Guidelines and Suggestions for Applicants to the 2011-2012

Tufts University Guidelines and Suggestions for Applicants to the 2011-2012 Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Timeline for Tufts applicants: September 15 Submission of all materials and Scheduling of required campus interview Sept 22 – Oct 6 Campus committee interviews & editing period October 13 Final submission Contents

1. Getting Started 2 Using this guide and additional resources

2. So You Want to be a Rock Star 4 Deciding whether Fulbright is right for you

3. So You Want to be a Tufts-affiliated Rock Star 6 Making the most of the Tufts process and past successes

4. The Fundamentals 8 Putting your best foot forward in the application

5. Promoting Mutual Understanding 10 Writing essays that articulate your match with Fulbright

2 6. Now What? 13 The life of your application post-submission

3 1. Getting Started

This guide is intended as a tool to help you organize your Fulbright-related thoughts and access the resources available to put together the most competitive application materials possible. There are a few general tips you'll find useful throughout the whole process, from thinking about options all the way to hearing the final word from your country of choice.

1. Allow more time than you think you need. The Fulbright Commission recommends at least 4 months of preparation for Full Grant application and 2 months for ETA. Tufts recommends even more preparation time in most cases.

2. Stay in touch with Laura Doane, your Program Advisor (FPA). Many of your questions will be answered in this guide and/or on the Fulbright website. When in doubt or needing a live person, though, your FPA is here: [email protected]; 617-627-5869.

3. Use ALL of the resources available to you. The website is a bit challenging to navigate, but it's full of invaluable information. Also use the faculty, co-workers, mentors, etc., who know you best to help you brainstorm, draft, and edit your materials.

So, how do you make the most of your FPA and other supports? Again, the benefit of getting started early cannot be overstated. Your application begins way before you put pen to paper, or cursor to form, in this case. (Please note that applicants beginning the process after mid-July will not be granted additional resources to “catch up.”)

4 Share your ideas, no matter how preliminary, with folks you trust. In fact, go ahead and share them with anyone who will listen. Your FPA, faculty mentors, family and friends are good places to start. Remember, their feedback is just information and sometimes it will conflict; you must make the decision of which way to go based on that feedback. For most Full Grant applicants, your plan will have 5 or 6 iterations before you even start drafting the essay. For ETA applicants, the way in which you represent your commitment to both teaching and your intended host community will be subject to similar adjustment. Use the website! http://us.fulbrightonline.org It’s a bit of a pain, sure, but absolutely the best resource for Fulbright – as opposed to general info about putting together a proposal for a grant. Particularly helpful areas, accessed off of the left navigation bar, include:  Home – no really, the very first page lists all of the free webinars you should be checking out;  Country Summaries;  Preparing an Application (subcategories for each piece);  FAQs under Resources for Applicants

Almost every single question you have about what “they” are looking for, the best way in which to present your strengths, and what supports will be available to you if granted are answered somewhere on the website. Plan to spend a good chunk of time just perusing all of the pages to get a sense of where different pieces of info are hiding before you go looking for any one specific answer.

Tufts resources In addition to your FPA (Laura), a great deal of support is available to you as you go through the various stages of the planning and application process. First and foremost is our amazing legion of Graduate Writing Consultants. Hold on, English majors – this applies to you, too! Possibly THE most common stumbling block for applicants to anything is failure to answer the questions asked in the essay prompts. This issue is not one of grammar or prose, but of targeting to the audience and intention for the particular award. Fulbright has some serious oddities as well as very restrictive page limits. Our Writing Consultants are trained specifically on the Fulbright programs and essays. Use them! However, these folks are not for the brainstorming stage, so

5 more on this particular resource in section 5. For now, simply keep in mind that help is available and you are both encouraged and expected to utilize it. The faculty/staff scholarship committee will also provide you with constructive feedback based on years of experience ferreting applicant to success. These folks will come up more in the interview and editing information in section 3.

Remember, when you are offered a Fulbright grant, Tufts will take credit for it as well. We want to help you look good for some very non-altruistic reasons. Let us. 2. So You Want to be a Rock Star

Every year, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides 9-10 month foreign study and research opportunities for over 1500 U.S. students. Opportunities exist in most countries, and there are new additions every year. Most Fulbright grants provide travel, medical insurance, books, a monthly stipend geared to the cost of living in the host country (about $1000 - 4000 per month).

Of course, your chances for success depend on the quality of your application, letters of recommendation, academic record, etc. Another determinant is the competitiveness of the country to which you are applying. Most English-speaking countries (U.K., Ireland, Australia) are extremely competitive, with 30 or more applicants per available grant. Because of their superior second- language skills, Tufts students have tended to be most successful in countries where proficiency or fluency in a language other than English is essential.

The opportunity to pursue post-graduate study in a foreign country with the support of a Fulbright grant can be a life-changing experience that may help determine your intellectual direction and provide the cornerstone for your future career. The application process demands thought, candor, creativity and time. (Some previous applicants have likened the process to the equivalent of an extra course; fortunately, this is a course that is completed by mid-October.)

Tufts has an amazing reputation with Fulbright. Whereas the national applicant to grant ratio is just under 10%, Tufts has a 20-30% average. Obviously, though, this is still a long shot.

6 You should apply if you are passionate about the opportunity, over the moon about the possibilities for the experience, and think you will get a great deal out of the application process even if the grant does not come through in the end. If that’s you, it’s time to do some research.

Take a look at the following ABC’s and be honest with yourself. If you feel you might need to ‘fudge’ to illustrate sincerity in your application, don’t waste your or the readers’ time. Reconsider place and flavor of opportunity. (And ask for help in doing so!) A. Analyze your choice of country and type of grant  Do I have a strong enough interest in living in this country and community to convince total strangers to fund me? Remember, you must illustrate a commitment to “promoting mutual understanding” between nations and cultures.  According to the Country Summary, are they interested in applicants at my degree level and in my area of intended study?

B. Back up your expectations with research  Will I have access to the types of structure and support that I will realistically need to feel comfortable living independently in this country? Are culturally-specific aspects of this environment a good fit with my personality and values?  If I plan to do research, is the necessary infrastructure in place to provide the documents/data/people I will need? What other people and/or organizations are working in this discipline in this country/region? Is my work needed?  If I plan to teach, where and in what level of school will I be placed? What are the needs of the school systems in this country/region? Am I a good match for those needs?

C. Confirm your eligibility  Having lived a significant time abroad, even as a child, may disqualify you from applying for a Fulbright. Extensive time traveling or living in the country to which you are applying may also be an issue. (Undergrad study abroad is never a problem.)  You must be a U.S. Citizen at the time of application.  Some countries restrict what endeavors may be proposed, either by type (ETA, graduate study, research, program implementation, etc) or disciplinary area. Your

7 level of education – particularly for graduating seniors and ABD folks – may be a non-starter in certain places. Don’t assume! Read the country summary carefully.

Okay, does it feel right for you? First make sure that you are eligible to apply through Tufts (and want to do so) and then let’s get going on the application materials . . . 4. So You Want to be a Tufts-Affiliated Rock Star

If you are currently attending or have graduated from any Tufts school, you may apply through Tufts for the Fulbright. And we’re glad to have you. Some specific notes:  Getting your Bachelor’s next year? The prospects of a Full Grant for graduating seniors are relatively slim. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply, though. Talk to Laura.  Finishing a professional degree (MD, JD, DV) before the grant period? Double-check that this degree does not conflict with the intents of the grant agreement for your country.  Planning Doctoral research on a Fulbright? You may also be eligible for the Fulbright- Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Research Award (DDRA). This is a very different grant from the U.S. Student Program award. Talk to Laura.  Holder of a BFA or MFA? If you graduated (or will graduate) from the joint Tufts/SMFA program, you may apply through Tufts. However, if you do/will not have a Tufts BA, you must apply through the SMFA. Your Program Advisor is Catherine Tutter ([email protected]). Catherine’s awesome; get in touch with her today!  Thinking about a grant in the creative or performing arts? This category supports production and performance only, so if you’re planning to study rather than perform, you should apply for another disciplinary category. Multi-media artist? Unfortunately, Fulbright does not have a system to evaluate your work. You must apply in one medium only and all supplementary materials must be in that single medium as well.

8 Tufts does not have a campus vetting process for the Fulbright. In other words, if you go through our process (meet deadlines and complete the interview), your application will be submitted.

By 5:00 pm on Wednesday, September 15, 2010, Tufts applicants must 1) submit all application materials in the online system (literally hit ‘SUBMIT and 2) schedule an interview with the campus committee. The intent of the interview is to provide helpful feedback. You will then edit your application, with help, and resubmit. Let me say that one more time: you must submit a complete application and schedule your interview no later than end of business on September 15. We have a larger and larger group of applicants each year and mid-September is as tough for faculty and administrators as it is for students. Sooooo, exceptions are not, well, acceptable. (If a reference or transcript will be delayed for reasons completely out of your control, please tell Laura well in advance. She will be checking to make sure that you requested these items in a timely fashion – that piece is 100% in your control.)

The Interview You will schedule a one hour time block to interview with members of the campus committee. To begin that hour, you will be asked to describe your interest in the Fulbright and your plans for the grant period, and then will be asked follow-up questions based on your application. This part of the process will be a bit like a thesis defense; we are testing your breadth and depth of relevant understanding. Following these initial questions, though, your interview will likely feel more like a (nerdy) conversation.

The campus committee is also required to submit a form as part of your application. On it we comment on the feasibility of your project, your commitment to the country of application, and a number of personal characteristics related to living independently in a new cultural environment. (That form is drafted in your interview, but updated after final submission to reflect any changes you make to your application after the interview.) Thus, the committee members will be taking notes and you should be doing the same.

The committee’s mandate is to highlight spots for improvement in your application and then offer you the support necessary to shore up those areas. Remember, it is in Tufts’ best interest to

9 have you submit the strongest application possible. At the end of your interview, the Writing Consultant present will make arrangements for a meeting with you to confirm understanding of the suggestions made and to assist you with editing your essays in response.

The best way to prepare for your interview is to feel well-versed in all components of your proposal in the context of both your disciplinary field and the country to which you are applying. You know what you’re talking about, so be confident! 4. The Fundamentals

If you have not already done so, register as a Fulbright applicant immediately! https://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/usa/23/ You can’t get a real sense of an application without seeing it and there is no commitment involved in registering. (Laura might email you, but if you have this guide, she’s likely already been in touch.) When you register, you will be asked to select a country, an area of study, and your institution. These can all be changed at any time, but please fill them out now. If any changes are made to the availability of grants in your areas (good or bad) IIE immediately sends update emails based on registrant selections, well in advance of your FPA being informed.

Set aside some time to click through the pages of the application before starting to enter any text. Do the questions/prompts make sense to you? Is it clear what you must fill out and what may not apply to you? Read ALL of the instructions. There are so many different flavors of grants and circumstances, many caveats come up in the application. You can only know what you need to do by checking this information. If you’re still not sure, get in touch with Laura.

A few common areas of confusion, stress, angst, etc:  Abstract: if you’ve never done one, you might be surprised by how long it takes;  Occupational Experience: list only the work most relevant to your proposal;  Foreign Experience: yes, travel should be listed; no, undergraduate study abroad will not count against you, though having lived outside of the U.S. for over 12 months probably will;  Honors & Awards: truly only enter items that will set you apart and do not replicate information represented elsewhere in your materials (other than the essays). For instance, a

10 departmental award in the field you are proposing is helpful information even if the name is on your transcript. On the other hand, Dean’s List for 5 semesters is fully reflected in your transcript/GPA.  Future Plans: make sure to place your response in the context of what you hope to have learned/experienced on a Fulbright;  Financial Statement: if you do not plan to have accompanying dependents, leave blank;  All fill-in boxes: the system will let you type past the bottom line, so use the ‘preview application’ function to ensure that no text has been cut off;  Transcripts: You must scan in official transcripts from every institution from which you have earned (or will earn) a degree. (Transfer students must provide their first institution as well.) If you have additional coursework that is directly relevant (such as study in the language and/or field of your proposal), you may include additional transcripts. Please note that Tufts and many other institutions print official transcripts on paper that shows an ‘unofficial’ watermark when scanned. This is actually okay, but you may NOT substitute an unofficial transcript that you print yourself – they look very different.  Language Evaluation: you must organize your own evaluator (a language professor), but they fill out a brief form based upon any method of evaluation you agree upon. If you are not sure whether it is in your best interest to provide a language evaluation (or two), or you are having trouble securing an appropriate evaluator, please contact Laura early;  References: it’s not your imagination – you do enter this information in two places. The first is a list to be seen by the readers, the second is the part that actually generates log-in info. ETA note: your references may NOT submit letters, but are required to complete a fill-in the blank form. Must folks really dislike this restriction, so please let them know in advance;  One person providing both a reference and a language evaluation: yes, it’s perfectly acceptable, but the online platform needs a unique email address for each function;  Do not enter your own email address for any referee or evaluator as it will invalidate their comments. If you need another email address for the above circumstance or for a referee who does not use computers, please ask Laura for assistance.

Additional helpful details are available on the Fulbright website, under ‘Preparing an Application’ on the left side navigation.

11 Language evaluations: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/preparing_completinglanguage.html References: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/preparing_completingreferences.html Please particularly note the advice on selecting folks to write for you. Remember, getting an A+ in a class does not necessarily mean that the instructor knows anything about your motivation or relevant personal characteristics, nor is the head of your company going to write a stronger reference than a colleague with whom you work closely. And your significant other is not considered the most reliable source . . . no really, that’s happened, more than once. 5. Promoting Mutual Understanding

Some general tips for effective essay writing based on past Tufts experience are below. You don’t have to take our word for it, though. (And shouldn’t rely on just one source, of course.) Check out the official hints on the Fulbright website.

Once again, Preparing an Application on the left side navigation. Full Grant Project Proposal: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/preparing_studyresearch.html ETA Statement of Grant Purpose: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/preparing_eta_statementgrantpurpose.html Personal statement: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/preparing_personalstatement.html

When should you start writing? The easy answer would be when you feel ready. You may never feel completely ready, so as soon as you have brainstormed a critical load of details, start drafting. For most Full Grant applicants, this will be early July. ETAs may have a bit more time to think things through. Starting to draft is just the beginning. Remember:  Writing is never the end to thinking! Drafts are meant to be torn apart and put back together; keep asking for advice from multiple sources on your ideas, both by chatting and by offering up what you’ve written so far.

12  Ignore the word/length limits. Seriously, it is waaay too early to be cutting one word to fit in another. You have plenty of help to finesse the priorities of your text later in the summer and into September. For now, just get it all down.  Get connected with a Graduate Writing Consultant from the Academic Resource Center. These are the outstanding folks who will be in your interview and meeting with you afterwards. They have Fulbright-specific training and just rock at helping you to target your prose effectively. Ask Laura how to meet with one early. The Statement of Grant Purpose The reasons you decided that Fulbright is the right choice for you are what the reader wants to know. Why are you psyched about this country? Why are you ably (ideally, uniquely) qualified to carry out your plan? Most importantly, what is that plan? Full Grants: why/what/how/when? Not necessarily in that order, but often they are. Give the reader some background – a problem statement, if you will. Now describe your plan in detail, including methodology and resources (both physical and human) to be utilized. What’s the point and what’s the intended outcome that will address that point? Why should the reader care? Does your plan encompass participation in the community . . . and promote mutual understanding? ETAs: why/who/what? What’s your motivation for teaching, and for teaching in this country? In what ways do you plan to engage students? What will you talk about to improve your students’ colloquial skills . . . and promote mutual understanding?

Three key points:

1. Feasibility – if the reader is not at least 98% sure you can accomplish this project, in this community, in the 9-10 month grant period, you’re sunk;

2. Flexibility – if the reader gets the impression that a day’s delay will set the whole plan off or an unfortunate remark from one of your students will send you straight to the travel agent, you’re sunk.

13 3. Scope – It bears repeating. You’ve got two sets of readers: specialists in the relevant field and country officials. You need to relay your expertise and love of the country!

The Personal Statement This one is unusual, so read the priorities on the website carefully. Basically, it’s your best opportunity to get across your personality and personal motivation for your proposed project. It is NOT an opportunity to list your related academic and professional qualifications; those should all be in your Statement of Grant Purpose. Successful Fulbright personal statements share something about the writer that allows the reader to picture you as a whole person. This piece is often anchored by a vivid anecdote parlayed into the passion and/or determination to do something related to living abroad. However, there is no formula for the personal statement. Simply write from your heart about a meaningful experience in your life. For now, try not to over-analyze the way in which it relates to your proposal; that consideration is for later drafts. General Tips for Effective Writing

Use active (not passive) voice as it sounds more confident: e.g., “I will utilize the special archives at the Borogrove Institute to test my hypothesis that....” rather than “The special archives at the Borogrove Institute will be examined as a test of the hypothesis that....”

You need not sacrifice formality in order to communicate personality. Keep in mind that your readers are educated, and quite literally, judging you. Overly informal language or wording that fails to add substance implies that you do not take your application seriously. Why should they?

Passion is the most difficult emotion to communicate in writing and it’s essential that you do so for Fulbright. Insincerity is transparent, so if you don’t feel it, don’t write it. In particular, certain words have lost much of their meaning through overuse and inappropriate use:

 fascinating, fascinated; captivating, captivated: e.g., “I have long been fascinated [captivated] by the study of international monetary policy.” (Sounds like you have been bewitched or charmed.)  intriguing, intrigued: e.g., “I have long been intrigued by the study of Algerian immigration

14 patterns in France.” (“Intrigued” seems to trivialize the problem.)  unique - e.g., “My background and training give me a unique perspective on this problem.” (Well, sure, each person is one-of-a-kind, but surely there are many others with similar backgrounds and training. In this case, substitute “unusual” or “distinctive.”)  awe, awesome - e.g., “That first view of Turkish acrobats was such an awesome sight, that I resolved to devote my life to the study of biomechanics in South Asia.” (A perfectly respectable word, but one that has been so overused that you are bound to hit someone on the committee who will gag.)  infinitely, endlessly - These words quite literally mean that there is no end; therefore, unless your proposal is cosmological (“the infinite reaches of the universe”) you should use a more finite word.  in regard(s) to - an awkward expression that can always be simplified. “In regards to my earlier experiences living in Bhutan, they have given me a more international perspective.” Change to: “My earlier experiences...have given me a more international perspective.”

A final note on procrastination Work well under pressure? Fantastic! Make sure to do the eighth draft at the last moment. Beginning the writing process in plenty of time to get copious feedback from numerous trusted sources is essential when convincing two governments to provide you 10 months of funding. 6. Now What?

October 13 is Tufts deadline for final submission. (Remember, Laura is rereading all materials for every application and updating your campus evaluation forms before Fulbright gets them.) Just hit SUBMIT and you’re done!

Now, your application materials must leave the nest and venture off into the big unknown alone. So you wait. While you’re waiting, your materials are doing the following:

Late-October – December Review by U.S. committees The U.S. committees are disciplinary-specific. In other words, your application will be reviewed alongside every other application - from every country - in the field which you chose from the drop-down menu on the first page of the online system. (Recent grads and advanced graduate students are usually reviewed separately.) These committees are comprised of

15 specialists in these areas, largely faculty and other academics. For Full Grants, they are judging based on feasibility of your plan, your demonstrated preparation to be successful, and the overall merit of your proposal in the context of other work being done in this field. For ETAs, committees of language educators are evaluating your materials based on your understanding of effective pedagogy for the age group and the potential contribution of your perspective in the classroom. All committees also look at your sincere level of interest in and appreciation for your country and culture of choice.

January 31 Country Recommendations Released On the last day of January – never a minute before – you will receive an email from ‘embark notifications’ or similar saying that you have been either Recommended or Not Recommended to country consideration. If you have not been recommended, your journey ends here. There is no way to anticipate all of the factors that go into selection year to year as the demographics of the pools change annually; please don’t be discouraged, but keep going for these types of opportunities. If you have been recommended, you are now in a pool of between 1.5 and 2 applicants for each available grant. Your materials will now be read by committees selected by the Fulbright Commission or Consulate in each country, made up largely of officials such as those employed by the Ministries of Education and State. They are evaluating based on knowledge of and appreciation for the country’s current needs as well as feasibility and overall merit in relation to what’s being done by other researchers and teachers in the country and region. (If you have decided that you will be accepting another opportunity even if offered a Fulbright, please notify IIE right away. In addition to helping their record-keeping and freeing up a spot for the next best person, you will also help to continue Tufts’ good reputation for future applicants.)

March – June Final Selections Announced Yes, June. Countries’ timelines vary quite a bit and the State Department has to clear each selected person before the country group can be notified as a whole so it takes, well, roughly forever. You will receive either a snail mail packet or email directly from your country with the news that you are being offered an award, have not been selected, or have been named an alternate. Applicants to one country are notified at the same time, regardless of type of grant or

16 selection status. Also, mail versus email is not intrinsically good or bad; countries do their own thing and wires sometimes get crossed. Soooo, if you get a confusing email, check your mailbox carefully for the next week. And if you receive a packet full of medical documents to be filled out, dig deeper – there’s a ‘congratulations, we are pleased to inform you’ letter in there, too.

A note on communication . . . or lack thereof: IIE will not communicate with you (or your FPA) about the progress of your application post- submission, when final selections for your country will be released, your chances as an alternate, etc. Nor will they accept additional materials after the deadline. They’re not bad people. They are, however, processing tens of thousands of applications, all of which have an associated human with the same concerns. After country recommendations, they aren’t privy to some of this information either. Basically, this is a very (very, very, very) long waiting game with little to no communication along the way. Please try to be patient, remember to breath, and of course, make sure that you have eggs in other baskets.