Fellows are selected by the individual program units. Please note that not all units wish or can have fellows due to the limited number of slots available. When examining an application, potential mentors are looking for someone whose combination of education and work experience match the needs of their units.
In some cases, this background will be similar to that of the staff in that unit. In other cases, they are looking for a background that brings to the unit additional expertise not currently on their staff.
Once a candidate is selected by a unit, they undergo two phone interviews. The first interview, conducted by the fellowship program, is to determine their eligibility and to answer any questions the applicant might have. In the second interview, the potential mentor describes the activities expected to be active at the time of the fellowship and determines whether or not the applicant is a good ‘match.’ The applicant should also determine if they are a good ‘match.’ If there is a ‘match,’ the fellowship program immediately sends an acceptance letter. If not, the next candidate is interviewed.
The program is very competitive with generally less than 10% of applicants selected. There are fewer applicants for the Winter and Fall programs that the Summer program, but usually the applicants are further along in their educational experience, making competition for all sessions very high. The number of applicants has been increasing by approximately 10% - 25% per year.
Many applicants ask why they are not selected. There is no particular reason why. The National Academies conducts many different studies each year. They look for individuals whose expertise and interests match the activities that they have going on during the time the fellow will be there. While an applicant may not be a match this year, they may well be a match next year or in future years.
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