If you’ve ever been interested in traveling the world, doing research, teaching English, and learning about other cultures, you might be a fit for the Fulbright Grant Program, and prestigious, competitive foreign exchange program for bright students pursuing studies outside the United States.
What is a Fulbright Scholarship?
There are actually two types of Fulbright grant programs for students in the United States: The Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) program.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program in a fellowship program for recent graduates and graduate students, which funds research projects abroad.
The Fulbright ETA program places students in schools and universities abroad to serve as teaching assistants for students learning English as a foreign language.
Fulbright grant recipients (or “Fulbrighters”) are placed all of the world, from Africa to Asia to Europe. More than 1,500 students receive grants to perform research or teach every year. The program, sponsored and administered by the U.S. Department of State is designed to not only place US students for projects, but to engage the students within their host communities, and to develop a real mutual understanding between different cultures.
There are many different types of projects that can be undertaken by Fulbrighters. In fact, the Fulbright Program grants fellowships to students is just about any discipline. Want to research African Tribal Dance in the Sahara? You are eligible to apply for the Fulbright. Interested in third world economies? You are eligible to apply for the Fulbright.
The majority of Fulbrighters take part in the study/research program, in which they propose and carry out their own project idea in association with a host university or organization in the country of their choosing. Each country has a particular profile, the selection committee works to fulfill certain needs as they review project proposals.
What kind of projects do Fulbright Scholars do? There are many things that you can propose. Examples include writing a novel about Chinese families while traveling the countryside, collecting folklore from indigenous tribes in Brazil or researching the differences between the public and private sectors in Singapore. Fulbright projects explore topics that have never been explored, and the chosen students are those who have a strong undergraduate background which suits their proposed project, and who have the language and technical skills to carry out the project to completion.
Fulbright Scholars are in very good company. Many of the names that you hear everyday in US and foreign politics, business and the arts are alumni of the prestigious Fulbright program…40 have received a Nobel prize! Some notable Fulbright alumni include actor John Lithgow, author Sylvia Plath, and.
Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.
The Fulbright Grant is such a unique opportunity because it gives students the chance to conduct their study or research abroad with very little cost to them. At the very least, the Fulbright Grant will cover transportation to the host country, a living stipend, insurance and a research allowance. In some cases, tuition assistance and certain in-country orientation activities are also available.
Participating in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a great way to not only gain a unique and comprehensive understanding of a foreign culture, but is a fantastic opportunity to build your resume with the leading international exchange program available. Fulbrighters are recognized as the best and brightest, and join an extensive network of alumni.
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