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Fulbright Program: U.S. Applicant Podcast

Transcript For: Fulbright Guidance Sessions, May 2008. Q&A, Part 2.

Fulbright Guidance Sessions, May 2008. Questions and Answers, Part 2.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program Guidance Session 2

Walter: Country specific questions. One question. New York, let’s go.

Student 22: With the United Kingdom, are performance opportunities available there for grants?

Jody: Performance study. Absolutely.

Student 22: So as an opera singer –

Jody: Absolutely. You’re applying for training. You would apply in voice and you apply for a specific institute or music school in the U.K.

Student 23: Hi. I’m applying to Guatemala and I was wondering whether the panel there is country or region specific and whether we have a sense of who has composed the panel in the past, or we know who it is: whether it’s diplomats or academics or a mixture of what kind of people.

Jody: In an academic field it would be a mixture of people of APM: college historians, literature people.

Student 23: So there’re multiple panels for the region?

Jody: In the U.S., it’s all academics. When it goes to the host country for final review it could be a panel of people who are associated with the Embassy or associated with the academic world in Guatemala. Not that there aren’t NGOs in businesses as well. It’s more of a mixture.

Student 23: But it’s the country once it goes on, not the region that creates the panel.

Jody: Yup. You’re nominated for a country and you’re evaluated by the host country, not by the host region.

Student 24: Hi. I’d like to apply to China but I now that when I was looking at the application it said that business is not recommended. If I wanted to do something in economics which is more theoretical can I still apply or would you recommend that I alter my research to another topic?

Jody: Economics is considered a social science.

Student 24: I just wanted to make sure.

Jody: As long as it’s really clearly an economics kind of approach and a social science approach.

Student 25: My project may necessitate going to several cities within the same country, so if I can secure affiliations in all those different cities is that something appropriate for my application?

Jody: If your project requires that, keep in mind that your grant is not going to pay for you to go from city to city to city. It will increase your cost of living and travel because you’re going to have to be establishing yourself in each of those cities. You talk about city to city to city. You might want to limit it to maybe three, but not more than that. The other thing is you want to have the chance to experience a little bit of that life in that city and to learn a little bit about the culture of that city. If you’re hopping around from place to place there might be a question as to whether this is a good Fulbright project.

Student 25: Okay. This would be two or three in the same region.

Jody: That should be fine.

Student 26: Would something like this be possible: if I were able to study with someone like José Saramago, the Portuguese writer who is an exile in Spain, how would I go about doing something like that?

Jody: That’s up to you. You’d have to figure out how to propose it. First of all, secure the affiliation, but also talk about how you’re going to carry out that project in Spain. Spain’s pretty competitive. You’re going to have to make a compelling argument also for how this is going to contribute to a body of knowledge and research in Spain. It’s tricky. It could be done but it’s going to be tricky.

Walter: Is he affiliated with any Spanish universities by any chance?

Student 26: I’m not sure.

Walter: Are there any Spanish universities that might have courses in his literature?

Student 26: Yeah.

Walter: There you go. You find the Spanish university that has a focus of coursework on his literature, you go and secure an affiliation with that university and that department, and then you will also get a letter from this gentleman saying that if you come here he’s willing to talk to you.

Student 27: This question’s in regard to Italy. I’m wondering how the application process for the Fulbright Casten Family Foundation award is different since it’s specifically for the University of Gastronomic Sciences and how that process may differ.

Walter: You’d apply for a grant to Italy in a particular field of study where that field of study is doable at that particular university and you outline the course of study that you would like to follow there. Or you outline the research that you would like to carry out at that particular university using the resources there.

Jody: This is a new grant. This is the first year. What’s going to happen is we’re going to collect those applications and they’re going to be read by a single committee, and that committee’s going to probably recommend two or three of those applicants because it’s a very specific grant. Chances are it would not be considered for a regular Fulbright because it’s so specific.

Walter: I don’t even think you have to secure a formal affiliation. I think it says that you don’t even have to bother to do that. But you do need to make sure that you understand what resources are available there in the master’s programs or to carry out an independent research project. So you need to investigate the institution.

Student 28: Hi. My understanding is that the first round of the screening is a general screening, and the second round goes on to the country. My question is once it gets to the second round, is the competition country specific within the countries?

Jody: Yes. It’s very specific. It’s only applicants to that country. They’re only reviewing it. As Walter said in the beginning, they usually recommend one and a half to two times the number of grants. So if you’re applying to Italy and your chances are one in four of getting recommended, you make it through that process, then your chances are maybe one in two of getting the grant. It’s selected by the host country, not approved by one scholarship.

Student 29: I’m going to be participating in a nine month language program in northern India starting this September and I wanted to apply. It’s not affiliated with the university, and I wanted to know if I’d still be eligible to apply.

Jody: To India?

Student 29: Yes.

Walter: It’s pure language study and you’re not doing any focused graduate study or research? It’s definitely going to place you at less of a disadvantage. You will still have had experience to that culture, but the reason to going there is directly related to being able to carry out a study or research project and be an effective communicator.

Student 30: I was wondering if there’s preference given to certain types of projects. For example, a health related project versus a -

Jody: You have to look in the individual country summaries. There are some countries that have clearly preferred fields of study, and usually they have those preferred fields because they’re really anxious to get quality applications in those fields. That’s the only time. It does not mean that other fields might not get the grant. It just means they want to encourage people in those. So look at the individual country list.

Student 30: I did, and for the country I’m thinking of applying to nothing is there.

Jody: Then I think they’re wide open. And again, you can take a look and see what kinds of fields have received grants in the past. Generally speaking, they’re wide open.

Walter: Keep in mind that preference is a preference; it’s not an absolute. Yes, we have a preference for certain types of candidates or certain types of projects. That does not mean you select a person who was a mediocre candidate in a preferred field over someone who is a stellar candidate who is not in the preferred field. It’s a preference, okay? Any other questions in New York? Otherwise we’re going to D.C. Step up to the mike, please.

Student 31: I was just briefly going through this brochure and I noticed they have European unions listed. All these western European countries are part of –

Jody: Okay. The European Union is an exception to the multi country rule.

Walter: Sort of.

Jody: It’s a special grant; it’s a specific grant. So take a look at the requirements for the European Union and those would apply for that specific grant. You would be applying for a European Union grant to a particular country or countries. It’s a very particular type of grant. It has to have an E.U. focus.

Walter: Right. It’s got to focus on institution building in the E.U. When you apply, you are not applying for a grant to a particular country. You are applying to a grant to the European Union. Then within the project statement you would note the project studies where you are going to carry out this study or research. When you get to that country drop down list on page one of the application, you select European Union. Another question in New York? Washington D.C.?

Student 32: If I’m proposing to do independent research at a research center in a country or an international focus, does my research need to involve any facet of that country’s political system or cultural system at all?

Jody: Yeah. This is a bi-national grant. This is a bi-national program. Really, countries are looking for projects and research that has to do with that particular institution. It doesn’t mean you can’t be associated with an international organization. But you need to talk about how that international organization functions within that country and benefits that country. You also have to be careful with international organizations because if they’re too international, that is they’re not organizations that engage the host country well in terms of staffing and focus of its mission, it could also affect the feasibility of that project as a Fulbright project. It really is important that you all take a look at what the mission of the Fulbright grant is. It’s not anything anywhere. There are specific goals and specific things that we’re looking at. If you have a question about whether an international organization would be a good affiliation, talk to the program manager for that country. They’ll have better insights as to whether it would be a feasible or a good organization to affiliate with.

Student 33: If I’m studying abroad in Austria and they require that you be fully matriculated at a public university, do I need to begin applying at a university independent of applying to the fellowship or do I just need a letter of invitation from an affiliate at the university? Also, it says that demonstrated language proficiency is required. Is that in addition to the Language Evaluation?

Walter: No, that is the Language Evaluation.

Jody: That’s the level of language that they want you to establish or demonstrate at the time of application. It’s not what you’re going to have in six months, but it’s what you’re going to have now. As far as applying, if you’re applying for admission to a university, many universities aren’t even accepting applications this early. They may be accepting them in the fall, so you’d be in the process of applying, but the Letter of Affiliation is separate from the admission to that institution. It’s usually a letter from a department or a professor saying yes, we know what you want to study, and yes, you can study it here. We’d be interested in having you as a research student or as a matriculation student in a degree program.

Student 34: Can you talk for a moment about proficiency in a language: how well you know a language if you’re considered ‘proficient’?

Jody: There’re two aspects to proficiency. One is a minimal level of language proficiency that you need to be considered for a grant in that country. Particularly I want to speak about Spanish speaking countries or languages that the language is commonly taught in the U.S. They expect you to have the intermediate level or above at the time of application. That would be to put to the equivalent of two years of college level study abroad. So if it says ‘proficiency is required’, that’s generally what they mean. The second aspect to language proficiency is what you need to carry out the grant. In some countries you may need more than intermediate level proficiency to carry out that grant because you’re going to be living in a rural area where no English is spoken and you’re going to have to interact on day one with that language. Then you may need to demonstrate a higher level of proficiency. So it’s not only what the country would require as a minimum; it’s also what you would need to carry out that project successfully. We often talk about at time of application because we don’t know what you’re going to have in six months. Having said that they will take into consideration a language plan that you have demonstrated that you’ve begun and that you will continue.

Student 35: I had a question in reference to Brazil. I know it says that an affiliation must be with the academic institutions except in extraordinary cases, but I was considering a project that had to deal with popular culture and its influence on some of the political institutions. I was wondering what would satisfy the requirements for an extraordinary case.

Jody: Actually, first of all you still could get an academic affiliation at a university in Brazil. Part of the reason you need an academic affiliation is the visa process to Brazil requires that you have one. So we want you to consider from day one how you can fit in that. It doesn’t have to be your primary affiliation, and it doesn’t need to be extraordinarily tight. It might simply be with a department within a university in the city that you’re going to be based where you would have access to some research materials. You’re still doing a research project, so you do need to have some supervision in a research area. If you’re a graduating senior you absolutely must have an academic affiliation or they won’t consider you otherwise. So be creative.

Student 36: I saw also on the front page that preference is given to graduating seniors but that the best candidate will be chosen. All being equal, you would prefer graduating seniors as opposed to someone five years out?

Jody: You’re talking about in a general sense for the Fulbright program?

Student 36: Yup.

Jody: We encourage graduating seniors to apply. About 60% of our applicants are graduating seniors; about 60% of our grantees are graduating seniors. The preference is to emphasize that we’re not all about dissertation research or master’s thesis research. We do want graduating seniors to apply and we welcome them regardless of what the country summary says.

Walter: We’re going to move on to Chicago now.

Student 37: Hi. I have a question specific to Japan. The program for graduating seniors is a fellowship that says it’s required for the student to be there in September, but the applications aren’t submitted until October. Would that be September of 2009 or September of 2010?

Jody: September of 2009. You’re applying for grants now, in 2008, for a grant that begins in 2009.

Student 37: So how does the application process then work if the schedule is a bit different?

Jody: It’s not really that different. I’m not sure what you’re asking.

Student 37: It says in the booklet that students must be in the country September 2009.

Jody: Correct.

Student 37: What we just spoke about, the process –

Jody: You’re applying for grants that begin in September of 2009, or August, or July. So this is the time to be applying for grants. I’m not sure I understand where you’re reading something else.

Walter: File the application in October of 2008. The review takes place in November and December of 2008. The application, if recommended, gets forwarded abroad to the Fulbright Commission in Tokyo in January of 2009. They make the final decision by March or April of 2009. You get awarded the grant; you go to Japan in September of 2009.

Student 37: Okay, that was the confusion. Thank you for explaining it to me.

Student 38: In regards to the English Teaching Assistantship, in addition to the three recommendations on the application, is there an additional recommendation needed from someone who knows you in a teaching setting?

Jody: No. That can be one of your three recommendations.

Student 38: Is that essential that you get a recommendation from someone who knows you in a teaching setting?

Jody: No, because not all E.T.A. applicants will have had experience in teaching settings.

Student 39: Hi. I have a question about the Academic Record. If we have more than a few blemishes in our transcripts, should we: 1. Mention it in our Personal Statement and 2. How much will it affect our chances of being selected?

Walter: If there was a personal reason for why there’s a ‘blip’ in your transcript, you might want to mention it in your Personal Statement.

Jody: I think anything in your record that might raise question about whether or not you can carry our this project it’s better to address it right up front because if you don’t address it we’re going to talk about it in the committee and wonder what happened. Sometimes we’ve seen where referees have said I’ve been asked to talk about this because I have knowledge of this and let me explain what happened here. That could be helpful, too.

Walter: Are you applying through a U.S. college or university?

Student 39: Yes.

Walter: Talk about it in your campus interview. Make mention of it, have that campus advisor put a couple of sentences in that Campus Evaluation. It’s really helpful if you let us know there’re reasons for certain anomalies in your record.

Student 39: If I did my undergraduate work many, many years ago, how relevant is that still in the process?

Walter: It’s relevant to the fact that we still need to see the transcript and I think if you are a graduate student and you’ve got a graduate academic history and you’re proposing something that’s relevant to your graduate work, they’re going to be more interested in your graduate record than your undergraduate record.

Jody: Where it becomes problematic is for people who have been out of undergraduate school for a couple of years and don’t have an academic record to go by. Again, it’s incumbent upon you through your statements and your references to indicate that you’ve got the ability, knowledge, and background to carry out this project. It’s going to be tougher; you’ve go to make a very strong case for yourself, but it can be done.

Student 40: I heard it said earlier in the presentation that the recommendation forms should come from professors and professionals in the States. Does that mean it’s not possible to ask someone you studied with or worked for when you were living in another country during study abroad?

Jody: As long as that person knows you well and as long as that reference comes to us in English or with an English translation. If the original letter was written in another language, that person who wrote the letter is going to have to have that letter translated into English. Not all of our evaluators can speak the host country language.

Student 41: I just have a question about the Language Evaluation Form. If the person evaluating does not speak English, I’m just wondering if the form is evaluated in English or how does that work?

Jody: It’s the same thing. There’s a place in the Language Evaluation for some comments. Those comments are going to have to be completed in English or translated into English. The other thing is, the form is in English. So the questions and the rating scale is in English. So that’s going to have to be translated for that person so that they know what they’re checking off. Talk to you Program Manager. If it’s a Spanish speaking person you could find an English speaking person who can do a Spanish evaluation. If it’s in a very obscure language and it’s a very unique case, then we can help you figure out how to do it.

Walter: What language is it?

Student 41: It’s Portuguese.

Jody: You can find an English speaker of Portuguese in the United States.

Walter: Are you applying through your U.S. college or university?

Student 41: I am.

Walter: And there’s absolutely no one on campus that speaks Portuguese and English?

Student 41: I’ll find somebody.

Jody: Yes you can.

Walter: That’s the route to go. Thank you everyone. Have a good evening. Good luck. Contact us if you need us. That’s what we’re here for.