This newsletter is sent to everyone enrolled in a JHU Fulbright Canvas course. If you are no longer planning to apply for a Fulbright grant this cycle, please use the link at the very bottom of the page to unsubscribe and please unenroll on Canvas as well. Thank you. |
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Mark Your Calendars!
JHU-Specific Deadlines for All Applicants
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First Draft Deadline for Late Starters: if you joined our process late and had your intent form meeting with us after our universal first draft deadline on June 30, your first draft materials are due 10 days after your intent form meeting (via Canvas)
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Monday, August 21: Campus Deadline for ETA and Study/Research Applicants to have a complete (though not final!) application in the Fulbright online application system. More details coming soon in a future newsletter...
Events for JHU Fulbright Applicants
No registration required - just go to the Zoom link provided here.
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Tuesday, July 18, 5:30-6:30 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Thursday, July 20, 12-1 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Tuesday, July 25, 1-2:30 pm ET: Study/Research Personal Statements - Drop-In Writing Support
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Tuesday, July 25, 5:30-6:30 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Tuesday, July 25, 7:30-9 pm ET: Study/Research Personal Statements - Drop-In Writing Support
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Thursday, July 27, 12-1 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Tuesday, August 1, 5:30-6:30 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Weds, August 2, 1-2:30 pm ET: Study/Research Personal Statements - Drop-In Writing Support
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Weds., August 2, 7:30-9 pm ET: Study/Research Personal Statements - Drop-In Writing Support
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Thursday, August 3, 12-1 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Tuesday, August 8, 5:30-6:30 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Thursday, August 10, 12-1 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Tuesday, August 15, 5:30-6:30 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
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Thursday, August 17, 12-1 pm ET: Fulbright Q&A with NFP Staff
Fulbright-Sponsored Events
Fulbright program staff at IIE offer virtual info sessions and office hours throughout the summer. Registration required (via links provided here).
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Thursday, July 20, 2023, 3-4 pm ET: Fulbright U.S. Student Program Overview
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Tuesday, July 25, 2023, 1-3 pm ET: UK Universities Virtual Fair
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Tuesday, July 25, 2023, 4-5 pm ET: Applicants with Disabilities - Mobility International USA (MIUSA) and Alumni Ambassadors
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Weds., August 2, 2023, 2pm-3pm ET: ETA Supplemental Project Panel
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Friday, August 4, 2023, 3-4 pm ET: Alumni Ambassador Panel - BIPOC
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Tuesday, August 8, 2023, 2pm-3pm ET: Alumni Ambassador Panel - ETA
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Thursday, August 10, 2023, 2-3 pm ET: Study/Research Q&A Webinar
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Monday, August 14, 2023, 2-3 pm ET: ETA Q&A Webinar
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Weds., August 16, 2023, 4-5 pm ET: Regional Office Hours: East Asia/Pacific
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Friday, August 18, 2023, 4-5 pm ET: Regional Office Hours: South/Central Asia
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Monday, August 21, 2023, 4-5 pm ET: Regional Office Hours: Europe/Eurasia (Study/Research)
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Friday, August 25, 2023, 4-5 pm ET: Regional Office Hours: Middle East & North Africa
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Tuesday, August 29, 2023, 4-5 pm ET: Regional Office Hours: Sub-Saharan Africa
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Thursday, August 31, 2023, 4-5 pm ET: Regional Office Hours: Western Hemisphere
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Study/Research Applicants:
It's Time to Get Started on Your Personal Statement
As the end of July approaches, we strongly encourage all our Study/Research applicants to begin thinking about and drafting your Fulbright personal statements if you haven't already.
To understand the goal of the Personal Statement and how it differs from the Statement of Grant Purpose, please start with our handy comparison below.
To help you begin drafting and then revise, we offer the following resources for personal statement writing:
Personal Statement Self-Guided Workshop
Our video, "Getting Started on Your Persona Statement," and the accompanying exercises and readings on Canvas will help you start this often dreaded application component, from what you should be aiming for to generating material.
Drop-In Writing Support Sessions
In lieu of a formal workshop presentation, we're offering drop-in writing support sessions on Zoom the last week of July and first week of August. You can stop by virtually at any time during these sessions and talk to Nate McCabe, who is a our primary reader for S/R personal statements.
Tuesday, July 25
- 1-2:30 pm ET
- 7:30-9 pm ET
Wednesday, August 2
- 1-2:30 pm ET
- 7:30-9 pm ET
Key Resources: The Personal Statement
On this single page in Canvas we provide links to the personal statement section of our Guidelines for applicants, sample essays, and several excerpts from writing guides and narrated PowerPoints that offer targeted advice on common writing issues that crop up when drafting personal statements.
Submit Your Draft for Feedback
Once you have a draft ready for review, please submit it on Canvas.
Good luck! We look forward to reading your drafts!
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Statement of Grant Purpose vs. Personal Statement for Study/Research Applications: What's the Difference? |
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S/R Statement of Grant Purpose (SOP)
Goal: convince reviewers that your research project/study program is “intellectually compelling and feasible.”
Fulbright’s guidance for this essay begins with: “This 2-page document outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright grant.” Fulbright goes on to provide several lists of more specific questions, all of which relate to Fulbright’s key selection criteria for S/R proposals: “intellectually compelling and feasible.”
The SOP asks for a lot in two pages. The greatest challenge in drafting this essay is striking a balance between providing sufficient detail while being economical and concise in your writing. Here are the essentials...
Research proposals need to:
- present your topic and its larger significance;
- include a detailed, fleshed-out project description (including methods, timelines, and how your affiliate will help);
- convey your qualifications to carry out this work.
Study proposals need to:
- present a core academic issue that drives you;
- articulate why this program in this country is the best choice for delving deeper into your core issue;
- provide a detailed discussion of the program’s features (specific tracks/courses, thesis, resources, faculty, etc.) and why it’s ideal for you;
- convey your academic preparation to succeed in the program.
Research and study applicants alike also need to include:
- a paragraph-long community engagement plan;
- a conclusion that indicates how the project will benefit you and others (ideally in your host country and the U.S.).
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S/R Personal Statement (PS)
Goal: illuminate your motivations to do this project in this country.
The long prompt Fulbright provides for this essay may seem intimidating. They want all that in one page? Focus on the final sentences: "It should not be a recording of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your Statement of Grant Purpose․ Rather, it should be more of a biography, but specifically related to you and your aspirations relative to the specific Fulbright Program to which you have applied." In other words, the PS should provide new information not found elsewhere that helps readers to understand why you want to do this project and live in country X for a year.
We recommend that you structure your narrative around a set of specific, highly relevant experiences that all contribute to a central argument about you and your motivations.
- Offer a story using vivid examples from your life. Choose 3-4 moments or experiences that illustrate who you are and what motivates you to pursue this work, and that highlight important qualities you’ll bring to a Fulbright experience, like adaptability. Illustrate these things via your examples rather than “tell” them to your audience.
- Show growth. Your PS should convey a sense of building and learning over time, rather than seem like a random array of experiences. (The order does not need to be strictly chronological, however).
- Articulate a central message. There should be a takeaway with each experience you share, and those takeaways should come together. What connects these experiences besides the fact that they happened to you?
- Make sure your host country is present and as integrated as possible in your narrative. Your PS should not read as if it could have been written for an application to any country.
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Language Evaluations
Different programs have different language requirements! Be sure to check the Fulbright website for specific information about the country and award you intend to apply to.
If you are proposing a research project, you also need to consider what language skills your specific project may require. If the research you are proposing requires a higher level of language proficiency than your host country's general minimum level (because you will carry out interviews, read archival material, etc.), you'll be expected to meet that higher standard at the time of application. Please note that Fulbright reviewers as a rule are skeptical of qualitative research that can only be successfully carried out with the use of translation services.
Please review the following scenarios to see what you may need to do in your Fulbright application re: language.
Scenario 1: Language skills are required or strongly recommended by the country (and/or your research project requires them).
You will need to submit both a Language Self-Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form, regardless of how advanced you may be, to show you have at least the minimum required level at the time of application. The Language Self-Evaluation is a brief section of the online application you complete. The Foreign Language Evaluation is sent to an evaluator you register in your application, who will complete and upload the assessment separately (like a recommendation). Failure to submit the forms can result in your application being deemed ineligible.
For commonly taught languages, your evaluation must be done by a professional college-level language teacher. We strongly recommend having a faculty member at JHU evaluate your language abilities unless you have a faculty member at another institution who recently taught you. If you don't have a professor in mind already, you can seek out someone at JHU in a relevant department or through the Center for Language Education (or if the language is Spanish or French, please ask us and we'll give you the name of our go-to evaluator). For less commonly taught languages, your evaluation must be done by a college-educated native speaker. In all cases, please review and share with your evaluator the Instructions for Fulbright Foreign Language Evaluators, and look at the sample form so that you understand what your evaluator is being asked to do.
Scenario 2: Language skills are not required or recommended but you have some.
If you have some ability with the host country language (or one of its languages), you should complete the Self-Evaluation and, if your level is Intermediate or above, arrange for a Foreign Language Evaluation (see guidance in scenario 1 about seeking an evaluation). While the latter is not required, documenting your language ability—even if you are a heritage speaker with little knowledge of the written language—will work in your favor. If you have knowledge of another language (or languages) not spoken in the host country, you can include this in the Self-Evaluation, but do not seek a Foreign Language Evaluation.
Scenario 3: Language skills are not required or recommended and you have no significant knowledge of any foreign languages.
This is perfectly fine and will in no way be held against you as applicant. In this case there is no need to fill out either language evaluation form. However, don’t be complacent about relying on English during the grant period. Demonstrating an interest in and a commitment to learning the host country's language, both prior to and during the grant period, will make your application more competitive and contribute to your cultural and educational experience abroad. Fulbright's general expectation is that you'll strive to reach at least a basic level of language skill—a “hospitality level” to facilitate community engagement—prior to departure for the host country if possible. If the language is not one where you can reasonably find classes or language learning resources in the U.S. (e.g., Finnish), then you should include a plan in your application to start learning the language upon arrival in the host country.
In all scenarios:
Unless you are applying to an Anglophone country, be sure to include in your application a plan for language learning at whatever level is appropriate for you during your grant period and, if possible, before. Start this summer, if you can!
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And a reminder from the last newsletter...
Selecting Recommenders
ETA Applicants
The application requires your recommenders to complete a questionnaire, not submit a standard letter of reference. Your first step in selecting references is to look at the ETA Recommendation form so you understand what referees are asked to address. The form has five specific questions focusing on:
- your ability to overcome challenges
- your skills associated with teaching or mentoring
- your potential for interacting with host country community members in unfamiliar, unstructured situations and different cultural environments
- your ambassadorial abilities
- other qualities that would make you a successful ETA (maturity, adaptability, flexibility, academic/personal experiences).
These questions should guide whom you ask to recommend you. Sometimes a person who seems like an obvious choice (a faculty or research advisor) may not have seen you exercising enough of the specific skills the form asks referees to comment on. For example, all referees must address how you’ve demonstrated qualities associated with teaching or mentoring. This doesn’t mean that only a teaching supervisor will do, but the person should have observed you in a teaching- or mentoring-like setting, such as leading a discussion in a seminar class, so the recommender can offer a response.
Study/Research Applicants
Seek recommenders who are best able to comment on your project and your qualifications to successfully carry it out. First, consult Fulbright's instructions for S/R reference writers to understand what Fulbright expects letters to include. Who is able to evaluate your skills and experience relevant to your proposal? Are there specific qualities about you and your work that you want a recommender to address? Who can evaluate both the feasibility and significance of your proposal and your academic demeanor, i.e. your attitude toward learning and study? (For example, if you are proposing an academic project involving historical research, who can testify to your ability to do independent archival work and carry out textual analysis?) Secondarily, who can tout your potential as a cultural ambassador in your host country?
With few exceptions, recommenders should be faculty who hold a PhD. Within those parameters, be sure to choose recommenders who can genuinely speak to your abilities and experience. Don't choose based simply on who has the highest stature or biggest name in your field. The more detailed a recommender is able to be about your candidacy, the stronger the letter.
All Applicants
Please be sure to:
- Ask for all three of your recommendations by mid-July.
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Once confirmed, be sure to register them ASAP in your online application, being careful to make sure you enter the correct email address. Once registered, each recommender will receive an automated email from Fulbright with instructions and a link to the recommendation form (ETA) or to upload their letter (S/R).
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Clarify with your recommenders that their due date is our campus deadline, August 21, not the national deadline in October. The email they receive from Fulbright will include only the final deadline on October 10, which can easily cause confusion.
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FULBRIGHT AFFINITY GROUPS |
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Fulbright Affinity Groups
Several Fulbright affinity groups exist to bring together Fulbrighters past, present, and future around shared identities and interests. Here are several, with links to find them on Instagram:
This Wednesday, Fulbright Lotus is hosting a panel discussion with alumni. JHU Fulbrighter Amanda Yuen (Class of '22), who just completed her year as an ETA in Taiwan, recently joined the Executive Board of Fulbright Lotus and will be moderating. She would love to see some JHU attendees at the panel!
Dear Younger Self: An Advice Panel for Asian American Fulbrighters from Alumni
How did you find community abroad? How did being Asian American affect your experience? What surprised you the most about living abroad? These questions and more will be answered by our panel of recent research and ETA Fulbright alumni as we think about what our younger selves wish we would’ve known going into our adventures abroad.
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The Scholars & Fellows Team
The National Fellowships Program (NFP) in Scholars & Fellows Programs (SFP) advises JHU students and recent graduates applying for nationally competitive fellowships, scholarships, and grants. You can find information about many awards, with detailed profiles for several, on our website.
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