ACLS Director of Public Programs John Paul Christy and three former and current fellows from University of California schools each answer five questions about the ACLS Public Fellows program: how the program developed, how successful fellows prepared, and what advice these experts have for interested applicants. An important listen before 2016 fellowship applications are due on March 24!

In this episode, John Paul Christy describes how the Public Fellows programs highlights the manner in which a doctorate in the humanities can be suited to diverse range of professions. Christy states that one of the goals of the program is to encourage graduate students and their advisors to see earning a doctorate as work that helps individuals develop a variety of skills that are in high demand at organizations outside the academy. He encourages potential applicants to “make the most of the brief space you have in your application materials to make your case.” Christy adds that applicants should learn as much as they can about the host organization they wish to join and use their cover letter to make the case of why the position they are applying to is the “logical next step in [their] career path.”