Fulbrighter Advice Column

  • “I wish I could have gotten myself to just start sooner.” -Matthew Flotemersch (Hamburg, Germany)
  • “Be prepared to put all of your effort and energy into it [your application], and then put all of that enthusiasm and excitement on the backburner and keep your confidence.” -Brett Fitzgerald (Ungheni, Moldova)
  • “Fulbright is a game of patience and fortitude, the wait between important emails is long and feels longer. With all that being said, don’t stress and try to have some fun with it!” -Brett Fitzgerald (Ungheni, Moldova)
  • “You will be drafting, revising, and editing the written portion of the application a lot more than you are likely used to when writing papers for class. Don’t get caught up trying to make your first attempt perfect.” -Matthew Flotemersch (Hamburg, Germany)
  • “Visit the writing center on multiple occasions and have different sets of eyes look at your drafts. There is no such thing as too much feedback.” -Juan Avila
  • “Go over the word count as you’re writing your application and then shorten it. Not sure what the most important parts are to include? Have your friends and people from the Fellowship office help you – they want you to succeed and will push you to do your best!” -Margaret Totten (Thailand)
  • “Don’t hold back parts of yourself as you write your application. Write about all of you, not just what you think the committees want to hear. Authenticity and genuineness are key!” -Margaret Totten (Thailand)
  • “The interview is 12 minutes…12 minutes isn’t much time, so you need to hit them with the main points and move on, no time for dwelling!” -Brett Fitzgerald (Ungheni, Moldova)
  • “Find something that you’re really, genuinely passionate about-that will come across on paper over everything else.” -Molly Roberts (France)
A woman standing in front of a scenic overlook.
Margaret Totten, K’21
A man standing in front of a boat.
Matthew Flotemersch, K’20
A woman standing at the top of a staircase.
Molly Roberts K’21