Fulbright 2016 - 2017

[lalakey]

Hey all. I am potentially interested in applying (for my third, and probably final, time) to the Fulbright. Last time I made it to the final round and was rather sad when I got rejected, but I think my proposal is quite good. I speak the language well, too, so that always goes well for me.

My question is what country to apply for between Austria/Germany. The thing is, my time period/academic topic truly pertains to both, as Austria/Germany was a larger area that was easily traversed between its smaller city-states (as you likely know from your World History classes.) 

I have always applied to Germany, but I know it's one of the most popular places to apply. Looking at the spreadhseets, the difference between Austria/Germany acceptance rate seems rather negligible. I am wondering if anyone has anecdotal evidence or thoughts about whether Austria (being slightly less popular as an applicant spot) would be a better choice, if I were truly interested in just getting my foot in the door!

Thanks everyone. 

[Glasperlenspieler]

On 5/16/2016 at 8:46 PM, lalakey said:

Hey all. I am potentially interested in applying (for my third, and probably final, time) to the Fulbright. Last time I made it to the final round and was rather sad when I got rejected, but I think my proposal is quite good. I speak the language well, too, so that always goes well for me.

My question is what country to apply for between Austria/Germany. The thing is, my time period/academic topic truly pertains to both, as Austria/Germany was a larger area that was easily traversed between its smaller city-states (as you likely know from your World History classes.) 

I have always applied to Germany, but I know it's one of the most popular places to apply. Looking at the spreadhseets, the difference between Austria/Germany acceptance rate seems rather negligible. I am wondering if anyone has anecdotal evidence or thoughts about whether Austria (being slightly less popular as an applicant spot) would be a better choice, if I were truly interested in just getting my foot in the door!

Thanks everyone. 

Since nobody else has responded, I'll give it a shot.

 

I can't speak for the relative competitiveness for the two countries (you are talking about the research grant, right?), but I suspect that given similar acceptance rates, you'll have a better shot at whichever country you can make a more convincing case for the applicability of your research project.

 

That being said, I'd like to urge you not to think of Austria as a consolation prize (not saying that you are doing this, but I think it's not an uncommon perspective). After living in Austria for almost a year now, I find it actually preferable to living in Germany (full disclosure: I haven't actually lived in Germany long-term, but I am fairly familiar with it at this point). With a Fulbright, I think it's fair to factor in quality of living, and depending on your interests Austria has a lot to offer and in my mind some substantial benefits over Germany. Particularly if you are into the outdoors, Austria (especially the western part) has a lot to offer. Plus being a smaller country, I think Austria can be a little quirkier and more unique which I really appreciate.

[Lwc23]

Congratulations to everyone who was accepted for the 2016-17 round! I am applying to be a Fulbright ETA for 2017-18, and I was wondering if I could get any tips from anyone who applied previously. I'm having the hardest time trying to determine what should go in my Personal Statement as opposed to what belongs in my Statement of Grant Purpose - aside from the obvious differences, how much should the PS deal with plans for teaching and/or community involvement (or does that all belong in the SGP)?

Additionally, I'm applying to the program in Malaysia, and I would love to hear from anyone who was/is going to be an ETA there. How did you decide on Malaysia? What was the application process like for you?

Thanks for any help anyone is able to provide!

[LifeLearner]

On 6/7/2016 at 5:09 PM, Lwc23 said:

Congratulations to everyone who was accepted for the 2016-17 round! I am applying to be a Fulbright ETA for 2017-18, and I was wondering if I could get any tips from anyone who applied previously. I'm having the hardest time trying to determine what should go in my Personal Statement as opposed to what belongs in my Statement of Grant Purpose - aside from the obvious differences, how much should the PS deal with plans for teaching and/or community involvement (or does that all belong in the SGP)?

Additionally, I'm applying to the program in Malaysia, and I would love to hear from anyone who was/is going to be an ETA there. How did you decide on Malaysia? What was the application process like for you?

Thanks for any help anyone is able to provide!

Hey! I will be an ETA in Spain in the fall so I can't speak about applying for Malaysia specifically, but I can give some general advice that helped me. First and foremost I would say make your application wholeheartedly your vision and what you want to tell the committees that will be reading them. This is your application and it should be a representation of you and your life that guided you to apply for Fulbright. But also have people (professors, advisors, mentors, even some friends and family) review it to offer input. While I ended up writing what I thought fit, their advice and corrections in addition to my Fulbright Advisor and Committee was extremely beneficial and helped too. 

Now, onto my experience writing the essays. When I was writing my PS last summer I was told by my advisor to focus more on my life experiences and how they influenced my decision to apply to be an ETA. You definitely are selling yourself and your story in the PS and to stand out against everyone else who could be applying. For the SGP I focused solely on my prior teaching and mentoring experiences that led me to Fulbright and what I learned from them. I also expanded on any prior experience I had in Spain, why I chose Spain/my connection, my project ideas for my community if I were to get Fulbright, etc. 

I hope this helps you and good luck on writing your essays! Hopefully more people will respond so you can get more insight aside from just mine haha. The essays seem tough now, but well worth it with or without an official Fulbright offer.

[Mahammad]

Hello there,

Ive completed my personal statement for Fulbright Student program.Is there anyone can help me to edit it?

 

Thanks in advance

[mkd3]

Hi all! I'm applying for a Fulbright to study in the UK for 2017-2018. Just to be sure I am eligible (I attended HS in South Africa and university in Canada but spend all my summers in the US) I emailed Fulbright. The woman told me they would determine my eligibility after I've turned in my application as I lie in a gray area, but even if accepted I am at a huge disadvantage (I also did not mention to her I've travelled to about 20 other countries...)

Does anyone know the likelihood of being selected when you have spent extensive time abroad? I would hate to put a ton of time and effort into an application that I will not even be slightly competitive in. 

[hobakie]

Does anyone who received a CLEA for mainland China know when the CET Harbin Summer term actually starts. It says July-October but what are the specific dates also how did this work out with your host institution starting a month after classes begin since Harbin ends in October and projects start right after?

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

19 hours ago, mkd3 said:

Hi all! I'm applying for a Fulbright to study in the UK for 2017-2018. Just to be sure I am eligible (I attended HS in South Africa and university in Canada but spend all my summers in the US) I emailed Fulbright. The woman told me they would determine my eligibility after I've turned in my application as I lie in a gray area, but even if accepted I am at a huge disadvantage (I also did not mention to her I've travelled to about 20 other countries...)

Does anyone know the likelihood of being selected when you have spent extensive time abroad? I would hate to put a ton of time and effort into an application that I will not even be slightly competitive in. 

I lived abroad throughout my childhood and I have travelled extensively as an adult - I did not think that my travel seemed out of place on the Fulbright application.  And there are sections where you list where and when you lived abroad and your most recent travels. I would also like to know why the person that you spoke to felt that your experience would be a disadvantage if you were accepted?

As far as I understand it, extensive time spent abroad is only viewed negatively if you have spent a great deal of time in the country to which you are applying. Which doesn't seem to be the case for you. Even applicants who have studied abroad for a semester or academic year in the country they are applying to have been chosen for the Fulbright. 

[homesteadjoe]

Hello, kind of a long story but I went on a long vacation and did not check my email and when I returned I found that one of the Fulbright emails was in my spam folder. I've been worried that other Fulbright emails may have deleted out of my spam folder in that time period. Did anyone else have an issue with Fulbright emails going into spam?

[Horb]

On 6/30/2016 at 5:36 AM, mkd3 said:

Hi all! I'm applying for a Fulbright to study in the UK for 2017-2018. Just to be sure I am eligible (I attended HS in South Africa and university in Canada but spend all my summers in the US) I emailed Fulbright. The woman told me they would determine my eligibility after I've turned in my application as I lie in a gray area, but even if accepted I am at a huge disadvantage (I also did not mention to her I've travelled to about 20 other countries...)

Does anyone know the likelihood of being selected when you have spent extensive time abroad? I would hate to put a ton of time and effort into an application that I will not even be slightly competitive in. 

I mean, the UK acceptance rate is brutal as is. If it were me, I might see if I was qualified for another country or scholarship (such as: Marshall, Rhodes, or something).

[Horb]

On 7/1/2016 at 0:58 AM, Dostoprimechatel'nosti said:

I lived abroad throughout my childhood and I have travelled extensively as an adult - I did not think that my travel seemed out of place on the Fulbright application.  And there are sections where you list where and when you lived abroad and your most recent travels. I would also like to know why the person that you spoke to felt that your experience would be a disadvantage if you were accepted?

As far as I understand it, extensive time spent abroad is only viewed negatively if you have spent a great deal of time in the country to which you are applying. Which doesn't seem to be the case for you. Even applicants who have studied abroad for a semester or academic year in the country they are applying to have been chosen for the Fulbright. 

There's a slight difference though between people who travel a lot and people who studied abroad. They do not count study abroad at all towards their definition of "extensive travel." If you've traveled a ton with your family, however, that will count. It is my understanding that they like to award grants to people with fewer travel experiences, as the grant is more rewarding.

[maelia8]

On 7/1/2016 at 6:58 AM, Dostoprimechatel'nosti said:

I lived abroad throughout my childhood and I have travelled extensively as an adult - I did not think that my travel seemed out of place on the Fulbright application.  And there are sections where you list where and when you lived abroad and your most recent travels. I would also like to know why the person that you spoke to felt that your experience would be a disadvantage if you were accepted?

As far as I understand it, extensive time spent abroad is only viewed negatively if you have spent a great deal of time in the country to which you are applying. Which doesn't seem to be the case for you. Even applicants who have studied abroad for a semester or academic year in the country they are applying to have been chosen for the Fulbright. 

 

20 minutes ago, Horb said:

There's a slight difference though between people who travel a lot and people who studied abroad. They do not count study abroad at all towards their definition of "extensive travel." If you've traveled a ton with your family, however, that will count. It is my understanding that they like to award grants to people with fewer travel experiences, as the grant is more rewarding.

At a certain point, especially for the research grant, most of the people have already been to the place they'd like to perform research in for an extended period at least once, either for study abroad (to improve language skills) or for previous research. In my field, I don't know anyone who hasn't either studied abroad or done an language intensive in their country or region of historical focus, as we usually apply for Fulbrights during the 4th or 5th year of Ph.D. research, after qualifying exams. When I apply for a research grant this Fall, I will have already lived in my country of focus for three years in the past, one as an exchange student and two on another grant-based program, and I don't think that will count against me (it didn't when I got the ETA).

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

On 7/6/2016 at 1:26 PM, maelia8 said:

 

At a certain point, especially for the research grant, most of the people have already been to the place they'd like to perform research in for an extended period at least once, either for study abroad (to improve language skills) or for previous research. In my field, I don't know anyone who hasn't either studied abroad or done an language intensive in their country or region of historical focus, as we usually apply for Fulbrights during the 4th or 5th year of Ph.D. research, after qualifying exams. When I apply for a research grant this Fall, I will have already lived in my country of focus for three years in the past, one as an exchange student and two on another grant-based program, and I don't think that will count against me (it didn't when I got the ETA).

Precisely! While I haven't lived in my Fulbright grant country, I have spent extensive time in the region. And, as you stated, it is not unusual to do so (and in most cases it is necessary for researchers). This is why I don't agree that travel experience is a disadvantage.

While the Fulbright states that they prefer applicants who have not spent a great amount of time in the country to which they are applying, I think travel experience makes applicants far more competitive. Although a grantee who hasn't traveled much will find the opportunity to live abroad immensely rewarding, a grantee with experience in their grant country or region may be able to take full advantage of their time abroad with less of an adjustment period. But of course, every applicant is unique and considered on a case-by-case basis, so sweeping generalizations don't count for much!

[homesteadjoe]

Sorry to post again but I am a recent Fulbright grantee. I went on a long vacation and did not check my email and when I returned I found that one of the Fulbright emails was in my spam folder. I've been worried that other Fulbright emails may have deleted out of my spam folder in that time period. Did anyone else have an issue with Fulbright emails going into spam? I can list the emails I have received if that would help. Any help someone could provide would be greatly appreciated.

[chemteachersrule]

On 6/29/2016 at 7:29 AM, Mahammad said:

Hello there,

Ive completed my personal statement for Fulbright Student program.Is there anyone can help me to edit it?

 

Thanks in advance

Hey I am applying to be an ETA in Indonesia. I can edit your PS if you edit mine?

Let me know!

[Mahammad]

Guys, I have a concern about plagiarism of my essays.

I have posted draft version of my personal statement in one forum.Now I've completed my essays,however can not delete that thread and it is imposibble to delete posts on forums. Final version is a little bit different. Can Fulbright committee find it on the internet and consider it as plagiarism?However,both samples are my work.

Edited July 15, 2016 by Mahammad

[Horb]

On 7/15/2016 at 0:24 PM, Mahammad said:

Guys, I have a concern about plagiarism of my essays.

I have posted draft version of my personal statement in one forum.Now I've completed my essays,however can not delete that thread and it is imposibble to delete posts on forums. Final version is a little bit different. Can Fulbright committee find it on the internet and consider it as plagiarism?However,both samples are my work.

I highly doubt they would find it and if they did and asked about it, you could produce the draft or the log in in for the account, no? It is really only in universities where re-using your own work is plagiarism and even then, this isn't that. 

[dude_diligence_]

I was just notified this morning about my acceptance into the Fulbright ETA in Andorra. I was previously an Alternate and apparently a new available space opened up at the last minute. It's a lot to digest, especially since I've already started leveling coursework within a graduate program (I couldn't stop thinking about it in class today haha). I'm hoping to make the best decision (whether to accept or decline) by Monday. Are there any other Fulbrighters headed to Andorra on here?

 

 

[marymouse484]

I was notified yesterday of my acceptance into the Fulbright ETA in Argentina! Are there any Fulbrighters heading to Argentina out there?

[grimets]

Does anyone have any updates about Fulbright-Clinton Public Policy announcements? I was notified that I was a semi-finalist and saw on the spreadsheet there have been some interviews, but nothing else thus far...Applied to Malawi, Chile and Samoa. Trying my best to be patient, but it's so difficult! If anyone is privy to info, I'd love to hear it!

[LifeLearner]

Hello everyone! I am a current ETA in La Rioja, Spain and one of the Spain Country Representatives for Fulbridge. This is a community of Fulbrighters who are connecting past, present and future ETAs, researchers or interested applicants in the program. If you are interested in seeing what Fulbrighters around the world are teaching and doing, I encourage you to like our Facebook (Fulbridge) and follow our Instagram (@Fulbridge)! We have started doing "ETA of the Month" and "A Day in the Life" posts in addition to lesson catalogs to give people more insight into the variety within Fulbright!

If you have any questions or are a Fulbrighter interested in getting your country, experience or voice involved, PM me! Thanks!

[Darwinian192]

On 3/26/2016 at 5:12 PM, centillion said:

Also another very important thing for future Fulbriyhters. Having the Fulbright label does NOT automatically open doors for you. People outside of academia/education/do not generally know Fulbright. Upon return I had a hard time trying to convince employers that Fulbright is a legit program as opposed to a backpacking trip in Europe. You want to go to as many networking events as possible in your host country so that you can put something else in your resume other than just "teaching english." I think there is this sadly common misconception (also echoed by Fulbright) that once you get the grant, you will have access to all sorts of things. The reality is a lot more different. My fellow Fulbrighters also had a hard time looking for a job back home while applying for grad programs. 

Late to the game, but for future reference:

I cannot reiterate this more. Without sounding too negative, most of the ETAs in my cohort were extremely disappointed with the program's management, insufficient funding (€800/month in Europe), and lack of infrastructure regarding anything academic. The award will look excellent for your graduate school applications, but is not by any means a golden ticket if this is not backed up my excellent GRE scores  etc. Those outside of academia will probably have never heard of Fulbright and instead, you will be explaining to people that you taught English for 12 hours per week rather than received an extremely prestigious academic award.