Fulbright 2015-2016

[psych_33]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm working on my Fulbright application for study/research at LMU-Munich in hopes to enroll in their international Master's program in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology. I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone could help me with:

 

1) When writing affiliation requests to POIs at LMU, should I indicate that I am simply looking to enroll in the NCP program through Fulbright for a Master's, or should I propose a specific, detailed research project with the professor? (My understanding is that the study/research grants are typically for research projects, but they can be used for graduate study--I'm just not entirely sure if I should tailor my affiliation letter and statement to a specific project with a specific professor, or if I should just indicate experience and interest in neuropsych and studying at LMU in general. I have a wide range of research interests that align with the research conducted by faculty at LMU, so I could potentially see myself working with almost any of the faculty members.) I'm just not too sure how to approach the affiliation letters.

 

2) Does anyone have any tips in general on applying for Fulbright with the intention to enroll in a Master's program? I don't want to conduct a one-year research project in Germany and leave, I would much rather stay the second year to complete a degree with a thesis. (I know that Fulbright only covers one year, but that's not a big deal for me because I've saved up a few thousand over the past few years with plans to take a post-graduation month-long vacation in Germany next year anyways, so I could use that money and some additional support from my father towards the second year of my Master's degree instead.)

 

3) Do you think that recommendations from faculty who have received Fulbright awards will add extra weight to an application? Two of my recommendations are coming from past Fulbright scholar recipients; one of my German professors, who received a grant to go to Austria, and the other is a sociology/womens studies professor who I've been a teaching assistant for throughout the past year. Both are able to write strong recommendations for me, I'm just wondering if the fact that they received Fulbright grants will make any difference. My third recommended is a psychologist at the neuropsych clinic that I've been interning and conducting research at.

 

I would appreciate any tips that you could provide for me. I'm really excited about this potentially life-changing opportunity!! I'm going to spend all of my energy throughout the next month focusing on finalizing and perfecting everything for my application

Edited August 10, 2014 by psych_33

[tarosaurus]

Hi all!

 

Very specific question related to the course auditing requirement for research grants and, particularly, for China.

 

Here's the instructions on the Fulbright website: 

Graduating seniors and Bachelor’s-level candidates must propose to affiliate with Chinese universities and to have Chinese faculty members as advisers.  Grantees will affiliate with Chinese universities and will audit classes at their host institutions. (Source)

 

Anyone else have any insight? 

Xiexie!

[Francophile1]

Hi everyone!

 

I am excited to see so many others anxiously awaiting the start of application season and very glad that we will get to share all of the joys and stresses of this process together!  I will be applying for a research position in the student program in Moldova.  Hope that I'll get to meet another Moldova applicant or anyone else hoping to head to Eurasia

I just saw your post. I am actually from Moldova so if you need any info about the country just write or pm me!

[Francophile1]

Hello all,

I wanted to apply for the Fullbright MA scholarship this cycle but started late and now will probably delay it for next year. If you guys can answer a few qns and give me some advice - I would appreciate it!

 

1. How early do you reccommend to start the application process?

2. Any advice on constructing statements of purpose for MA program funding?

3. And I will be actually graduating from my current MA, and so I am wondering if I apply for fullbright after this, do I still need to contact my MA school's Fullbright adviser and apply through them?

Much appreciated

[pterosaur]

Hello, fellow applicants.

 

I'm applying for a Fulbright for a MSc in biomedical engineering at Imperial College London. Also, deadlines sneak up amazingly fast. My university's internal deadline is coming up in about a week, and I've still got plenty of work to do before then.

[Bluefit]

Submitted the Fulbright Scholar award Fingers crossed was an alternate last year,  Though both me and the one selected as a principal were not funded.. The language on the bottom reads "up to two grant" which means 0, 1, or 2..This year it was ZERO!!!!!!!

[Horb]

Hello all,

I wanted to apply for the Fullbright MA scholarship this cycle but started late and now will probably delay it for next year. If you guys can answer a few qns and give me some advice - I would appreciate it!

 

1. How early do you reccommend to start the application process?

2. Any advice on constructing statements of purpose for MA program funding?

3. And I will be actually graduating from my current MA, and so I am wondering if I apply for fullbright after this, do I still need to contact my MA school's Fullbright adviser and apply through them?

Much appreciated

 

Hi! I applied last year for an MA at Leicester University (US to UK) and was a finalist, though I wasn't selected, so take my advise however you wish.

 

Question 1: I recommend starting the application process as soon as possible.  The first component I tackled was the LOR, which I asked for the January before the application cycle. This is rather early, but I planned on studying abroad spring semester and my program did not end until August 1st, so I wanted to have everything lined up. Make sure you line up your letter of affiliation by the end of June. At this point, you should have a rough draft of your resume and statement of purpose to send to possible affiliates (for example, I sent these to the professor who was writing my letter of affiliation for Leicester so that she could get a better picture of what I hoped to do in the MA program). First drafts and securing people should be completed by July, IMO. So...start early!

 

Question 2: For US applicants, funding is given if granted the award. My advice for the SOP is to express yourself in a clear and concise manner. Demonstrate how you prepared for the MA, what you hope to do, how this will better the US-UK relationship and the importance of your research/program in bettering the world. This is a broad statement, but basically, if you are hoping to something, you should be able to discuss its impacts in a specific and broad sense and why it is important.

 

Question 3: You can apply on your own. You never "have" to go through a university. However, they might be really helpful or they could be like my university and lose half of your materials and tell you that you don't have to apply to a UK university separately for the Fulbright and then March comes and you're like: wait, why is one of the possible interview questions: have you been accepted yet? So advice for this is: go through your uni, but approach it as if you aren't. 

[StopTheAquarius]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm working on my Fulbright application for study/research at LMU-Munich in hopes to enroll in their international Master's program in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology. I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone could help me with:

 

1) When writing affiliation requests to POIs at LMU, should I indicate that I am simply looking to enroll in the NCP program through Fulbright for a Master's, or should I propose a specific, detailed research project with the professor? (My understanding is that the study/research grants are typically for research projects, but they can be used for graduate study--I'm just not entirely sure if I should tailor my affiliation letter and statement to a specific project with a specific professor, or if I should just indicate experience and interest in neuropsych and studying at LMU in general. I have a wide range of research interests that align with the research conducted by faculty at LMU, so I could potentially see myself working with almost any of the faculty members.) I'm just not too sure how to approach the affiliation letters.

 

2) Does anyone have any tips in general on applying for Fulbright with the intention to enroll in a Master's program? I don't want to conduct a one-year research project in Germany and leave, I would much rather stay the second year to complete a degree with a thesis. (I know that Fulbright only covers one year, but that's not a big deal for me because I've saved up a few thousand over the past few years with plans to take a post-graduation month-long vacation in Germany next year anyways, so I could use that money and some additional support from my father towards the second year of my Master's degree instead.)

 

3) Do you think that recommendations from faculty who have received Fulbright awards will add extra weight to an application? Two of my recommendations are coming from past Fulbright scholar recipients; one of my German professors, who received a grant to go to Austria, and the other is a sociology/womens studies professor who I've been a teaching assistant for throughout the past year. Both are able to write strong recommendations for me, I'm just wondering if the fact that they received Fulbright grants will make any difference. My third recommended is a psychologist at the neuropsych clinic that I've been interning and conducting research at.

 

I would appreciate any tips that you could provide for me. I'm really excited about this potentially life-changing opportunity!! I'm going to spend all of my energy throughout the next month focusing on finalizing and perfecting everything for my application

i'm applying for research, but I will give this general advice: be very familiar with the program you are applying to and point out why it is unique (and thus why you "need" to go there). You should contact a specific professor, which will help when you ask for a letter of affiliation. Also, it shows you've done the background research. Of course, at a graduate level, you should be familiar with the work the professor does and should be the basis for contacting specific people. Usually, if you briefly explain your interests and it doesn't align with that person, they will give you a different contact person.

Good luck!

[StopTheAquarius]

Hello all,

I wanted to apply for the Fullbright MA scholarship this cycle but started late and now will probably delay it for next year. If you guys can answer a few qns and give me some advice - I would appreciate it!

 

1. How early do you reccommend to start the application process?

2. Any advice on constructing statements of purpose for MA program funding?

3. And I will be actually graduating from my current MA, and so I am wondering if I apply for fullbright after this, do I still need to contact my MA school's Fullbright adviser and apply through them?

Much appreciated

I'm assuming you're asking about when to start the 2016-2017 application since the post seems a bit unsure of various aspects. Many campuses require contact over the summer and my campus deadline has actually already passed for this year's application. The final application is due in October, but it's rather late to start asking for LOR and beginning contacts for affiliations. If you're not doing research and you already have professors lined up for LOR, it may still be possible... but, I agree with the previous response suggesting an early spring start. (January-Feb: research the rules, deadlines, requirements, etc. ; March-June: make contacts, ask for LOR. Often, summer is difficult to get responses as other countries take their vacation very seriously!; June-August: write drafts of essays and provide them to your LOR people; Aug-Sep: most campus deadlines; Oct: final deadline). 

Good luck.

[StopTheAquarius]

Bulgaria is right above Greece. You're not confined to your country for the duration of your ETA, i.e. people do travel. If you think you have a good shot at Bulgaria and the odds are in your favor, then apply to Bulgaria and just travel to Greece at some point during your trip. Also: There's no reason that you couldn't work with or at a library in Bulgaria.

You may want to check the conditions expressed on the Fulbright site regarding travel around and out of your country:

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/current-fulbrighters/grant-terms-and-conditions

In short, you are being sponsored to research, study, or teach in a specific area; you're not sponsored for a vacation. That being said, of course, it's important to get the most out of the experience and I hope to be able to travel a bit to other areas of my country when not strictly tied to my research. Also, I hope to spend a few extra days or weeks in the country either before or after the grant period. 

I'm often surprised that people interested in this award--a very prestigious and sought-after award-- are not very aware of what the award actually is. I find that doing the research and exploring all the links on the Fulbright site & more is quite exciting and increases the anticipation and respect for the Fulbright org. 

[kmac11]

You may want to check the conditions expressed on the Fulbright site regarding travel around and out of your country:

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/current-fulbrighters/grant-terms-and-conditions

In short, you are being sponsored to research, study, or teach in a specific area; you're not sponsored for a vacation. That being said, of course, it's important to get the most out of the experience and I hope to be able to travel a bit to other areas of my country when not strictly tied to my research. Also, I hope to spend a few extra days or weeks in the country either before or after the grant period. 

I'm often surprised that people interested in this award--a very prestigious and sought-after award-- are not very aware of what the award actually is. I find that doing the research and exploring all the links on the Fulbright site & more is quite exciting and increases the anticipation and respect for the Fulbright org. 

I get what you're saying but I don't see any problems with having more personal reasons for choosing a country. It doesn't mean you're any less focused on the teaching. I'm not really expecting to travel much during grant (although a little would be nice) which is part of why I wanted to pick a country I'd do well in. 

For what it's worth, after talking it over with my Fulbright advisor I decided to go with Bulgaria after all. 

Edited August 28, 2014 by kmac11

[Sine]

I can't believe I'm doing this again...

 

I've applied two times and have been rejected both times during the first round. I'm honestly pretty embarrassed to be trying again, but it's like I can't STOP. What a masochist...

 

Trying Sweden this year. 

Hey! Good to see you're back here I really hope you get it this round.

[Sine]

Hey all!

 

I am an ETA to Moldova, and am leaving in just a couple of days.

 

I was an alternate last round and know the headache you are all going through. I am keeping a blog, and have also posted some advice that helped me tremendously throughout the application process. Contact me for anything at all that you think I could help with. You can follow the blog by clicking the link all the way at the bottom of the page. Best of luck!!!!

 

http://tamarasineinmoldova.wordpress.com/

[tarosaurus]

Has anyone completed the formal language evaluation and care to share your experience?  

 

Wondering what kinds of questions etc. they will ask and how they will test your writing/reading (I've been out of school for a few years and am asking my old language Professor from undergraduate).

Thanks!

[Bluefit]

Hey all!

 

I am an ETA to Moldova, and am leaving in just a couple of days.

 

I was an alternate last round and know the headache you are all going through. I am keeping a blog, and have also posted some advice that helped me tremendously throughout the application process. Contact me for anything at all that you think I could help with. You can follow the blog by clicking the link all the way at the bottom of the page. Best of luck!!!!

 

http://tamarasineinmoldova.wordpress.com/

I read part of your blog, congrats to you not only your accomplishments, but doing it with the adversity you had. You could of easily allowed the problems to disintegrate you into a dismal spiral, but you did not. 

I applied last year under the Research Scholar award, as i'm a working professional.  I was selected only to find out they didn't fund it. They were only funding two grants.. There was a catch all phrase, "We will fund up to two grants" Fulbright told  me that meant 0, 1, or 2. i guess zero  in the category this year. I am trying again. 

 

But I am happy for you, given your adversity and the ways you achieved this goal, tells me you will make the make the most of your opportunities. you will succeed far beyond the silver spoon recipient.

 

Good luck!!!!!!. 

[Sine]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm working on my Fulbright application for study/research at LMU-Munich in hopes to enroll in their international Master's program in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology. I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone could help me with:

 

1) When writing affiliation requests to POIs at LMU, should I indicate that I am simply looking to enroll in the NCP program through Fulbright for a Master's, or should I propose a specific, detailed research project with the professor? (My understanding is that the study/research grants are typically for research projects, but they can be used for graduate study--I'm just not entirely sure if I should tailor my affiliation letter and statement to a specific project with a specific professor, or if I should just indicate experience and interest in neuropsych and studying at LMU in general. I have a wide range of research interests that align with the research conducted by faculty at LMU, so I could potentially see myself working with almost any of the faculty members.) I'm just not too sure how to approach the affiliation letters.

 

2) Does anyone have any tips in general on applying for Fulbright with the intention to enroll in a Master's program? I don't want to conduct a one-year research project in Germany and leave, I would much rather stay the second year to complete a degree with a thesis. (I know that Fulbright only covers one year, but that's not a big deal for me because I've saved up a few thousand over the past few years with plans to take a post-graduation month-long vacation in Germany next year anyways, so I could use that money and some additional support from my father towards the second year of my Master's degree instead.)

 

3) Do you think that recommendations from faculty who have received Fulbright awards will add extra weight to an application? Two of my recommendations are coming from past Fulbright scholar recipients; one of my German professors, who received a grant to go to Austria, and the other is a sociology/womens studies professor who I've been a teaching assistant for throughout the past year. Both are able to write strong recommendations for me, I'm just wondering if the fact that they received Fulbright grants will make any difference. My third recommended is a psychologist at the neuropsych clinic that I've been interning and conducting research at.

 

I would appreciate any tips that you could provide for me. I'm really excited about this potentially life-changing opportunity!! I'm going to spend all of my energy throughout the next month focusing on finalizing and perfecting everything for my application

Hey there! I can't speak to your first two questions as I'm an eta, but I can answer the 3rd pretty confidently. After my own experience and talking with other grantees at the PDO (Pre departure orientation) this year, it seems like the recommendations were quite varied. Obviously everyone that I talked to had made it in, so that just goes to show that there really isn't a preference given to the "quality" of recommenders. It seems like everyone chose those professors who they had a really strong connection with and who knew them very well. I've written a bit about this on my blog under "advice for applicants" (check my signature link below). It's sooo easy to scrutinize though, right? I remember when I was in the application process I too was searching for any little thing that could set me apart. In the end I went with my two Russian language professors who knew me very well and who I had talked about my research goals with and could attest to my language proficiency (Moldova has a preference for Russian/Romanian speakers) and a music education professor who had mentored me for my research in Russia. Anyways, I hope this helps a little! Best of luck!

[Sine]

Hi everyone!

 

I am excited to see so many others anxiously awaiting the start of application season and very glad that we will get to share all of the joys and stresses of this process together!  I will be applying for a research position in the student program in Moldova.  Hope that I'll get to meet another Moldova applicant or anyone else hoping to head to Eurasia

 

Hey!!! I am in ETA starting my position in Moldova now! If you have any specific questions or are curious about anything just let me know! I'm also keeping a blog if you wanna snoop on some pics, haha (like is in my signature). When I was in the application process other's blogs motivated me a lot and kept me focused. Here are some other Moldova blogs: 

 

http://jainmoldova.blogspot.com/

http://finallyafulbright.wordpress.com/

http://moldovamoldovamoldova.wordpress.com/

 

Good luck!

[Sine]

Hi everyone, I'm a rising senior planning on applying for an ETA! I was wondering if any former/current ETAs (or prospective applicants with the same problem!) have any advice on choosing a country.  I've already narrowed down my options based on teaching environments, language requirements, etc., but I'm having a hard time deciding between the remaining countries on my list. On the one hand, I am strongly considering applying to Ukraine. My mom's family emigrated from there after WWII, and I think it would be amazing to spread American English and culture while also learning more about my own culture. On the other hand, my Ukrainian language skills aren't great, I don't speak any Russian, and my academic background is more focused on Latin America; I studied abroad in Argentina, I speak Spanish and Portuguese, and most of my experience teaching ESL has been with native Spanish speakers.

 

Essentially, I feel like I could write a stronger Statement of Purpose for a country like Uruguay, but a stronger Personal Statement for Ukraine; I guess it's a "head vs. heart" kind of dilemma. If anyone has any advice on which route I should take, I would love to hear it!

Interesting dilemma! Right now there are no Fulbrighters in Ukraine. At least...there weren't any at the eastern europe/eurasia pdo. Maybe consider other countries surrounding it, like Moldova or Belarus. The thing with these countries though is that there are a small number of positions. Belarus only has one ETA, and Moldova has three. There are also a smaller number of applicants, but still...kinda competitive. 

 

If I were you I'd go with the Latin country. This is where you can show previous teaching experience and your language skills. Basically, if you can rock your interview by speaking very eloquently in either language you would stand out. This is ESPECIALLY impressive since I'm assuming you have no hispanic heritage, right? Because that would show a strong will and ability to learn and adapt. Plus, you studied abroad in Argentina. This shows that you survived in a different culture. Now you just need to show how you THRIVED there. That's what I would put on my personal statement. How did the study abroad affect you? What have you taken away from that experience that you could apply to another Latin country?

 

If you're heart is really set on Ukraine though, I'd look more into it. You could always spin your success with learning Spanish and Portuguese and explain that you have a desire to duplicate the experience in a similar, interesting way in another area of the world. Perhaps there was something culturally interesting in Argentina that you could apply to Ukraine? I spoke a little about how my fiance is from the poorest country in Latin America (Nicaragua) and how I had spent a little time there, and then how it would be compelling to make comparisons between that country and Moldova (the poorest country in Europe). 

[Sine]

You may want to check the conditions expressed on the Fulbright site regarding travel around and out of your country:

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/current-fulbrighters/grant-terms-and-conditions

In short, you are being sponsored to research, study, or teach in a specific area; you're not sponsored for a vacation. That being said, of course, it's important to get the most out of the experience and I hope to be able to travel a bit to other areas of my country when not strictly tied to my research. Also, I hope to spend a few extra days or weeks in the country either before or after the grant period. 

I'm often surprised that people interested in this award--a very prestigious and sought-after award-- are not very aware of what the award actually is. I find that doing the research and exploring all the links on the Fulbright site & more is quite exciting and increases the anticipation and respect for the Fulbright org. 

Yeah, the rule is no more than 14 days outside of your country. However, if you live close to a border and want to pop over for some coffee (haha) or a day trip then your embassy may allow more. Basically, it's the us embassy in your country that makes the call. I have in-country orientation here in Moldova tomorrow and I'll find out specifics about what they will allow for us tomorrow!

[Sine]

I read part of your blog, congrats to you not only your accomplishments, but doing it with the adversity you had. You could of easily allowed the problems to disintegrate you into a dismal spiral, but you did not. 

I applied last year under the Research Scholar award, as i'm a working professional.  I was selected only to find out they didn't fund it. They were only funding two grants.. There was a catch all phrase, "We will fund up to two grants" Fulbright told  me that meant 0, 1, or 2. i guess zero  in the category this year. I am trying again. 

 

But I am happy for you, given your adversity and the ways you achieved this goal, tells me you will make the make the most of your opportunities. you will succeed far beyond the silver spoon recipient.

 

Good luck!!!!!!. 

Hey, thanks! That realllly stinks about the funds. Did you know that going in? Man, I would be ticked! Btw, I'm totally stealing the "silver spoon" recipient line! That's awesome No offense to any silver spooners out there...lol

[travelgirl125]

Hi all!  Just a question...

 

I am applying for the ETA in Italy, and I was looking at applicant statistics from previous years (from the actual Fulbright website).  For the past year, it says something like 69 applications and 3 grantees.  Does that mean only 69 people applied for Italy in general, or 69 people made it through the first round and were recommended?  I can't believe that in the entire country, only 69 people would apply for something as prestigious as this, but I thought I'd ask here and see if anybody could clear that up for me!

 

Thanks!

[Sine]

Hi all!  Just a question...

 

I am applying for the ETA in Italy, and I was looking at applicant statistics from previous years (from the actual Fulbright website).  For the past year, it says something like 69 applications and 3 grantees.  Does that mean only 69 people applied for Italy in general, or 69 people made it through the first round and were recommended?  I can't believe that in the entire country, only 69 people would apply for something as prestigious as this, but I thought I'd ask here and see if anybody could clear that up for me!

 

Thanks!

If you are looking at the Fulbright ETA statistics website, then the first number is the number of applicants and the second is the number of grants given out. But, I know a few numbers are off. For instance, my country (Moldova) says 7/2, but it should say 7/3 because we have three ETA's here. 

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

Hey!!! I am in ETA starting my position in Moldova now! If you have any specific questions or are curious about anything just let me know! I'm also keeping a blog if you wanna snoop on some pics, haha (like is in my signature). When I was in the application process other's blogs motivated me a lot and kept me focused. Here are some other Moldova blogs: 

 

http://jainmoldova.blogspot.com/

http://finallyafulbright.wordpress.com/

http://moldovamoldovamoldova.wordpress.com/

 

Good luck!

Sine! Congratulations and best of luck to you!! I am looking forward to following your blog, hopefully it will keep me distracted during the long waiting period after applications are due! I just returned from a language program in Romania and while Romania was beautiful, I kept hearing about how much MORE beautiful and enjoyable Moldova is! I am sure you are going to have an incredible experience.  Thank you very much for reaching out and providing the links to the additional Moldova blogs.

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

I just saw your post. I am actually from Moldova so if you need any info about the country just write or pm me!

Thank you so much for your offer!! I will be sure to PM you with all of my burning questions!

[travelgirl125]

If you are looking at the Fulbright ETA statistics website, then the first number is the number of applicants and the second is the number of grants given out. But, I know a few numbers are off. For instance, my country (Moldova) says 7/2, but it should say 7/3 because we have three ETA's here. 

 

Got it!  I'm still just confused on the first number, though.  For example, in your case, does that mean only 7 people in the whole country applied for Moldova?  Or only 7 people made it through the first round of cuts?

 

I've been reading your blog BTW and it looks awesome!  I hope you have an amazing experience