Carleton’s Fellowships

When I first came to Carleton, I had zero clue what the Office of Student Fellowships was. I knew it existed in a vague capacity because my student dining hall manager told me all about her fellowship painting landscapes in California. However, I didn’t really understand what that meant, or what was so cool about fellowships. When my friend Sophia did a fellowship last year studying farmers’ markets, it struck me that I can do a fellowship too. What this really means is that Carleton College could essentially pay me to do exactly what I want to do this summer!

Overview of the Office

The Office of Student Fellowships provides two primary services to Carleton students. 

Carleton-Funded Opportunities

The first of these services is to offer funding to Carleton students who are pursing projects. Students’ projects can take many different forms. The most obvious of these is offering funding to students to partake in (mostly independent) research projects. A lot of the funding goes towards projects which will be used as part of seniors’ Comps, but a lot of it is simply more generalized research projects which interest students of all years. My personal favorite part is you are often able to do your project off campus (in the United States or internationally). One example of this is my own research project (“Sightseeing the Sacred: Church Tourism and its Effects on Engagement with Churches in Europe”) which I will discuss in more detail later!

The other two options are perhaps less obvious. The first is doing a creative project in the fine arts in lieu of doing research. This could be drawing, singing, acting, etc. Truly any creative endeavor which is relevant to your learning and growth here at Carleton. They function exactly the same way. Pick a project that interests you, relate it to your academic interests at Carleton, get funded, and go!

The final option is for people who aren’t exactly sure whether they want to do something research or art-focused. For these projects, students can apply for funding to engage in experiential learning. This option can truly be anything – so long as you can relate it to what you are studying. Love hiking and are interested in religion? Do a pilgrimage. Love the relationship between art and culture? Apply to work in an artist’s commune. The sky is the limit for these.

Non-Carleton Opportunities

The Fellowships office is also a great resource for finding out about other sources of funding for fellowships. The workers have a true wealth of knowledge, and they can lead you to opportunities that are able to give you more funding than Carleton could offer you for the same project. If you look hard enough, you will find that there are a plethora of fellowships out there for any possible project you could come up with. Thanks to the Fellowships office, you don’t have to do the searching!

My Fellowship!

This summer I’ll be doing my project: “Sightseeing the Sacred: Church Tourism and its Effects on Engagement with Churches in Europe.” This project entails my traveling to Rome, Barcelona, and Paris where I will be studying cathedrals to help me better understand the intersections between Christianity and capitalism. That is, of course, a very brief overview. To put it bluntly, Carleton is funding my summer in Europe!

Closing Thoughts

Truly, I’m thrilled to have this opportunity. I’m glad Carleton is able to offer so much funding for students to pursue their interests! A fellowship is an incredible experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering a Carleton Education.

Aidan (he/him) is a junior from Batavia, IL coming back to Northfield after a semester off-campus in Paris. He is a Religion and French and Francophone Studies double major with a passion for ceramics. Outside of class, he enjoys spending his time cooking, hanging out with his housemates in the Culinary Interest House, and performing in Carleton’s sketch comedy group. You can often find him at the campuses’ two dining halls chatting with other students while working as a student dining hall manager.