How to submit an application for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship by atinygoat

"Even though I did not expect to receive a Fulbright grant, I applied anyway. "

How I did it: My husband and I each decided to apply for a grant, although I was the only one to be awarded one.  

While keeping in mind what we were bringing to the application process as individuals (education, work experience, languages spoken, etc.) we also looked at several years' worth of data on number of applicants and number of awards granted to help see who had the best rates of acceptance.  

And as it turned out, I was offered a grant to a country that was different from where I applied to, so I'm not sure how much that all helped.  

I applied, even though I did not think I would be awarded a grant.  If you don't try, there's no way you can get one. 

I had applied as an ETA to Poland for 2010-2011.  To give you some background info, at the time of application I had:

- a 4.0 GPA

- decided to apply as an at-large candidate because my university did not have a Fulbright Program Adviser (this meant that I had one less set of deadlines, set of eyes to check my application, and set of requirements.. I had no interview, no school committee to get approval from)

- completed almost two semesters of coursework in a MA Linguistics program

- had volunteered as an English tutor/conversation partner with the Polish American Association in my city

- had completed a BS in elementary education

- had taught at a public elementary school in my city

- had studied abroad, in a country different from where I was applying to, for a summer class

Lessons & tips: Read as many essays from Fulbright grantees as you can.. do a google search, locate their contact info, and drop them a line.  Every Fulbrighter I know has been more than open to helping others work toward being awarded their own grant.  

Check out thegradcafe.com for loads of information that people have posted over the last few years regarding their own application process.  

Resources: Chatting with professors of mine, especially those who are Fulbrighters, or who had served on selection committees proved to be invaluable in terms of gathering information and fine-tuning my essays.  

Dropping in on a nearby university's Fulbright factory helped as well; reading through their books of award-winning essays helped give me an idea as to common themes and patterns that occurred within winning essays. 


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Nov 13, 07:17AM PST | 0 comments | 20 cheers


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