Tips for writing a Fulbright Teaching Assistant Grant (for whoever winds up finding this hopefully it helps)
For starters, I KNEW that I wanted to apply for Fulbright a year in advance of the actual deadline. However, I did not actually START the application until a month or so before it was due. HUGE ADVISORY: Don't do this! And to be completely honest, I probably only started it because school was delayed for two weeks due to a hurricane. So things happen in mysterious ways. Nevertheless, I still want to write down the process it took because even I was amazed at how great the final product turned out.
I started brainstorming during the summer. I already knew I wanted to apply specifically for Colombia. In the past, I had considered Greece and even South Korea, but as my love for the Spanish culture and language grew (plus my stay in Costa Rica) I knew that I wanted Colombia. However, no matter how many times I visited the yummy and delicious shops in Monteverde I could not get my rough draft started.
The why is an extremely important aspect of your application. You are required to write two essays based on the why- these are called the Personal Statement and Statement of Purpose - along with two - three essay questions that all pertain to the why. I know I am redundant but hopefully this emphasizes that the WHY is extremely important. And now that I have probably made you hate the word "why" forever, I will tell you that you do not have to know the exact why to write the perfect essay.
Hear me out -
It wasn't until I was sitting at home, stuck with nowhere to go ( and possibly wet and moldy furniture) that I decided I needed to start writing. I knew that I loved the Spanish culture and the people and I loved teaching so I wrote and somehow I finished two pages worth of my statement of purpose. Unfortunately I lost my first draft that most likely floated away during the hurricane. Otherwise I would have posted a picture of my initial draft here because it read NOTHING like my final draft. There is the possibility that I kept one sentence from my original draft, but I started with my why - which was that I loved teaching. I loved the Spanish culture. And that was it. I then went on to explain what I liked about teaching and how I organized my classroom. I also explained all the different experiences I had with the Spanish community from Costa Rica to my school community. It rambled. It wasn't the best, but it was something.
Soon after I wrote the first draft of my statement of purpose I decided to research other candidates who had applied to Colombia. By the time I started hearing back from them, I had cranked out two revisions of my statement of purpose, and also had the thought: "Why not research other candidates statement of purpose?" (Probably most of you have already been advised to do this but I was at-large so I had absolutely no guidance)
After reading examples of successful grantees proposals, I knew I was on the right track. From there I revised and revised and revised my essay. I would say I did about 5-8 revisions in the short span time of 2 months. And it was little by little. I would rewrite a chunk here or piece there. I would read it out loud - walk away - read it again and then play with the wording in my head.
However, I do not recommend waiting until the last minute. I work full-time. I had just started attending college again (however it helped that it was for Spanish) and I was trying to balance life after a hurricane. It was stressful. I think I gained weight. I definitely was not eating like I should. While it is possible to complete a Fulbright application last minute, the stress level and toll on your health can make or break you.
Thankfully, I made it. I applied the same process for my personal statement. Struggled greatly with this second essay because I had never written one before. This one took even longer for me to write. Even after I had someone edit and read it for me, I STILL went back and made some huge changes.
So in conclusion -
1. I say: KNOW the country you want to apply for and have an idea of the WHY
2. Research other candidates who have successfully applied and lived in the country under Fulbright. Pay attention to their tips and also what they are doing, how they talk, etc.
3. Write the draft EVEN if you are barely getting any words on the page. It will come don't worry
4. This is tricky - I suggest writing a draft before looking at examples but you may need to look at examples before getting started on the draft. Whatever works for you, but for me, I wanted it to be my own words so I am glad that I looked at other candidates drafts after I had written mine. It was confirmation that I was on the right track.
5. Of course have someone edit it with a fine tooth
and finally...
6. BE HONEST
I started with the simple honest truth: I love the Spanish culture and I enjoy teaching. So hire me. From there I developed a draft that was tailored to their desired prerequisites but the truth was there woven throughout every aspect of my application.
For starters, I KNEW that I wanted to apply for Fulbright a year in advance of the actual deadline. However, I did not actually START the application until a month or so before it was due. HUGE ADVISORY: Don't do this! And to be completely honest, I probably only started it because school was delayed for two weeks due to a hurricane. So things happen in mysterious ways. Nevertheless, I still want to write down the process it took because even I was amazed at how great the final product turned out.
I started brainstorming during the summer. I already knew I wanted to apply specifically for Colombia. In the past, I had considered Greece and even South Korea, but as my love for the Spanish culture and language grew (plus my stay in Costa Rica) I knew that I wanted Colombia. However, no matter how many times I visited the yummy and delicious shops in Monteverde I could not get my rough draft started.
The why is an extremely important aspect of your application. You are required to write two essays based on the why- these are called the Personal Statement and Statement of Purpose - along with two - three essay questions that all pertain to the why. I know I am redundant but hopefully this emphasizes that the WHY is extremely important. And now that I have probably made you hate the word "why" forever, I will tell you that you do not have to know the exact why to write the perfect essay.
Hear me out -
It wasn't until I was sitting at home, stuck with nowhere to go ( and possibly wet and moldy furniture) that I decided I needed to start writing. I knew that I loved the Spanish culture and the people and I loved teaching so I wrote and somehow I finished two pages worth of my statement of purpose. Unfortunately I lost my first draft that most likely floated away during the hurricane. Otherwise I would have posted a picture of my initial draft here because it read NOTHING like my final draft. There is the possibility that I kept one sentence from my original draft, but I started with my why - which was that I loved teaching. I loved the Spanish culture. And that was it. I then went on to explain what I liked about teaching and how I organized my classroom. I also explained all the different experiences I had with the Spanish community from Costa Rica to my school community. It rambled. It wasn't the best, but it was something.
Soon after I wrote the first draft of my statement of purpose I decided to research other candidates who had applied to Colombia. By the time I started hearing back from them, I had cranked out two revisions of my statement of purpose, and also had the thought: "Why not research other candidates statement of purpose?" (Probably most of you have already been advised to do this but I was at-large so I had absolutely no guidance)
After reading examples of successful grantees proposals, I knew I was on the right track. From there I revised and revised and revised my essay. I would say I did about 5-8 revisions in the short span time of 2 months. And it was little by little. I would rewrite a chunk here or piece there. I would read it out loud - walk away - read it again and then play with the wording in my head.
However, I do not recommend waiting until the last minute. I work full-time. I had just started attending college again (however it helped that it was for Spanish) and I was trying to balance life after a hurricane. It was stressful. I think I gained weight. I definitely was not eating like I should. While it is possible to complete a Fulbright application last minute, the stress level and toll on your health can make or break you.
Thankfully, I made it. I applied the same process for my personal statement. Struggled greatly with this second essay because I had never written one before. This one took even longer for me to write. Even after I had someone edit and read it for me, I STILL went back and made some huge changes.
So in conclusion -
1. I say: KNOW the country you want to apply for and have an idea of the WHY
2. Research other candidates who have successfully applied and lived in the country under Fulbright. Pay attention to their tips and also what they are doing, how they talk, etc.
3. Write the draft EVEN if you are barely getting any words on the page. It will come don't worry
4. This is tricky - I suggest writing a draft before looking at examples but you may need to look at examples before getting started on the draft. Whatever works for you, but for me, I wanted it to be my own words so I am glad that I looked at other candidates drafts after I had written mine. It was confirmation that I was on the right track.
5. Of course have someone edit it with a fine tooth
and finally...
6. BE HONEST
I started with the simple honest truth: I love the Spanish culture and I enjoy teaching. So hire me. From there I developed a draft that was tailored to their desired prerequisites but the truth was there woven throughout every aspect of my application.