Academic Excellence
Candidates should have demonstrated excellence in a STEM field through academic success. Competitive doctoral candidates should have some research experience.
Passion for the Intersection of STEM and Social Impact
Candidates should demonstrate their interest and engagement in the impact that science and technology can have on society and the collective good. Candidates should clearly express their interest in applying their studies to positively impact others. This can be demonstrated by research conducted, relevant coursework taken, internships held, extracurricular opportunities engaged, or professional indicators of commitment.
Curiosity, Compassion, and Integrity
Candidates should demonstrate an expansive and interdisciplinary sense of curiosity, an interest in building and sustaining genuine connections between individuals with differing cultural, socio-economic, and professional backgrounds, and exemplify integrity in both their professional and personal lives. This can be demonstrated through professional or personal experiences within and beyond the intersection of STEM and social impact.
Sense of Initiative
Candidates should describe their track record and abilities to produce tangible, successful, and positive results.
Innovation and Creativity
Candidates should describe their unique perspectives and creative approaches to the issues they most care about. This can be demonstrated by original academic work or extracurricular opportunities.
Required Application Materials
Official Transcript from Undergraduate University
- The Quad Fellowship requires a complete and official record of your higher education. If your official transcript is not in English, please include both the original and a translated copy. If you are currently enrolled in a graduate program, please include your most recent transcript from your current program.
Statement of Purpose
2 Short Essays
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The short essay responses are opportunities to demonstrate in more detail what you would uniquely bring to the Quad Fellowship and how the fellowship would contribute to your academic and professional goals. There are two required essay subjects: Curiosity, Compassion, and Integrity and Initiative, Innovation, and Creativity.
Resume
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Your resume should be no more than 2 pages and should include all relevant experiences, including but not limited to education, work experience, volunteer work, and publications.
Three Letters of Recommendation
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Your application must include three letters of recommendation. At least two letters of recommendation must come from professors who can speak to your academic abilities. The third letter of recommendation may come from either a professional contact or another academic contact. When choosing recommenders, select those individuals who can speak to both your academic abilities as well as your commitment to making positive impact through your work.
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All letters of recommendation must be in English. Recommenders may address their letters to the Quad Fellowship Admissions Team. Applicants will provide their recommenders’ contact information and the recommenders will be able to submit their letters directly to the Quad Fellowship through the application portal.
TOEFL Scores
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All Quad Fellowship programming will be conducted in English, and all Quad Fellows will study at English-language universities in the US. Therefore, full English proficiency is required for participation in the program. If you are not a native English speaker and/or have not studied at an English post-secondary institution for at least two years, you will need to submit your scores from an English proficiency examination such as the TOEFL.
There are three components of the application process:
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Online application requesting three essays, background information, and three letters of recommendation. At least two letters of recommendation must come from professors who can speak to the candidate’s academic abilities; one may come from either a professional contact or another academic contact.
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Expert review designed to assess proficiency in the applicant’s STEM field.
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Final-round panel interview designed to assess passion for the intersection of STEM and social impact, and identify candidates who demonstrate integrity, curiosity, and compassion for the world around them.
For more details on the application process and required application materials, please see our Required Application Materials.
We use a holistic review process to evaluate applications within their context. While academic excellence is an important selection criterion, we do not rely solely on transcripts to make our decisions. The essays, letters of recommendation, and a candidate’s resume all factor into our assessment.
The application requires at least two letters of recommendation from professors who can speak to your academic abilities. The third letter of recommendation may be from either a professional contact or another academic contact.
