Would you like to study ballet in Moscow, opera in Italy, or Flemish Renaissance painters in Belgium? Would you like to research migration patterns into Western Europe, Nile River Valley irrigation methods, mathematics in Ukraine, chess in India, or the effects of global warming on tropical rain forests in Brazil? Would you like to teach English in Turkey, Korea, India, Germany, Japan, Italy, or several other countries? These and several other possibilities exist under the Fulbright/IIE program.
If you are unsure what to do after graduation, and would like to spend next year teaching and/or conducting research abroad, consider submitting an application to the Fulbright Graduate and Research Abroad Program. This year’s national application deadline is October 17, 2012. The campus submission deadline is October 8, 2012. Interested students and advisors are invited to a Fulbright information meeting this Tuesday, September 4, 7:00 PM, in Monroe 210.
This year Dr. Nabil Al-Tikriti will first advise interested UMW Students on their applications, and will then share their application statements with our Fulbright Campus Evaluation Committee (Profs. Dianne Baker, Rosemary Jesionowski, and Melina Patterson). This same committee will interview and rate each applicant for further consideration by the Institute of International Education, and Ms. Lisa Patton of the History Department will track all applicants’ application status.
UMW graduates have won 8 Fulbright grants in the past five years, which shows that it can be done. Last year, Peter Wingrove won a grant to research the perception of Euro currency integration in Poland, and Eric Halsey won a grant to research the history of nationalism in Bulgaria. Previous UMW students won grants to study the health effects of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine, teach English in Korea, research the justice system in Cambodia, teach English in Mexico, study the effects of climate change on Ecuador’s arachnid population, and research immigration patterns and security issues in the United Kingdom. You, too, can do it — you need only a good idea, a solid GPA, and strong recommendation letters.
Although grantees must have obtained their bachelor’s degree by the time of their award, students who are not graduating this year — as well as interested alumni — are also encouraged to attend this meeting because successful applications often require advance preparation. At the meeting Dr. Al-Tikriti will distribute Fulbright informational materials, and discuss strategies for successful applications.
Prior to attending Tuesday’s meeting, interested students are encouraged to research the Fulbright website: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html . While considering applying, remember the following factors and tips for successful applications:
1) Research the odds of winning a grant in the country of your interest. There are radically variant odds between different countries, ranging from the highly competitive (UK) to the eminently attainable (Gabon, Congo, Moldova, etc). To research these odds, check this link: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/thinking_country.html .
2) Successful applicants normally demonstrate some previous interest in the country and/or project of their choice. Try to design a project proposal which is consistent with your prior interests.
3) Successful applicants often have a letter of support originating from within their country of interest. Please consider how to obtain such a letter by the deadline. If you have any questions about the program or the deadline, please give Dr. Al-Tikriti a call at x1481 or email him at naltikri@umw.edu.
