dronshaw

Trying to get a better idea of the competitiveness of fellowships and which types are out there for me to pursue?

I'm a senior EE with a 3.85GPA (4.0 in my department), a year of undergraduate research under my belt (two by the time I graduate), a couple internships, and work as a tutor. I'm looking to apply to NSF, DoD, and Hertz, but wasn't sure if someone with experience of these fellowships could give me an idea of my chances or any other popular fellowships I should look at? Thanks.

xraymancs

They are all hard to win but it is always worthwhile applying. You gain valuable experience in writing proposals and that will serve you well in your graduate career.

juillet

By DoD do you mean NDSEG? In that case I think you hit all the big ones. Homeland Security used to offer a fellowship but I think they cut it because of funding; you may want to check and see if it's back up. Also if you are an underrepresented minority, check out the Ford Foundation. A lot less money than the big three, but better than nothing.

I'm in a different field but my undergraduate GPA was lower. I got the NSF in my second year of graduate school, so I had 3.5 years of research experience before I got it, but 2.5 years in undergrad. I have heard that the NDSEG is harder than the NSF, and that the Hertz is the hardest of the three.