Fulbright Essays

THE FULBRIGHT ESSAYS
Two essays are required: The Personal Statement and the Study/Research Proposal. These
essays serve very different but complementary purposes. Unless noted, the following
information comes straight from the Fulbright Web site.
THE PERSONAL STATEMENT (1 Page)

The following information is applicable to both Study/Research and ETA applicants:
The Personal Statement should be a narrative giving a picture of you as an individual.
Remember, applicants are not interviewed on the national level. The Personal Statement is your
opportunity to talk about yourself and to tell the committee more about how you came to this
point in your life and where you see yourself in the future. There is no single right way to
approach the Statement; rather candidates will consider what they think is important for people
reviewing the application to know about them.
The Statement can deal with your personal history, family background, influences on your
intellectual development, the educational and cultural opportunities (or lack of them) to which
you have been exposed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you. Also, you
may include your special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals, etc. It should not be
a recording of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your Statement of Grant
Purpose. It is more of an autobiography, and specifically related to you and your aspirations.
Adhere to the following format:
Statement length is limited to a maximum of one typed, single-spaced page. Longer
statements will not be presented to screening committees
To ensure a smooth upload and readability, use 1 margins all around and Times Roman 12
pt. font
At the top of the Word Document, in the upper left-hand corner
o On line 1, type PERSONAL STATEMENT. Do not place this information in a header
o On the next line, type your name, country of application, and field of study (or
English Teaching Assistantship)
THE STUDY/RESEARCH PROPOSAL (2 Pages)

THE BEST PROPOSALS BEGIN WITH GOOD IDEAS:
Start by putting your ideas on paper, and list the goals and objectives of your project. [Yale Note:
Yales Fulbright pre-application will walk you through this!] 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:
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?
Why do you want to do it? What is important or significant about the project?
With whom do you propose to work?
When will you carry out your study or research? Include a timeline.
Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why is it important to go abroad
to carry out your project?
How will you carry out your work? All students should discuss methodology and goals in
their statements.
How will your project help further your academic or professional development?
Your project statement should contain a clear commitment to and description of how
you will engage with the host country community.
IS THE PROJECT FEASIBLE?
You must also demonstrate that the project 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?
If employing such research methods as extensive interviewing and the use of
questionnaires, how will you locate your subjects?
Is your language facility adequate? If not, how will you accomplish your work?
What are your plans for improving you language skills, if they are not adequate at the time
of application?
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 in your statement. 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.
Please note: Applicants should determine if the host country has specific visa or research
clearance requirements. This will be noted in the Country Summary. If required visas and/ or
research clearance(s) are denied by the candidates host country, reassignment to a new country
is normally not an option.
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.
Statement length is limited to a maximum of two typed, single-spaced pages. Longer
statements will not be presented to screening committees.
Do not include any bibliographies, publications, citations, etc., except those that will fit in
the two-page limit.
To ensure a smooth upload and readability, use 1 margins all around and Times Roman 12
pt. font.
At the top of each page of your Word document type the following:
o On line 1, type STATEMENT OF GRANT PURPOSE
o On line 2, Place your Name, Country of Application, and Field of Study
o On line 3, type Project Title as it appears on Page 3 (Form 2) of the application (on
the first page of the Statement only)
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS STATEMENT of GRANT PURPOSE (1 Page)

Since you are applying for an ETA, you are not expected to present extensive research plans. The
following are guidelines as to what you could include in your Statement:
Why would you like to undertake a Teaching Assistant assignment?
Why have you chosen the particular country?
What specific qualifications, training, and/or experiences do you have related to the
overseas assignment?
What use will you make of your time outside the classroom (Most ETAs work no more than
20-30 hours/week?
How you expect to benefit from the assignment, and what use you will make of the
experience upon your return to the United States?
[Yale Note:] What do you hope to learn from the assignment?
Keep in mind that the maximum length for the Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal
Statement is one-page each. Therefore, you should construct these Statements in such a way
as to include all pertinent information, but so as not to be redundant. 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 Grant Purpose.
Since applicants will not know exactly where they will be located, this description is not expected
to be detailed. You simply need to indicate the activities that you intend to pursue outside of the
ETA responsibilities and why you have chosen this/these activities for the country to which you
are applying. In addition, any community service activities or extra-curricular activities that you
think you might conduct should be described.
If you have a very specific proposal for study or research, you may wish to consider the
Study/Research option, since in the ETA program you will not be able to choose where you will be
placed and you will not have very much time for independent research or study. Furthermore,
successful ETA's are those who value the experience of working in an educational environment
first and foremost. We have seen highly qualified applicants not selected because the
impression from their Statements indicated that they were more focused on a project than on the
ETA assignment.
For English Teaching Assistantships, the Statement length is limited to a maximum of one
typed, single-spaced page. Longer statements will not be presented to screening
committees.
To ensure a smooth upload and readability, use 1 margins all around and Times
Roman 12 pt. font.
At the top the page of your Word document type the following. Do not place this
information in a header, it will not upload.
o On line 1, type STATEMENT OF GRANT PURPOSE
o On line 2, type your Name, Country of Application, and English Teaching
Assistantship
[Yale Note:] ADDRESSING ENGAGEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY

Since the primary aim of the Fulbright Program is to further mutual understanding between the
people of the United States and other countries, it is important to address this issue in your
application. Your application should demonstrate a clear commitment to the host country
community. Being involved in the local community will contribute significantly to the Fulbright
Program's goals and will enhance your experience in many ways. IIE advises that applicants
should describe any volunteer or extracurricular activities of interest to them and relate the
activity to the Fulbright grant experience. You can choose to address this in your Project
Statement, if the planned activity is an integral part of your study or research, or in the Personal
Statement, if the planned activity is more extracurricular.
If you will be in a university environment, this activity could be extracurricular (joining a club,
participating in a sport, etc.); it does NOT have to relate specifically to your study proposal.
Other examples of community involvement could include teaching or tutoring English or
American Studies; volunteering with a charitable organization, volunteering for a school
renovation project, volunteering in a healthcare facility, etc.
[Yale Note:] ALSO SEE:
"Writing Fellowship Essays":
U.S. Student Fulbright Applicant Blog: http://blogs.fulbrightonline.org/usapp/
Podcasts: http://blogs.fulbrightonline.org/usapp/new-podcasts-available-on-httpus-fulbrightonline-org
http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/academics/fellowships/application/essays.html
NOTE: Resist the temptation to look at the samples below BEFORE you have completed Yales
Fulbright pre-application and have begun to sketch out your own reasons for applying. While the
samples linked below are useful for demonstrating well-structured essays, it is the quality of the
content (the clarity of your convictions and your own purposes for applying) that set the
foundation for strong essays. Samples from others cannot do that work for you!
Samples of Winning Essays On-line:
Penn State University: https://www.eeducation.psu.edu/writingpersonalstatementsonline/p5_p4.html

Temple University: http://www.temple.edu/studyabroad/students/fulbright/sample_essays.htm
University of Iowa: http://international.uiowa.edu/funding/fulbright-resources
University of Rochester:
http://www.rochester.edu/college/CCAS/fellowships/fulbright/samples.html
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS
YALE COLLEGE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
www.yale.edu/fellowships
(Revised April 2012)
PERSONAL NOTES:

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What are the two main essays required for the Fulbright application?

What are the main components that should be addressed in the Study/Research Proposal?

THE FULBRIGHT ESSAYS

THE PERSONAL STATEMENT (1 Page)

THE STUDY/RESEARCH PROPOSAL (2 Pages)

TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS STATEMENT of GRANT PURPOSE (1 Page)

[Yale Note:] ADDRESSING ENGAGEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY

[Yale Note:] ALSO SEE:

"Writing Fellowship Essays":

U.S. Student Fulbright Applicant Blog: http://blogs.fulbrightonline.org/usapp/

Samples of Winning Essays On-line:

Penn State University: https://www.eeducation.psu.edu/writingpersonalstatementsonline/p5_p4.html

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