Transcript Tips for Writing Strong Fulbright Essays

Tips for Writing A Strong
Project Essay
for the
Fulbright Scholar Program
Myron O. Stachiw
Director, Fulbright Program in Ukraine
[email protected]
[email protected]
What is a Fulbright Grant?

An opportunity to live and study in a foreign land and
culture (U.S.)
What is a Fulbright Grant?
An opportunity to live and study in a foreign land and
culture (U.S.)
 An opportunity to represent your country of origin and
its educational and scientific system to others

What is a Fulbright Grant?
An opportunity to live and study in a foreign land and
culture (U.S.)
 An opportunity to represent your country of origin and
its educational and scientific system to others
 An opportunity to study and/or conduct deep research
on a subject or topic

What is a Fulbright Grant?
An opportunity to live and study in a foreign land and
culture (U.S.)
 An opportunity to represent your country of origin and
its educational and scientific system to others
 An opportunity to study and/or conduct deep research
on a subject or topic
 An opportunity to collaborate with U.S. scholars and a
U.S. institution of higher education

What is a Fulbright Grant?
An opportunity to live and study in a foreign land and
culture (U.S.)
 An opportunity to represent your country of origin and
its educational and scientific system to others
 An opportunity to study and/or conduct deep research
on a subject or topic
 An opportunity to collaborate with U.S. scholars and a
U.S. institution of higher education
 An opportunity to create long-term contacts with U.S.
scholars and institutions

The Application

The act of entering into the competition for a Fulbright
Scholar grant
The Application

The act of entering into the competition for a Fulbright
Scholar grant

A formal statement and presentation of:
 Personal data
home and current address, date of birth, current
status as employee; major accomplishments,
publications, fellowships; family information; past
experiences overseas, etc.
The Application

The act of entering into the competition for a Fulbright
Scholar grant

A formal statement and presentation of:
 Personal data
home and current address, date of birth, current
status as employee; major accomplishments; family
information; past experiences overseas, etc.

Academic/professional qualifications
Education; professional activities; publications,
fellowships, patents, etc.; three letters of support from
your selected referees (colleagues, employers,
academic administrators, etc.) translated into English;
language proficiency, etc.
The Application

Detailed Curriculum Vitae
 Education (universities, degrees, dates)
 Positions held
 Courses taught and other services provided to
students and the home institutions
 Publications (full citations, starting with most
recent)
 Other professional activities (workshops, seminars,
consultations)
 Membership and activities in professional
associations
 Professional honors, awards and fellowships
 Community service
The Application

Institutional Affiliation Preferences
 The program is intended to support deep, directed,
and advanced research/study, not initial
explorations of new topics.
 List up to three institutions with which you would
like to be affiliated, together with the reasons for
these potential affiliations. You are strongly
advised to make contact with one or more of these
institutions before submitting your application, and
to have a letter of invitation and offer of
collaboration in hand when you apply from the
scholar or department head with whom you wish
to collaborate most closely (especially if you will
need to work in a laboratory or with special
equipment).
The Application

Institutional Affiliation Preferences
 The identification of a scholar or groups of
scholars at specific institutions with whom you
would like to collaborate indicates that you have
given considerable thought to the realization of
your project. A letter of invitation from these
scholars and institutions reflects their interest in
your project and their willingness to collaborate
with you. As a major goal of the Fulbright
Program is mutual enrichment of all of the
participants (grantees and hosts), it is important
that you have such evidence of potential
collaboration. Your application will be much
stronger with such a potential connection to a US
institution.
The Application

Course Syllabi
 While few Ukrainian scholars are invited to teach
entire courses, several scholars in the past few
years have received such invitations.
 If you are asked to teach a course, provide up to
10 pages of sample syllabi you will teach or have
taught.
 You may also choose to provide a list of individual
lectures in your field of specialization and about
your research that you could share with students,
faculty, and other scholars. This will allow your
host institution to consider the option of having
you deliver one or more lectures during your stay.
The Detailed Project Statement

The project statement is the most important component
of the Fulbright application. Those scholars with the
most compelling, theoretically-sound, well-written, and
feasible proposal are generally recommended for awards.
The Detailed Project Statement

The project statement is the most important component
of the Fulbright application. Those scholars with the
most compelling, theoretically-sound, well-written,
feasible proposal are generally recommended for awards.

Explain your proposed project, and the strategy for
completing it, in a statement of three to five singlespaced pages (maximum 3,500 words).
Do not exceed the page limit (5) of the proposal.
The Detailed Project Statement

The project statement is the most important component
of the Fulbright application. Those scholars with the
most compelling, theoretically-sound, well-written,
feasible proposal are generally recommended for awards.

Explain your proposed project, and the strategy for
completing it, in a statement of three to five singlespaced pages (maximum 3,500 words).
Do not exceed the page limit (5) of the proposal.

Attach a select bibliography of no more than three
pages (2,100 words), to your proposed research.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

The project statement should introduce you
professionally to your colleagues in the U.S.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

The project statement should introduce you
professionally to your colleagues in the U.S.

Make sure your qualifications and expertise match the
objectives in your project statement. Show that you
are qualified to accomplish what you propose to do.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

The project statement should introduce you
professionally to your colleagues in the U.S.

Make sure your qualifications and expertise match the
objectives in your project statement. Show that you
are qualified to accomplish what you propose to do.

Emphasize how your project will benefit the host
institution or other scholars in your country and in
the U.S. What is the likely impact of your experience
abroad? To whom? How will you use this experience
upon your return, professionally and personally?
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

The project statement should introduce you
professionally to your colleagues in the U.S.

Make sure your qualifications and expertise match the
objectives in your project statement. Show that you
are qualified to accomplish what you propose to do.

Emphasize how your project will benefit the host
institution or other scholars in your country and in
the U.S. What is the likely impact of your experience
abroad? To whom? How will you use this experience
upon your return, professionally and personally?

Focus on what can be reasonably accomplished
during the period of the grant.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

Explain the project’s significance and its importance
to the field . Use language that will be understood by
ALL reviewers, as some will be outside your field.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

Explain the project’s significance and its importance
to the field . Use language that will be understood by
ALL reviewers, as some will be outside your field.

Connect your past experience to what you are
proposing to do if you receive the award. Make a
clear case for yourself based on your past experience
and current scholarly endeavors.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

Explain the project’s significance and its importance
to the field . Use language that will be understood by
ALL reviewers, not just specialists, as some members
of the review and selection committee will be outside
your field.

Connect your past experience to what you are
proposing to do if you receive the award. Make a
clear case for yourself based on your past experience
and current scholarly endeavors.

Do not stress how a Fulbright grant will benefit only
you or your career. Remember the program’s primary
goal is to foster mutual understanding between
cultures and nations.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

Discuss any preparatory steps you have taken or will
take before starting your grant. For example, if you
plan to bring to the U.S. samples such as tissue,
plants, chemicals, etc., indicate that you have
addressed this with the Fulbright Office or with the
U.S. Embassy and with your prospective host, if
known, in order to determine what clearance and
approval processes are needed.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content
Organize your proposal in order of the following points,
and use them as headings for sections of text in your
statement.

Background – Introduce the research topic. Place
the project in academic or professional context by
referring to major works by others on the subject
(with proper citations).
The Detailed Project Statement

Content
Organize your proposal in order of the following points,
and use them as headings for sections of text in your
statement.

Background – Introduce the research topic. Place
the project in academic or professional context by
referring to major works by others on the subject
(with proper citations).

Objectives – Clearly define the aims of the project.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

Methodology – Describe the project and explain the
approach, methods, and plan you will use (for
example, interviews, library or archival research, or
laboratory experiments). Indicate whether the
research will be qualitative or quantitative (or both).
Be prepared to answer detailed questions about your
research plan and the methodology you propose to
use in the U.S to accomplish your goals.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

Methodology – Describe the project and explain the
approach, methods, and plan you will use (for
example, interviews, library or archival research, or
laboratory experiments). Indicate whether the
research will be qualitative or quantitative (or both).
Be prepared to answer detailed questions about your
research plan and the methods you propose to use in
the U.S to accomplish your goals.

Significance - Explain the importance of the project
for the field, Ukraine, and your own professional
development. Indicate what effect you expect the
opportunity to have on your teaching or professional
work in Ukraine. Describe briefly the expected
impact of your participation on your home institution,
community, or professional field.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content
 Evaluation and Dissemination – Describe plans
for assessment and distribution of research results in
Ukraine and elsewhere.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content
 Evaluation and Dissemination – Describe plans
for assessment and distribution of research results in
Ukraine and elsewhere.

Justification for Residence in the U.S. for the
Proposed Project - Indicate very specifically why it is
necessary for the accomplishment of the project to
conduct research in the U.S. Do you need to access
specific archives? To laboratory equipment? To a
group of scholars?
The Detailed Project Statement

Content
 Evaluation and Dissemination – Describe plans
for assessment and distribution of research results in
Ukraine and elsewhere.

Justification for Residence in the U.S. for the
Proposed Project - Indicate very specifically why it
is necessary for the accomplishment of the project to
conduct research in the U.S. Do you need to access
specific archives? To laboratory equipment? To a
group of scholars?

Duration - Explain how the project can be
completed within the time period proposed. It might
be useful to break down the tasks in terms of weeks
or months (not specific dates, but duration).
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

English Proficiency - Describe your schooling in
English, use of English and level of competence in
speaking, writing, and reading.
The Detailed Project Statement

Content

English Proficiency - Describe your schooling in
English, use of English and level of competence in
speaking, writing, and reading.

Other - If applicable, indicate the quantity, format,
and transportation requirements for any botanical,
zoological, or mineral samples that you will need to
bring to the U.S. for analysis.
The Detailed Project Statement
 Style

Express what you can bring to the program clearly
and succinctly:
 Why should I apply for a Fulbright award to come
to the U.S.?
 If selected, what will I do and how will I do it?
 What preparations have I made?
 What can I contribute to the Fulbright Program?
 What will be the results of my participation?
The Detailed Project Statement

Style
 Express what you can bring to the program clearly
and succinctly:
 Why should I apply for a Fulbright award to come
to the U.S.?
 If selected, what will I do and how will I do it?
 What preparations have I made?
 What can I contribute to the Fulbright Program?
 What will be the results of my participation?
Include only the most pertinent information; do not
exceed the five page limit. On the other hand, do not
be so brief that your intentions are not understandable.
The Detailed Project Statement

Style

Grab the reader’s attention quickly and state clearly
what you want to do, why it is important, and how
you will do it.
The Detailed Project Statement

Style

Grab the reader’s attention quickly and state clearly
what you want to do, why it is important, and how
you will do it.

Emphasize key points in the first paragraph of the
proposal. It is not helpful if reviewers have to search
through the project statement to find the main points
quickly. Remember, they often read many
applications.
The Detailed Project Statement

Style

Grab the reader’s attention quickly and state clearly
what you want to do, why it is important, and how
you will do it.

Emphasize key points in the first paragraph of the
proposal. It is not helpful if reviewers have to search
through the project statement to find the main points
quickly. Remember, they often read many
applications.

Use the rest of your proposal to support your
statements made in the opening paragraphs.
The Detailed Project Statement

Style

Keep your proposal simple and straightforward so
that an educated reader from another discipline can
understand it. Avoid using specialized jargon and
complicated formulas to explain what you plan to
do and why it is important.
The Detailed Project Statement

Style

Keep your proposal simple and straightforward so
that an educated reader from another discipline can
understand it. Avoid using specialized jargon and
complicated formulas to explain what you plan to
do and why it is important.

Pay attention to style in your proposal. You may
want to use the first person, but you should avoid
flooding your proposal with “I’s” or referring to
yourself in the third person (she/he).
GOOD LUCK !
If you have questions about the application, the
on-line procedure for completing and
submitting the application, university affiliations,
or on any other issues, please contact
Fulbright Scholar Program Officer
Natalia Zalutska
(044)-287-0777
[email protected]
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[email protected]
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