Fulbright grants and other grants for graduate study and teaching abroad
administered by the Institute for International Education
Supplementary Instructions
Wesleyan University
It is of crucial importance that you begin the application process early, preferably in the spring or summer before your senior year. The application has many components, and it takes time and effort to draft a good proposal and autobiographical statement, gather recommendations and transcripts, and obtain information and letters of support from institutions abroad. It is also vitally important that you work from the beginning with the Fulbright Program Advisor (FPA), who will guide you through the application process. The FPA is Prof. Krishna Winston, German Studies Department, 402 Fisk Hall, tel. 860 685-3378; e-mail kwinston@wesleyan.edu.
If you are registered at a university that participates in the Fulbright Program, you should apply through that school’s Fulbright Program Advisor. You are welcome, however, to seek advice and guidance through the Wesleyan FPA. If you are not currently in school, you are still eligible to apply for a Fulbright, and the FPA will provide you with the same services as on-campus candidates. Any alumnus/a living within easy travel distance of Middletown will be entitled to come for a campus interview (see below).
The IIE Fulbright Website can be found at http://www.fulbrightonline.org. All the Fulbright information you will need is listed under Programs for U.S. Students. You should read the general information as well as the summaries for the countries in which you are interested.
You should read these supplementary instructions carefully, and refer to them often while completing the application.
Please note that only U.S. citizens may apply. That includes naturalized citizens but not permanent residents.
Some of the countries offering grants have stated a preference for advanced graduate students. Read the individual country summaries carefully to determine whether you may/should apply.
The Competition Statistics will give you an idea of the odds of your getting a grant to a particular country. You probably should not apply for a grant for the United Kingdom unless you have a very strong proposal that can be carried out only there. Preference clearly goes to advanced graduate students, although no such preference is stated. Marshall scholarships, while very competitive, may actually offer better chances for study in the UK.
Most grants are intended for study and/or research; affiliation with an accredited institution of higher learning is required in almost all cases. In some countries the Fulbright Commission arranges your affiliation; in others you are expected to arrange it yourself. Teaching fellowships are also available for quite a few countries. You may apply for only one grant, i.e., you may not submit applications for several countries at once (except in certain areas, such as Latin America or Africa, where multi-country proposals are acceptable), or for both study/research and teaching fellowships.
The completed application, including supporting materials, is due by 4:00 P.M. on the first Thursday in October at the German Studies office, 401 Fisk. Extensions will be granted only in true emergencies.
You are responsible for compiling your application. You should have your faculty references and transcript sent to the FPA in sealed envelopes before the deadline. Please note that the deadline listed on the IIE Website is for at-large candidates; it is also the final date by which the FPA must get the applications of all enrolled students to New York. But the campus deadline is the first Thursday in October.
The application is available on line through the Fulbright Website. You will be required to submit hard copy of the application as well as the electronic form.
Please follow the application instructions very carefully. Neatness, correct spelling, accurate grammar and syntax, and clarity of expression are very important. Please note that there is an absolute limit of 2 pages on the proposal. No FAXed or e-mailed materials are accepted (this includes letters of reference from distant parts of the world).
Prepare a draft of the project description as soon as possible. You should consult with your major advisor, thesis director, and/or other mentors. The FPA wants to see your draft at a relatively early stage. The proposal typically goes through numerous revisions—sometimes as many as ten!—so give yourself plenty of time.
The project should be an undertaking you can complete in one academic year, or it should involve laying the groundwork for study to be continued in graduate school.
Graduating seniors are usually expected to formulate a project that can be carried out at a university or other institution of higher learning, making use of available courses and library holdings. Extensive supervision from faculty members cannot be expected abroad, but letters showing that you have been in contact with a faculty member or department and would be welcome are very important. Initiate correspondence by e-mail or snail mail as soon as possible. Letters that arrive after the dossiers have been mailed to New York will be forwarded to the IIE; make sure to give the originals to the FPA.
The project should be interesting and well thought-out, but it need not be strikingly original, unless you are an advanced-degree candidate. In the latter case, the project should entail research that will make a contribution to the field. It is very important not to “cook up” a project as a pretext for getting to live and study abroad. The weaknesses in such a project will be immediately apparent to experienced readers of proposals.
You should indicate what previous training qualifies you to carry out the project, and suggest how the proposed study abroad ties in with your plans for the future, if you have definite plans.
The project should not be politically or socially sensitive. Fulbright fellows are considered unofficial ambassadors for the United States, and should be prepared to display diplomatic tact. Except in the case of advanced graduate students or graduating seniors already trained to work with human participants, the project should not depend on interviewing. Research that entails use of restricted archives or study of controversial contemporary problems should not be proposed except in special circumstances.
For most countries, learning the language should not be a major part of the project; for exceptions, read the individual country summaries carefully.
No final product is required. You are not expected to write a thesis, monograph, or detailed account of your findings, although you may, of course, write anything you like Some country programs require that you enroll in courses, for which you may have to write papers and/or give oral reports. Because of the open-ended nature of the grant, your seriousness of purpose, ability to work independently, and academic and personal integrity will be of particular importance to the Campus Fulbright Committee, the national screening committee, and the binational commission or diplomatic post that makes the final selection and assignment (subject to approval by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board).
N.B. In most cases, you may study at only one university or institute. Unless you are doing field work, your proposal should generally reflect an intention to stay in one location to carry out the project. That does not mean that you cannot go to visit museums or theaters in various places, or travel on weekends! For a few countries, multi-country applications are acceptable (see the instructions online or in the brochure).
The proposal consists of an explanation of why you want to teach English abroad, what skills and experience you have accumulated, insights you have gained into the process of language-teaching and -learning, and ideas you would implement in the classroom. Mentioning materials you might bring from home is usually helpful. Note that the level varies for the different countries that offer teaching assistantships. For instance, in Turkey the assistantships are at universities, while in France they are at lycées. The last paragraph of your proposal should describe what you plan to do in your spare time—it need not be a formal study project, since you may well not have access to a university or have time during the day to attend classes. Making use of the cultural resources of the country in some way is your best bet for this informal project. Examples might be: studying the folklore of a region, joining a musical group, or reading a local author.
Grants in the creative arts are awarded on the basis of talent. The special instructions for applicants in the arts indicate how samples of your work are to be submitted. Generally some form of institutional affiliation is expected, even if you plan to work with a private teacher.
For most countries, knowledge of the principal language is required. The degree of fluency necessary may vary according to the project. For instance, your language skills must be advanced for work in archives or study of literature, whereas for study of painting they can be less developed. If you have not studied the language recently, you should plan to enroll in courses during the year in which you are applying for a grant. If no course is readily available, you should take any steps necessary to improve your fluency. Students weak in the required language are at a distinct disadvantage.
The more you know about universities, faculty, and curricular offerings in the country to which you are applying, the stronger your application. Consulates and embassies have cultural attachés who may be good sources of information. The Internet may also be a resource. Libraries have directories of international scholars; check with a reference librarian. Faculty members at Wesleyan may have useful contacts. The IIE’s Website provides updated information. When in doubt about details, call the IIE at 212 984-5330.
Every project has to have a title that summarizes as concisely as possible what you propose to do. The proposed project should be stated in the first sentence. Remember that this is a proposal, not a research paper, expository essay, or personal essay. You need to say what you plan to do, what resources you will need, what methodology you will use, and what contacts you have established in the country.
Organize your material. Make every word count. Avoid jargon. Do not assume that your reader is thoroughly acquainted with your subject matter. Do the necessary background research. Write clear, straightforward prose. Observe the length limit. Please follow all instructions that come with the application The final paragraph should state how long you will need for the project and when you expect to leave the U.S.
Candidates often ask whether they may see the proposals of previous successful applicants. The FPA does not show earlier proposals, for the simple reason that a proposal is successful within a very specific and individual context, which includes factors such as: the candidate’s academic preparation (major, language skills, research experience, knowledge of the country); the project’s “fit” with resources available in a given country (courses, archives, experts); the candidate’s personal suitability for study in the proposed country; the role the project will play in the candidate’s future career, etc. There is no template for a successful application. The FPA’s counsel and the advice of faculty experts will be your most important guides.
This part of the application is NOT a resumé. Here you should offer an intellectual autobiography, discussing the formative influences in your life, your interests, your plans, and your reasons for wanting to study abroad. Avoid pretentiousness and purple prose. Be sober but engaging, trying to give an account of yourself that will show why you are a promising candidate. If specific schools, locales, numbers of siblings, etc., are relevant, by all means mention them, but avoid falling into a sing-song recitation of boring facts that you try to dress up with enthusiasm, e.g., “I attended first grade at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Elementary School in Rutland, Vermont, where my teacher, Miss Brooks, awakened my passion for reading and arithmetic . . .” You are limited to the one page provided. This component of the application is important, so be sure to get drafts to the FPA early enough so that you can do several major revisions.
In your proposal and CV., avoid the conditional (“I would . . ., I should like to. . .”); be positive and write as though you expect to receive the grant (“I intend to study . . , I will examine . . .”). Too much tentativeness makes your readers doubt your commitment to the project.
Do not use strings of questions; they convey an impression of helplessness. Instead formulate questions as topics you plan to investigate.
Form 1: Use the “field of study code sheet” to identify your field of study. Do not make up a field, or try to put in two fields.
Form 1A: There is a small space available for an abbreviated listing of fellowships, etc. Additional details may be entered on Form 2.
Form 2: Give your GPA as calculated on the 4-point scale.
Language and reference forms: Don’t forget to fill out the top completely before giving them to your referees. Remind your referees that they should send the completed forms to the FPA by campus mail in a sealed envelope before the deadline.
Language Form: Do not forget to include in your application the separate sheet listing all courses you have taken in the language and literature of the country to which you are going, including titles and grades (not course numbers!). This sheet should have a heading with your name, the country you are applying to, and your field. You may give a copy, not the original, of this listing to the person writing your language reference. The original should be turned in with your application.
References: These are academic references, not character references. Do not ask administrators of the University for a reference unless they have taught you. If you have two majors, divide the references between them, unless one is completely irrelevant to your project. You may use professors with whom you have studied abroad or at other schools in the U.S. as referees. Check with the FPA as to their suitability. Provide your reference-writers with a copy of your proposal in final or near-final form so they know exactly what you propose and can judge the quality of the proposal. The proposal The recommender may write a letter on department letterhead to attach to the form but must sign the form. You must fill out the top of the form. Please, please, please give the referees enough time to write. Speak to them as early as possible, get their suggestions on the project, even show them drafts, and make sure they know that their letters should be sent to the Campus Fulbright Program Advisor by the deadline, with the form.
Transcript labels: fill out 1 label for each transcript you will be submitting, and include the labels with your completed application; do not give them to the Registrar(s). You need an official transcript for every post-secondary institution you have attended, unless you attended under the auspices of Wesleyan and your grades appear on your Wesleyan transcript (e.g., Univ. of Regensburg under the Wesleyan Program in Germany).Transcripts must be submitted to the FPA in sealed envelopes from the registrars of the institutions providing them.
Don’t forget to SIGN YOUR APPLICATION! And proofread, proofread, proofread!
Please follow the instructions very carefully. After you have printed out the hard copy that must be submitted to the FPA, follow the directions for submitting the on-line application electronically. The electronic version contains information that the Institute for International Education needs for its database; thus your application is not official until it has been submitted electronically.
During the week after the application deadline you will have a 15-minute interview with the Campus Fulbright Committee. This is not a selection committee but a group of faculty members experienced in international studies who will assess the quality and feasibility of the proposed project, your academic and linguistic preparation (if possible, part of the interview will be conducted in the required foreign language), and your personal characteristics as they pertain to independent study abroad. A report from the Campus Committee will accompany your application, along with a rating (not a ranking). All applications received are forwarded to the Institute of International Education.
All dossiers are sent to the IIE by the October deadline. The U.S. national screening committees meet in November or December. You will be informed in late January whether you have been recommended. Being recommended is no guarantee of receiving a grant. Final notification may come as early as March or as late as August, depending on the country. You may be selected as an alternate, in which case you will be asked whether you wish to remain a candidate, on the chance that another grantee may withdraw. Alternates sometimes receive grants in late summer, although notification usually comes earlier. In the past, Wesleyan students with alternate status have often received grants, so it is well worth your while to remain in the pool.
In 1997-98, of 22 applicants, six graduating seniors and one ’97 alumnus received Fulbrights. One additional candidate received a German-Academic Exchange Service grant in a separate competition. The countries involved were Germany, Greece, India, Nicaragua, Taiwan, and Zimbabwe.
In 1998-99, of 21 candidates, 6 graduating seniors and one alumna received Fulbrights. One graduate student was named an alternate. The countries involved were Korea, India, Germany, Ireland, Costa Rica, Chile, Italy, and Brazil.
In 1999-2000, of 17 candidates, one alumna, one graduate student, and three graduating seniors received Fulbrights. One additional senior received a German Academic Exchange Service grant, and one student, who was named an alternate for a French Government Teaching Assistantship, withdrew. The countries involved were El Salvador, Brazil, India, Russia, Turkey, and Germany.
In 2001-2002, of 20 candidates, one alumna, 2 graduate students, and five graduating seniors received grants. Two graduate students, one of whom had applied for a regular Fulbright this year, and one of whom had been an alternate last year, received Fulbright/Hays doctoral dissertation grants.
Updated 7/06