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DU’s Office of Scholar Development and Fellowship Advising (SDFA) has become one of the busiest—and most successful—places on campus.��

Now in its fourth year, the office is breaking records for students earning external fellowships and scholarships that support research, language study, teaching, and public service worldwide. Last year, it helped 175 students submit 230 applications and facilitated a record number of Fulbright awards.

External fellowships are life-changing, providing financial support to pursue personal, academic, and professional goals. The application process can feel intimidating, but staff members Savannah Pine and Lindsay Lawton have built a holistic and supportive approach that helps students succeed.

“Sometimes we’re cheerleaders at the finish screaming and shouting when you cross the line” says Lawton. “Other times we’re like guides, running with students and giving step-by-step advice.”

Want to know more? Here are five tips from staff members and fellowship awardees on how to apply for a fellowship at DU.��

Find your “why”

The key to a strong fellowship application is knowing your “why.” The goal is more than the award; it’s also the meaningful growth the applicant seeks as a person, scholar, or professional.

“Students should be thinking about what good that they want to do in the world and how are they going to accomplish that,” advises Lawton.��

To find the right fellowship, students should reflect on their intellect, character, well-being, and sense of purpose—their 4D Experience—as well as their big-picture goals.��

“It tends to work best for students if they have some idea about that future impact,” says Lawton, “and then we can work backwards to think about what skills, credentials, and experiences they will need and then find an award that is a good fit.”

Lawton and Pine ask students the right questions to get applicants to dig deeper, beyond just a language they want to learn or place they want to go. They push students to think about connections between language study and academic or professional goals—or how they’ll be cultural ambassadors and represent the U.S. while abroad as well as the host country upon their return.��

Next, they guide students through the various eligibility and timing requirements and make sure they meet the criteria. “If we think a student is not going to be competitive for something, we help them redirect to something else that will be a better fit,” Lawton says.��

Play the long game��

The fellowship application and selection process can be lengthy, often taking a year or more to complete. While there are hundreds of fellowships out there, SDFA supports a portfolio of competitions that offer something for nearly everyone—from first-year students to recent alumni to graduate students—and across nearly every discipline. Pine and Lawton encourage students to meet with them as early as their first year.

“It helps to brainstorm goals and ideas far ahead," says Lawton. “I encourage students to be proactive. There's no minimum threshold to meet with us.”����

For Pine, guiding students through applications, acceptances, and rejections feels familiar—she went through the same experience as an undergrad applying for the Marshall Scholarship.

"I totally bombed the campus interview,” she recalls. “But because I had gone through the steps to look up graduate programs in the UK and reach out to potential supervisors, it opened up a door that I never thought I would go for.”

Pine ultimately pursued graduate school abroad and earned her PhD at Cambridge.

Get the most out of the application process��

A fellowship is more than an award—it’s a journey that shapes students along the way. SDFA focuses on the personal, professional, and scholarly development that can result from engaging thoughtfully with the application process.

That process can be long—as Lawton and Pine note, applying for some postgraduate awards can take as much time and effort as a two-credit course.��

But the commitment pays off, as applicants sharpen their ability to communicate their strengths and experiences while cultivating meaningful mentor–mentee relationships with faculty and staff who support them and write letters of recommendation.��

Students also learn to reflect on and articulate their goals. At first, says Pine, they feel uneasy talking about themselves, but being able to convey accomplishments concisely is a valuable skill they will use in graduate school or job interviews.��

Students also build tolerance for ambiguity, learning first-hand the value of patience and flexibility.

“It's the least exciting learning outcome,” says Lawton, “but understanding how to move through a complex bureaucratic process—that's a life skill.”��

Whether a student receives an award or not, they are welcome to continue working with SDFA.

DU senior Frankie Stroud, inspired by her study abroad experience in Kenya, received a Critical Language Scholarship to study Swahili in Tanzania and continues to work with the office to pursue future opportunities.

“This experience totally hooked me, and I have been working with their office regularly ever since," says Stroud.

Believe in yourself��

There’s a misconception that fellowships are for people who are “smarter, more competent, pulled together, on top of it, or fill in the blank with whatever insecurity a student might have,” says Lawton. “And that’s just not the case.”��

But being confident is easier said than done, which is why the office’s mantra is “no one does this alone.” Pine and Lawton meet with students at every stage of the process, from understanding the fellowship landscape to the whirlwind of application materials, recommendations, interviews, and ultimate outcomes.

Stroud was surprised by all the ways the office supported her, noting that Lawton and Pine offered thoughtful feedback that helped her tell her authentic story.��

But Lawton and Pine say the process depends on what students put into it. “If you engage deeply in that reflective work, you're going to get a lot more out of it than if you approach it as just as, ‘I just need to check off these boxes and then click submit,’” says Lawton.��

Don’t wait to begin��

SDFA is open throughout the academic year and summer and sends out for upcoming deadlines.��

Former awardees are some of the easiest and most helpful people to talk to. Stroud suggests getting coffee with students who have done fellowships or have gone to locations you’re interested in. Many alumni have shared their fellowship experiences on the SDFA Instagram page (@DUFellowships), and recent fellowship grantees are

With advising, peer connections, and thoughtful planning, students have the tools to pursue fellowships with confidence.��

As Stroud advises, “It is important to plan a version of what your future looks like and what you want to do. [Then] fellowship organizations can picture the future they are investing in. Tell your own story, not what you think they want to hear.”