The Fulbright Application Process -- Patience & Persistence

THE FULBRIGHT APPLICATION PROCESS

The keys to successfully navigating the application process are patience and persistence.   You will also need to call upon colleagues to support your efforts by submitting documents endorsing and validating your credentials and the value of your potential contributions to the Fulbright mission and vision.  When I depart later this month for Poznan, it will have been roughly 2 ½ years since I began the formal process of applying for a Fulbright fellowship!  And my preparations to begin that process even preceded that time frame.   In this post, I’ll briefly describe the stages of the application process, though individual experiences will certainly differ.  Fundamentally, the process is similar for both academics and professionals, though professionals would be applying for short-term, project-focused assignments instead of longer-term, research- or teaching-based assignments.

The Contemplative Stage

Potential applicants will have a myriad of reasons for considering pursuit of a Fulbright appointment.  My reasons sprang from roughly 10 years of living and working in Europe (Germany, England, Belgium) during the 1980s and ‘90s.  It’s an environment I enjoy and in which I’m quite comfortable.  Add to that my interest in global public relations and increasing our understanding of the complexities of practicing the discipline across borders and cultures, and the Fulbright program becomes a perfect platform.  UNC Charlotte benefits from an outstanding International Program Office that promotes, encourages and facilitates education abroad for our students, welcomes and supports exchange students studying on our campus, and helps faculty and administrators pursue international experiences.  One of the IPO’s regular offerings are seminars for faculty considering the Fulbright program.  These were extremely helpful in helping me understand the purpose and vision of the program as well as the procedures for applying.  At these seminars, I was able to hear from Fulbright alumni (“Fulbrighters,” they’re called) both from my own campus and from other universities.  They were frank and informative, ensuring that potential applicants fully understood the responsibilities and challenges that accompany the honor of a Fulbright appointment.  If your campus does not conduct these seminars, check with other nearby campuses; I’m sure you’d be welcome to attend.  My wife and I discussed the possibility extensively and concluded that this was an adventure worth pursuing.  So to begin the thought process that must precede this decision, I strongly recommend meeting with representatives from your equivalent of the International Programs Office as well as with faculty and practitioners who have completed a Fulbright appointment.

Taking the First Steps

The Center for International Exchange of Scholars, which administers the Fulbright program, has significantly streamlined the application process in recent years, and the entire process can now be accomplished on line.  Your first challenge will be to identify the program for which you intend to apply and your country of choice.  You’ll also need to consider your preferred length of stay, start and end dates, whether you prefer to only conduct research or to teach or to do some of both, and other choices.  There are so many potential permutations that I could not possibly address them all.  Spend some time exploring the CIES website and talking to former Fulbrighters to help winnow your choices to your top preference (and the opportunity for which you feel your credentials are the strongest).  To find Fulbrighters you might talk with, visit the CIES directory where you can search by year, discipline, home state and other criteria.  Once you’ve done that, start marshaling your support materials.

What You’ll Need to Provide

The application package has several components.  First is the on-line application form itself, which asks for a summary of your credentials, personal profile information, and a summary of your proposed research project or teaching possibilities.  You’ll also indicate, by specific award number and description, the country and program for which you’re applying.  The on-line form will also require the names and contact information for three appropriate individuals willing to provide letters of reference and recommendation; be sure to discuss your application with your selected references in depth before submitting your application.  I provided my references with a point paper suggesting key messages to stress – messages that spoke to the qualities and skills required for my preferred award.  Your references will be contacted by CIES and asked to upload their recommendations to be incorporated into your application package.

You’ll also need to upload a more detailed description of your research proposal, a working bibliography and your Curriculum Vita.  All documents will be limited to a few pages for uploading, so you’ll need to spend considerable time crafting each document so it speaks to the award for which you’re applying.  Throughout the process, I periodically exchanged e-mails with Fulbrighters I had met, seeking their guidance to fine tune my application package. 

Another item you’ll need to provide for most awards is a letter of invitation from the university you hope to work with in the country of your Fulbright award.  It’s my impression this is an extremely critical component of your application.  Because I had participated in a conference at the Economics University of Poznan in 2005, I had made a valuable contact there, the conference host, Dr. Ryszard Ławniczak.  He was highly supportive of my Fulbright application and arranged for a letter of invitation from his university president; I believe that letter was a decisive factor in my award, and I urge applicants to secure such a letter before or soon after initiating the formal application process.

Patience and Persistence

I first submitted my Fulbright application in summer 2009.  That’s when the waiting and anticipation began.  Finally, in December 2009, I received encouraging news – that the CIES peer review panel had judged my application favorably, but that’s only the first stage of the approval process.  My application still needed to be screened by the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission in Warsaw.  At last, in March 2010, I received disappointing news – my application fell a bit short, and I was designated an “alternate candidate.”  Discouraging.  After the considerable effort required to plan and submit the application, and after nearly 10 months of waiting, my hope was deflated.

Then, quite unexpectedly, in September 2010 (now more than a year since I applied and six months since the disappointing news of my “alternate” status), I received an e-mail from CIES that funds had been identified and I would now receive the Fulbright appointment after all!  The problem was that my semester had already begun, and teaching assignments for the spring had already been made as well.  Accepting the short-notice appointment would have caused a bit of turmoil in my department.  I pursued the possibility of delaying my fellowship until the following year, but my CIES contact said the funds supporting the award could not carry over from one year to the next.  Nevertheless, she encouraged me to re-submit the application (the deadline was days away!).  It meant asking my references to quickly re-submit their letters and the university president in Poznan to do the same.  Thankfully, each of those supportive colleagues came through once again.

At last, in April 2011, nearly two years since my initial application, I received a formal letter from the Polish-U.S. Commission that my application was approved.  Patience and persistence, and in less than four weeks I’ll begin what I know will be a remarkable experience.