3 Reasons to Apply for a Fulbright Grant

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Jamie Kent (WH '14)

I applied for a Fulbright research grant after a year in the real world. I know, I am a little older than most - the other Penn grantees I met were all still in school. But, since I’ve seen the other side, I have some perspective for anyone who is considering applying for a grant – current students and young professionals included.

Do you want to pitch your own research? Study in another part of the world? Work on your own terms?

Read on for my top three reasons to apply for a Fulbright Grant. 

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Design your own dream job

There’s no grant quite like a Fulbright. With no limitations on what type of research you can propose, anything is possible. You can study how to ensure women are gaining healthy birth weight in rural India or dissect art cultures in the jungles of Laos. Politicians and scientists, anthropologists and doctors alike have all completed Fulbright research.

Fulbright presents a unique opportunity to propose something you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t limit yourself. Write out a proposal detailing the finer aspects of your dream job. 

See the world

The opportunity to work on something meaningful abroad was hard to pass up. As a vagabond with perpetually itchy feet, I had always wanted to spend at least a year traveling abroad. I knew I couldn’t wait until I was 65 to see the world. 

But as I started my career, long term travel seemed less and less practical. I didn’t want to stunt the professional opportunities that I had worked so hard to earn. Fulbright offered a different possibility: to live abroad with a mission. I could learn Spanish, explore the Patagonian highlands, and surf Chilean point breaks, all while working on a project that would undoubtedly challenge me. 

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Flex your entrepreneur muscle

By accepting a grant to complete your own research in another country, you’ve already taken your first step as an entrepreneur. You’ve just launched your first venture, and you have funding to support it. You may find that your entrepreneurial spirit is piqued.

As the project manager of your funded venture, you’ll wear many hats during each phase of the research. One day, you’re a data scientist, analyzing the results of your interviews. The next, you’re a marketing executive, deciding how best to get your research in front of people. By the end, you have a finished product – something you’ve made from start to finish.

If you find that you are more inclined to start your own fill-in-the-blank, rather than sign up for an existing option, Fulbright may be just the right fit for you.

Jamie Kent (WH '14) will begin her Fulbright research in Chile in March 2017. She will be identifying cost effective methods of teaching computer science in Chilean high schools. Before beginning her grant, she founded InfiniteJuice, a place for travelers navigating the Pan-American highway. 

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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