site | 9:00am-9:00pm (Location TBD)