Pomona College Fulbright Handbook

Decide whether you would like to pursue a Research, Study, or ETA grant. Visit the Fulbright U.S. Student Program webpage and use the Countries tab to explore countries that interest you, making sure that they offer the kind of award you would like to pursue. Pay special attention to the requirements listed in the “Language,” “Candidate Profile,” and “Affiliation” sections of each country’s page. You can also review application statistics for each country. 

If you are pursuing an ETA, seek out opportunities to gain teaching or tutoring experience before the fall. 

If you are pursuing a research grant, begin exploring possible affiliations. Affiliation requirements vary by country, so read your country description carefully. Students in the past have successfully obtained affiliations through their professors, their own experience studying abroad, or by cold-emailing faculty or organizations they find online. 

Consider meeting with Pomona’s Fulbright Program Administrator (FPA), Jason Jeffrey (Jason.Jeffrey@pomona.edu), to discuss your plans. 

Aim to have your country and grant type decided by June (this is not required, but very helpful!). 

Complete and submit the Preliminary Application by June 26, 2024, to receive summer advising. To do so: 

1. Log in into SurveyMonkey Apply

2. On the home page, scroll down to “Programs” to locate “Preliminary Application – Fulbright” and click on “More” 

3. Click on “Log In To Apply” on the right side of the screen. This will take you through Pomona’s Single Sign On process. If you’re already logged in, press “Apply” 

4. Click on “Check Eligibility” to fill out your Applicant Profile (if you haven’t already) 

5. Now you should be able to click “Apply” on the right side of your screen 

6. Click through each task to get started. Once you have completed a task, be sure to click “Mark As Complete” 

7. After all the tasks are completed, we recommended you “Review” your application to ensure everything is done accurately. You may then click “Submit Your Application.” 

Everyone who completes a Preliminary Application by the June 26 deadline will receive feedback on their plans over the summer by one of the Fulbright Faculty Advisors. After an Advisor has been assigned, applicants may refer to them for support throughout the application process, including for statement reviews. 

Choose three recommenders who can attest to your ability to carry out your project or teach effectively. Ask these three people if they would be willing to write for you, providing each of them the instructions on this page.  

If you haven’t already, register with Fulbright by creating an account on the Fulbright Online Application. You’ll then receive information directly from IIE (the organization that administers Fulbright) regarding deadlines and webinars.

Review the application components from Fulbright for detailed advice about constructing applications.  

Draft your two essays. Incorporate any feedback you receive from your Fulbright Advisor (you should receive an email from them no later than early-August). 

If you are pursuing a research grant, ask for an affiliation letter. 

Send your essay drafts, even if they are incomplete, to your recommendation writers no later than the first day of fall classes. Also by the first day of classes, enter your recommenders’ email addresses in the Fulbright Online Application. 

Your recommenders should upload their letter (research/study grant) or recommendation form (ETA) to the Fulbright Online Application by September 16, 2024, in order for them to be reviewed by your campus interview committee. 

If you need a Language Evaluation Form completed by a foreign language instructor, ask for an evaluation by the first day of classes. As soon as they agree, enter the instructor’s email address in the Fulbright Online Application. 

Attend Fulbright Write-ins (hosted by the Writing Center) if you can. Seek out feedback on your essays from your Fulbright Advisor, the CDO, the Writing Center, and/or other professors. Revise both essays and your short answer responses carefully. 

September 16 – Pomona Campus Application Deadline 

Complete a draft of your Fulbright application—including uploading your essays, transcript, and letter of affiliation (if applicable) to the Online Fulbright Application.  Recommendations should be submitted by this date as well, though you can participate in campus interviews if some of your references are missing (see FAQ: Asking for Recommendations below for more details)

Make sure to select “Ready for Campus Review,” which signals your participation in Pomona’s review process. DO NOT PRESS SUBMIT! A few days later, the CDO will return your application status to “in progress” so you can make final revisions. 

September 23 – 27 – Campus Interviews 

Interview with an on-campus committee. Use any feedback they provide to revise your application one last time. 

October 8 @ 2 p.m. PDT (5 p.m. EDT) – National Deadline 

National Fulbright Deadline – no extensions will be granted! Note that the deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern, not Pacific Time Zone. We strongly recommend that you submit your application, by pressing the Submit button, at least one day before the national deadline to avoid any last-minute problems. 

Fulbright website 

When choosing your type of grant, examine your qualifications, interests, and long-term goals carefully. Many people are qualified to apply to multiple types of grants, but you need to choose just one. Some people believe that an ETA is “easier” to get, but that’s not true—competition levels are about equal (and, in some countries, competition is steeper for ETA grants). Below are some characteristics of an ideal applicant for each type of grant: 

Research grant: A research grant applicant should be clearly qualified to complete his or her proposed research project. Applicants often have previous research experience in a similar area or using similar techniques, but they can also draw on relevant experiences they have had in coursework, internships, or activities. A research grant applicant should also have very clear reasons for conducting this research in another country—maybe this country has a historical archive, biological site, particular lab, or research institute that would enhance the proposed research. Finally, research grant applicants need sufficient language skills to complete their projects, which sometimes means having advanced foreign language skills (depending on the field of study). 

Study grant: Fewer countries offer study grants than offer research or ETA grants, so the first step in applying to this type of grant is finding an available grant in a country of interest. Study grant applicants must be able to secure admission to the graduate program they hope to fund, so it’s important to meet any department entrance requirements (including, sometimes, GRE scores, course prerequisites, and/or language skills). Applicants must also have compelling reasons for studying a topic abroad instead of at a U.S. university. 

English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) grant: ETA applicants must have a genuine desire to teach English and to lead cross-cultural conversations. Some countries (but not all) require previous teaching or tutoring experience, and some require competency in the native language (specific requirements are detailed in each country’s page). All ETA-granting countries look for maturity and flexibility in applicants, since applicants do not have any control over where they will be placed in the country. ETA applicants should also have very clear reasons for working in a particular country—this is more important than in the research or study grant application, where an applicant has to justify being at a particular institution or organization. 

If you are applying for a research grant, you will need to find your own affiliation or organization to host your research. Depending on the country, this affiliation could be a university, NGO, research institution, library, or other organization. You will then need to identify a specific person within this organization who would be willing to assist with your research and write a letter of affiliation on your behalf. 

Rules vary by country: Eligible affiliation organizations vary by country. For example, some countries only allow you to affiliate with a university. Visit the countries tab, choose a country’s Open Study/Research Award section, and read the “Affiliation” paragraph carefully to learn what rules each country has. 

Choosing non-university affiliations: If a country allows you to affiliate with organizations outside of higher education, make sure that the organization is local. International organizations are not acceptable affiliations. You need to find an organization that is managed and operated within your host country. 

When you email a possible affiliation for the first time, make sure you include the following information: 

• an introduction to yourself and your qualifications for the research (attach a resume or CV) 
•  a brief explanation of what Fulbright is and what you would be asking of them; note that you will not need funding, but that you will need access to resources needed for your research as well as appropriate research supervision or mentorship 
• clear reasons for why this person/organization, in particular, would be a terrific affiliation for your project; demonstrate that you are familiar with their research 

Read the “Affiliation Letter” section on Fulbright’s website carefully for details about requesting and uploading a letter of affiliation. 

Online Application Instructions 

Fulbright uses an online system for its applications. The application usually opens for registration in late spring. Start your Fulbright Online Application early so that you become familiar with its components. To register, go to Fulbright U.S. Student Program, then the “Applicants” tab, and select “Fulbright Online Application.” You can save your responses for further editing until you hit the “Submit” button. 

Most of the application is straightforward, but below are some tips to review: 

If you are a senior or an alum applying through Pomona, please select “Pomona College, CA” under the question “What type of applicant are you? (Applying At-Large or through U.S. Institution).” Be aware that if you select “At-Large,” you won’t be able to participate in Pomona’s campus evaluation process or receive a Campus Committee Evaluation. 

If you are applying to a non-English speaking country, it is a good idea to include a Foreign Language Evaluation. These forms are mandatory if a foreign language is required for your grant and are optional (but highly recommended!) if a foreign language is not required. Even if you don’t know the language in the country, you can use a Language Self-Evaluation form to describe how you will begin to learn the language before starting the grant. 

Take your time with the “Abstract/Summary of Proposal” and “Host Country Engagement” responses. You will probably want to answer these after you have written your essays. We have heard from selection committees that these paragraphs help them remember what they like about particular candidates and their projects. After a reviewer has read dozens of applications, he or she might go back to these paragraphs to jog their memory and remind themselves of the quality of each application. Edit these ruthlessly, and make sure you include your most essential information! 

For the “Personal Statement” and “Statement of Grant Purpose,” carefully follow the formatting instructions stipulating the documents’ page length, margins, font type, etc. And be sure to save your documents as PDFs. 

Note that an unofficial transcript is fine at this stage. (If you are selected as a finalist, you will be asked to send an official transcript to the Fulbright commission in January.) Download yours from the Portal and upload it on this page. If you have other college credits not listed (from a non-Pomona study abroad or a previous institution, e.g.), you will need to upload an additional transcript. 

The personal statement needs to connect your story to the Fulbright opportunity you hope to obtain. You need to include your relevant qualifications and experiences that would enable you to carry out the project or effectively teach, such as key college courses, research projects, travel experiences, service experiences, tutoring work, etc. You should also make your motivation for pursuing your Fulbright project or ETA program clear and connect your proposed Fulbright work to your specific future goals. 

Write confidently about a possible future trajectory you could take after the Fulbright. It’s fine if you have multiple future plans in mind, but communicate clearly how the Fulbright could lead to success in these plans. The selection committee will not hold you to these plans (they realize people change their minds!), but they want to invest in someone who will use the Fulbright opportunity wisely. 

The best statements are memorable and tell a consistent story. Cut out any sentences that are either irrelevant to your Fulbright experience or too generic—if a dozen other candidates could write the same sentence, you should delete it from your essay. You don’t need to tell the Fulbright committee what it already knows (e.g., that international education is important or that the Fulbright award is a terrific opportunity). Instead, concentrate your efforts on expressing what makes you the perfect candidate for the Fulbright program. 

Before you write this essay, be sure to read the description of the Personal Statement in the “Application Components” pages carefully (both pages are under the “Applicant” tab on us.fulbrightonline.org). 

The goal of this statement is to show that your research is feasible and compelling. You will need to explain your research in a way that shows your expertise while also keeping your language accessible to people outside of your disciplinary field. 

Walter Jackson, the 2014-2015 U.S. Student Fulbright Program Director, suggests starting with a “lead” paragraph that functions as an abstract of the whole.  This “lead” paragraph can be 2-3 sentences that explain the who, what, where, when, why, and how of your grant, including (if possible) details of your affiliation. 

The Fulbright website provides the following list of 20 questions that a research Statement of Grant Purpose should address. You should answer all of these in your application (but not necessarily in this order): 

1. With whom do you propose to work? 

2. What do you propose to do? 

3. What is innovative about the research? What will this research contribute to the field/discipline? 

4. What are the specific research goals and methodologies? 

5. What is important or significant about the project? 

6. What contribution will the project make toward the Fulbright goal of promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding? 

7. When will you carry out the project? Include a feasible timeline. 

8. Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why was this location(s) chosen? 

9. Why do you want to undertake this project? 

10. What are your qualifications for carrying out this project? 

11. Why does the project have to be conducted in the country of application? 

12. How will your project help further your academic or professional development? 

13. How will you engage with the host country community? Give specific ideas for civic engagement. 

14. How will the culture and politics of the host country impact the work? 

15. Will the resources of the host country support the project? 

16. Have you developed a connection with a potential adviser in the host country who has knowledge of the research topic and access to other appropriate contacts in the field? 

17. Do you have the requisite academic/field-specific background to undertake the proposed research? 

18. Do you have sufficient language skills for the project being proposed and to serve the basic purposes of the Fulbright Program? If not, how will you accomplish these goals? You should consider that, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of Community Engagement, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country. 

19. What are your plans for improving your language skills, if they are not adequate at the time of application? 

20. Are there any possible sensitive topics or feasibility concerns that the project could provoke? 

NOTE: Questions 10, 12, 18, and 19 could also be answered in other portions of the application (the Personal Statement and language forms). I would advise using space as efficiently as possible and not repeating any information across portions of the application. Think strategically about where to place each piece of information. 

NOTE: Don’t dismiss Question 13. It’s important to include at least a short paragraph detailing how you would get involved with the local community outside of your research. Students in the past have talked about volunteering, participating in athletics or the arts, joining a club, and other activities. Think about what you do now—how could that translate to an activity during your Fulbright year? 

The goal of this statement is to show that you are a good fit for the graduate program to which you are applying. 

The Fulbright website provides a list of 6 questions that a study grant Statement of Grant Purpose should address. You should answer all of these in your application (but not necessarily in this order): 

1. Why do you want to pursue the proposed program in the country to which you are applying? 

2. What are your reasons for selecting a particular institution? 

3. Do you have the requisite academic/field-specific background to undertake the proposed program? 

4. Why do you want to gain a better understanding of the peoples and cultures of your host country? Please demonstrate a commitment to the community through volunteer and extra-curricular activity. 

5. Do you have sufficient language skills to successfully complete the program? 

6. Do you have the flexibility and dynamism necessary for active involvement in the host country? 

NOTE: Questions 3, 5, and 6 could also be answered in other portions of the application (the Personal Statement and language forms). I would advise using space as efficiently as possible and not repeating any information across portions of the application. Think strategically about where to place each piece of information. 

The goal of this statement is to demonstrate your passion for teaching English in your chosen country and the skills and ideas you would bring to the classroom and community. Note that your application should not be location-specific within the country—countries place applicants in particular schools, and candidates do not usually get to choose in which location they will serve. Your proposed activities should be general enough to work anywhere in the country. 

Before you write this essay, read the country page very carefully. The country page will usually describe what each country is looking for in its applicants and what kind of work they expect the teaching assistant to do. If they hope that participants will complete a side research project or help teach additional subjects, mention how you fit these requirements in your essay! Because of this, a successful essay for one country might look very different than an essay for another country. 

The Fulbright website provides the following list of 3 questions that a Statement of Grant Purpose should address: 

1. What specific qualifications, training, or experience will you bring to the classroom and your role as an English Teaching Assistant? 

2. What specific ideas do you have for engaging with students in your chosen host country and helping them learn English? 

3. What attributes do you possess that will assist you in the challenge of living and working in a new cultural environment? How have you demonstrated these qualities in your academic and professional life? Use specific examples. 

NOTE: Question 1 and 3 could also be answered in the Personal Statement. I would advise using space as efficiently as possible and not repeating any information across portions of the application. Think strategically about where to place each piece of information. 

There are many people you can go to for help with your Fulbright essays, including: 

– Fulbright faculty or staff advisors 

– Other faculty members 

– CDO Advisors 

– Writing Partners 

– Friends 

If you can, plan to attend one or more of the Fulbright Write-Ins in September. Hosted by the Writing Center, write-ins provide a space for working on your drafts and getting constructive feedback from peers and advisors. 

Websites 

U.S. Fulbright Student Program 

Fulbright Tutorials 

Fulbright Webinars 

Books 

Burns, Thomas. The Zen of Fulbright. Los Angeles: Don Davis Press, 2014. 

Schall, Joe. Writing Personal Statements & Scholarship Application Essays. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2008. 

How many references will I need? 

The standard application requires three letters of recommendation. Any country that requires or highly recommends knowledge of a foreign language will also require a Language Self Evaluation and Foreign Language Evaluation Form, which should be completed by a language professor (or, if one is not available, by a college-educated, native speaker). If a foreign language is not required but you have some knowledge of the native language, you also have the option of asking a professor to complete a Language Evaluation Form (which is a good idea!). 

Note that the same professor could complete a standard reference and a language reference for you; however, that professor would need to use two different email addresses for the online application to process both types of recommendations. 

Whom should I ask to write for me? 

Fulbright says only that you should ask the people who can best describe your ability to carry out your proposed work. For research grants, focus on asking professors or researchers who have seen your research work in classes, labs, or independent settings. ETA applicants should review the questions on the ETA application instructions page and ask people who could answer them knowledgeably (this could be: professors, especially those who have seen you teach or tutor; internship, work, or club supervisors; etc.). If you studied or worked abroad, you might consider asking someone from these experiences to write a reference, explaining your ability to work well in an international setting. 

I’m applying for a research or study grant. What kind of references do I need? 

You’ll need standard letters of recommendation commenting on the topics listed in the Instructions for Recommendation Writers webpage. These letters should be signed (electronic signatures are fine) and on official department or organization letterhead. 

I’m applying for an ETA. What kind of references do I need? 

Your letter writers will need to fill out a form (NOT write a standard letter). The Sample ETA Reference Form is available under Instructions For (ETA) Recommendation Writers. 

Where/how do my writers submit their references? 

By the first day of fall classes, you should enter your recommenders’ email addresses into your online application. This will trigger an email to your recommenders and provide them with a link to upload or complete their recommendations. 

The Fulbright Online Application is asking me to put a due date in the system. Is that the campus deadline or the national deadline? 

It’s the campus deadline (9/16/2024). The system won’t prevent recommenders from submitting later than that date, but it will remind them that they should submit it by then. 

When are references due? 

We would like to receive as many recommendations as possible by the campus deadline: 11:59 p.m., September 16, 2024.

But isn’t that before the national deadline? 

Yes. The more references we receive by the internal deadline, the better we can facilitate the campus review process. Interview committee members will review the references before the campus interviews and use them to help complete your Campus Committee Evaluation (Fulbright’s version of an endorsement letter). We can access these recommendations once you submit your application. 

One of my recommendations might come in after the campus deadline. Will this disqualify me from the competition? 

No, but it might make it more difficult for your Advisor to write a strong Campus Committee Evaluation for you. We want as many recommendations by the internal deadline as possible to give you the most complete evaluation we can. 

How can I help my reference writers? 

1. Send them a link to the Fulbright Recommendation Information page. 

2. Fill in their email addresses in your online application no later than the first day of fall classes. 

3. Make sure that they have drafts of your Personal Statement and Statement of Grant Purpose, as well as a resume and perhaps transcript (for study/research grants), as soon as possible. 

When are the on-campus interviews? 

They will be held September 23 – 27, 2024. 

What are the interviews like? 

They are 20 minutes long, with two or three faculty and/or staff members. You will be asked to talk about your proposal, your qualifications, and your rationale for pursuing your grant. The committee will be evaluating your fit with the Fulbright Program and sharing any feedback they may have on your written application. 

Do you eliminate applicants at the interview round? 

No! Every candidate who completes their application will go to the national competition. The interview is intended to strengthen one’s application and enhance the Campus Committee Evaluation, which the chair of your interview committee will complete on your behalf. It is a supportive rather than competitive step. 

What happens after the interview? 

You should revise your application, incorporating the feedback you received from your interview, and officially submit your application by the national deadline. We advise submitting the application the day before the national deadline to avoid any last-minute technical problems. 

Note: you and you alone can submit your Fulbright application, so it’s vital that you log in to your online application and press the submit button before the national deadline. Your application will not be considered if you do not complete this step.

Be advised that applicants can submit their application before the recommendations/evaluations are submitted. As such, we recommend that you submit your application when you’re ready rather than waiting, potentially until the final hours or even minutes, until all your recommendations have been received.