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This is the time of the year when graduate students consider applying for various Fellowships.
But if you were planning to apply for Hertz Fellowship, unless you are from a tiny handful of "elite" schools, it is simply a waste of your time and emotional energy!
Why?
But if you were planning to apply for Hertz Fellowship, unless you are from a tiny handful of "elite" schools, it is simply a waste of your time and emotional energy!
Why?
Simple: look at their "Hertz Fellows Directory" page
https://www.hertzfoundation.org/our-fellows/fellows-directory/
In 2020, out of 16 Fellowship, 5 went to MIT, 4 to Stanford, the rest to Harvard (2), and Caltech, Berkeley, Chicago, Rice, and Carnegie Mellon (all 1).
Statistical fluke?
No.
https://www.hertzfoundation.org/our-fellows/fellows-directory/
In 2020, out of 16 Fellowship, 5 went to MIT, 4 to Stanford, the rest to Harvard (2), and Caltech, Berkeley, Chicago, Rice, and Carnegie Mellon (all 1).
Statistical fluke?
No.
2019, similar story:
11 Fellowships, 3 to MIT, 3 to Harvard, 2 to Carnegie Mellon, 1 to Princeton and Berkeley.
2018:
10 Fellowships, 6 (!) to MIT, 2 to Stanford, 1 each to Harvard and Princeton.
This is kind of fascinating, so let's do few more years.
11 Fellowships, 3 to MIT, 3 to Harvard, 2 to Carnegie Mellon, 1 to Princeton and Berkeley.
2018:
10 Fellowships, 6 (!) to MIT, 2 to Stanford, 1 each to Harvard and Princeton.
This is kind of fascinating, so let's do few more years.
2017:
12 Fellowships, 5 to MIT, 3 to Stanford, 2 to Harvard, 1 to Caltech, 1 to UC San Francisco
2016:
12 Fellowships, 3 to Stanford, 3 to Harvard, "only" 2 (?!) to MIT, and 1 to several other schools.
I can keep going.
12 Fellowships, 5 to MIT, 3 to Stanford, 2 to Harvard, 1 to Caltech, 1 to UC San Francisco
2016:
12 Fellowships, 3 to Stanford, 3 to Harvard, "only" 2 (?!) to MIT, and 1 to several other schools.
I can keep going.
At this point some people will go:
"But these elite schools have the best students, so of course they win a big share of that Fellowship!"
Let me tell you: I worked at Harvard for many years, and while I have seen smart students, I have seen mediocre ones, plenty.
"But these elite schools have the best students, so of course they win a big share of that Fellowship!"
Let me tell you: I worked at Harvard for many years, and while I have seen smart students, I have seen mediocre ones, plenty.
That is also true here, at OSU: plenty of very smart students, in astrophysics and other fields, and yet
NOT A SINGLE OHIO STATE GRADUATE STUDENT, IN ANY FIELD, HAS EVER WON A HERTZ FELLOWSHIP, SINCE 1963!
(it sucks to write in ALL CAPS)
NOT A SINGLE OHIO STATE GRADUATE STUDENT, IN ANY FIELD, HAS EVER WON A HERTZ FELLOWSHIP, SINCE 1963!
(it sucks to write in ALL CAPS)
But what about other Universities?
"The School Up North", as they call it around here, won 4 Hertz Fellowships since 1963, the last one in 2006.
PennState, however, also 0 Fellowships, in almost 60 years!
MIT, on the other hand, appears to have won close to 300 (!) of them.
"The School Up North", as they call it around here, won 4 Hertz Fellowships since 1963, the last one in 2006.
PennState, however, also 0 Fellowships, in almost 60 years!
MIT, on the other hand, appears to have won close to 300 (!) of them.
Stanford, during the same time, won "only" 260 of them.
So what the hell is going on?
I have no idea, but I do have some guesses.
A big problem might be that to win a Fellowship, you must past two rounds of interviews with the winners of the past Fellowships!
So what the hell is going on?
I have no idea, but I do have some guesses.
A big problem might be that to win a Fellowship, you must past two rounds of interviews with the winners of the past Fellowships!
Why do I write this?
We can't change the past, but we can try to change the future.
If half, or more, of all your Fellowships go to 3-5 universities EVERY SINGLE YEAR, your system is broken, and you need to fix it, Hertz Foundation!
(did not find them on Twitter)
We can't change the past, but we can try to change the future.
If half, or more, of all your Fellowships go to 3-5 universities EVERY SINGLE YEAR, your system is broken, and you need to fix it, Hertz Foundation!
(did not find them on Twitter)
Let me be very clear that I am 100% sure that every single person that actually won the Hertz Fellowship deserved it, and I am not attacking them, or their accomplishments, in fact I am (was?) friends with a number of them.
But the Hertz Fellowship selection system is broken.
But the Hertz Fellowship selection system is broken.
Why should they care?
To quote from their "About" page:
"We know the nation’s most promising talent can come in many packages, from different disciplines, backgrounds, and points of view." https://www.hertzfoundation.org/the-fellowship/about/
To quote from their "About" page:
"We know the nation’s most promising talent can come in many packages, from different disciplines, backgrounds, and points of view." https://www.hertzfoundation.org/the-fellowship/about/
Will they make a change?
This is what I wrote back in 2013 in a letter for my graduate student (now a Hubble Fellow).
Obviously that didn't work, but again, "hope springs eternal".
This is what I wrote back in 2013 in a letter for my graduate student (now a Hubble Fellow).
Obviously that didn't work, but again, "hope springs eternal".
I gladly welcome your comments, positive or negative, but if you are going to be an asshole about it, I will block you.
