Student Fellowships & Research

Description.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. U.S. Student Fulbright Study/Research Grants (also referred to as Full Grants) are the traditional Fulbright awards and offer the greatest flexibility. The majority of grant awards are designed to conduct study and/or research in one country for an academic year. Applicants for these grants design their own projects, secure an affiliation in the host country at the time of application, and typically work with advisers at foreign universities or other institutes of higher education. Projects may include university coursework, independent library, lab or field research, classes in a music conservatory or art school, special projects in the social or life sciences, or a combination. Program requirements vary by country, so the applicant’s first step is to familiarize themselves with the program summary for the host country. Proposals are evaluated based upon the extent to which the candidate and the project might help advance the program’s aim of mutual understanding between nations. In the last application cycle, Fulbright received approximately 5,500 applications for Study/Research grants and made just over 1000 awards to over 140 nations.

Benefits.
Fulbright Study/Research grants generally provide round-trip transportation; book and research allowances; maintenance for the academic year, based on living costs in the host country; supplemental health and accident coverage; tuition, in some cases; and language or orientation courses, where appropriate.

Eligibility.

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens at the time of application.
• Applicants must hold a Bachelor's degree or the equivalent before the start of the grant.
• Applicants may not hold a doctoral degree at the time of application, but may hold a J.D. degree.
• Applicants must be in good health. Grantees will be required to submit a satisfactory Certificate of Health from a physician.
• Applicants should have sufficient proficiency in the written and spoken language of the host country to communicate with the people and to carry out the proposed study/research. Such proficiency is especially important for students wishing to undertake projects in the social sciences and the humanities.
• Preference will be given to those applicants whose higher education was undertaken primarily at educational institutions in the United States. Foreign study during the junior year or other periods of undergraduate study that are integral parts of the curricula of American institutions will not be considered a disadvantage.
• Preference will be given to those applicants who have not resided or studied for more than six months in the country to which they are applying for.

For complete details please visit the "Eligibility" portion of the Fulbright website.

Bowdoin’s Initial Application Process.

By the “Initial Bowdoin Deadline” (see above), you must:

• Provide a signed and witnessed "Permission Form and Waiver" to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research.  This document can either be hand-delivered to Emily Briley in 113 Kanbar Hall or electronically submitted to ebriley@bowdoin.edu.

• Electronically submit a completed Fulbright Study/Research grant application.  By clicking the "submit" button in the online application, you will be releasing your application to Bowdoin's Office of Student Fellowships and Research, not to Fulbright.  The Office of Student Fellowships and Research is responsible for distributing your application to the campus review committee and will electronically return your application to you in a matter of days.  A complete Fulbright Study/Research grant application includes the following:

Parts B - E

Part F (References and Evaluation)

• Foreign Language Evaluation** (Form 8). Applicants must enter their language evaluator's name and email address into the online application well in advance of the deadline. Doing so triggers the online system to send an email with instructions for foreign language evaluators. The evaluator must complete the form online and electronically submit the form. (View a sample Foreign Language Evaluation.)

• Study/Research Reference Form (Form 9A).  Three separate recommendations (Form 9A) must be electronically submitted. Applicants are strongly encourage to read "Instructions for Fulbright Reference Writers" well in advance of the deadline for guidance on who the applicant should ask to serve as a recommender and for an explanation of the process. Applicants must enter each recommender's name and email address into the online application well in advance of the deadline. Doing so triggers the online system to send an email with instructions to the referee. Recommenders will complete Form 9A online and electronically submit it.

**Indicates "if applicable"

Bowdoin is required to rate all Bowdoin applicants (scale is from 1 - 4; 1 = exceptional, 4 = not recommended); this is accomplished through a brief interview. If all of the above materials are submitted on time, you will be scheduled for a campus interview. Once the interview is complete, it is your responsibility to continue revising your application in preparation for the final submission (see "Final Bowdoin deadline" above).

Materials for Final Application.

By the "Final Bowdoin Deadline" (see above) applicants must electronically submit their completed Fulbright application.  Please note that the "Final Bowdoin Deadline" is several days earlier than the submission deadline posted on the Fulbright website to allow the Office of Student Fellowships and Research the needed time to process your application before releasing it to Fulbright.  Without exception, Bowdoin students are expected to meet the "Final Bowdoin Deadline."   A complete Fulbright Study/Research Grant application includes:

• Forms 1–3           Basic Data
• Form 4                Student Record Form
• Form 5                Statement of Grant Purpose
• Form 6                Personal Statement
• Form 7**             Language Background Report
• Form 7A**           Critical Language Enhancement Award Supplementary Form
• Form 8**             Foreign Language Evaluation
• Form 9A (3)         Study/Research Reference Form
• Uploads of unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended (this includes study-abroad institutions).
• Letter(s) of Affiliation**

Sara Powers '11
France
A neuroscience and French double major, Sara will expand upon her research experiences at Bowdoin by conducting independent neuroscience research at the University of Rennes in Rennes, France. Her work will examine the role that estrogen plays in adult neurogenesis in zebrafish. Outside of the lab, Sara will take courses at the university in molecular biology and volunteer at a local hospital. Sara plans to attend medical school upon her return. (Read more)

 

Jamil Wyne '08
Syria
Drawing on his Arabic language skills and experience in the Middle East's development sector, Wyne will work with an organization providing financial and technical assistance to entrepreneurs to study the challenges young Syrian entrepreneurs face and how those obstacles can be overcome. After completing his Fulbright, Wyne hopes to delve further into the field of economic and social development in the Arab world and emerging markets and ultimately to enroll in a joint M.B.A./M.P.A. program. (Read more)


For a comprehensive list of Bowdoin fellowship winners, click here.