Fulbright Program: U.S. Applicant Podcast
Transcript For: Jody Dudderar, Manager Western Hemisphere
September 08, 2008
Jody Dudderar, Manager Western Hemisphere, discusses developments in the Fulbright Program to the region.
Tony: Welcome to the Fulbright US
Student Podcast. I’m your host, Tony Claudino with
Schuyler: Schuyler Allen. And today we are
joined by Jody Dudderar who is the Assistant Director for the Fulbright US
Student Program. Thank you.
Tony: Welcome. This podcast I guess
we’re focusing on just a general overview of the Western
Hemisphere. So, Schuyler, so you want to ask the first question?
Schuyler: So, tell us, in terms of your programs
in the region, the 2009-10 cycle, are there any new programs worth
highlighting? How many grants are on offer? This sort of thing. It’s a very
popular region so I know out listeners want to know.
Jody: Great, thanks. The Western Hemisphere has experienced really significant
growth in the number of grants. Not just the number of applications, but the
number of grants that we’re offering in the last 5 years or so. This is a good
thing, because as you mentioned it has one of the highest application rates of
all the countries or all the regions in the world. Let me just go through quickly
the different regions in the Western Hemisphere
because I think sometimes people are confused as to what is included. The
Western Hemisphere includes everything from Canada
right down to the very southern tip of South America.
In Canada
the grants focus primarily on US-Canadian relations and issues related to research
fields such as those that relate to the Canadian perspective or give candidates
the Canadian perspective on their fields of study.
Mexico is the country receiving the
largest number of applications in the region, over 150 a year. And Mexico’s
a little bit different than some of the other countries because they do offer a
few specialized grants and I’d like to mention those.
Tony: Mexico
gets more grants than Brazil,
hunh, or any of the other…
Jody: Oh, yes. Mexico not only gets more applications than Brazil, but also has more grants than Brazil.
And part of the reason is some of these specialized grants. For example, we
have 10 grants in a program called the Bi-national Business Program which is a
combination of internships and research study for business students, both
recent graduates as well as recent graduate students, people who have MBAs or
degrees in some business related field.
They also have a special
grant encouraging grants and projects in Public Policy and Public Policy
Administration. So if that’s your field of study, there is a special grant, couple
of grants specified just for that field.
And finally, Mexico is the only country in the Western Hemisphere that has a specific grant for graduate
degree study. And this is a multi-year grant so if your graduate program is 2
or 3 years, you will be funded for those 2 or 3 years. That’s a unique program.
None of the other countries in the Western Hemisphere
provide full funding for graduate degree study.
Tony: So do you mean that they can
attend graduate… is it linked with an American graduate school or is it only
linked with the Mexican graduate school?
Jody: Good question. It’s only linked with
a Mexican graduate school. So they will enroll for a graduate degree at a
Mexican university.
Tony: Not a PhD?
Jody: Yes, a PhD
Schuyler: Up to a PhD.
Jody: It can be either a masters
program or… it might not be the full PhD program, but it’s up to three years
and that would cover the coursework basically.
Tony: Great.
Jody: It’s a fabulous program. And
it’s one of the few programs that is somewhat undersubscribed. So…
Schuyler: Ah! So listeners, listen up!
Jody: This is one of the programs where
we do have fewer applications than for other designated programs.
Tony: And any fields?
Jody: Any field of study. We’ve had
them in the arts as well as in the more traditional fields of say history or
anthropology, that sort of thing.
Tony: And most study in the capital,
or is it all over the country?
Jody: All over the country.
Schuyler: Oh wow. This is a wonderful
opportunity.
Tony: Great.
Jody: Fabulous.
Another region, or
section of Western Hemisphere is Central America and the Caribbean.
Currently we’re offering about 35 to 38 grants each year for grants to that
region and that includes all of Central America, and all of the Caribbean. That is, those countries that are independent
states. For example, some of the islands in the Caribbean are territories of
say, France or the Netherlands, you would have to apply through
those countries in order to get a grant to say, Martinique or the Netherlands Antilles.
With all of the
independent states in, most of the independent states, let me put it that way,
in the Caribbean you could apply for a grant.
Schuyler: So, Jamaica
or Trinidad and Tobago,
for example.
Jody: Exactly.
Tony: Many of the listeners don’t
understand the country specific, like Mexico,
they only apply to Mexico,
but the Caribbean sort of throws them off
because it’s regional so…
Jody: It’s a regional program. Yes, I
understand. You still apply for a specific country, but the selection is not
based on a specific number of grants for one country. So, when you look at the
statistics, you don’t see, “Costa
Rica, 50 applications, x grants.” It varies
from year to year. When we make those selections for Central America and the Caribbean, we try to distribute them among all the
countries but the exact number of grants could vary somewhat from year to year.
It could be anywhere from 2
to 3 to 4 grants per
country, depending on the quality of the application pool.
Tony: Great.
Jody: Finally, we have South America,
which are all the countries in South America.
The number of grants offered in South America
is fairly stable and the number of applications has been increasing a little
bit. So these grants are becoming more competitive. The biggest change for
2009-2010 is we are seeing a significant increase in the number of grants to Brazil, which is a good thing because Brazil
is the second most-
Tony: About time!
Jody: Yes. It is about time. It’s the
second most popular country. For example, we have nearly 30 grants in Mexico
but up until this year we only had 8 grants, 8 grants! In Brazil.
Schuyler: Wow.
Jody: This year we’re offering 24
grants in Brazil.
So that’s a big increase. We’re really pleased to see that. And I think it kind
of reflects the priorities of the state department in assisting Brazil
and increasing the number of grants that we can have for US students there.
Schuyler: Can I just say one thing for our
listeners? Jody’s point is well taken and it just shows the dynamism of the
Fulbright program and how many things change year to year. So, we can’t say it
enough, but check our website for the most up to date information on any
changes that are happening in the Fulbright Program.
Jody: The Fulbright Program is
responsive to things like application trends and when we see the number of
applications from US
students increasing in a region, the State Department does a good job of trying
to shift funds to that region to help meet that demand. So it does change from
year to year. What happened three years ago is not necessarily the case today.
Tony: It’s my turn to ask a question.
Alright, which countries would Fulbright like to see more applications to?
Jody: Well in this region the
competition is fairly consistent across the board and we do get applications, pretty
significant numbers of applications to all the countries in the region. I think
the only exception to that is a tiny, wonderful, little landlocked country in
South America called Paraguay.
For some reason it’s difficult for candidates, perhaps, to envision themselves
there but it’s a fabulous place. Consider it. Having said that, since the
competition is pretty much consistent across all the countries, it’s better for
applicants to really apply to the country that best meets their academic and
career goals and to stay away from trying to play, oh I’m going to apply to that
country because there are fewer applications. You’re not going to find that
occurs too much in this region. So apply where you want to go. Put together the
best possible application you can, and your chances are going to be as good as
any.
Tony: Great. Schuyler?
Schuyler: OK, so this is sort of a general
Fulbright question, but certainly there are particularities that are unique to
each country and how does one go about establishing an affiliation, let’s say, in
Brazil.
Jody: OK.
Tony: We’re really focused on Brazil.
Jody: And I’m going to tell you... and
because of that bias I’m going to take it away. Because I think that the advice
would be valid whether it’s for Brazil
or any of the other countries in the region. And establishing affiliations in
the Western Hemisphere doesn’t differ that
much from other regions of the world. But let me just kind of go over a few
hints on how to do it. The first thing you really need to do is to read the
country summary and find out if there’re any specific requirements that that
country might have for an affiliation. In the Western
Hemisphere some countries do require an academic institutional
affiliation. But even when they require that, that’s usually for visa reasons,
candidates are also welcome to have additional affiliations with NGOs,
foundations, or cultural organizations. So
find out the type of affiliation you need to be looking for. Then you need to
start researching the organizations or institutions that might provide you with
the kind of support that you need to carry out your project. These could be
people, these could be agencies, or as I said they could be institutions. To
narrow it down, or to expand that research you’ve done on your own, you can
talk to faculty or anybody else who has experience in that region or experience
in that field and they might be able to give you connections, or connect you with
people who can give you more connections.
I find in talking with
grantees that affiliations are often secured on the third or fifth try, not
necessarily on the first try. And that one connection, one question, one email
might lead to other people helping out. Contact the people. Contact through
letters, email; don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and make that long distance
call. Sometimes when they hear a voice from the United
States pleading for help, they might be more responsive
than an email from the United
States. And finally, with affiliations, you
do need to obtain a letter from the affiliation, just as you do for any other
program, that outlines the type of support that that affiliation is going to
provide if you do get the Fulbright grant.
Tony: Just because you sent an email
doesn’t mean… I mean email works differently in different cultures. So what
you’re saying is just because you send an email, don’t expect everyone to
react.
Jody: And don’t get frustrated if they
don’t. You can still pick up the phone. This is what grantees have told me and
it seems to be working. Pick up the phone and call. Sometimes they like that
initiative and they’re responding more to that initiative.
Schuyler: Also, things around the world move
differently so while here in the United Sates we’re used to getting everything
lickity split, things take a little longer in other parts of the world.
Tony: Lickity split means email.
[laughter]
Schuyler: Another question related to
establishing affiliation is what about multi-country projects. Are they
something discouraged or encouraged in this region?
Jody: In this region, multi-country
projects are permitted. I wouldn’t say they are highly encouraged, unless
you’re on high level masters or PhD level. The program really prefers having
grantees spend the full grant period in the host country however we do know
that occasionally there are projects that maybe make more sense there, more
compelling if they’re done in more than one country. So you are more than
welcome to apply for a multi country grant to two or three countries, it is
possible.
Tony: Can I get back to…sorry- you can
finish what you were saying.
Jody: No, I’m done.
Tony: Getting back to affiliation,
many people are sort of confused. You’re not asking for money from these
organizations, it’s pretty much… ? What would you be asking? It’s really just a
place to…
Jody: Well, it depends on the nature
of the project, the nature of the affiliation. Some projects for example
require students to take courses at a university. So you need to know that the
courses that you want are available. Other projects might need access to
certain resources, whether they’re archival resources, whether it’s books,
people sometimes they need access to. So the nature of the affiliation really
depends on the type of project you’re doing and the type of support you’re
going to need in that host country to be successful.
Tony: Fulbright is covering those
costs?
Jody: There are no-
Tony: The affiliation you’re not
asking people, the organizations for money?
Jody: Oh no, no no no no. You’re not asking for
money, you’re asking for support.
Tony: Exactly.
Schuyler: The reason why I asked the question
about multi country projects in association with affiliation is, wouldn’t it
necessitate, if you’re doing a multi-country project, having an affiliation in
every one of those countries?
Jody: Yes. That’s absolutely correct.
That’s one of the challenges of a multi-country grant, is that you do need to
have an affiliation in each one of those countries.
Schuyler: And then you also have to be reviewed,
your application has to get reviewed in each of those countries.
Jody: If you are recommended for the
grant.
Schuyler: So, listeners, it could take a little
bit longer to find out whether or not you’ve been awarded the grant if you plan
on going to more than one country.
Tony: Alright, I think we’re going to
move on to language. Did you want to ask the question or do you want me to-
Schuyler: Yeah, sure go right ahead.
Tony: I was just going to ask you
about language.
Jody: Let me think about that for a
minute.
Tony: Yeah, some pointers for the
audience about language and the Western Hemisphere
cause…
Jody: In Latin
America, first of all there are a number of English speaking
countries, don’t forget that. Trinidad and Jamaica
are English speaking countries; Canada
for the most part is an English speaking country, although if you’re in French
Canada you may be required to have a proficient level of French. For the rest
of Latin America, or for the rest of the Western Hemisphere, particularly Latin America, they all require that you have proficient
level of reading, writing and speaking in that language. There’s an expectation
that Americans can learn the language throughout their career and they should
have really good skills by the time they apply for the grant. The exception is Brazil.
Brazil,
while it prefers candidates that have good Portuguese, they certainly will
consider candidates who have proficient levels of another Romance language,
French or Spanish, with a plan to learn Portuguese.
If you’re pursuing a
project where knowledge of an indigenous language within Latin America, both
Central American and South America there are indigenous languages spoken, you
may need to provide proof that you have studied this language and have a
working knowledge of it if your project requires it. If it doesn’t require it,
you don’t need to have it.
Schuyler: I was just going to say there’s a lot
of unique communities within the Western Hemisphere such as the Welch Community
in Argentina, the German
community in Brazil,
Jody: Good point.
Schuyler: And so, you know, if it requires field
research and interviews, you probably should speak that language.
Jody: Yes. I often am asked, well, can
I have an interpreter or translator, if I’m doing interviews in indigenous
communities. Committees will not be very receptive to that as part of a proposal,
unless you are a doctoral dissertation research student. And I think the
feeling is that they think that doctoral students working with an interpreter
is a skill in and of itself. Doctoral student probably have had that experience
but many recent graduates and masters students won’t. So if you need to
interview in that community, either have the language or plan to learn the
language or devise your project where you’re not going to need to use it.
Tony: I think I am good.
Schuyler: You think you’re good? Any final
points, information in country summaries or things that you’d like to highlight
for our listeners?
Jody: One real quick thing and I think
it’s an overlooked item, many of the countries, both commissioned countries and
countries that are what we call embassies or post countries have websites that
are specifically developed for Fulbright. Go to their website, look through
their website. They have newsletters, they might have articles about grantees,
they might even have information you can pick up on how to find affiliations.
Many of them do list links for specific organizations and institutions in those
countries. So don’t hesitate to go to the country, commission, or embassy
website to see if there’s information that could be helpful for you.
Schuyler: Thank you so much for your time today Jody.
Tony: Thank you.
Jody: You’re welcome.
Tony: We’re looking forward to a
future podcast with you. I know we’re hitting you up for the application
podcast shortly.
Jody: Thank you. I look forward to that
as well.
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