Top Five Reasons to Apply for a Fulbright Research Fellowship

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1. A Year of Funding to Do Something Important

Many students who apply for the Fulbright are just finishing college; others are PhD students like myself. In either case, Fulbright gives you an academic year of funding (nine months) to do something that you really want to do. If you aren’t passionate and deeply invested, (A): you won’t be happy and resilient enough to stare down the repeated obstacles that you will definitely face, and (B): you won’t get the fellowship anyway.

You do not pursue a Fulbright to make money. The stipends are not excessive, to put it diplomatically. But you will not lose money, you will not gain debt, and you won’t have to worry about either for a year of life while you’re busy pursuing a project that you know is important. It’s a year of “free” time to invest in international research. There is no other program which mimics the wide agenda and international scope of the Fulbright Fellowship.

2. Become a Cosmopolitan Citizen

You pursue a Fulbright when you believe knowledge, community work, and international connections can create meaningful differences in the world. If you haven’t lived in another country, you will learn that living is different from touring or traveling. You will do this with a great deal of independence: you will learn to rely on yourself while you simultaneously learn just how far you can get by going it alone (answer = not far). One of the essential goals of sociology—I’m a sociologist—is to understand how interdependent we are as human beings. When you live in another country, you can learn that lesson the hard way (autonomous resistance, which will fail) or the easy way (recognition), but you will learn it either way. Hopefully, you will have the privilege of experiencing the grace you can receive while being a foreigner. From directions on the street to extensive research site access, when you look back to realize how much help you have been given and what a difference it has made, you may not be satisfied with easy expressions of thanks. This is a good thing.

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You may also experience the pain of being a foreigner, which can come in forms of disrespect, exploitation, or otherwise. Sometimes these are related to the international reputation of America. I burn with shame when I hear “America first.” It is exceptionally difficult to live in another country—any other country—without forming a critique of your home. This is a good thing. The official Fulbright line is “mutual understanding,” but the program is really about internationally-informed citizenship. Take these critiques and use them, when you return, to make the U.S. a better place to live and a country that is more internationally engaged, not less.

3. The State Department Connection

Fulbright gives you an opportunity to meet staff from the U.S. State Department, sometimes formally and sometimes informally. This is an incredible opportunity to form a picture of the institution and their mission. Some of my best memories were listening to State Department veterans talk about being stationed in North Korea, talking about the manufacturing and labor situation in South China, or learning about the (gender-segregated) Finnish tradition of naked sauna diplomacy. You just don’t hear those stories every day.

The State Department also provides an inside interview track for Fulbrighters who want to pursue one of the many career possibilities with them. It is an attractive offer. 

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Fresh. Three different varieties, depending on the season. There is also mango ice cream. You can get a coconut for less than a dollar. Bunches of lychees. Masala dosas and coconut chutney… All of this is India, but I’m sure you get the point. I think it probably applies everywhere except Germany, but in Germany they do have beer.

5. Think of it as an Internship

For those on the edge of graduate school, undertaking a Fulbright research project can solidify what you want. If you’re not sure whether you’re up for the 5-7 years of a PhD, this is a [[{"fid":"800","view_mode":"rte_image_placement_right","fields":{"format":"rte_image_placement_right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"NIFT Cohort","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_folder[und]":"1"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"3":{"format":"rte_image_placement_right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"NIFT Cohort","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_folder[und]":"1"}},"attributes":{"alt":"NIFT Cohort","height":"470","width":"470","class":"media-element file-rte-image-placement-right","data-delta":"3"}}]]good test. By the end of nine months, you will know if this is the life for you or if this is not the life for you. If you’re already interested, it’s going to help your application. If you’re already in a program, like me, Fulbright gives you a chance to re-explore your career path. My project involved a lot of corporate research, for example, and it enabled me to think through the attractions of a corporate job with a depth that I had not previously considered. You can choose, to a certain extent, how you want your project to change you. Take that chance and try it out!

Alexander Hoppe is a PhD student in the sociology department at Penn. His dissertation studies the apparel global value chain between India and the U.S. to understand how fashion is designed, produced, and negotiated through international collaboration and conflict.

The views expressed in contributed blog posts belong solely to the indicated author and do not necessarily respresent those of the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships or those of the University of Pennsylvania.

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