Experiencing the World Fellowships

Undergraduate opportunities

Conduct RESEARCH in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Gain RESOURCES to prepare you and fund your research

Build RELATIONSHIPS with faculty and peers

The Kellogg Institute offers the opportunity for Notre Dame first years, sophomores and juniors to engage in initial exploratory projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The award funds exceptionally qualified and committed undergraduates who seek to undertake innovative projects. These may include non-profit work, or research that will increase their commitment to and knowledge of one of the regions.

Reports from the Field

The Kellogg Institute offers the opportunity for Notre Dame first years, sophomores and juniors to engage in initial exploratory projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The award funds exceptionally qualified and committed undergraduates who seek to undertake innovative projects. These may include non-profit work, or research that will increase their commitment to and knowledge of one of the regions. Award recipients may receive up to $6000 to pursue field projects for up to three months in the chosen region.

Students interested in this award must justify their project as something that will substantially deepen and enrich their undergraduate experience and must show that this project is something that is otherwise not possible within existing Notre Dame programs. Student projects might include exploratory work for senior theses, area studies essays, or International Scholars research; collaborative research with a professor; work for a non-profit organization or NGO; or other creative forms of experiential education.

Students selected for the program will begin preparing for their summer experience through a series of orientations (see tab) with the Institute. Failure to attend orientations in full will result in cancellation of the award.

Why should I apply?

Initiative. Flexibility. Creativity. Cultural awareness. Language ability.
ETW Fellowships help students develop these skills, which are qualities employers and graduate schools look for in their applicants.
ETW field experiences often lead to further research projects including capstone and senior theses.

It is strongly recommended that students attend a grant writing workshop offered by the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE). See http://cuse.nd.edu/ to learn the details.

All applicants should meet with Rachel Thiel at least a month in advance of the deadline to ensure their proposal can be funded. It is in your very best interest to have this meeting before applying.

2025 Deadline: Monday, March 3, 2025

Eligibility

Students interested in this award must meet the following criteria:

Be a first year, sophomore or junior.
Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Have taken at least one course at Notre Dame related to the proposed region of the project and/or demonstrate prior interest in the region.
Demonstrate adequate language skills to carry out the proposed project.
Applications should indicate how the proposed project will deepen the student's exposure to Africa, Asia, or Latin America and contribute to the student's long-term plan of study.

All students planning to apply for an Experiencing the World Fellowship should meet with Rachel Thiel to ensure that their proposal idea meets the requirements of the fellowship. It is in your very best interest to have this meeting before applying.

Students selected for the program will begin preparing for their summer experience through a series of orientations with the Institute. Failure to attend orientations in full will result in cancellation of the award.

Upon their return, each recipient will submit a detailed report of approximately 1,000 words which evaluates the challenges and rewards of pursuing the field project and which discusses how the experience informed their understanding of the region. Recipients may be invited to make a public presentation on their field experience and talk to other students interested in applying in the future.

For questions about this program, please contact Program Manager Rachel Thiel (rthiel@nd.edu/1-4846).

Application Process

All applicants should meet with Program Manager Rachel Thiel several weeks before the deadline in order to verify that their proposed project and country site could be supported by the Kellogg Institute. It is in your very best interest to have this meeting before applying.

To apply for a Kellogg Institute ETW Fellowship, please go to the online application page. You can login to the application system using your Notre Dame credentials. Before sending questions to the program administrators, please open the application and review.

2025 Deadline: Monday, March 3, 2025

The application consists of the following:

A project proposal (no more than three pages, 12 pt. font, double-spaced). The project description should include details about your proposed work during this time, the length of time you intend to spend on the project and an explanation of how the project fits with your long-term academic goals.
Organization Information (If you intend to work with a specific organization, please include the organization name.)
Proposed travel itinerary and schedule
A detailed budget for anticipated expenses incurred during the fellowship period, including travel, food and lodging, and other expenses. Please include a budget justification sheet to explain expenses in detail, including flight itineraries (if you have them), materials, etc.
A letter of recommendation from a faculty member who is committed to overseeing the project and has thoroughly read your proposal. The system will ask for the name and email address of the person whom you have asked to write a letter of recommendation. Please request the letter from your faculty recommender several weeks ahead of the deadline, and please inform him/her that the email will come from Submittable.
An e-transcript (see information regarding how to request an e-transcript.) Applicants must request their e-transcript by 4:00pm at least two business days before the deadline in order to upload it into the application system on time.

APPLY

Levels of Support

Funding is available for a variety of project costs, including research materials and assistance, as well as travel. Individual awards will not exceed $6,000, and proposals will be considered for any amount below this figure. Applicants are required to notify the Kellogg Institute of any funding received from another source; in some cases the Program may adjust the amount of its award. Undergraduates are eligible for only one ETW Fellowship.

Questions about the program and status of an application should be submitted to Program Manager Rachel Thiel at 631-4846.

Organizations

The Kellogg Institute for International Studies supports undergraduate research in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, related to the Kellogg research themes of democracy and human development. Students can apply for an Experiencing the World (ETW) Fellowship and/or Kellogg/Kroc Undergraduate Research Grant to receive training, funding, and reentry support.

In some cases, applicants for the above programs are expected to work with a host organization, which requires students to make contact with the organization where they would like to intern or do research. Students should work closely with the organization to develop a work plan.

Note: All applicants should meet with Rachel Thiel at least one month in advance of the deadline to ensure that the organization, site, and plan proposed will meet Kellogg guidelines.

To see a full list of possible sites, click here.

The Kellogg Institute supports undergraduate students each summer to gain research, language and internship experience in the developing world. Kellogg's international programs seek to deepen students' understanding of their academic programs by giving them real world experience in the field. Students selected for Kellogg programs participate in several mandatory pre-departure orientations to help fully prepare them for their time abroad. Host organizations provide pre-departure materials and in-country orientations upon students' arrival at host sites.

While training is a significant pre-departure aspect of Kellogg's international programs, reentry programming is equally important. Kellogg faculty and staff seek to support students' reentry by helping them integrate their field experience into their academic program as well as their personal and professional development. The Institute hosts a Reentry Retreat each September. Kellogg also works with faculty to find classes where students may process and conduct research related to their international experience.

Dates for spring 2025 mandatory orientations for ETW are as follows:

Requirements Orientation
Wednesday, April 9, 6:30-8:30pm
Culture and Safety Orientation Part 1
Tuesday, April 15, 6:30-9:30pm
Culture and Safety Orientation Part 2
Wednesday, April 30, 6:30-9pm

Attendance of these orientations in full is required for all students who choose to accept Kellogg Institute funding.
Failure to attend orientations in full will result in the cancellation of the award.

Note: Students who are abroad in the spring will be expected to complete a series of written orientations in order to participate in the program.

Forms and Information

Several forms required for your international program are provided below. For detailed information about all program requirements, please consult your program packet.

Pre-Departure

Mandatory Orientations
Program Checklist - international sites
Explanation of Required Documents - international sites
International Workbook

Travel Insurance
The University of Notre Dame requires that you have insurance through GeoBlue. More information is available at www.geobluestudents.com.

For Students Currently Abroad

Online Orientation
Orientation Worksheet
Country Specific Questionnaire

Reentry

Forms should be submitted to Kellogg through Submittable.
(Log in to submittable and you will see the "Additional Forms" with your submission. Forms are due August 16, 2024 at 11:00pm)

Tips for Returning Home
Explanation of Follow-up Reports
Expense Report

For all paperwork related to pre-departure, please go to the Forms tab.

Your International Handbook includes several sections with references to valuable online resources. In order to allow for easy access to these web resources, we have provided some of those sections on this web page.

Resources for Women Traveling Abroad (page 22)

Her Own Way: Advice for the Woman Traveler: The Canadian Consular Affairs Bureau provides information about security, packing, culture shock and more in this article for women travelers.

JourneyWoman: An on-line travel resource for women.

"Sexual Harassment And Prevention In College Students Studying Abroad" (SAFETI On- Line Newsletter) The SAFETI On-Line Newsletter addresses issues of safety in study abroad.
This article explores how women can minimize their risk of being sexually harassed while traveling abroad.

U.S. Department of State's Tips for Women Traveling Abroad Alone: Advice from the branch of the U.S. government responsible for the welfare of U.S. citizens abroad.

Transitions Abroad: Women Travel Abroad: A great collection of first-hand articles, web sites and agencies by this award-winning, respected travel magazine.

Mental Health Resources for Notre Dame Students Abroad (page 23)

TAO (Therapy Assistance Online) Self-Help: A platform of tools and information to help you learn about struggles common to college students and to develop helpful strategies for navigating these challenges. In order to access these resources, you will be asked to create an account.

Web Resources for Survivors of Sexual Assault (page 26)

Web resources:
Title IX/Sexual Assault Resources
Support Options
How to help a friend
Reporting an incident online

Welcome Back to Campus! (page 28-31)

If you are looking to return overseas for study, but want someone else to pay for it, you should apply for one of the many scholarship programs available for recent university graduates: Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, etc. Visit the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement in Bond Hall, for more information or see their website at cuse.nd.edu.

There are also many programs and organizations with resources online. Here is a sampling of some of them:

BUNAC (work programs in Britain)
Council on International Educational Exchange work opportunities
Cultural Vistas
English language teaching (TEFL)
EnLAce (Electronic Network for Latin American Careers and Employment)
Rotary
Fulbright
Peace Corps

Tips for Returning Home (page 30)

Read about Reentry & Reverse Culture Shock-The more you know, the better prepared you will be to deal with it!

SIT Reentry Toolkit (World Learning)
Returning Home from Study Abroad (Middlebury College)

If you would like your family to better understand what you are going through when you return home, you might also share the following resource from World Learning with them:
https://studyabroad.sit.edu/documents/studyabroad/Readjustment-Manual-for-Parents.pdf

Counseling Center - If you find that you are in need of a little extra help processing your summer experience, counselors are readily available to help you at the University Counseling Center. The center staff can be reached at 574-631-7336 or ucc.nd.edu/

If you would prefer to talk to a counselor outside of the counseling center, you can have a confidential and free consultation with a professional counselor through the UCC talkline. No appointment or paperwork is required.

For all paperwork related to reentry, please go to the Forms tab.

Returning From Abroad

For students returning from study abroad as well as international internships, language study and research experiences

A large number of Notre Dame students travel abroad each year through internships, research and language grants, and study abroad programs. The Institute seeks to connect ND students to academic opportunities that will allow them to further explore their experiences abroad. Classes, grants, and conferences are all available to offer students the chance to deepen their understanding of the world and open avenues to graduate school and careers beyond Notre Dame.

All recipients of ETW Fellowships are required to attend a Reentry Retreat on Saturday, September 14, 9am-3pm.