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Special Opportunity for Undergraduates!
Find a faculty advisor for your project and receive a special Baker Fellowship sponsored by the Everett Moore Baker Foundation. In addition to receiving valuable faculty mentoring, Baker Fellows may qualify for additional travel or materials funds for their Fellowships. Find more details here. Special application instructions for Baker Fellows are at the end of this page.

Applications for summer fellowships are due by 9:00am on March 30th!

Applications must be submitted both
1. as an email attachment (Microsoft Word or PDF document) to fellowships-staff@mit.edu and
2. as 2 hardcopies to the MIT Public Service Center, 4-104
If you are applying with other people for a group Fellowship, each group member MUST write and submit their own application. We will not accept group Fellowship applications that include text that has been "cut and pasted" from one application to another. Please note that the selection committee will award Fellowships based on applicants' individual merits, so there is no guarantee that people who apply together will be selected together.

We need a complete application packet to consider you for a Fellowship, so please make sure we receive all of the following materials:

1. Cover Page (webform)
2. Project proposal (2 hard copies and email attachment)
3. Resume (2 hard copies and email attachment)
4. Letter of commitment from your supervisor
5. Letter of recommendation from MIT faculty or staff member

Save and attach your proposal and resume files using the naming formula fullname_proposal and fullname_resume. For instance, John Doe’s documents would be named johndoe_proposal.doc and johndoe_resume.doc.

Project Proposal
Please organize your proposal using the following headings, and be sure to include all the requested information. If there are other pertinent things you wish to include, please go ahead but try to be brief.

 

HeadingContent
NameYour full name
Group members If you are applying with other people, name all other members of your proposed Fellowship group.
Project title This must match the title you submit for the web cover page.
Project abstract250 words maximum
Supervisor Describe your proposed supervisor, their role in the community, their role in the project, and how you plan to work together.
Community needs Describe the needs of the community/community organization you will be working with and how you will address them.
Work planTell us how the project will work. What steps will you need to take, and in what sequence? How will your time be organized? What preparation do you need to do? Who do you need to contact, and when? Please estimate the time you will spend on the different steps.
Community impactTell us about the sustainable benefits that your work will result in. For whom will the project build capacity, and how?
Motivation Tell us why you want to do this work, and why you want to do it now.
Qualifications Describe the assets that you bring to this project.
Team Work Team Work If you are applying with other people, tell us what sort of role you prefer to take in a team, and what sort of people you do and do not enjoy working with on a team. Would you consider doing the project if not all members of the group are offered Fellowships?
Personality Type Tell us a little about your own personality. How would your room mate describe you?
Cultural Impact Tell us about any experience you have living and/or working with other cultures. How might you prepare yourself for living in the cultural context relevant to the project you are applying for?
Personal Impact Tell us what you hope to gain from this experience.

Budget (1 page)

  • To help us understand your financial position relative to your proposal, and to assist you in your planning process, please include a project budget. See the "things to know" link at the top of the page for information on Fellowship funding.
  • Tell us about any other actual or potential sources and amounts of funding. We request notification of additional funding from other sources and we may make appropriate award modifications in consultation with students

Two letters (email, fax or hardcopy in a sealed and signed envelope)
One from your supervisor supporting your application. This letter should outline the project idea, describe how the Fellow and supervisor plan to work together, show the supervisor’s commitment to supporting the student with project advice and useful local knowledge where appropriate, and acknowledge that the Fellow has ownership of the project. Click here for more information about the supervisor's responsibilities.

One from an MIT faculty or staff member (professor, advisor, coach, work supervisor). This person should be in a position to vouch for your achievements, abilities, character, and motivation Their comments must be pertinent to your ability to carry out the project(s) you are applying for, so you must provide your reference with at least your project abstract well in advance of the deadline. The more information you can provide the better.

N.B. If you are applying for a group Fellowship, each applicant needs a separate MIT faculty reference. The group may submit a single letter of support from your community partner as long as this letter mentions each group member by name and shows awareness of the full scope of the project.

All letters should be directed to Alison Hynd and Sally Susnowitz. The recommendations are confidential, and copies should not be sent to you.

Emailed recommendations must be sent directly to fellowships-staff@mit.edu, faxes to 617-258-9357. Snail-mail letters should be marked "Fellowships recommendation" and sent to Room 4-104, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. (Note that we do not need hardcopies of recommendations that have been sent by email)

Baker Fellows only:
Include a "Faculty Involvement" section in your project proposal:

  • Faculty advisor’s name and position at MIT
  • Describe how you will interact with your advisor and what additional benefits this relationship will bring to your project

Your faculty advisor needs to submit a letter of commitment that explains why they are supporting you in this project and how they will advise you. This letter can also function as your MIT recommendation letter.