When I was a junior at Yale, I had an epiphany. There was a whole world of institutions who wanted to give me money or a free education, just because I was a young person.
I thought: Sign me up for the free stuff!
I laced up my sneakers and spent 3 hours jogging to every single academic department at Yale, copying down information from the posters on each department’s bulletin boards. (This was before almost everything was on the internet.) I was looking for the most selective scholarships, for short-term fellowships, learning programs, and highly selective conferences. I particularly focused on programs geared to “young leaders”.
As a direct result, I:
· Entered a writing contest and won a cash prize.
· Won an award from the Yale English department.
· Won a scholarship to spend a week at Mount Holyoke College studying German Studies and Europe.
· Won a scholarship to study political philosophy for a week in the Czech Republic.
· Won a scholarship to spend a long weekend at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) studying national security issues.
· Won an all-expenses paid trip to study the modern Jewish community in Germany
· Met amazing people who changed my life!
It’s not that I was such an amazing candidate. It’s just that I raised my hand and applied. Most of my peers weren’t aware of these opportunities or didn’t take the time.
There are programs like these for graduate students and young professionals. And “young” is defined quite broadly—some of the programs I found welcome candidates in their 30s or 40s, or in some cases of any age
I’ve just released a new research report with an updated, expanded version of all the Elite Fellowships, Scholarships, Conferences, and Training Programs for Young Leaders that I have found. These programs will help you get jobs at the employer you want, or get into the graduate programs you dream of. Most are free, and many pay you an honorarium. If you don’t apply to every program on this list for which you’re eligible, you’re missing out on some of the greatest life hacks in existence. I originally developed these for my own kids, but then thought I should publish it more broadly.
Our database falls into these categories:
- The Most Selective and Generous Scholarships for College and Grad School: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Social Impact
- Fellowships for Politics and International Relations
- Political Internships
- Young leadership programs for: US-Europe Relations, US-Asia Relations, Libertarian/Classical Liberal Politics, Conservative Politics, and Progressive Politics
- Opportunities for Women, Racial Minorities, and Other Historically Underrepresented Communities
- Opportunities Organized by Religious Groups: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim
- Mini-Universities: Selective Conferences and Communities
- Short-Term Learning Programs for Mid-Career Professionals
And for more resources, check out the book I wrote with Mandee Heller Adler: “To University and Beyond: Launch Your Career in High Gear“, published by Wiley.
Thanks to Anika Dixit for her help researching this!
