www.us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html

Deadline: October 2, 2008

Fields of study: Open

Adviser: Professor Norman Itzkowitz (Contact Lynn Mendenko at Ext. 8-5524)

Description:

The Fulbright Grant, sponsored by the U.S. Government, may be awarded for independent research projects, or research on a postgraduate level and teaching English assistantships. Most Fulbright Grants are for academic research, but some grants are also available for work in the creative and performing arts and for the teaching of English in secondary schools in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America. Students are strongly encouraged to carefully read the Fulbright U.S. Student Program Program booklet as soon as possible and to identify a campus adviser and contact person (affiliation) in the host country to support their application, where applicable.

The Fulbright Grant provides round-trip transportation, books, and living expenses; in some cases tuition and language or orientation courses where appropriate for one academic year in a foreign country. Travel grants are available in a few countries to supplement other awards. Grants are available to more than 140 countries in Europe, the Near East, Africa, Central and South America, and the Asia/Pacific region.

Criteria for Selection:

U.S. citizenship by October 17, 2008.

Good health.

Bachelor’s degree awarded before the beginning date of the grant.

Language proficiency, in non-English-speaking countries, sufficient to communicate with the people of the host country and to carry out the proposed study.

Preference for applicants who have received the majority of their education at educational institutions in the United States. Foreign study during the junior year or other periods of undergraduate study will not be considered a disadvantage.

Application Procedure:

Generally, candidates may apply for one country only. All applicants must have an initial meeting with the Fulbright program adviser, Professor Norman Itzkowitz, itzkowit@princeton.edu, to review proposals and narrative statements. Call Lynn Mendenko at 8-5524 to make an appointment with Professor Itzkowitz by Friday, September 19. Candidates must submit a draft of their proposal and their curriculum vitae (see #2 below) to the Fulbright Blackboard site (https://blackboard.princeton.edu/Webapps/login/) via Digital Dropbox 24 to 48 hours prior to meeting with Professor Itzkowitz. Meetings with campus committee members will be scheduled between Monday, September 22, and Monday, September 26. Students must submit one electronic copy AND one paper copy (printed single-sided and signed) of the complete application to Lynn Mendenko in E14 Dillon Court East by 1 p.m. on Thursday, October 2, 2008.

The most important parts of the application are the following:

1. Statement of Proposed Study or Research. This essay of no more than 500 words should describe your research plans and your reasons for wishing to undertake them in the country of your choice. Considerable weight is given to this statement in the selection of candidates; it should therefore be as specific and well defined as possible. The statement should include, for example, specific information concerning resources available only in the host country (e.g., special collections, outstanding scholars, research teams in the field, etc.). The project proposal is evaluated in terms of (a) its validity as a scholarly undertaking, and (b) its feasibility (e.g., Can the project be completed in one year and in one country? Is the candidate’s formal training adequate for the project? Might the project be politically or socially offensive to the host country?).

2. Curriculum vitae. This should be a “narrative statement giving a picture of yourself as an individual” rather than merely a factual autobiography. It should deal with personal history, family background, influences on intellectual development, special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals. Length is limited to no more than 500 words. (Note: Both of these statements should be written specifically for the Fulbright application. It is inefficient and inadvisable to try to recycle statements written for other fellowships.)

3. Three letters of recommendation, two of which should be from professors in the applicant’s major field. Note: Letters of recommendation sent as faxes or e-mail are not acceptable.

4. A transcript from each institution attended since graduation from high school.

5. A language proficiency report, if applicable, to be completed by a professional language teacher.

All applications will be evaluated in a preliminary national screening, the results of which will not be communicated before the end of January. Candidates who receive notification that their application was recommended for further consideration will usually receive notification of the final decision in April or May, but notification can come as late as June.