Fulbright Program: U.S. Applicant Podcast
Transcript For: Info Session: Questions on Asia
August 07, 2007
Program Managers answers students' questions on Asia at the June 6, 2007 Information Session.
Valerie: Hi, this is Valerie Hymas Tony: And Tony Claudino Valerie: And we’re here, and we want to announce the questions and answer session for the most recent U.S. student guidance session Tony: And so, if you couldn’t make it to any of the six locations that were having these info sessions, here’s a chance to listen to some of the Q & A we have for these sessions. Q: So I’m wondering about the role of the host institution. Does that mean they provide you studio space, facilities, or… A: A lot of it depends on which host institution you affiliate with, which department it’s in, a lot of things like that. Basically, at the very basic level, you need, or Fulbrighters going to China have to have an affiliation with a Chinese institution to get in the country. They’re the ones who sponsor you for the appropriate visas. So that’s why the IIE Beijing office has to get involved with the process formally linking the Fulbrighters up with those institutions. People have varying experiences with universities, even within universities, depending on the departments. So that’s why it’s really important for you to try to develop things in advance, because a lot of students if they haven’t identified a particular professor or someone who’s doing research in a field that they’re interested in, when they wind up at the university, they find that no one really pays attention to them. They’re, you know, at a university with 10s of thousands of students, and you’re just like hey I want to do this research… it doesn’t work very well. So that’s why it’s important now to try to make the connections, try to find somebody, and establish a relationship with that professor. Q: But it takes more initiative to…. A: It would be a great benefit to you and your proposal. Q: I’m applying to the grant in Thailand, and I know it says that there’s no dependent allowance available, but I was just wondering if we could still bring a dependent. A: As long as you’re supporting them, yes. Q: And then would I just set that up with the affiliation and then not mention it anywhere in the application? A: You’d have to work with the Fulbright commission in Thailand… you’re talking about the Fulbright full grant, not the ETA, right? Q: Yes, yes. A: Then it should be fine. It’s something you’d work out with the Fulbright commission if you’re actually offered the award. Q; OK. A: You should still mention it in your application though. Q: I am applying to China, and I am just curious about what the pre-orientation departure is. A: It’s mandatory. What is… yeah, it’s mandatory, that’s one thing it is. Pre-departure orientation… there are a lot of logistical issues … there’s no Fulbright commission in China, so things are coordinated between the two IIE offices, this one and the one in Beijing, along with the US Embassy. But China has a lot of specific logistical issues that grantees need to be aware of and it’s just, if we don’t do it before everybody leaves it’ll never be done. China’s a huge country, people all over the place and there’s no means to have any type of orientation in country and people start at all different times as well. So that’s why we get together for a couple of days and go over all these issues, and we bring in alumni who talk about their experiences and things like that. Q: Thank you. Valerie: And that’s it for the questions some candidates have asked us during one of our guidance sessions. Please remember that if you have a question, feel free to email us, or contact us. Our information is all online. Tony: And, look for the next podcast. Thanks.
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