The Charlotte W. Newcombe
Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

Q: What materials are required for a completed application?

A: The online application, doctoral transcript(s), and three letters of recommendation. Included in the online application are these five required narrative components: an abstract, a full proposal, a selected bibliography, a timetable for completion, and a document providing additional relevant information.

Q: How do I know if my recommendation letters and transcripts have been received?

A: After saving your application, you may login at any time to check the status of the receipt of your documents. At the top right corner of your application, there are check boxes that indicate what has been received; if a box is not checked your document is still outstanding.

Q: How do I submit my letters of recommendation?

A: You should have three letters of recommendation: one from your dissertation director and two from faculty members—either from your own institution or a different institution—who are familiar with your work. First ask your recommenders well in advance of the deadline for their recommendation. When they agree, tell them they will receive an email from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, providing a link to upload the recommendation letter to a secure site. YOU MUST THEN SUPPLY the email address of the recommenders on your online application to generate the email that is sent to them. They will receive the email immediately once you save their name and email address in your application. Please note that only recommendation letters that are submitted through our automated online system will be accepted.

Q: Who should I ask to be my recommenders?

A: You should ask the person who will direct your dissertation and two additional faculty recommenders. (A co-director may be listed as a faculty recommender.) The two faculty members may be from your own institution or department or a different institution or department.

Q: I entered a recommender's information into my application but a crisis arose and that recommender can no longer submit a recommendation. What do I do?

A: Once you have found an alternate recommender, email our tech-support team at tech-help@woodrow.org. In your email, provide all of the recommender information that is requested on the application that needs to be replaced (Title, first name, last name, institution, department, email and phone number). For example:

Dear tech-help,

I am applying for the Newcombe Fellowship. My recommender, Professor Johnathan Smith (Jsmith@university.edu), who is in my application as recommender 1, will not be able to submit a letter on my behalf. As a replacement, I will instead be receiving a letter from Professor Janet Jones (Jjones@university.edu) Of XYZ institution, in the ABC department. Her phone number is; 123-123-1234. Will you please help me to make this change in my application?

Thank you for your assistance,
Sally Smith, Ph.D. candidate, XYZ University

Q: My recommender cannot find the email that provides the link to the secure site to upload the letter of recommendation, what do I do?

A: Double check that you have entered the email address correctly in the application. If the address is correct, please ask your recommender to check his or her SPAM folder in case the email has been flagged as "junk." Remember the email will be FROM the Woodrow Wilson Fellowships and the subject heading will be Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation: Recommender Invitation.
 
If the email in the application was correct, and the email is not in the SPAM/junk folder, it is possible the spam folder automatically deleted the email during a routine clean up. Please send an email to tech-help@woodrow.org, requesting that a second email be sent. For example:
 
Dear tech-help,
 
I am applying for the Newcombe Fellowship and my recommender, Professor Johnathan Smith (jsmith @university.edu) needs a second recommender email sent. Would you please resend the invitation?
 
Thank you for your assistance,
Sally Smith Ph.D. candidate, University

Q: My university sent my transcripts two weeks ago, but they are not showing as received, what is wrong?

A: First, check with your university to see that the transcripts were actually sent. Some universities give a receipt for a "sent" transcript but this only begins the internal process to actually sending it which can wind up taking several weeks.
 
Second, make sure that you have sent the transcript to the correct address.
 
For U.S. Postal Service use this address:
 
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
P.O. Box 5281, CWN Department
Princeton, NJ 08543-5281
 
For UPS and FedEx use this address:
 
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
CWN Department
5 Vaughn Drive
Suite 300
Princeton, NJ 08540-6313
 
Please make sure that the address states CWN Department. Otherwise, even though it may have arrived at the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, it may take additional time to arrive at the correct department.

Q: I have a receipt from FedEx (or UPS or USPS) that states my transcript arrived yesterday, but it is not showing as received, what is wrong?

A: Transcripts are logged manually. It may take up to 72 hours after the submission of the application, or receipt of the transcript, to verify and record all documents. If you correctly entered the information on your application and your transcripts have arrived, your transcript status will be updated appropriately. Please continue to check back in your application for the status of your documents.
 
Please make sure that when mailing the transcripts, by whichever mail service you choose, that the address states CWN Department. Otherwise, even though your transcripts may have arrived at the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, it may take several extra days to arrive at the correct department.
 
Do not request additional copies of your transcript from your university to be mailed. If you have waited a reasonable amount of time, in light of the above information, and your transcript is not showing as received, please contact Tech-help@woodrow.org for advice on how to proceed.

Q: I would like to use Interfolio or other document service for my letters of recommendation. How do I do that?

A: Please have these documents sent to cwndocs@woodrow.org.

Q: My university sends transcripts electronically. Do you accept them electronically? If so, how do I make those arrangements with you?

A: Yes, we will accept official electronic transrcipts. Please have them sent to cwndocs@woodrow.org.

Q: How do I know that my online application was received?

A: Once you have successfully submitted your application you will receive a confirmation email. You will also notice upon logging back in that the program has moved from under the Saved tab on your dashboard to the Submitted tab. Once the application has been successfully submitted you will no longer be able to edit the application.

Q: Should I include primary sources in the bibliography?

A: Yes. Keep in mind that you need to demonstrate that you are familiar both with the literature in your field and with any other works that a scholarly reader would consider definitive for your topic. As the bibliography is limited to three pages, it is important to include the works that most clearly demonstrate your preparation to carry out the work you propose.

Q: How do I know who to contact with any question that I may have about the Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship or the application process?

A: For general program, application and Fellowship questions: If you have further questions after reviewing information on this website, including application information, eligibility requirements, and FAQ, please contact Susan Billmaier by email at billmaier@woodrow.org.
 
For questions when filling out the application or for technical difficulties: If you have registered and/or begun an application and have questions about filling out the application, submitting recommendation letters, or if you are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact technical support at tech-help@woodrow.org. Be sure to include your name and the fellowship to which you are applying (Newcombe). Please send a concise, specific question and leave a number where you can be reached.

• Emails will be answered as quickly as possible and in the order they are received. Do not send multiple emails. Do not send the same email to multiple email addresses. If in doubt send your email to Susan Billmaier at Billmaier@woodrow.org.
• Emails will be answered before voice mails. If you do leave a voice message, please spell your first and last name, state the name of the competition to which you are applying, leave a clear and concise message, a phone number and an email address* where you can be reached.

*Due to the high volume of inquiries, we respond to voice mail by email
so that we can maintain a written record of the question or interaction.

View Eligibility Criteria
View Application Information

The 2013 Charlotte W. Newcombe Fellowship online application is now closed.
Please check back at a later date for news of the 2013 Fellows.

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