Happy Holiday everyone!
In case you missed our virtual info session last week, we’ve got you covered! In our info session recording, we go over topics such as program details, examples of design projects, and application information, so you can apply with confidence!
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Learn more about the program: fungfellows.berkeley.edu
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Watch our info session recording: youtu.be/oA_T-aoLHbw
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Sign up for our interest form: bit.ly/FFInterestSp26
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Access the application: bit.ly/FFSp26App
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Deadline to apply: Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 11:59pm PT
We are The Harper Review, a review of politics and culture run by University of Chicago students that takes inspiration from publications such as Compact, The Hedgehog Review, The New Criterion, The Point, The Drift, The New Statesman, Dissent, First Things, County Highway and classics like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Harper’s Magazine.
We are now looking for essays and shorter “letters” for our winter issue.
We’re interested in essays that:
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Thoughtfully explore cultural and political phenomena.
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Don’t rely on academic jargon or vogue.
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Are written for a general audience without talking down or dumbing down.
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Are 1,500–2,500 words—we’re happy to look at longer or marginally shorter pieces, but we want to give writers space to fully flesh out their ideas.
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Argue something we may not hear from the talking heads.
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Connect life on the ground to big ideas and vice versa.
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Take those that disagree seriously.
Note: we don’t want academic papers—ideas from class papers can inspire our essays, but we are a general-audience magazine, not an academic journal.
We’re also looking for shorter “letters” (4–5 paragraphs or 400–600 words) responding to the statement “The party’s over.” Argue in favor, against, or that the statement itself is flawed—we want to hear it all.
Want to get more of a sense of our magazine? Here are a few highlights from the archive: Assistant editor Charlie Phelan muses on David Foster Wallace and the problem of modern entertainment. Longtime activist and educator Bill Ayers talks about children’s natural nose for lies Magazine cofounder and USA Today editor Surya Gowda argues that the new media paradigm manufactures dissent
If any of this sounds like your jam, shoot us a draft or a pitch and a writing sample at harperreview@gmail.com. If you are interested in subscribing to our weekly email newsletter or reading pieces we’ve published in the past, please visit our websiteWe will be accepting drafts for our winter issue until January 4th—we hope to hear from you!
Sincerely,
The editors of The Harper ReviewEligibility Requirements
- U.S. citizen or U.S. national
- Junior (plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2026 and August 2027)
- demonstrated superior intellectual ability (typically minimum 3.5 GPA) and personal promise
- planning to enter research-focused master’s or doctoral program or MFA in the arts, humanities, or social sciences (not including neuroscience or professional degrees, such as business, law, public health, public policy, and social work)
- documented history of receiving need-based financial aid as an undergraduate
Selection Criteria
Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria: superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement, and personal promise
• Statement (1,000 words)
• C.V. (complete, no page limit)
• Official copies of all college transcripts (unofficial transcripts acceptable for nomination process)
• Three letters of recommendation from faculty members
• Creative portfolio (MFA candidates only)
• high school diploma or GED
• pursuing a study abroad experience that meets home institution standards and takes place in a country outside of the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Australia, or New Zealand (a country of which student does not hold citizenship)
• plan to use the scholarship to study abroad before graduating
For more information, please visit the Boren Awards website.
Prospective applicants must make an individual advising appointment with Keila Diehl (ourschol-coordinator@berkeley.edu), the Boren Scholarship campus representative.
Prospective applicants must make an individual advising appointment with Alicia Hayes (ourscholarships@berkeley.edu), the Udall Scholarship’s campus representative.
Eligibility Requirements
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• full-time sophomore (2 years of study remaining beginning in Fall 2026) or junior (1 year of study remaining beginning in Fall 2026)
• either: 1) a student studying the environment or related fields, or 2) a Native American or Alaska Native in a field related to health care or tribal public policy
• some coursework in ethics and public policy and/or public or community service experience in their chosen career fields.
Selection Criteria
The Udall Foundation is looking for outstanding students who demonstrate, through their areas of study and public or community service activities, a commitment to and potential for making significant contributions to their fields. Applicants should have some coursework in ethics and public policy and/or public or community service experience in their chosen career fields. Udall applicants interested in environmental issues have majored in a broad range of disciplines, including environmental engineering, agriculture, natural sciences, natural resource management, political science, sociology, anthropology, geography, cultural studies, history, public policy, and pre-law. Native American and Alaska Native scholars have had backgrounds in American Indian studies, political science, sociology, geography, anthropology, tribal policy, economic development, government, health care, health sciences, and health policy.