U.S. Archives

Tips on writing the Project Proposal & the C.V.

Tips on writing the Curriculum Vitae--

The Fulbright C.V. is NOT a resume or curriculum vitae in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a personal/intellectual biography, written in narrative form that should give the screening committee a clear picture of who you are as an individual. Keep in mind that there is no standard "blueprint" for a successful C.V., so candidates are free to craft their statements however they wish, and include any information that they see fit in order to give the best sense of how they came to be the person that they are, and how they developed their current (intellectual) interests and goals.-- Candidates who may have had a period of poor academic performance may also choose to address the reason(s) for this in their C.V. This may help to offset any doubts that might be raised by a subpar semester or academic year, as reflected on the transcript.

Tips on writing the "Statement of Proposed Research or Study" Before you begin….

The best proposals begin with good ideas. Start by putting your ideas on paper, and list the goals and objectives of your project. Share your ideas with your Fulbright Program Adviser, your academic adviser and professional colleagues in your field. As you work on your proposal, consider the following questions and remember your audience. Avoid discipline-specific jargon. The individuals reading your proposal prefer you get to the point about the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of the project. In a direct and persuasive manner address the following:

1. With whom do you propose to work?
2. What do you propose to do? What is exciting, new or unique about your project? What contribution will the project make to the Fulbright objective of promoting cross-cultural interaction and mutual understanding?
3. When will you carry out your study or research? Include a timeline.
4. Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why is it important to go abroad to carry out your project?
5. Why do you want to do it? What is important or significant about the project?
6. How will you carry out your work? All students should discuss methodology and goals in their statements. How will it help further your academic or professional development?

Is the project feasible…
You must also demonstrate that the research strategy is feasible, including its time frame. How will the culture and politics of the host country impact your work? How do the resources of the host country support your project? Will you have access to the documents/equipment necessary for successful completion of you project? If employing methodological techniques such as extensive interviewing and the use of questionnaires, how will you get / locate your subjects? Have you received approval for your questionnaire? Have you received all of the necessary permissions from local authorities? Is your language facility adequate? If not, how will you accomplish your work? In other words, if there could be any question regarding the feasibility of your project or your background or ability to conduct the project, address the issue directly. Enrolled students are urged to consult professors in their major fields and their FPAs about the feasibility of their proposed projects. At-large applicants should consult qualified persons in their fields.

Teaching Assistantship Applications
Students applying for teaching assistant positions are not expected to present extensive research plans. Rather, they should describe for the reviewers:

1. Why they would like to undertake a teaching assistant assignment.
2. What their qualifications are and what experiences they have had which relate to the overseas assignment.
3. How they expect to benefit from the assignment and what use they will make of the experience upon their return to the U.S.
4. What use they will make of their time outside the classroom. (Most TAs work no more than 20 hours per week.)

A bibliography?
Since applicant's Statements can not exceed two pages, a formal bibliography is not necessary; however, if background data is provided it is appropriate to briefly cite sources, within the two pages.

A final word….
Organize your statement carefully. Don"t make reviewers search for information. We urge you to have several people read and critique your Statement including a faculty adviser, a faculty member outside your discipline, a fellow student, and/or a colleague. It would be ideal to have a host country academic/artist review your proposal for refinement and issues of host country sensitivity/security.

Writing for the outside world

As I write this, it is two years to the week since I began working on my statement of proposed study for a U.S. student Fulbright application. Now in my last weeks as a Fulbright Fellow in Croatia, I am amazed that I made it here in the first place because when I started, I had no idea how hard it would be to explain my ideas to the world outside of my home academic department.

When I applied for a Fulbright Scholarship I was three years into a Ph.D. program at Ohio State University, studying linguistics and Slavic languages. I wanted to collect my dissertation data in Croatia and to improve my Croatian skills both for my own benefit and for when I (eventually) go on the academic job market. A Fulbright grant seemed perfect.

I spent one month deciding what, exactly, it was that I wanted to do, should I be so lucky as to receive a Fulbright. This involved the normal process of talking to professors in my field, reading endless piles of literature and, of course, trying to make contacts in the country I was applying to. Finally, after four drafts, I had a plan. It was all clear in my head. I still had no idea whether I would be offered a grant but my advisor was excited, my recommenders were excited, and I was excited. I thought that my proposal was as good as it was going to get.

And then came the interview.

When you first submit a Fulbright application at Ohio State it is, more than anything, a draft. After your interview the Fulbright coordinator allows you to revise anything and everything that you have written, and in fact it encourages you to do so based upon the comments of your interviewers and a mentor that is assigned to work with you. Without that opportunity I would probably not be sitting in Croatia today, because it quickly became clear that my proposed plan of study was a disaster. Nobody except my advisor, my recommenders and me understood what I was talking about. Few people have ever taken a linguistics course, and even fewer have any understanding of what linguists study and why. So when I went into the interview, I was faced with one linguist, one Slavicist, and four people whose specialties were in sociology, history and the like. And clearly, they didn"t get it. They had only the most vague idea of what I was talking about.

So why did I get the grant? Because there was that moment when the light bulb went on. I remember it very clearly. I was trying to explain how the study of paradigmatic gaps which arise under conditions of dialect contact in morphologically complex languages are revealing of how languages change and the universal (or, as I was trying to argue, the non-universal) structure of language. I probably stated my point in almost exactly these terms. And I received confused stares. And then I tried an example.

"Consider the verb to grandstand. People who know this word in its meaning of "to show off" will readily accept and use forms of this word such as He likes to grandstand or She always grandstands, or He will grandstand at the slightest chance. But what about the past tense? Should it be grandstood? Or grandstanded? For many native speakers of English (and thankfully also for my interviewers!), neither form sounds natural. If the past tense of this verb is necessary, speakers will often avoid the issue by saying, for example, She was grandstanding or He used to grandstand. Thus, although we would expect the existence of a simple past tense form (after all, it is perfectly possible to grandstand in the past), many people don"t actually use such a form. This is a paradigmatic gap. This is something that, according to current mainstream linguistic theory, shouldn"t happen. I think that Croatia is the place to demonstrate that this happens quite frequently. And here"s why..."

The light bulb went on over the heads of the sociologists and historians. The lesson? Examples are golden. Although intelligent people will be reading your proposed plan of study, few (if any) will be specialists in your field. Furthermore, the longer you spend in a field, the less you realize when you are using technical terms. Thus, the non-linguists saved my linguistics application. The example immediately went into my written proposal. My assigned mentor took my proposal, underlined everything she didn"t understand and made me do it again. And again. And then I sent my proposal to my parents, who are also not linguists. And I wrote it again. And yes, again. Each time I clarified the ideas while reducing the terminology.

The result? Ten months later when I arrived at Fulbright orientation in Washington D.C., one of the people who had read my application (head of exchange programs at what was then called the Croatian Ministry of Science and Technology) was able to intelligently explain my proposal to her boss based solely upon what I had written.

That is the goal.

And I will never again write a grant application without passing it in front of as many non-specialist eyes as are willing to read it.

Q & A : General Questions Answered.

Previous Experience Abroad

Q 1: As a native Korean, if I travel to Korea on a regular basis for personal matters, how will this affect my candidacy?

A: It completely depends on the nature and extent of the travel and the composition of the rest of the applicant pool to Korea. If you have spent a significant amount of time in Korea, then your application will be less competitive.

Q 2: I am currently in Australia on a 10 week graduate research fellowship through NSF/Australian Academy of Science. I am not enrolled in course work, and the research I am doing is what I want to continue working on if granted a Fulbright. Does this make me a disadvantaged applicant or does it fall more into the area of those who have studied abroad?

A: If you are currently in Australia, then your application will not be competitive for a Fulbright Award.

Q 3: If you spent less than a month in a country two years ago and wish to return for a Fulbright, will that be a significant factor in the decision-making?

A:  No, a month in the host country is not a negative issue.

 A: This fact does not disqualify you from applying, but may make you less competitive for Russia. It would greatly depend upon the applicant pool for Russia, which is impossible to predict.  It would not be a disadvantage for any other country.  However, if you feel that your project is stronger and better suited to Russia then I would recommend that you apply to Russia.

Project Proposals/Personal Statements/CV

Q 5: I am applying for a Fulbright to New Zealand to do look comparatively at cultural tourism in the US using both photography and writing. I am leaning towards applying in the photography field, and my portfolio contains work from an exhibition on cultural tourism in the US, but the images take on more meaning when presented with the artist statement. Is there a way to include my artist statement with my application?

A: You can include it in your "Statement of Proposed Study" or in your CV.

Q 6: I'm interested in applying for a Fulbright to teach in Taiwan, but my question relates to the teaching grants in general. I was wondering, how should I structure my application? For instance, should my recommendations come from people who might be able to comment on my teaching abilities? (And on that front, how much teaching experience should one have for the Taiwan program?) Also, how should I direct my personal statement? Should I focus on a project or on why I want to teach? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

A: ETA grantees to Taiwan are not required to have any previous teaching experience, but if you do have teaching experience then be sure to include this in your application as it will improve your competitiveness. Your personal statement should give the screening committee a good idea of who you are as a person and how your experiences have shaped and led you to want to pursue a Fulbright ETA opportunity in Taiwan. Your recommenders should be able to comment on your academic integrity as well as how they feel you will perform in the role of teaching English abroad.

Q 7:  My discipline, Art Conservation, is not listed in the Field of Study Sheet.  It does, however, fall under either History of Art or, perhaps more, Museum Studies.  Which would you recommend I select?

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that if you are currently enrolled in a US college or university, you might wish to ask your campus Fulbright Program Adviser if they keep copies of prior (successful) applications on file. If so, you might be able to review these.

 A: Students applying for teaching Assistantships are not expected to present extensive study or research plans.  Rather they should describe why they would like to undertake a teaching assistant assignment; what their qualifications are and what experiences they have had which relate to the assignment; how they expect to benefit from the assignment and what use they will make of the experience upon reutrn to the U.S.  Finally applicants should discuss the use they will make of their time outside of the classroom.  This can be taking courses at a university or an independent research project.  

 A: Since project statements cannot exceed two pages, a formal bibliography is not necessary; however, if background data is provided it is appropriate to briefly cite sources.

Host Affiliation

Q 12: I am considering applying to the Teaching English Assistantship program. Would I be a TA at a university level? Can I choose which level to be placed at?

A:  The level depends on which country you apply to.  Please contact the Program Manager responsible for the country of your choice.

Q 13: I am applying for a research grant for graduate research, and I will have a letter of affiliation from the professor with whom I will be working. He is at a research institution near a university. I have indicated in my research/study proposal that I will sit in on and perhaps enrol in some classes at the university as well, but I have not applied to the university as this is not the focus of my proposed research. Is the letter of affiliation from the professor and his research institution sufficient for my affiliation requirement, or do I need to be officially enrolled at a university as well?

A: The answer to this question depends upon the country to which you are applying.  Please resubmit your question noting the country, or contact the Program Manager for your country’s region direct.
 
Q 14:  If you are applying within the Performing Arts can your Host Affiliate be the Director from a Performing Arts Company?

A:  The answer to this question depends upon the country to which you are applying.  Please resubmit your question noting the country, or contact the Program Manager for your country’s region direct.

Q 15:  I have already secured one letter of support from my institution of affiliation.  Does it strengthen my application or is it necessary to secure more than one if I intend to do independent research at various archives? I will not be affiliated with a university, but various small museums and archives. Thank you.

A: While one letter is normally sufficient for most applicants, you should try to secure letters of support from each institution with which you plan to be affiliated.

Letter of Recommendation

 A: While I would recommend that at least one of your references be written by a professor, I don’t think that having one or both of the remaining letters be written by employers would put you at a disadvantage. As long as each of your referees can fully comment on you, your project, and your ability to carry it out successfully, you should be fine. 

Q 17:  I'm applying for an ETA Fulbright, how important is it that my recommendation letters be from professors in my major? I'd like to get one recommendation from the director of my abroad program, one recommendation from a professor at my university, and one from a former employer (the place of employment is relevant to my project proposal). Is this acceptable? Thank you for your answer.

 A: All the references do not necessarily need to be from professors in your major field.   The types of references you have described are perfectly acceptable.

Language

Q 18: I have recently completed a master's degree in journalism and I am interested in studying in an Arab country in the Middle East. I don't speak Arabic, although I plan to study it this year. What countries can I apply to?

 A: Egypt is one of the few countries in the region where prior knowledge of Arabic may not be necessary. Proficiency/fluency in French may serve as an adequate substitute for Arabic in Morocco and Tunisia, as well. Keep in mind, though, that the nature of your project will ultimately determine whether or not you will need any Arabic. Israel may be a final option for you to consider, although knowledge of Hebrew—while not required—is often preferred.

Q 20: In looking at the past Fulbright grantees for the country that I`m interested in, I found someone who studied something in the same field as I would like to study. I would love to contact this person and ask her about her who she was affiliated with in country and how things went for her. Is there any way that I could get contact information for a past Fulbright grantee? It would be a great resource for me to be able to talk with past grantees who had worked in the same country.

A:   The contact information of current grantees is confidential, and cannot be shared with applicants. As an alternative, you might wish to check the “Notes from the Field” section of the US Student Fulbright website to see whether there are any essays written by grantees in the country to which you are interested in applying. These essays provide excellent first-hand accounts of how grantees have fared in their host countries.

Q 21:  My major is not in the field I wish to pursue in my proposal, though I have extensive background in this field through elective classes taken at university, work, and experience garnered from independent research, hobby and interest. Will not having the major put my application at a disadvantage? Also, because I do not have a major in this field, those who are best equipped to comment/elaborate on my abilities in this field aren't necessarily all professors from the university I went to (or professors from my major.) Is it crucial that all my references be academically familiar with/specialized in the subject or field I choose to study in my proposal? Thank you.

A:  As long as you have the relevant experience to carry out the project that you propose your application will not be at a disadvantage.  All applicants should ensure that the proposals that they put forward are feasible given the academic/artistic/professional background/experience that they already have.  They do not have to already hold a degree in their proposed field of study.  Your references should be from people who can speak to your ability to carry out the proposal. Therefore, they should be from people who have some understanding of the subject matter.

Q 22:  The Teaching Assistantship option is not on the drop-down menu. What should I select?

A: Teaching Assistantships – code 5120

Q 23: Does the Fulbright grant also cover travel expenses to and from the country? Have there been problems in the past booking airline tickets for awardees since the final decision is in June and research may begin in August? This short time-frame to purchase tickets may prove costly.

A:  Yes, the grant does provide return air travel between the US and the Host country.  Many countries will announce their results before June, but each country varies someone in the time frame when results are returned.  Even for countries that traditionally come in later than others the timeframe has not proven to be a major problem in the past.

Q 24:  Do journalism applicants fall under the category "creative and performing arts"?  Should I submit writing samples if I am proposing to study journalism theory?

 A:  Journalism is considered an academic field by the US Student Fulbright program, not a creative or performing art.  Therefore, it is not necessary for applicants in journalism to submit writing samples. If writing samples are sent they will not be presented to and reviewed by the screening committee.

 A: While there is no one standard means of presenting this information, I think you should give as much detail as you feel is necessary to explain the honor/activity/publication. Certain entries (for example, induction to Phi Beta Keppa or other honor societies, well-known fellowships and grants, being on the Dean’s List, etc,) may not need much in the way of explanation. You could simply list the honor and year in which it was conferred.

A: You do not need to have a degree in the field of study of your proposed Fulbright project. While this could certainly be a strong indicator of an applicant’s academic preparation for carrying out their project/ plan of study, it is not absolutely necessary. However, in lieu of this I’d recommend that you make sure that your overall application puts forth a compelling case for you having the background/training needed to undertake your project successfully.

 A: The word limit is not strictly enforced, but the title should describe the project succinctly.

Q & A: Country Specific Questions Answered.

East Asia & Pacific Area

Q 1: I lived in Taiwan until I was seven years old. Will my experiences there put me at a disadvantage for a Fulbright grant to China? I assume Taiwan is viewed as an independent country from a Fulbright perspective?

A: If you are a U.S. citizen you are eligible to apply for a Fulbright Grant to Taiwan, and your competitiveness depends on the rest of the applicant pool. The Fulbright Grant is a U.S. Government award, and Taiwan is not recognized as an independent country. However, the Fulbright Program in Taiwan is separate from the one in mainland China.

A: You do not have to apply for a degree program, but if you pursue an independent project you will still need to find an institutional affiliation (typically NUS). You need to determine what your goals are and choose whether you would like to pursue graduate studies or work on an independent project in Singapore.

A: Yes, At-Large Applicants are eligible to apply to New Zealand and are free to propose independent research projects.

 Q 5: I'm applying for a Fulbright grant as a graduating senior.  However, I'm confused as to what type of program I should apply to at my host university (University of Singapore).  The Fulbright grant is for 9 months but a masters degree program at NUS is longer than 9 months.  Do I have to pursue a degree granting program?  What are my options?  Thank you.

 A: You do not have to apply for a degree program, but if you pursue an independent project you will still need to find an institutional affiliation (typically NUS).  You need to determine what your goals are and choose whether you would like to pursue graduate studies or work on an independent project in Singapore.

South Asia

A: Yes it will affect your competitiveness because, as the country description states, "There is a preference for candidates who have not been to India in the last 3 years." The extent of the impact depends on the rest of the applicant pool.

Q 7: I am looking to apply for a Fulbright under the Islamic Civilization Initiative. In the literature I've read about the program, it states, "grants will be awarded...in ANY country where there is an American student program and a significant Muslim population." My intended course of study would have me in Afghanistan, a country which satisfies both requirements listed above, but also has a travel advisory warning issued by the State department. As an American, can I apply for a Fulbright in Afghanistan under the Islamic Civilization Initiative?

A: I’m afraid that you are incorrect; there is no US Student Fulbright program to Afghanistan.  The only countries to which one can apply for an Islamic Civilization award are those that are also open as part of the US Student Fulbright Program. Since this is not the case for Afghanistan, you will not be able to apply for an Islamic Civ. award to that country.

Europe

A:  It would be best, in this case, for the reference to be written in English as it is very unlikely that the screening committee will be fluent in Spanish. If there is no way for him to write in English then he can do it in Spanish, but he would then need to have it translated into English and include this with his reference. 

Q 9:  One of the answers to last time's questions said that a year of study in a masters program in the country prior to taking the grant is a huge disadvantage to the application. Is this also true if a year has been spent in a bachelor's program in that country? I am going to the Netherlands to study music and have to spend a year or two in the bachelors program, but will then go on to the masters. Is it possible for me to apply for a Fulbright for either the second year in the bachelors program, or the first year in the masters program? 

A:  Yes, this would still put the applicant at a disadvantage. The issue isn’t about having done a year of a masters or bachelors program. The issue is simply having spent a year already in the host country.  Any recent extensive time in the host country will put an applicant at a disadvantage. The only exception to this would be a sophomore/junior year on a study abroad program in the host country whilst the applicant was an undergrad.   Also, keep in mind that even if you have spent a year or more recently in the host country you are still eligible to apply.  Your application will just be given lower priority. 

Q 10: I am applying for a project in Ireland. My bachelors degree was in Irish Studies and I am spending the fall as an intern in Dublin. Will this level of experience negatively affect my application?

Q 17:   I am thinking about applying for a Fulbright grant to the Kyrgyz Republic. In the "country specific" information, it says, "language proficiency commensurate with the purpose of the Fulbright Program." What exactly does this mean? Could one work with a translator to do research? Would the Fulbright award sponsor several months of language study?

 A:  This means that your language skills must be sufficient to carry out the project that you design and propose to us for funding.  Working with a translator is generally not the most competitive plan to carry out a project, but is fine if it is used in limited circumstances.  No, there would be no funding offered to a grantee for language study for this country.

Western Hemisphere

A: Field of study designations are only important for administrative reasons.  What is important is how the project is framed and what the emphasis is.   Preference for a particular field is not a guarantee that it will be selected or even considered if it is not practical or well-developed.

Q 19:    Is it possible to request a preferred city for the ETA in Argentina, if being in that city would be more conducive to project goals?

A: The primary purpose of the ETA program is to teach English or serve as We do not know where the ETAs will be placed, although it will be in a university.  Do not apply for the ETA program if you think it is an easy avenue to getting a grant.  With very limited advertising last year, there were almost 70 applications for Chile TAs and an equal number for Spain, for 5 grants to each.

A:  Letters of affiliation are always useful.  But, the emphasis in selection will be on you Statement of Proposed Study.

Near East/Africa

If you intend to apply in the String Instruments category, you’ll need to keep in mind that the screening committee that will be reviewing your application will more than likely be geared toward classical music candidates who wish to study in Europe. (As you can imagine, the panelists on the Strings committee are generally steeped in classical music, as are most of the applicants.) Because of this, your project and proposed country of study will more than likely put you at a disadvantage compared to the other Strings candidates.

As an alternative, you might wish to consider applying in the field of Ethnomusicology instead. My sense is that your application would be much better received by this committee—especially given that you wish to study traditional Senegalese music, as well. (by Jermaine Jones)

Check Campus Deadlines & Info Session Dates!