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Fulbright Program for U.S. Students

U.S. Fulbright Applicant
Newsletter

Issue 2 | July 2006

Establishing a Host Affiliation
table of contents

 Program Updates

Number of applications started


3391!

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De-Mystifying Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA)

by Jody Dudderar, Assistant Director, Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright program has offered opportunities for U.S. students to serve as English teachers and teaching assistants at schools, colleges and universities abroad for many years. In recent years, countries offering ETA programs have grown from a handful to 23 in the 2007-08 competition. Since you may only apply to one country and one program, it is important to select carefully, based on your educational and career goals, academic background and preparation, language proficiency, and geographic interests.

For example, ETAs in Asia are placed primarily in elementary and secondary schools and knowledge of the host country language at the time of application is not required. However, ETAs in South America will be working with university and adult students and must have proficiency in the host country language. On the other hand, the programs and prerequisites in Europe vary widely.

Applicants are advised to read carefully the Participating Country Summary to understand the nature of each program and specific requirements. You should make certain that your Statement of Proposed Study very clearly states why you have chosen a particular program and country, your experience, training and skills, and what you expect to contribute to and take away from an ETA experience.

Most ETA programs expect that grantees will engage in an independent academic, vocational, or community service project. You should briefly describe what you would like to do in the Statement of Proposed Study. Since applicants will not know exactly where they will be located, this statement is not expected to be detailed, nor should you attempt to forge an affiliation at this stage. You simply need to indicate the activities that you intend to pursue outside of the ETA responsibilities and why you have chosen this/these activityies for the country to which you are applying.

Finally, a few tips for choosing a country and preparing your Statement:
  • Beware of the competition statistics. Most ETA programs are only a year or two old and, therefore, may not have received applications or much publicity in the previous year. In addition, the number of applications for ETA programs has doubled in the last two years, a reflection of the growth in the number of countries participating. Given this, you can not reliably predict the number of applications for this competition based on last year's numbers.
  • Project proposal. If you have a very specific proposal for study or research, you may wish to consider the full grant option, since in the ETA program you will not be able to choose where you will be placed. Furthermore, successful ETA's are those who value the experience of working in an educational environment first and foremost.
  • Prior experience or training in teaching. This may be required or strongly preferred in some countries and not particularly relevant in others. Read the Participating Country Summary and speak to an IIE Program Manager when in doubt.
  • Extensive experience or training in teaching. Remember, this is a Student Fellowship. Persons with university-level teaching experience or more than four years of teaching in schools and persons who have completed a master's degree in TESOL or a related field may be overqualified for this program. If you fit into one of these categories and have specific reasons why you feel you would benefit from a Student ETA Fellowship, then be sure to express this clearly in your Statement. Contact an IIE Program Manager if you have questions.


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Establishing a Host Affiliation

by Jermaine Jones, Program Manager, Africa and the Middle East

Applicants must carefully read the criteria for host affiliation requirements in the summary for the country to which they are applying. Countries differ in the kinds of host affiliations that are acceptable. Depending upon the country, the host affiliation can be an academic institution, a research institute, a non-profit organization and/or individuals at any one of these or other types of relevant agencies. In some cases, particularly in the arts, the affiliation may be a person such as a writer, musician, or artist or an arts organization or foundation. Applicants should pay special attention to the requirement in some countries to attend/affiliate with an academic institution.
Identifying a Potential Host
Some countries will obtain affiliation for the Fulbrighters, while others leave the responsibility for securing host affiliation entirely up to the grantee. Others will work somewhere in between, expecting the grantee to identify a host affiliation and make initial contact, but will then help to formalize the affiliation after the grant is awarded. Make sure you know what is expected of you as an applicant by reviewing the country summary carefully.

In countries where it is up to the grantee to find and secure affiliations, IIE cannot provide a list of institutions that acted as a host to previous Fulbrighters. Past Fulbrighters have used a number of methods to contact hosts and solicit support for their projects. One main way is to use the contacts and advisers that you already have. Ask if one of your current professors can help to put you into contact with a professor at a university overseas. Here are a couple of additional ways, we recommend finding an affiliation: (1) international students on your campus can be a great resource; (2) contact Visiting Fulbright Professors in the U.S. by visiting (http://www.cies.org/vs_scholars/vs_dir.htm); (3) a search engine (such as Google) can help you find professors with your interests. Do not hesitate to contact professors from other universities both in the U.S. and in your prospective country, especially if your proposal fits to the professor’s expertise. Other than that, some committed research and perseverance will aid you in finding a host affiliation. Once you find a possible host, make contact by sending an introductory letter or email. Keep in mind that many schools are closed during the summer months, so you may want to begin early, or heat up your search in the early fall. Remember, however, that IIE does not accept any support materials or letters via email or fax, and that sufficient lead time must be allowed to receive hard copy responses, with original signatures.
Letters of Support
The most competitive candidates will include documentation of contacts with potential host affiliations with the application. This could be of a letter of invitation from the host institution/organization/individual indicating research support or allowing access to facilities to the applicant; or, it could be a letter indicating that the admitting institution provides courses in the applicant's areas of study. IIE refers to these letters synonymously as: letters of support, letters of affiliation, letters of invitation and/or letters of admission.

There are no specific requirements for the letter of support from the host institution. Every affiliation relationship will be different depending upon the candidate’s project. In general, letters of support on institutional letterhead sent with the application are preferred. The letters should state how the supervisor/host institution will help the applicant to facilitate the project (i.e., what resources will be offered, what kind of supervision will be given, etc.). Some applicants propose to do independent research, so these letters of support are more crucial to establishing the feasibility of a project. Other applicants propose study projects, so letters of support are really a complement to the overall application, but attest to its feasibility. Therefore, you should try to get a letter of support that is as detailed as possible. Ultimately, it is up to your host affiliation as to the level/kind of support that they are willing to offer you.

In the U.S., we have become accustomed to rapid response, especially in electronic communication. Many cultures do not have this expectation, and many people do not enjoy the reliable connectivity or easy access to the Internet that we do. Therefore, be advised that you may not receive a response to your inquiries as quickly as you might hope. Applicants are advised to begin their search for an affiliation as early as possible.

Letters of support can be submitted to IIE via regular mail after the deadline. However, we cannot guarantee that letters of support submitted separate from the full application will be successfully married up with the application in time for committee review. We will make every effort to do so, but can make no guarantee. Also, IIE cannot confirm receipt of any documents. Please do not call or email us to ask if your letter of support was received. We recommend that you send your materials using a method that will provide return receipt.

Please note that we will not accept letters of support, recommendations, or foreign language reports sent via email or fax.
Degree Programs
If your plan is to complete a Master's or other degree or to attend a structured degree program, make sure that you apply for admission to the host university by their deadline. Do not wait for the Fulbright decision to come through or you may be too late in gaining admission into your chosen university.

If you are applying for admission into a study/Master's program, you do not need to submit the letter of admission with the application. You can submit the acceptance letter whenever you receive it, but an award offer would be contingent upon you receiving placement at a university. However, even if you are applying to do a structured degree program, obtaining a letter of support from a faculty member at the host university will complement your application.

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Student perspective on establishing an affiliation

by Minerva Sanchez, 2004-2005, Poland

"You never forget when you move to another place" is what my mother used to tell me. I find this adage to remain true. As with selecting any place to which relocate, one must learn everything about your new home. I can recall the extensive research I did when I began to decide which school to attend for my undergraduate degree. I analyzed every school appropriate for my major based on its US location, admissions requirements, size (overall student body and class), cost, application deadline, comparison of applications versus acceptance rates, setting (rural or urban), type of institution (public or private), predicted graduation rate versus actual graduation rate, etc. As you might guess, I did not forget the experience of researching where I would be moving when I finally selected my undergraduate university.

Years later, when it came to completing my Fulbright application, I experienced déjà vu; only this time it was not quite as overwhelming. With the possibility of undertaking a Fulbright program in one of at least 130 countries, it was inspiring to consider my options! With my enthusiasm under control, I began focusing on where I would see myself living for the next year, and conducting research on my interests.

Minerva Sanchez
Minerva Sanchez
Based on my experience of selecting which undergraduate university would be best for me, I put my skills to work. For some time, I had been following the accession of ten new countries into the European Union (EU) in May 2004. The European Union (EU) had grown from six countries to fifteen since 1951 and was preparing for its fifth, largest round of expansion with the addition of ten countries from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. It was argued that the prospect of Poland’s membership to the EU would allow the country to play a role of regional leader again by taking important political and economic initiatives. Poland had arguably demonstrated the importance of its strategic geographic location, with the examples of the expedited, democratic changes within Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall and perestroika in Russia. These democratic changes first appeared in Poland and had a domino effect across the rest of the continent. With my passionate interest in Poland, I began concentrating my efforts on establishing a host affiliation there.

Since organized crime is my specific area of interest, I searched which professors throughout Poland had published on this topic. Then, as luck would have it, I met one of the professors who is a guru on organized crime -- particularly drug smuggling -- at my US university during a special guest lecture. I was able to track him down via the Internet, and send him an email about my proposed research. Later, I called him and we had a detailed conversation. After several phone conversations, email and fax exchanges, he sent me a formal letter agreeing to: sponsor my research, provide me with office space, arrange for dorm housing, and attend some classes. I was also able to obtain another letter of support from a Polish National Police officer, who was on leave.

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NPR's Talk of the Nation: Fulbright Students Discuss Time in Africa



npr
NPR's Talk of the Nation
Listen to Talk of the Nation's broadcast about Fulbright Alumni who studied in Africa: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5504011

Students from the United States head overseas every year as Fulbright scholars, and foreign students study in the United States. Recent participants in the program talk about spending a year studying in Africa.
Guests:
Dan Hoyle, Fulbright U.S. student fellow, 2004-2005; studied oil politics and community organizing in Nigeria

Sophie Beal, Fulbright U.S. student fellow, 2004-2005; studied empowerment through fiction in the work of Mia Coutu in Mozambique

Cliff Missen, Fulbright Scholar program alumnus (1998-1999); systems analyst and adjunct instructor, University of Iowa

Zeeshan Al-Hassan Usmani, Fulbright scholar and student from Pakistan, at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL.

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Competition Statistics and Fulbright At-A-Glance Pages


Fulbright At-A-Glance
Fulbright At-A-Glance pages
We have revamped the competition statistics page and included 'Fulbright At-A-Glance' information pages for the following regions: Africa; East Asia/Pacific; Near East/North Africa and South Asia; Western Hemisphere and Europe/Eurasia.

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/thinking_competition.html

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Send Us Your Question


If you have thoroughly reviewed the U.S. Student website and have not found the answer to your question, click here to send us your question. You will receive a reply via email from one of our Program Managers.

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/thinking_submit.html


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