fulbright personal statement word limit

Fulbright Program

Office of nationally competitive scholarship, main navigation, tips for writing a personal statement, length: one single-spaced page
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The Fulbright website provides the following description of the personal statement:

“This statement should be a narrative giving a picture of yourself as an individual. It should deal with your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual development, the educational and cultural opportunities (or lack of them) to which you have been exposed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you. Also include your special interests and abilities, career paths, and life goals, etc. It should not be a recording of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your statement of proposed study.”

The Fulbright personal statement is an opportunity for you to share with the committee information about yourself that is not available in other parts of the application. In it you can provide the committee with a sense of your personality and your interests. Ideally, your personal statement will complement your written proposal in some way. For example, if you are proposing a research project, you might discuss the origin and development of your interest in that field of research.

There is no one format or approach that will work well for every application. Some applicants choose to write an intellectual autobiography highlighting the key moments in their academic development. Others discuss their passion for travel, the topic of their proposal, or the host country, detailing the origins of their interest and how it evolved. Many students give an overview of significant experiences and reflections, while others tell one particular story as an example of a larger point about who they are.

Keep in mind that engagement with the community in the host county is an important criterion in selection as the primary purpose of the Fulbright Program is to encourage mutual understanding between people from the U.S. and people from other countries. Your application should indicate how you expect to become involved in the local community, whether through volunteer work, extra-curricular activities, and/or simply pursuing a hobby—sports, music, cooking, etc.—in the host country. The personal statement is the best place to include this information.

Prewriting:

Writing a personal statement is an exercise in self-reflection. To write a good statement, you will first need to think about your accomplishments and past experiences. These can be personal, academic, or extracurricular, including any significant insights or experiences that relate to your interest in international exchange, the host country in which you hope to do your work, or the specific project or area of study you plan to pursue. Your goal in this personal statement is to give the committee a sense of who you are and how you became interested in applying for this particular project in the context of an international exchange.

A free writing process will help you sort through your experiences and narrow your focus to two or three central issues or experiences you can use to frame and anchor your essay. Consider the following questions:

• What problems or questions intrigue you? How did you become
• What sorts of things have you done outside of the classroom? What have you learned from your extracurricular or work experiences, and how have those experiences contributed to your growth?
• Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life? If so, what were these obstacles and how did you face them?
• What might be unique, special, or distinctive about your life story or past experiences?

You are encouraged to work with a writing proctor even at this early stage. Talking over your experiences and reviewing your initial thoughts with someone else can help you narrow your focus and determine what you really want to discuss in your personal statement.

Your personal statement should not be a narrative version of your resume, listing events, activities, and accomplishments one after the other. Rather, it should provide the committee with a snapshot of yourself that connects to why you want to pursue this particular Fulbright in the country you have chosen. Doing this in one page is no small feat. The best statements undergo multiple drafts and revisions over a period of time. Give yourself plenty of time to write your statement, and allow it to evolve along with your understanding of why you want to pursue the project you are proposing.

In general, your personal statement will contain the following three sections:

• The opening paragraph  will contain a statement, example, or anecdote that grabs the readers’ attention right away, while providing a solid frame for your essay as a whole. This is the most important part of your statement, and it will likely be one of the hardest parts for you to write. When drafting, don’t get stuck on the opening paragraph. You will revise it many times as you revise the essay as a whole.
• The body  presents more specific detail, building on the framework you have established. The rule of thumb here is to use concrete examples to illustrate your points. Show, don’t tell. Rather than simply telling the committee “I am curious,” “I love science,” “I am patient and dependable,” etc., consider using one or two anecdotes that can help you focus and bring specificity to the discussion.
• The concluding paragraph  can address your future goals and how your work/experiences as a Fulbright scholar fit into your future plans. Your personal statement should not repeat information already represented in your proposal; thus, you should not conclude your personal statement by making an argument for why you need a Fulbright to conduct your study. Instead, you should discuss more generally how your proposed Fulbright year relates to your future goals and aspirations. The scholarship committees want to award Fulbright awards to people who will use their Fulbright experiences as bridges from where they are now to where they are going. 
Students have a tendency to be too general and rely on abstractions or clichéd phrases when describing their experiences and interests. Show your passion for neuroscience through the experiences you’ve had and the skills you’ve developed, show them you believe in the value of being open-minded through a specific example, show them that you care about issues facing developing nations by talking about your experiences helping to develop new irrigation techniques in El Salvador one summer, etc. The more specific and concrete you can be about illustrating your interests, the better.

Fulbright Scholar Program (Dr. Ramón Galinanes)

• Fulbright Application

Tips from Universities and a U.S. Embassy

• Preparing for the Fulbright Interview
• Legacy of J. William Fulbright
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• Wofford OneSearch
• PASCAL Delivers & WorldCat--to find resources at schools besides Wofford
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• Interlibrary Loan
• Speak with Wofford Librarian
• Tips for Writing a Fulbright Personal Statement / from the Fulbright Program, University of Utah
• Tips for Writing a Fulbright Research Grant Proposal / from the Fulbright Program, University of Utah
• Sample Successful Fulbright Essays: For Teaching Assistantship Proposals, for Research Proposals, and for Study & Research Proposals / from the Student Fellowship Office, University of Rochester
• Writing Fulbright Essays: The Personal Statement & the Statement of Grant Purpose / from Yale University
• Writing for the Fulbright Scholarship [with samples essays] / from Penn State University
• Fulbright Personal Statements: Tips & Guidelines / from the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan
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• Last Updated: May 16, 2024 11:55 AM
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Fulbright Applicants - Resources

Guides for writing application essays, grammar & writing.

University Writing Center - Student Resources

• Guidelines for Writing Your Personal Statement
• Writing Personal Statements

The following books focus on various types of essays and cover letters, but much of the guidance provided may be useful for other applications as well.

See also Resumes, Cover Letters & Interviews

Search the UCF Library Catalog for other books on college admissions essays , including:

• Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way into the Graduate School of Your Choice Call Number: UCF Rosen General Collection --LB 2366.2.A84 2000 ch2ck availability

• Accepted! 50 Successful College Admission Essays Call Number: UCF Main Library Reference -- LB 2351.52.U6.T3 2002 ch2ck availability

UCF University Writing Center provides helpful handouts on grammar and punctuation , including: avoiding sexist language, bare minimum grammar, dashes & parentheses, five uncommonly serious mistakes, five easy comma rules, how to choose articles, the known-new contract, mastering prepositions, the paramedic method, passive voice Q&A, punctuation hierarchies & sentence patterns, and the semi-colon

InfoWrite (Gale Cengage Learning) (NOTE: The UCF Library provides access to many InfoTrac databases )

• Research and the Research Paper
• The Writing Process
• Special Kinds of Writing
• Modes of Expression
• Critical Thinking

Other Resources:

• Blue Book of Grammar & Punctuation
• Common Errors in English Usage
• The Elements of Style
• Guide to Grammar & Writing
• LEO: Literacy Education Online
• Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
• Punctuation Made Simple
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) "We offer free resources including Writing and Teaching Writing, Research, Grammar and Mechanics, Style Guides, ESL (English as a Second Language), and Job Search and Professional Writing."
• Writing as an Engineer or Scientist

English as a Second Language:

• TESOL Websites

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• URL: https://guides.ucf.edu/fulbright

The 2025-26 Competition is now open. Applications must be submitted by the national deadline of October 8, 2024 at 5pm ET.

Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org .

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program .

• Getting Started
• Study/Research Awards
• English Teaching Assistant Awards
• Fulbright-National Geographic Award
• Critical Language Enhancement Award
• Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships in Public Health
• Fulbright John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship
• Search for a Fulbright Program Adviser
• Award Search
• Study/Research: Academic
• Study/Research: Creative & Performing Arts
• Fulbright-National Geographic
• Information Sessions
• Fulbright Online Application

English Teaching Assistant Program Application Components

All applicants must complete and submit their application via the Fulbright Online Application . This is where you enter data, upload documents, and register your recommenders and foreign language evaluator. The following items comprise the components of the ETA application:

Biographical Data

The Personal and Contact Information pages of the application asks for your basic personal information, such as your name, contact information, birth date, etc.

• Complete all required fields: You should take care to accurately complete all the required fields in these sections.
• Use proper capitalization and punctuation: This is a formal grant application, and you are advised to follow the English language rules on capitalization and punctuation. Do not enter responses in all caps. Be sure to proofread your responses in the PDF proof prior to submitting your application.

Program Information

On the Program Information page, you must include a Summary of Proposal addressing why you wish to undertake an ETA grant to the host country, along with an explanation of your plans for host country engagement and future plans upon returning to the U.S.

• Project Title:  Enter “English Teaching Assistantship” for all proposals within this category.
• Abstract/Summary of the Proposal (1750-character limit): Concisely detail why you wish to be a Fulbright grantee and undertake an English Teaching Assistant opportunity and why you have chosen to apply to the specific country.
• Host Country Engagement (1750-character limit): At its core, the Fulbright program aims to promote mutual understanding and seeks individuals who can be cultural ambassadors while living abroad. This section should offer a description of the ways in which you will engage with the host country outside of your grant activities to fulfill this mission. How do you plan to share your culture and values in your host community? Specific ideas should be included.
• Plans Upon Return to the U.S. (850-character limit): A brief description of your future career and/or educational plans following completion of the Fulbright grant.

Statement of Grant Purpose

This one-page document should clearly describe what you will be able to bring to the classroom in the host country, as well as explain any ideas you have on how to reach students coming from a different pedagogical tradition.

Carefully read the award description for the country to which you are applying: This is necessary for you to understand the nature of the program and the specific requirements, since the design of the English Teaching Assistant Program (ETA) will vary from country to country. Some countries may give specific instructions on what to include in your Statement of Grant Purpose. Address the following points:

• What specific qualifications, training, or experience will you bring to the classroom and your role as an English Teaching Assistant?
• What specific ideas do you have for engaging with students in the host country and helping them learn English?
• 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.
• Any preferred placement locations noted by applicants in the Statement of Grant Purpose are not guaranteed. Applicants are expected to be flexible on placement if offered a grant.

Adhere to the proper format:

• Length is limited to a maximum of one single-spaced page. The application system will not allow documents longer than one page to be uploaded.
• Use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12-point font.
• At the top of each page include:
• On line 1: Statement of Grant Purpose
• On line 2: Your Name, Host Country, and English Teaching Assistant Program
• Do not include information in headers, footers, or margins.
• Do not include links to websites or external files/materials. Adding any URLs to external websites may affect the eligibility of your application.
• Do not include personal contact information, such as email addresses or phone numbers, in your uploaded essays.

Personal Statement

The statement should be a one-page narrative that provides a picture of yourself as an individual․ It should detail your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual development, the educational, professional, and cultural opportunities that you have (or have not) accessed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you and your personal growth. Include your special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals, etc.․ It should not be a list of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your Statement of Grant Purpose․ Rather, it should be specifically related to you and your aspirations  as they relate to the specific Fulbright Program award to which you have applied.

  Do not repeat information from other parts of the application. Adhere to the proper format:

• Length is limited to a maximum of one single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow documents longer than one page to be uploaded.
• On line 1: Personal Statement

Foreign Language Forms

Language requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should review the specific language proficiency requirements of your selected award. You must possess the necessary language skills to successfully complete the project you are proposing.

For programs where language skills are required , you must complete the Language Self Evaluation form within the application, and  register an individual to complete the Foreign Language Evaluation Form. The Foreign Language Evaluation Form is completed by a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor. 

Submission of both the Language Self-Evaluation portion of the application and Foreign Language Evaluation form is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or are a native speaker of the language. The application system will not allow the submission of an application if a required Foreign Language Evaluation form is not registered. Failure to submit the required language forms may affect your eligibility.

For programs where language skills are recommended or not required , if you possess some language skills relevant to the host country, you should complete the Language Self Evaluation and submit a Foreign Language Evaluation Form. It will be beneficial to have your language ability documented, even if it is not required for the award. Remember, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of engaging with your host community, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.

For programs in countries where English is one of the national languages, you do not need to submit any foreign language forms unless a foreign language is required for your project.

If language proficiency is not required for the award and you have little or no knowledge of the language relevant to the host country but plan to acquire proficiency prior to the start of the grant, you may discuss your plans in the Language Self Evaluation. In this case, you should not obtain a Foreign Language Evaluation.

For Commonly-Taught Languages: The Foreign Language Evaluation should be completed by a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant.

For Less-Commonly-Taught Languages: If a professional language teacher is not readily available, a college-educated native-speaker of the language can be used. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant.

Provide your language evaluator with the  Instructions for Foreign Language Evaluators. You can print these out and discuss them with the person completing the form.

If you wish to have the same person complete both a recommendation and a Foreign Language Evaluation, you will need to register the person once for the recommendation and once for the Foreign Language Evaluation. Please check with your evaluator/recommender to ensure they receive the correct forms. If your evaluator/recommender is having issues accessing the forms, please instruct them to email [email protected] for assistance.

Recommendations

You must submit three recommendations as part of the application. The recommenders will be provided an electronic form with a series of short-answer questions regarding items such as your communication skills, interest in teaching, and ability to work in unstructured environments. Recommenders for English Teaching Assistant Program applicants do not submit written letters of recommendation and must complete this form in full.

The recommenders completing the ETA reference forms should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to teach English in a classroom abroad based on your intellectual and professional preparation. You should provide the recommenders with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose before requesting the recommendations. The recommendation should NOT simply be a character reference, as this will be of no value in assessing your ability to be a successful English Teaching Assistant.

• It is encouraged that at least one recommender is able to speak to your skills and experiences outside of academia. Examples of non-academic recommenders include coaches, supervisors, or mentors. 
• Recommenders cannot be related to you. Do not submit recommendations from a parent, sibling, or other relative.
• Provide recommenders with copies of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement for reference.
• It is common courtesy to give recommenders at least 4-5 weeks to complete the recommendation forms. Confirm with your recommenders that they can submit your recommendation letters within this timeframe, and ahead of the national deadline.
• Provide your recommenders with Instructions for ETA Recommendation Writers.
• All recommendation forms must be completed in English. Please ensure your recommender can complete the form in English.
• From: Fulbright U.S. Student Program ( [email protected] )
• Subject: Fulbright Recommendation for [Your Name]
• Recommendations must remain confidential. Applicants cannot complete the recommendation form on behalf of their recommenders, and recommenders should not share their recommendations with applicants.
• The deadline to request a recommendation be un-submitted is Friday, October 4, 2024 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.
• The recommender sends an email from the registered email account to [email protected] to request that the recommendation be un-submitted.
• The email to [email protected] must include the applicant’s full name and country of application.
• The recommender will need to allow at least 48 hours for the request to be implemented.
• Once the recommendation is un-submitted, the recommender can edit the recommendation and resubmit.
• All recommendations must be submitted by the application deadline, Tuesday October 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time. Late recommendation submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.
• If a recommendation letter needs to be removed from the application after being submitted, the recommender must send an email from the registered email account to [email protected] to request that the recommendation be deleted from the application.

Note : Applicants and Fulbright Program Advisers cannot request that a recommendation be un-submitted.

Applicants can follow the status of the recommendation (in progress, submitted) from the Applicant Status Page of the application. Additional instructions and details on the online submission of recommendations are available within the application system.

Transcripts

The Fulbright Program requires a complete academic record of your higher education. You must provide transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which you received degrees. Transcripts must also be submitted from other institutions where you studied and received credit for coursework.

Failure to submit required transcripts will result in your application being declared ineligible.

• You must upload one unofficial academic transcript from each post-secondary institution from which you received (or expect to receive) a degree. Additional transcripts should be uploaded for coursework and grades not reflected on degree-granting transcripts.
• If a degree is still in progress, you may upload a copy that shows the most recently completed semester.
• Make sure that the document that you submit clearly shows your name , the name of the institution, and appears as an academic record that is organized chronologically--with course dates, titles, credits and grades. Screenshots of online academic portals (e.g. a course schedule) will not be accepted.
• Graduate-level students who do not include undergraduate transcripts will be considered ineligible.
• Consult the  Transcript and Upload Instructions  page for more detailed information.

ETA Application Components Overview

Starting the Application

 Contact the Fulbright Program Adviser at your school to discuss the campus application process and note any campus deadlines (pertains only to candidates applying through a U.S. institution).

 Carefully review the program summary for the country and award to which you are applying.

 Draft responses for the following required short answer questions: 1) Abstract/Summary of Proposal, 2) Host Country Engagement, 3) Plans Upon Return to the U.S.

 Draft a  Statement of Grant Purpose  that details what you will bring to the classroom.

 Draft a Personal Statement that provides the screening committee members with a fuller picture of who you are and what has motivated you to pursue this Fulbright opportunity.

 Consult with professors and/or colleagues with background in the country to which you are applying or professionals in the English/TESOL fields.

 Solicit critiques on the draft  Statement of Grant Purpose  from professors, advisers, mentors, colleagues, etc., and make revisions as appropriate.

 Contact 3 individuals to complete the recommendation form for the English Teaching Assistant Program grant. These individuals should be those who can best speak to your ability to succeed in assistant-teaching English to non-native speakers. You should provide a copy of the  Statement of Grant Purpose  to each individual completing a recommendation form. Allow enough time for the recommender to complete their recommendation before your institution’s campus deadline and/or national deadline.

 For candidates submitting Foreign Language Evaluations: Contact the professor or other professional foreign language instructor who will complete the Foreign Language Evaluation form for the application.

 Obtain transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended.

Before Submitting the Application

 Make any necessary revisions based on feedback from the Campus Interview Committee (pertains only to candidates applying through a U.S. institution).

 Check for typos—misspellings, capitalization errors, grammatical mistakes, etc.

 Make sure that all the required short answer questions have been completed, including: Project Title Abstract/Summary of the Proposal, Host Country Engagement and Plans Upon Return to the U.S.

 Check to make sure that the  Statement of Grant Purpose , the Personal Statement, and the transcripts have been uploaded into the correct sections of the application.

 Confirm that recommenders and language evaluators are registered in the application system and have received the email link to complete the recommendation/evaluation. Applicants can submit their application before the recommendations/evaluations are submitted. After application submission and before the national deadline, applicants can log in to the application and resend email links.

 Preview the complete application in the Fulbright online application system by going to the Review page.

 Print a copy of the application for your records.

• Educational institutions
• University applications

Personal Statement

The personal statement is one of the most important aspects of your application for an american graduate program. this is where you explain why you want to enroll in a graduate program at this specific university. through the statement you can show who you are and what qualities distinguish you from all the other candidates that have applied to the same program. this essay will also prove whether you are able to write out your thoughts in a clear and concise manner, and if your prior education and your research interests match those of the staff at the faculty., customization.

As all institutions have different requirements, you will have to prepare and write a different personal statement for every university you are applying to. Some programs require you to submit a two-page essay in which you discuss why you wish to enroll in a graduate program, while other institutions ask you to write five or six separate essays discussing your motivations for applying to the graduate program, your strongest and weakest points, or most important prior accomplishments. Especially business schools are known for requiring more than one essay.

The selection committees that will read your essay need to form an opinion about you. Make sure to discuss the following topics in your statement:

• What motivates you to enroll in the program
• Your involvement in the field
• Your expectations of the program
• Your expected career opportunities after grad school
• Your most important and relevant areas of interest
• Research experience, as well as potential work experience
• Your prior education
• Your short-term and long-term goals

The selection committees will look for the following aspects in your essay during the assessment:

• The ability to express your ideas clearly and concisely in writing.
• Writing skills
• Personal views and insights
• Creativity and originality
• What distinguishes you from the other applicants for the same program, and the reasons why you wish to enroll in this particular program.

Some universities published some of the more successful personal statements on their website. You can search for “essays that worked” to see if there are any available.

Instructions

There are no clear guidelines for writing a personal statement. You will find, however, that you will accomplish more when keeping these general tips in mind:

• Make connections

You want to use your personal statement to convince the selection committee of your strengths. Your statement should contain information about you, although it is not intended to be a full overview of your life, or a resume. Try and tie the information on your personal statement to your educational goals and motivations.

• Be original

Your statement will be read by experts in your field. Members of the selection committee do not expect to find generalities and obvious claims in regard to their fields – they want to see applicants who could potentially bring new, surprising insights to the department.

• Elaborate on the ambiguities

Use your personal statement to elaborate on any potential ambiguities that might arise from the other documents submitted as part of your application. If your transcript shows that you went through a period in which your academic results were significantly lower than before and after, you can use your personal statement to offer an explanation. Try to twist any potential negatives into positives.

• Avoid general statements

Claims such as “the university has a good international reputation”, or “the institution is number one on some list” are much too generic to convince someone of the fact that you really want to study at a certain university. Be as specific as you possible can be. You could explain why you would like to work with a particular professor, or what appeals to you about the general research approach.

• Come up with a strong conclusion

Be as specific as possible in your conclusion. Only use words like ‘significant’, ‘challenging’, ‘invaluable’, or ‘useful’ if they clearly relate to your personal experiences. Avoid sentences like ‘I can contribute….’, ‘…meant a lot to me’, or ‘…is appealing to me’.

• Consider the questions carefully

Some institutions expect their applicants to answer a specific set of questions in their essay. Carefully consider these questions and your answers before answering them all.

• Try and be fascinating yet concise

Be brief and to the point. Make sure that you can hold your reader’s attention and don’t surpass the word or page limit.

• Mind your language and form

Also consider the form of your essay. Keep your grammar and spelling mistakes to a minimum. However, if you scored low on the TOEFL, you might come across as insincere if your personal statement is written in perfect English.

Research statements

Some universities require you to come up with a separate research statement. A research statement allows you to elaborate on your specific research interests. A well written research statement can convince the admissions committee of your interesting ideas and your ability to put your thoughts into practice at the faculty.

Your research statement will be read by faculty members, the admissions committee, and sometimes alumni. Keep in mind that you are writing for a very diverse audience: prove that you have obtained the necessary knowledge while also keeping your statement accessible for all your readers. Remember to discuss why your research is important and relevant in the field itself as well as in a broader context.

If you have to write a separate research statement, you can use your personal statement to focus on your personal development.

Sample Personal Statement for Fulbright Scholarship

by Talha Omer, M.Eng., Cornell Grad

In fulbright documentation | fulbright scholarship | personal statement samples for scholarships.

Over the past year or so I have been getting a lot of requests from students regarding sharing a sample personal statement for the Fulbright scholarship.

The sample Fulbright personal statement below has been shared with me by an anonymous but successful Fulbright applicant who has allowed me to share her personal statement on this blog. It can be used as an example to give you an idea of how to write and structure your own personal statement for the Fulbright program.

If you feel you need a little extra help, you can always contact me to check if I can help but please DO NOT copy chunks from this essay, or plagiarize them directly. You will not only lose your chance of getting the Fulbright scholarship but it is also unfair to copy someone’s original work. Simply use this to as a reference guide for writing your own authentic personal statement.

Before you go on to read this sample personal statement for Fulbright scholarship, let’s do a little exercise to warm you up for writing your own statement of purpose.

So here it goes: Which of the following sounds more appealing?

I went down the building to the cafeteria, which looked good, and bought a burger that I ate.

I strolled down the building as the cafeteria fragrances wafted through the air. I then bought the best chicken burger I have ever tasted.

Of course you would say that the second one is better. This is so because it is more descriptive and creates a more vivid and inspiring picture in your mind. But at the same time it requires the right set of words to describe the situation which is slightly more challenging.

So a word of advice – just write more descriptively so that its all the more exciting to read!

Some examples:

BORING:   I performed in my first GRE exam today. EXCITING:   I blew the GRE test away in my first attempt.

BORING:   I ran an antivirus, and got the computer to work EXCITING:   Ignoring risks and malfunctions, I did a complete antivirus run on my new computer.

Just know that you all have remarkable stories to share – you just need to dare to be more descriptive!

Jinnah once said, “Failure is a word unknown to me.” His triumphant struggle for a separate homeland was a testament to this statement. Yet sixty years down the road, we have proved our founding fathers wrong as our nation is poised to become a failed state. Since its inception, my homeland has witnessed anything but failures. Despite having vast potential for renewable energy, one of the most significant coal reserves, millions of hectares of cultivated land, and an enormous labor pool, my country’s survival depends on the massive inflow of foreign aid and loans. It’s a pity that our economy continues to be the sick man of the sub-continent even after 60 years of independence. In the face of such economic upheaval, we, as citizens of this embattled nation, can either stand on the sidelines and pass judgment or take a stand and fight for our nation’s progress. I, for one, have chosen the latter!

Belonging to a social setting where typically most young women voluntarily or involuntarily rest their case to marriage at an early age, I, nonetheless, immediately after high school, sought admission to a top-ranking university in the country. Owing to the booming banking industry and fruitful career prospects in the sector, I was faced with immense pressure from my family to opt for a degree in finance; however, having great empathy for issues of economic backwardness and an ardent passion for being a change agent, I chose to major in Economics instead.

My college days, however, were not just about earning an internationally reputed degree – it was an education in all dimensions. My most rewarding experiences were outside of the classroom walls. Though the initial separation from my family’s direct support was challenging, it provided me with an opportunity to discover my capabilities in making and living with my decisions. It made me recognize that survival in a competitive freelance environment depends on how well you do and how well you relate to people. Fortunately, I was able to accomplish results and develop lasting working relationships, not only with my friends and instructors but with people from derelict circumstances through the LUMS Community Service. My association with such services did not end here; instead, it further catapulted me to help those in need. Subsequently, I took up a job as a Teaching Assistant, whereby my colleagues and I worked to retain students with academic difficulty through conducting tutorials and peer counseling.

My introduction to the energy sector was a coincidence at best. Having only an undergraduate degree in economics, I was academically ill-equipped for my first job as an integral member of the corporate finance team of Uch Power. The technical jargon used at work eluded me, and I had to put considerable effort into tasks that others performed with complete ease. However, I soon realized that To survive in the fast-paced life of Uch and with no time to learn the ropes, I had to make a run for it or risk being caught behind. With time, what started as a struggle to survive slowly became a passion: a desire to understand and decode whatever complexities my work entailed. Today, I am working not only with the corporate finance team of Uch itself. Still, I am also a valuable part of the Uch-II team – the expansion project adding another 4040MW to the existing grid.

However, this is merely the beginning, for I aspire to achieve much more. Despite such productive work experience, I continue to thirst for the knowledge needed to give back to my community, help others, and, most importantly, prove that what matters is not where one comes from but where one’s heading! I’ve worked hard to make the most of this chosen career path – in the most derelict sector of the economy, and I intend to continue doing so in the future.

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Personal Statement

How to write a personal statement.

A personal statement is a different type of essay than the study or research objective.

Personal Statement essay will allow you to:

Tell a story  Consider what’s special, unique, distinctive and impressive about your life story.

Present your life experience Consider why you might be a better and more successful Fulbright grantee than others.

Help your future teacher/supervisor get to know you as a person  Consider what personal characteristics you possess.

A good essay

• Is fresh, lively, different and concise
• Distinguishes you and makes you memorable
• Really shows your personality (be yourself)

How do you get started?

• Reflect on your life. Talk to friends and family, ask them to tell you what they think is most unique about you and what your strongest personal characteristics are. Do you agree with them?

Questions to ask yourself:

• What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help a person better understand you or set you apart from other applicants?
• Consider aspects of your life which have helped to form the person you are now. For example, what significant events have happened to you? How did those experiences influence the choices you have made? Who have been your role models, and why?
• Explain relevant stages of your life path and your academic career from early on til now.
• When did you become interested in applying to the Fulbright program and going to the U.S.?
• As a Fulbright grantee, you will be expected to share your experiences while in the U.S. What aspects of living in Finland will you want to bring forward? When you return to Finland, what do you hope you will have gained? What type of plans do you have after your studies are complete?
• What aspects of the Fulbright Program do you find most engaging? Why do you want to be a part of the Fulbright experience?
• What major interests do you have outside your academic studies and work?
• Do you have some community involvement or organizational experience?
• Do you have interest in contributing to the general society or influencing others and the society? If yes, in which way?
• Explain your future goals.

Ask your supervisor and college/university officials about yourself:

• What personal characteristics do I possess that would appeal to him/her/them? 
• What academic achievements distinguish my career so far?
• What life experience do I have that would convince them of my maturity, integrity, adaptability and seriousness of purpose?
• What are the most compelling reasons I can give for my future supervisor to be interested in me?

Note:  Take your time. The way a person devises the essay, determines the length, develops the response is all part of the process. The level of effort sends a message.

Remember:  Do the essay yourself, be careful, edit it and write as many drafts as necessary. Try not to repeat what is already explained or described elsewhere in the application.

Use these guidelines to help you in the thinking process of writing the Personal Statement. Remember to keep the Statement concise (about 400-500 words).

News & blog.

The Ambassadors’ Circle Scholarship Honors the 75th Anniversary of Finnish-U.S. Exchanges

Nokia Säätiö ja Fulbright Suomi -säätiö laajentavat yhteistyötään

Fulbright Finland and LUT University Offer A New Award for Electric Mobility Research

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The Fulbright Program is the flagship international exchange scholarship program between the U.S. and 155 countries. This subreddit is a space for candidates and alumni to discuss topics related to the Fulbright Program. The views expressed in this space are not affiliated with the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State

Personal Statement Content

Wondering if anyone has any tips/pointers on what to talk about in a personal statement. For context, I'm currently an undergrad student applying for an English-teaching program. I've started a few drafts & read about personal statements from university websites/guidebooks on Fulbright personal statements, but I'd like to know if there are specific themes that are more/less attractive to the Fulbright selection committee than others, speaking broadly.

Thank you in advance for any pointers!

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