Master in the USA. Fulbright Graduate Student Program. Part 1
On Habré occasionally come across stories about how people go to study abroad. There were already several articles about training in America. But I did not find any posts about obtaining a Fulbright scholarship, so I decided to share my experience in applying for scholarships, passing the competition and studying at Purdue University . So, if you are interested and especially if you want to try to participate in the scholarship competition, welcome to the cat.
Everything that will be discussed is more applicable to the Ukrainian office, although in general the process in the CIS countries should not be much different (I will write about the differences where I know), since in America all the CIS countries are supervised by similar principles. The article will be broken into a couple of parts, thematically - the submission of documents and competition, study at the university.
A small inset from Wikipedia
From myself . The scholarship is considered one of the most prestigious scholarships in the United States. Many people in the US have heard and know about it.
Initially more humanitarian program, but recently gaining popularity among the basic sciences. For example, a specially recently opened program Fulbright STEP .
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As a rule, the program involves funding your training for 2 years. Therefore, in the case of obtaining a PhD degree, during this time you need to find yourself another source of funding.
Round-trip tickets. Additional flights are not paid.
$ 1280 + depending on the place of residence. In the summer there are no scholarships and there are no tickets home either, which creates an interesting situation. It is also strange that some countries pay a scholarship in the summer, and some do not. Therefore, summer financing should be considered in advance.
Basic insurance Seven Corners. Basically enough for routine visits to the doctor. More info here
You must return to your home country for 2 years in accordance with the requirements of the J1 visa. Here we are talking about obtaining a residence permit in the United States. Nobody prohibits being in the United States on a tourist visa or other student visa, but most likely it will not be possible to obtain a residence permit without returning home for 2 years. With great desire and good luck, you can get an exemption from this rule (waiver), but I have not yet met people who have gone through the whole procedure, so it is difficult for me to talk about it. I heard more than once that they do not always require these 2 years to be physically in their own country, but again there is little information.
You can take your husband / wife and children with you, they get a J2 visa, which, for example, allows you to work. Also, extra money is paid for each family member. More info here
The deadline for submission of documents for the competition is mid-May. It should be borne in mind that the documents are submitted for the year ahead. So I applied for documents in May 2012, when I was in the 3rd year of university, and started studying in the USA in August 2013. The results of the entire selection will be known somewhere in late September (the choice of the university, who you’re lucky) allows you to plan well ahead.
The list of documents is quite simple (I’ll dwell on the most important ones in my opinion):
The first two essays are included in the application and judging by the reviews are the main criteria for the primary screening of candidates.
The deadline for submission of documents is mid-May. Then, somewhere until mid-August, the forms are processed. Everything is quite liberal, if you miss something, you will most likely just be asked to send the missing documents.
In mid-August, people are announced who have gone to the second round (Semi-Final), that is, for an interview. The interview takes place in the form of a panel - 5-6 people ask you about your project, goals and arguments of the relevance of the project. As a rule, among them 2-3 Americans. In my case, half of the people who interviewed me came across Computer Science, the rest are just from technical areas.
The interview itself takes place somewhere in the middle of September, and the results are announced 1-2 weeks after the interviews. So applicants are in the final stage. The bottom line is that this is not a guarantee of the trip itself (although the odds are around 95%). A small number of people drop out due to poor test results, some - at will or because they cannot find a suitable university. Therefore, in addition to the main list, there is also a backup, and the chances of people from the backup list are usually quite good.
After getting into the final stage (actually getting scholarships), you will need to pass 2 tests (TOEFL, GRE General). If you have taken them before, the results are still valid at the time of applying to universities and meet the minimum requirements, then you can not pass the tests. The finalists are paid the surrender, but preparation is usually not paid.
Tests should be taken in late October - early November, so it makes sense to think about it in advance. There is very little time between getting into the final and passing the tests and, as a rule, it’s impossible to significantly raise your level. Especially in GRE, where the language test is very, very difficult.
After passing the tests, according to your results, makes a list of recommended universities for you, which, according to the Fulbright program, you could enroll. The bottom line is that a scholarship is funding, but not a guarantee that you can find a university. Often, program staff try to take into account your wishes, if they are from the field of logic, and not from the area of "Except for Harvard, I'm not going anywhere." You are offered a list of 4 universities and, as a rule, everywhere you need to fill in something yourself. Filing begins at the end of November. The first proposals from the universities will be after the New Year. And here, in principle, the most difficult situation happens. Some universities give the Fulbright program a discount on your tuition, so it’s more profitable for the program to send scholars to such universities. Very good, when your choice coincided with the fact that you are advised. Honestly, what happens in another case, I do not really know. There are people who refuse because they are not satisfied with the university. I think that obsession with the name of the university is not a bad thing, but not the most important one. Moreover, in the end, upon arrival in the US, you can transfer to another university.
Everything that will be discussed is more applicable to the Ukrainian office, although in general the process in the CIS countries should not be much different (I will write about the differences where I know), since in America all the CIS countries are supervised by similar principles. The article will be broken into a couple of parts, thematically - the submission of documents and competition, study at the university.
Fulbright Program
A small inset from Wikipedia
The Fulbright Program is an educational grants program, founded in 1946 by US Senator James William Fulbright and funded by the State Department, with the goal of strengthening cultural and academic ties between citizens of the United States and other countries.
Provides international educational exchanges for students, scientists, teachers, professionals and artists. On a competitive basis, provides grants to both American and foreign students, scholars and researchers. Stimulates "cross" education, in particular American students abroad, and foreign - in the United States. The Fulbright program is one of the most prestigious award programs in the world among similar ones; it works in more than 155 countries, 50 of which have special commissions running the program, where they do not exist, it is supervised by the Information and Culture Department of the US Embassy.
From myself . The scholarship is considered one of the most prestigious scholarships in the United States. Many people in the US have heard and know about it.
Initially more humanitarian program, but recently gaining popularity among the basic sciences. For example, a specially recently opened program Fulbright STEP .
')
Scholarship conditions
- university tuition
As a rule, the program involves funding your training for 2 years. Therefore, in the case of obtaining a PhD degree, during this time you need to find yourself another source of funding.
- ticket in 2 sides
Round-trip tickets. Additional flights are not paid.
- monthly scholarship
$ 1280 + depending on the place of residence. In the summer there are no scholarships and there are no tickets home either, which creates an interesting situation. It is also strange that some countries pay a scholarship in the summer, and some do not. Therefore, summer financing should be considered in advance.
- medical insurance
Basic insurance Seven Corners. Basically enough for routine visits to the doctor. More info here
- 2 year return claim
You must return to your home country for 2 years in accordance with the requirements of the J1 visa. Here we are talking about obtaining a residence permit in the United States. Nobody prohibits being in the United States on a tourist visa or other student visa, but most likely it will not be possible to obtain a residence permit without returning home for 2 years. With great desire and good luck, you can get an exemption from this rule (waiver), but I have not yet met people who have gone through the whole procedure, so it is difficult for me to talk about it. I heard more than once that they do not always require these 2 years to be physically in their own country, but again there is little information.
- opportunity to take a family
You can take your husband / wife and children with you, they get a J2 visa, which, for example, allows you to work. Also, extra money is paid for each family member. More info here
Filing documents
The deadline for submission of documents for the competition is mid-May. It should be borne in mind that the documents are submitted for the year ahead. So I applied for documents in May 2012, when I was in the 3rd year of university, and started studying in the USA in August 2013. The results of the entire selection will be known somewhere in late September (the choice of the university, who you’re lucky) allows you to plan well ahead.
The list of documents is quite simple (I’ll dwell on the most important ones in my opinion):
- Personal Statement - serves as a report on everything you have done and what you think makes you a good candidate for a scholarship. At the same time, it should include some references to how studying in the United States will help you achieve your professional and scientific goals, and why this cannot be done in the conditions in which you are now.
- Study Objective - an essay that follows as much as possible to talk about what you would like to do when you are in the United States. Implies a less detailed description of the project, the relevance of the chosen direction. It is desirable to describe in detail your goals in the chosen field and how you are going to realize these goals, and most importantly, why go to the USA for this purpose
- three letters of recommendation . Try to pick people who can show you from different sides. It seems to me that the optimal set is work, university and social activities. It is desirable to characterize you diversely, but the letter from the supervisor is still better to have. These same letters will then be used to submit documents to US universities, and, knowing how we treat reference letters, it is important to make people understand that these letters are important, and not just a formal reply.
The first two essays are included in the application and judging by the reviews are the main criteria for the primary screening of candidates.
Selection process
The deadline for submission of documents is mid-May. Then, somewhere until mid-August, the forms are processed. Everything is quite liberal, if you miss something, you will most likely just be asked to send the missing documents.
In mid-August, people are announced who have gone to the second round (Semi-Final), that is, for an interview. The interview takes place in the form of a panel - 5-6 people ask you about your project, goals and arguments of the relevance of the project. As a rule, among them 2-3 Americans. In my case, half of the people who interviewed me came across Computer Science, the rest are just from technical areas.
The interview itself takes place somewhere in the middle of September, and the results are announced 1-2 weeks after the interviews. So applicants are in the final stage. The bottom line is that this is not a guarantee of the trip itself (although the odds are around 95%). A small number of people drop out due to poor test results, some - at will or because they cannot find a suitable university. Therefore, in addition to the main list, there is also a backup, and the chances of people from the backup list are usually quite good.
Tests
After getting into the final stage (actually getting scholarships), you will need to pass 2 tests (TOEFL, GRE General). If you have taken them before, the results are still valid at the time of applying to universities and meet the minimum requirements, then you can not pass the tests. The finalists are paid the surrender, but preparation is usually not paid.
- TOEFL iBT - consists of 4 parts (Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing). Each part is about 30 balls, in the amount of 120. At least in most of the universities is about 80, but an acceptable result is 100. It is highly desirable to pass Speaking for more than 25, this often gives the opportunity to be certified at the university if you want to work with students (I passed on 23 and I had to take an additional course)
- GREATED General Test - this test has a progressive grading scale (from 130 to 170, for example, 145 means you are in the first quantile, 151 among the balls, and from 157 is the fourth quantile), depending on the university and the program, the requirements for this test are very different. Some universities do not require it at all. In general, the test is more complicated than the TOEFL, it takes more time to prepare. Consists of 3 parts:
- Math is a fairly easy test, at the 1st year level at a technical university. The bulk of assignments in algebra. Nothing unusual, just for successful delivery you need to get used to the formulation of tasks in English (as a rule, it is more difficult than the tasks themselves).
- Vocabulary is simply incredibly complex. A very academic vocabulary is used, it is often simply difficult to understand what it is about. For him the truth must be prepared for a long time. Later, communicating with the Americans, I realized that among them there are many people who are flooding this test.
- Writing - 2 essays. I have often heard that this is not the most important part for foreign students. According to empirical observations, it is better to devote more time to other parts. Although again with respect to the program.
Tests should be taken in late October - early November, so it makes sense to think about it in advance. There is very little time between getting into the final and passing the tests and, as a rule, it’s impossible to significantly raise your level. Especially in GRE, where the language test is very, very difficult.
University Choice
After passing the tests, according to your results, makes a list of recommended universities for you, which, according to the Fulbright program, you could enroll. The bottom line is that a scholarship is funding, but not a guarantee that you can find a university. Often, program staff try to take into account your wishes, if they are from the field of logic, and not from the area of "Except for Harvard, I'm not going anywhere." You are offered a list of 4 universities and, as a rule, everywhere you need to fill in something yourself. Filing begins at the end of November. The first proposals from the universities will be after the New Year. And here, in principle, the most difficult situation happens. Some universities give the Fulbright program a discount on your tuition, so it’s more profitable for the program to send scholars to such universities. Very good, when your choice coincided with the fact that you are advised. Honestly, what happens in another case, I do not really know. There are people who refuse because they are not satisfied with the university. I think that obsession with the name of the university is not a bad thing, but not the most important one. Moreover, in the end, upon arrival in the US, you can transfer to another university.
Personal advice
- Take the opportunity to TOEFL or GRE before submitting the documents, or over the summer after submitting the documents (the results can be entered in your application at any time). Good results on tests give the commission a certain level of confidence in you and show knowledge of the language. According to empirical sensations, somewhere around 50% of the finalists passed at least one test before reaching the final. Also, passing the tests in advance will greatly simplify your life if you get to the final, as in the other case you have to pass them in a very short time (1-2 months).
- better to have a real list of universities where you want to go. Spend time and review programs. As a rule, universities even have a specialization in computer science. Immediately I want to upset a little, there are not very many chances to get into the Ivy League. The problem is not even in the level of knowledge, but rather the financial side of the issue for Fulbright. Plus, to get into a conditional Stanford we need a real reason why it is Stanford and not, for example, the University of Washington. Therefore, when submitting documents, it is better to have realistic goals.
- be as ready as possible in your direction and project. Try to update knowledge, read what is being researched in your area right now. This is likely to be asked for an interview.
- in preparing for the interview I was advised one very effective method. Spend 2-3 days and write down all the questions that you would have asked yourself about your project. What a person can ask. Ask a friend to help you with this. I was so able to “guess” about 70% of the questions that I finally asked for an interview.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/230503/
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