Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships

By the initial Bowdoin deadline:

1) Complete the Fulbright ETA application through their online application system. The application includes the following:

• Biographical data
• Statement of Grant Purpose (1 page)
• Personal Statement (1 page)
• Foreign language evaluation (if applicable)
• Foreign language self-evaluation (if applicable)
• Three references (forms not letters)
• Unofficial academic history from Polaris

2) Electronically submit a signed and witnessed "Permission Form and Waiver" to Gina Pappas (gpappas@bowdoin.edu).

3) Sign up for a campus interview. (The SFR Office will contact you to schedule this interview around the time of the initial Bowdoin deadline.)

Note: When you submit your online application through the Fulbright portal for the initial Bowdoin deadline, your application WILL NOT go to Fulbright; it will ONLY be seen by SFR. The SFR office will make a PDF of your online application, share it with the campus Fulbright committee, and then electronically return your application to you, usually several days after the initial Bowdoin deadline. You may continue to polish up your application until the final Bowdoin deadline, when you will resubmit it electronically.

For guidance about Fulbright’s online application, formatting requirements, recommendation process, and more, see Fulbright’s Tips for ETA Programs page.

Interview

Fulbright requires Bowdoin to interview every applicant. Around the same time as the initial Bowdoin deadline, students will sign up for individual interview slots. These 15-minute interviews are conducted by members of Bowdoin's internal campus committee who have read the initial applications and are knowledgeable about the Fulbright program. Following each interview, members of the committee will complete a Fulbright Campus Committee Evaluation (CCE) form for each applicant, addressing the candidate’s qualifications and suitability to his or her chosen country. This CCE form will be attached to your final application but like a recommendation you will not have access to it.

Immediately following the 15-minute interview, students will receive 5 minutes of feedback from the committee. Students will then have the opportunity to revise their applications using this feedback.  Please know that Bowdoin does not narrow down the applicant pool through the interview process.

Revision process

Applicants can revise their applications up until the final Bowdoin deadline, incorporating interview feedback, any new experiences, and ensuring any typos or errors are corrected on the application itself.  

Note that the final Bowdoin deadline is several days in advance of the official Fulbright deadline found on the Fulbright website. This gives SFR time to upload the CCE forms and double-check all components of the application. Bowdoin students must meet the final Bowdoin deadline.

By the final Bowdoin deadline, submit your final Fulbright ETA application through their online application system. Your final application includes the following: 

• Biographical data
• Statement of Grant Purpose (1 page)
• Personal Statement (1 page)
• Foreign language evaluation (if applicable)
• Foreign language self-evaluation (if applicable)
• Three references (forms not letters)
• Unofficial academic history from Polaris

Pay close attention to Fulbright’s guidance about the ETA application, following all guidance around preferred content, formatting (e.g. essay headers), and more, as listed in the Tips for ETA Programs page.

Final Deadline Schedule:

Final Bowdoin Deadline (see above) – In order for the SFR office to review students' applications and allow them to make changes based on their feedback, students must submit their applications by this deadline.

Monday After Final Bowdoin Deadline – Our office will pull applications for review and release them back to students before 5 PM.

Week Following Final Bowdoin Deadline – We will review each application and contact students individually with:

• Minor changes/suggestions, or
• The all-clear to submit

Fulbright will convene a National Screening Committee from November through December. There are sub-committees divided by countries/regions who consider all the ETA applications to each country. These reviewers are often academics and will have expertise in the given country/region, and determine which applications are recommended for final consideration in the host countries. They typically put forward to the host country reviewers twice as many final applications as there are grants available.

In January, Fulbright will send all Bowdoin applicants Initial Notifications stating whether or not they have been “recommended” (meaning they are a finalist being considered directly now by the country), or “not recommended” (meaning they are no longer in the competition).

Occasionally a host country may request a brief follow up interview, conducted by phone or Zoom, which students arrange with the host country directly. Please inform SFR if your host country has asked for such an interview.

Fulbright sends out Final Selection Notifications country by country, typically between mid-March and the end of May, depending on the in-country process and timing. Applicants will be notified by email if they have been selected, designated as an alternate, or not selected. Please inform SFR when you have been notified by Fulbright of your status. 

1) Three online tutorials.  These up-to-date, accessible slideshow videos allow applicants to learn about the basics of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

• Intro to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program
• The Research / Study Award (Including Arts)
• The English Teaching Assistantship (ETA)

2) Visit and subscribe to the Fulbright U.S. Student Blog. The blog features tips and advice on applying, student testimonials, and a calendar with upcoming webinars and campus visits. 

3) The Fulbright Program attempts to be always accessible on social media streams - including Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and LinkedIn - so you can stay abreast of updates through your preferred medium.