Fulbright Commission visit notes from Julia Douthwaite 6 December 2002

Fulbright Commission: founded by Senator Fulbright after WWII Nonprofit organization, sponsored by US government and foreign governments

Basic mission of the Fulbright Commission: to promote peace through exchange of culture; to build communication and lasting relations among countries of the world. Currently 160 countries have exchanges with US. The Commission seeks to support people who will be contributing to such exchanges over the long run, in their work and in their lives.

Applicants for Fulbright grants may be holders of B.A., B.S., or M.A. Goals, nature of grant: For B.A. or B.S. applicants: Goal is to enroll in a foreign university and take some courses while you do research on a specific project; or to be affiliated with a foreign university, laboratory, orchestra, and work on an independent project. Grant pays for round-trip travel to host country, housing and food, basic insurance for 8 months of research and studies. How to find an affiliation or host university? Need to find a supervisor and a host or affiliate institution (university or music, arts school, laboratory--cannot be business oriented). How?

• 1. Ask your professors in the US and France.
• 2. Read articles and books in your chosen field. If there is someone whose work has been useful to you, write to him/her and ask if you might work with him/her.
• 3. Go on-line and search for good location, identify interesting professor for your field. Check out his/her publications.

NB: Do not communicate via email for a request of this nature. Write a well-conceived, careful letter, explaining your project (one paragraph) and how the person might support you and your affiliation with the institution.* Be polite. Explain why the person and their expertise are so important for you. (*As supervisor, the person should support you in the following ways: be willing to advise during the year, be willing help with research from time to time, help you get library or lab privileges, and perhaps, if they are teaching a course, you could take it.)

Other notes: OK to have 2 affiliations. Good idea: work with former Fulbright grantees (lists available on line). Application includes:

1. Project statement: Key features of a good project: - cohesive - doable during the time frame (8 months) - well organized - focused - clear - pertinent to the world around you, during your residence abroad - tied into your future plans - need to have a goal, a game plan

2. Personal statement Explain what is personally motivating for you to undertake this project. Why do you love the topic? Where are you heading with it? Are you a person who is adaptable to life abroad? Can you work under conditions of great freedom, with little structure, and get the work done? * Ask for help from your professors or your foreign sponsor, or student friends. The more you circulate your work, the better it will be (as long as you remain true to your original vision). * Good writing is a process. Revise, revise, revise.

3. Letters of recommendation (3 or 4) From professors in US at your home institution (even if you will be a graduate at the time), and from your host institution. The latter can simply be a letter of agreement from your sponsor, saying he/she agrees to work with you. Email is ok for that letter.

Screening process Applications are initially screened by Institute of International Education (IIE) in US, then sent to Paris office.

Time-line

1. For application In Junior year, start searching for foreign contacts. Ideally, write to people in target country in February - March. Definitely make contact before mid-July.

October: deadline for applications January: Finalists invited for interviews May: winners announced.

2. During grant period (8 months) October orientation. Mid-year meeting in February Annual Fulbright conference in Berlin Final report due at end of grant period, on research progress, living conditions Tips: Central and Eastern Europe: scarcity of candidates Language proficiency: a country-by-country case. For France, Germany (most popular, after Anglophone countries), excellent fluency is required. For Eastern European countries, English and German suffice (preferable to Russian). You can plan to begin learning the language before leaving, and to take language courses on site. Multi-country grants exist, as well. Need to justify study and research in two countries. For more information see Institute for International Education website: www.iie.org