Welcome to the Fellowships and Gap Year Community!

The following sampling of tools and resources should be combined with your own research. We suggest you use targeted keyword searches to find representative employers and opportunities, explore professional associations, join LinkedIN groups, and browse additional job board postings. Remember to also search LinkedIn and MyPenn (formerly QuakerNet) to connect with Penn alumni in fields related to your interests. Additionally, the sample jobs and employers are only a small selection of what’s posted in Handshake – log in to see much more!

We also suggest using the Career Exploration section of our website for more information or researching by major.

CURF

The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships serves as the University of Pennsylvania’s information hub and primary support office for Penn students and alumni considering applying for major grants and fellowships. CURF aims to demystify these opportunities to help undergraduate and graduate students and alumni determine the most appropriate awards for which to apply. CURF’s searchable Fellowships Directory allows you to search for opportunities based on your student or alumni status.

Make Connections

Networking is simply talking and building relationships with professionals in careers that interest you to help you learn what it’s like to work in a particular role, field, or industry. In addition to MyPenn (formerly QuakerNet) and LinkedIn, you can read more about how to make connections. 

Search & Apply

When looking for a fellowship or gap year experience, Handshake is a great place to start looking and to connect with employers! Our career and pre-graduate advisors are also more than happy to discuss your search with you.

Find Resources

On this page, we’ve compiled many resources to help you prepare for a fellowship or gap year.  If planning for a gap year before enrolling in a health professions school, check out our Pre-Health Resources Page.

What's New?

New Resume Samples to Help PhDs and Postdocs Tell Their Story

Most PhD students and postdocs are very familiar with curriculum vitaes (CVs), and you probably already have one!  CVs are used for lots of academic purposes – applying for graduate programs, grants and fellowships, and for academic jobs.  You probably don’t …

By Dianne Hull
Dianne Hull Senior Associate Director, Graduate Students & Postdocs
Read more

How to Answer: ‘Tell Me About Yourself’

Interviews often begin with one question that sets the tone for everything that follows. In fact, 93% of hiring managers ask candidates “Tell me about yourself”, making it the most common interview question.

That means your answer is not just …

Read more

Is It OK to Ask About Layoffs During an Interview? Yes—Here’s How

The job market can be unpredictable, and layoffs are a reality in many industries. Whether you’ve experienced one yourself or just want to avoid being caught off guard, it’s natural to wonder about job security before accepting a new position. …

Read more

Career Resources

An up-and-coming trend for American students, a gap year is a semester or year away from college either domestically or …

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Location

Phone
(215) 898-7531
Address

Penn Career Services
3935 Walnut Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Service Hours

Monday 9am-5pm
Tuesday 9am-5pm
Wednesday 9am-5pm
Thursday 9am-5pm
Friday 9am-5pm