Applying for a Fulbright… Again

It is Fulbright award-announcement season! Lots of you are nervously anticipating a letter in your application portal after many months of waiting and wishing. If you recently found out that you are an alternate or non-select for a Fulbright award, you may be feeling quite disappointed. I hope that I can offer you some consolation and inspiration in this blog post, where I reflect on being named a Fulbright alternate in 2022:

So You’re a Fulbright Alternate…

In this post, I would like to address those considering applying a second time for a Fulbright (or third or fourth or whatever). I’ll discuss the challenges and advantages of applying again as well as some tips.

First, I’d like to share some exciting news: I am offering a handful of coaching sessions to Fulbright applicants this summer! Click through below to see if coaching might be a good fit for you and to join the wait list:

Fulbright Application Coaching Wait List

Now, let’s talk about the challenges and opportunities of applying for a Fulbright… again:

THE CHALLENGES

• Fulbright offers no feedback

  One of the hardest aspects of applying again is that Fulbright offers no feedback to non-selects or alternates. This means there is no way know why you did not receive the award or how your application could be improved. Was the project not sufficiently binational? Are project goals not clearly defined? Is the project too ambitious compared to my academic and career achievements? Was my interview performance lackluster (for those countries that conduct interviews)? Or maybe there are no particular improvements needed and there were just too many excellent project proposals. Since Fulbright does not give feedback, you must follow your gut when improving your application, essentially making improvements blind.

• Mental exhaustion

  It was June or July of 2022 when I started to consider applying for a Fulbright again, about 2-3 months since I learned I was an alternate. In that time, I had graduated with my master’s, moved back to Oregon, and gotten married! I talked the possibility through with my husand Sam and then scheduled a call with my Fulbright advisor at the University of Kansas. Everyone said I should go for it!

  The hardest aspect was mentally returning to the beginnng of the Fulbright process. It felt anticlimactic after months of anticipation to simply be an applicant again. The previous year, I felt excitement and momentum as I crafted my application. This time, I felt doubtful and cynical.

THE ADVANTAGES

• You know the process

  You are now an expert on the Fulbright application process! You know the ins-and-outs of navigating the application portal, having a campus interview (if you apply through your university or alma mater), and pacing yourself as you prepare for deadlines. If your host country conducted an interview, you now have that experience in your back pocket as well. It is often easier to do things a second time with some experience.

• You already have application components

  You have written essays, found willing recommendation letter writers, completed a language evaluation, connected with an affiliate, and more! Unless you choose to completely overhaul your application, you will simply be tweaking things and improving wording and structure. (More on this in Tip #1 below.)

A FEW TIPS

• #1. Minor improvements or complete transformation?

  As you embark on the grant application again, you will need to make this pivotal decision: are you going to make minor improvements to your application or completely revamp it? Transforming it could look like seeking out a different affiliate, rethinking your research topic, or even changing the country you apply to.

  As noted above, Fulbright does not offer feedback, so you will need to make these decisions blind. But don’t make them alone! Which leads to my second tip…

• #2. Seek support and advice

  Seek help and advice from trusted mentors, friends, colleagues, and professors - just as much if not more than the first time you applied!

  I had a wonderful Fulbright advisor at the University of Kansas (shoutout to Dr. Rachel Sherman Johnson!). She was the first mentor with whom I discussed applying again in 2022. The primary question I discussed with her is the one listed above: should I completely revamp my application? Her advice was that since my project had been honored with “alternate” status, I should make minor improvements rather than completely changing it. In addition to maintaining the same research topic, I opted to keep the same affiliate (should they agree), the same recommenders, and the same language evaluator.

• #3. Don’t fall for the ‘now or never’ trap

  You may feel desperate to get a Fulbright grant NOW - before you move on to another degree or employment. But remember that Fulbright need not be “now or never.” It is true that you cannot receive a grant within the Fulbright U.S. Student program once you have a terminal degree. But keep the U.S. Scholar Program in mind. Even if you are not a Fulbright grantee at this stage of your life, you could be a Fulbright Scholar in the future!

I hope these tips are helpful for you as you consider applying to the Fulbright program again. If you want additional support as you craft your application, join my Coaching Wait List below:

Fulbright Application Coaching Wait List

This blog (www.melissaterrallpiano.com/blog) is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.  The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.