<p>I’ve been prowling this forum for a while, and I know that ECs have virtually no importance in getting into grad school. However, I’m wondering if ECs help out on some of the more prestigious fellowships (I’m thinking science/engineering fellowships here, like Hertz, NSF, the DOD one that has all those letters…). I think that the fellowships are a different kind of competitive than just getting into grad school, so do they use other distinguishing characteristics like ECs to determine the award?</p>
<p>I don’t recall the NSF form asking for extracurriculars. </p>
<p>I think you’re right that fellowship committees are not always looking for the same characteristics for which admissions comittees are looking, but I think they are looking for a strong, creative research plan to fund rather than just the drive and potential to succeed in graduate school. (I mean, they’re looking for that too.) As such, the essays are an extremely important component of the application.</p>