Mellon Community at QC
The Summer Intensive Program
In the summer immediately following acceptance into the program, students will spend five weeks in writing and research seminars. During this time, students will sharpen their critical thinking skills while becoming familiar with academic writing – both the reading of academic writing and production of it. They will also begin working on research projects that they will continue to develop during their two years as a Mellon undergraduate fellow.
The Mellon Seminar
After completion of the summer intensive program, in the Fall and Spring semesters of their junior and senior years, all fellows attend a seminar that meets bi-weekly. Lunch is provided. The Fall seminar prepares students for graduate school applications and features guest lecturers to discuss experiences within academia. The Spring seminar exposes fellows to texts and theories related to their development as scholars. Fellows engage with the readings by writing a brief response paper. At the start of each seminar, a different fellow will guide discussion of assigned texts.
Research Opportunities
Students are encouraged (though not required) to submit articles on their research projects to the MMUF journal. They are required to give presentations at the annual New York MMUF conference. The MMUF program aims to create a community of young scholars and involve them in the intellectual life of the College and other easily accessible Mellon programs.
The Mentoring Program
Each fellow is assigned a faculty mentor who supervises his/her research project. The fellow may also be involved in working on some aspect of his or her faculty mentor’s research project. Such close interactions with faculty mentors give fellows insight on life in academia, and cultivates their worldview, empowering them to envision themselves as young scholars. These interactions also have the practical advantage of adding substance and solidity to graduate school applications.
Mellon Graduation
Completion of the program is celebrated with a private graduation reception for the Mellon Fellows.
Financial Aid
Tuition for fellows (not including fees) is funded by the Queens College Foundation through the Office of Honors and Scholarships. Fellows receive a monthly stipend towards educational expenses during the academic year and summer research funding provided by the Mellon Foundation.