October 25th, 2013: Fulbright Application Tips and Tricks

Top Ten Tips for Successfully Completing Your Fulbright Application

1. Read the Irish guidelines. Fulbright applications vary country-to-country so ensure you follow the directions sent to you by Fulbright Ireland.

2. Do your homework. Read about past Fulbright Awardees. Follow us on Twitter. See what makes a Fulbrighter tick. Learning about the Fulbright Awards will give you a feel for what we are looking for and what has been successful in the past.

3. Consider why being a “Fulbrighter” matters to you. Reflect on this and indicate why you want to join the Fulbright Family in your application and interview, if you are shortlisted!

4. The personal statement is about you. Don’t rehash your CV – show us why you are unique and tell us why you should be a Fulbrighter.

5. Choose your referees carefully and alert them early. Your referees should be able to speak about your academic and personal excellence. If your three referees do not submit by the deadline your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

6. The project statement is about what you will do on your Fulbright. This is where we want to learn why a Fulbright Award will make a difference to your career, studies, or research.  It needs to be practical in the time proposed and indicate the future impact it will have, not just for you, but the discipline, Ireland, or society, for example.

7. Don’t wait until the last minute. The application for a Fulbright Award is sizeable, so leave plenty of time to complete it.

8. Spell check. Fullbright. Full Brite. FullyBright. These are not the correct spellings. Fulbright is spelled with just one “L.” Spell check and carefully proofread the whole document.

9. Email us with questions. The Fulbright Commission in Ireland here to help you. There is also tons of helpful information here on our website.

10. Submit by the deadline of November 13^th, 2013. Late applications will NOT be accepted.

GOOD LUCK!