So you're Applying for a Fulbright-Part 2

After the final submission in October the waiting began. In January I found out that my application had made it past the first cut. This was very exciting of course, but it meant that 2x as many applications as there were spots were sent to Mongolia for the final selection. All it guaranteed was more nail-biting and waiting. But then in April, while browsing an online forum full of Fulbright hopefuls (gradcafe for those interested), and noting that a person or two had just heard news about their applications to Mongolia, the phone rang. My parents were calling to tell me that a large manila envelope had arrived! After the freakout of happiness subsided slightly I started looking at the mountain of paperwork I had to fill out. Things had to be signed, information provided, medical tests taken and original medical forms submitted. I ended up paying over $600 to go to the best hospital in Guangzhou, China where doctors spoke enough English to fill out my medical forms with the results of more or less routine tests. I then spent another $30 to send these papers certified, tracked, everything, to Fulbright. They insisted that the medical tests be done within a few weeks of getting the news of the award, otherwise I would have waited til I got home and insurance covered these things.

After getting all this paperwork in, I got to relax for a few months more in Asia and back home before my grant started. The whole process was time consuming and nerve-wracking but was it worth it? Wholeheartedly, yes. As someone who is not in grad school I have certain advantages and disadvantages on a Fulbright grant. The disadvantages are that I may not have as much training in undertaking research as a grad student and I don't have as much advising or mentorship. The advantages are that I get to problem solve and come up with my own creative solutions to things, I don't have to report to anyone, I can research whatever interests me via whatever methodology I want, and I set my own schedule. I will probably never have this kind of freedom in research again, and so I am taking full advantage of it.

To wrap up the part about my application experience, I wanted to comment that I've read many, many advice columns about applying for the Fulbright. 99% of them say that the key to ultimately getting a Fulbright is starting early on your application. Some schools require that you commit to the process a semester or even a year before the application is due! This is probably important for a lot of people, but I was able to complete my application in under 2 weeks and it was selected just the same. My point is that it wasn't my application that was important, (because people who spent more time on their applications probably had better essays), but that it was everything I had done during college that made me a good candidate for this award that was important. I double degreed in biology and anthropology, I studied abroad in Mongolia, I conducted research in Mongolia (and made lots of contacts), I wrote my thesis in anthropology about this research in Mongolia, I conducted ecology research in America, and I worked closely with professors and researchers. Even though I only had 2 weeks to talk the talk, or write my application, I had kind of already walked the walk. Therefore I think it's unfair to discourage or even bar people from applying who don't start working on their application so far in advance. Yes, advisors should meet with prospective applicants earlier in their academic career, but not to discuss their application... they should be making sure the students are doing the kind of work that will prepare them to be competitive for what they want to apply for.


Then again, much of the Fulbright selection process remains a mystery to all and I could be completely off the mark. Maybe the selection committee was really intrigued by my research proposal to make portable gardens for nomads, maybe they were impressed that I spoke a little Mongolian already, or maybe they liked me personally in the interview. I don't really know. So I just wanted to share what I did in my application in case it helps anyone who is applying. My advice: contacts, research experience, passion about your topic.


Ok this wraps up my posts about the Fulbright application. Next post I'll write about the felting workshop I'm attending tomorrow! This is what I mean by taking full advantage of my flexible research schedule! :)