personal statement examples fulbright

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Fulbright Program

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The Fulbright website provides the following description of the personal statement:

“This statement should be a narrative giving a picture of yourself as an individual. It should deal with your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual development, the educational and cultural opportunities (or lack of them) to which you have been exposed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you. Also include your special interests and abilities, career paths, and life goals, etc. It should not be a recording of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your statement of proposed study.”

The Fulbright personal statement is an opportunity for you to share with the committee information about yourself that is not available in other parts of the application. In it you can provide the committee with a sense of your personality and your interests. Ideally, your personal statement will complement your written proposal in some way. For example, if you are proposing a research project, you might discuss the origin and development of your interest in that field of research.

There is no one format or approach that will work well for every application. Some applicants choose to write an intellectual autobiography highlighting the key moments in their academic development. Others discuss their passion for travel, the topic of their proposal, or the host country, detailing the origins of their interest and how it evolved. Many students give an overview of significant experiences and reflections, while others tell one particular story as an example of a larger point about who they are.

Keep in mind that engagement with the community in the host county is an important criterion in selection as the primary purpose of the Fulbright Program is to encourage mutual understanding between people from the U.S. and people from other countries. Your application should indicate how you expect to become involved in the local community, whether through volunteer work, extra-curricular activities, and/or simply pursuing a hobby—sports, music, cooking, etc.—in the host country. The personal statement is the best place to include this information.

Prewriting:

Writing a personal statement is an exercise in self-reflection. To write a good statement, you will first need to think about your accomplishments and past experiences. These can be personal, academic, or extracurricular, including any significant insights or experiences that relate to your interest in international exchange, the host country in which you hope to do your work, or the specific project or area of study you plan to pursue. Your goal in this personal statement is to give the committee a sense of who you are and how you became interested in applying for this particular project in the context of an international exchange.

A free writing process will help you sort through your experiences and narrow your focus to two or three central issues or experiences you can use to frame and anchor your essay. Consider the following questions:

• What problems or questions intrigue you? How did you become
• What sorts of things have you done outside of the classroom? What have you learned from your extracurricular or work experiences, and how have those experiences contributed to your growth?
• Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life? If so, what were these obstacles and how did you face them?
• What might be unique, special, or distinctive about your life story or past experiences?

You are encouraged to work with a writing proctor even at this early stage. Talking over your experiences and reviewing your initial thoughts with someone else can help you narrow your focus and determine what you really want to discuss in your personal statement.

Your personal statement should not be a narrative version of your resume, listing events, activities, and accomplishments one after the other. Rather, it should provide the committee with a snapshot of yourself that connects to why you want to pursue this particular Fulbright in the country you have chosen. Doing this in one page is no small feat. The best statements undergo multiple drafts and revisions over a period of time. Give yourself plenty of time to write your statement, and allow it to evolve along with your understanding of why you want to pursue the project you are proposing.

In general, your personal statement will contain the following three sections:

• The opening paragraph  will contain a statement, example, or anecdote that grabs the readers’ attention right away, while providing a solid frame for your essay as a whole. This is the most important part of your statement, and it will likely be one of the hardest parts for you to write. When drafting, don’t get stuck on the opening paragraph. You will revise it many times as you revise the essay as a whole.
• The body  presents more specific detail, building on the framework you have established. The rule of thumb here is to use concrete examples to illustrate your points. Show, don’t tell. Rather than simply telling the committee “I am curious,” “I love science,” “I am patient and dependable,” etc., consider using one or two anecdotes that can help you focus and bring specificity to the discussion.
• The concluding paragraph  can address your future goals and how your work/experiences as a Fulbright scholar fit into your future plans. Your personal statement should not repeat information already represented in your proposal; thus, you should not conclude your personal statement by making an argument for why you need a Fulbright to conduct your study. Instead, you should discuss more generally how your proposed Fulbright year relates to your future goals and aspirations. The scholarship committees want to award Fulbright awards to people who will use their Fulbright experiences as bridges from where they are now to where they are going. 
Students have a tendency to be too general and rely on abstractions or clichéd phrases when describing their experiences and interests. Show your passion for neuroscience through the experiences you’ve had and the skills you’ve developed, show them you believe in the value of being open-minded through a specific example, show them that you care about issues facing developing nations by talking about your experiences helping to develop new irrigation techniques in El Salvador one summer, etc. The more specific and concrete you can be about illustrating your interests, the better.

Which program are you applying to?

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October 6, 2022

Writing a Confident and Thematically Driven Personal Statement for Fulbright

Like many large grant organizations, the Fulbright Foundation requires applicants to write both a statement of purpose and a personal statement.

Regardless of your personal background, a strong personal statement for a large grant application like the Fulbright should always have a clear focus: the content of it should always serve the overarching project proposal that you’ve articulated in your statement of purpose.

[For more about the statement of purpose, check out: Writing the Fulbright Statement of Purpose as a Practical Document . ]

4 goals of your grant personal statement

The personal statement is a persuasive text in which your job is to convince the reader that you are excited about and capable of achieving the impactful goals you have set for yourself. The choices that you make as you share your personal history should enable you to accomplish the following goals:

• Explain what drives you to carry out this particular project with an authentic sense of enthusiasm, passion, and commitment towards generating tangible impacts.
• Describe past experiences that have equipped you to carry out this particular project with a clear sense of cultural sensitivity, collaboration, and purpose.
• If your project plays a part in your overarching personal or professional trajectory, show the reader what you have already done to fulfill this mission.
• Show the committee what kinds of impacts you plan to have both as you carry out this project, and afterwards. How will the time that you spend on this grant contribute to a future that goes far beyond the project itself?

Below I’ve included the personal statement that I wrote for a successful application to the Fulbright Brazil cohort of 2016. After the original essay, I have provided analysis that clearly shows the argumentative logic and supporting evidence in each paragraph.

Fulbright personal statement example

My fulbright personal statement.

(Original text)

I first studied Portuguese to expand my comparative engagement with Spanish Latin American literature as an undergraduate student. This literary curiosity, however, quickly unfolded into an overwhelming year of music, buses, warm tropical air, and full- time coursework as an exchange student at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in 2007. Captivating Brazilian authors like Darcy Ribeiro and Machado de Assis pulled me deeper into the Portuguese language. The political power of Música Popular Brasileira and the stark creativity of Cinema Novo forced me to reconsider my own historical perspectives regarding the increasingly visible and global role of regional cultures. After that year of international studies my relationship with Brazil continued to expand in dynamic ways.

My first professional role at Glass Lewis required me to conduct research in Spanish and Portuguese, translating documents for the explicit purpose of assessing the monetary value of publicly traded companies in the Americas. There I realized that my affinity for language acquisition and critical thinking put me in a unique position to facilitate access to economic and cultural dialogues regarding the growing importance of Latin America and Brazil. After this experience I attended the University of Cambridge and wrote my thesis on 20th century visual and photographic representations of the U.S.-Mexico border. This project showed me that there are undeniable links between aesthetic representation, technology, politics and economic flows. By continuing my studies at the doctoral level and seeking opportunities to work with Latin America and Brazil, I make choices that allow me to facilitate public access to information, critical dialogue and multiple points of view in a variety of international contexts.

In the classroom I have collaborated with Professor L. to teach students how to translate ethnographic narratives about musical experiences into research projects regarding relationships between global popular culture, technology and individual identities. I have spoken at several conferences about my collaboration with UCLA archivists to make a previously hidden collection of cordel accessible through a highly searchable and detailed Finding Aid at the Online Archives of California. Last year I consulted with a small educational start-up called Endless Mobile, a company that facilitates access to educational information for communities that only have intermittent access to the Internet. At Endless Mobile I served as a content strategist and developed tools for selecting and storing educational content that is now being used in classrooms all over Guatemala.

The knowledge that I continue to develop and gain as I study Latin America and Brazil is only useful unless* I can share it with others. There are a variety of venues through which information can be made accessible to larger audiences, and they are not always in the classroom. In addition to my studies, experiences at Glass Lewis, the UCLA Library’s Special Collections and internet companies like Endless Mobile have shown me that that the stories we tell about relationships between the Americas, whether they are driven by financial or educational needs, play incredibly powerful roles in the contemporary world. As a student, translator, teacher and researcher I aim to participate in these conversations and search for better ways to make them possible.

* This typo was in my original (and successful) proposal. “Unless” should be ‘if.”

Analysis of the argument – paragraph by paragraph

Paragraph 1.

Persuasive goal: Explain my initial exposure to studying in the host country of Brazil as the root of my current desire to study the “increasingly visible and global role of regional cultures.”

Evidence provided in paragraph: As I discuss my experiences studying abroad in Brazil, I clearly reference the main components of my project. The prominent content of my project: “literatura de cordel,” is an object of regional culture, and the complex mechanism I wish to consider: “global visibility,” results from processes of circulation and redistribution.

Paragraph 2

Persuasive goal: Clearly show how my postgraduate experiences were a continuation of the interests I developed during my year abroad in Brazil.

Evidence provided in paragraph: Whether in my professional role as a financial researcher, master’s student at Cambridge, or doctoral student at UCLA, I consistently chose to pursue complex questions related to “public access to information” in cross-cultural, multi-lingual, and global contexts. Again, in this paragraph I’ve chosen to narrate my professional history through the broadest theme of the project: redistribution.

Paragraph 3

Persuasive goal: Demonstrate the active role that I currently play in the process of redistributing educational information through teaching, archival collaboration, and non-research work experiences.

This paragraph ties together a diverse set of work experiences, and purposefully cuts through a number of institutional boundaries. By clearly narrating my recent non-research work experiences as a teacher, collaborative archivist, and content developer for an education start-up, I clearly state my capacity to carry out my mission both within and beyond the university setting.

Paragraph 4

Hey there’s a typo in this paragraph, and I still made it through!

Persuasive goal: Envision a future for myself that will allow me to have broad social impacts through a continuous practice of making information accessible in a variety of institutional settings.

Evidence provided in paragraph: This paragraph clearly expresses a personal mission that is open to the future, wishes to make information available outside of the classroom, and can see beyond this singular project. I acknowledge the powerful nature of cultural relationships between the Americas and, in the final sentence; I firmly plant myself in the contemporary world, even though my object of study is from the past.

Bottom line: what I learned

Hindsight is 20/20. Even though I didn’t know how the events, activities, and interests of my past experiences would add up while they were happening, the personal statement was a chance for me to confidently show the committee that I was passionate about and prepared to achieve the project-based goals that I set for myself.

Need help navigating the grant application writing process? Looking for personalized guidance for your personal statement? Learn how your Accepted advisor can help you achieve your educational and professional goals.

Fulbright 2023-2024 Competition Deadline

Source: Fulbright website

Student Affairs Advisor and scholarship expert, Rebecca has six years experience reviewing and editing large grant applications, research-based proposals, statements of purpose, personal statements and fellowship materials. Want Rebecca to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Grad School Statement of Purpose , a free guide • What I Learned about Grant Writing from Putting Together 3 Fulbright Applications Before Finally Being Selected • Writing the Fulbright Statement of Grant Purpose as a Practical Document

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• Tips for Writing a Fulbright Personal Statement / from the Fulbright Program, University of Utah
• Tips for Writing a Fulbright Research Grant Proposal / from the Fulbright Program, University of Utah
• Sample Successful Fulbright Essays: For Teaching Assistantship Proposals, for Research Proposals, and for Study & Research Proposals / from the Student Fellowship Office, University of Rochester
• Writing Fulbright Essays: The Personal Statement & the Statement of Grant Purpose / from Yale University
• Writing for the Fulbright Scholarship [with samples essays] / from Penn State University
• Fulbright Personal Statements: Tips & Guidelines / from the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan
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The 2025-26 Competition is now open. Applications must be submitted by the national deadline of October 8, 2024 at 5pm ET.

Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org .

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program .

Application Components: Academic Fields

All applicants must complete and submit their applications via the  Fulbright Online Application.  This is where you enter data, upload documents, and register your recommenders and foreign language evaluator. The following items comprise the components of the Academic application:

Biographical Data

The Personal and Contact Information pages of the application ask for your basic personal information, such as your name, contact information, birth date, etc.

• Complete all required fields: You should take care to accurately complete all of the required fields in these sections.
• Use proper capitalization and punctuation: This is a formal grant application, and you are advised to follow the English language rules on capitalization and punctuation. Do not enter responses in all caps. Be sure to proofread your responses in the PDF proof prior to submitting your application.

Program Information

On the Program Information page, you must include a Project Title and an Abstract/Summary of Proposal. These sections are a quick reference for screening committees and other reviewers. They should be able to determine the basic who, what, when, where, why and how of your project by reading this abstract. The project title should be informative, as well.

• Field of Study:  Select from the drop-down the most closely-related field for the proposed project.
• Project Title (90-character limit): A succinct title that clearly introduces the proposed project. This title will be listed in the Grantee Directory, should you be awarded a grant. 
• Abstract/Summary of the Proposal (1750-character limit): A concise description of the what, where, and why of the proposed project. If you are proposing the pursuit of a graduate degree program, summarize the program and relevance to your career/education plans․
• Host Country Engagement (1750-character limit): At its core, the Fulbright program aims to promote mutual understanding and seeks individuals who can be cultural ambassadors while living abroad. This section should offer a description of the ways in which you will engage with the host country outside of your grant activities to fulfill this mission. How do you plan to share your culture and values in your host community? Specific ideas should be included.
• Plans Upon Return to the U.S. (850-character limit): A brief description of your future career and/or educational plans following completion of the Fulbright grant.

Statement of Grant Purpose

This 2-page document outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright grant. If you are pursuing a research project, developing a strong, feasible and compelling project is the most important aspect of a successful Fulbright application.

The first step is to thoroughly read the award description for your selected award and host country to understand the type of grant you are allowed to propose (Independent Study/Research or Graduate Degree Enrollment). Depending on the country and award parameters, applicants may have the option to propose completing a graduate degree program. Some countries have specific arrangements or named awards for graduate study. In this case, applicants should focus on demonstrating the reasons for pursuing the proposed graduate program at a particular institution in the host country.

Whether you are applying for a research project or a degree program, the proposal should indicate a clear commitment to the host country community and a description of how you will engage with it.

Develop an intellectually compelling and feasible project: This is the most important factor in presenting a successful application. Program design will vary by country and award, and while some countries encourage applicants to incorporate coursework into a project, others prefer independent research. You should ensure that your proposed project fits the program guidelines for the host country and award.

For applicants proposing independent study/research projects , address the following points:

• With whom do you propose to work?
• What do you propose to do?
• What is innovative about the research? What will this research contribute to the field/discipline?
• What are the specific research goals and methodologies?
• What is important or significant about the project?
• What contribution will the project make toward the Fulbright goal of promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding?
• When will you carry out the project? Include a feasible timeline.
• Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why did you choose this location?
• Why do you want to undertake this project?
• What are your qualifications for carrying out this project?
• Why does the project have to be conducted in the country of application?
• How will your project help further your academic or professional development?
• How will you engage with the host country community? Give specific ideas that relate to your own personal or professional interests.

Design a feasible project: You must demonstrate that your research strategy is viable, including its content, methodology, and time frame. Address the following points:

• How will the culture and politics of the host country impact the work?
• Will the resources of the host country support the project?
• Have you developed a connection with a potential adviser in the host country who has knowledge of the research topic and access to other appropriate contacts in the field?
• Do you have the necessary academic/field-specific background to undertake the proposed research?
• You should consider that, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of engaging with your host community, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.
• What are your plans for improving your language skills, if they are not adequate at the time of application?
• Are there any possible sensitive topics or feasibility concerns that the project could provoke?

For applicants proposing to enroll in graduate degree programs , address the following points:

• Why do you want to pursue the proposed program in the country to which you are applying?
• What are your reasons for selecting this particular institution?
• Do you have the requisite academic/field-specific background to gain admission to and undertake the proposed graduate degree program?
• Why do you want to gain a better understanding of the peoples and cultures of your host country? Please demonstrate specific ideas on how you will integrate into the host country community that relate to your own personal or professional interests.
• Do you have sufficient language skills to successfully complete the program, especially if the program is not taught in English?
• Do you have the flexibility and dynamism necessary for active involvement in the host country?

Candidates applying through U.S. institutions are urged to consult professors in their field of study or faculty members with experience in the host country, as well as their Fulbright Program Advisers, about the feasibility of their proposed projects. At-Large applicants should consult similarly qualified persons in their fields.

Crafting your proposal:

• Be clear and concise. The individuals reading the proposal want applicants to get to the point about the 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' of the project. Avoid discipline-specific jargon and ensure your application can be clearly understood by a general audience.
• Organize the statement carefully.
• Don't make reviewers search for information. We urge you to have several people read and critique your Statement of Grant Purpose, including a faculty adviser, a faculty member outside your discipline, a fellow student, and/or a colleague.

Adhere to the proper format:

• Length is limited to a maximum of two single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow documents longer than two pages to be uploaded.
• Do not include any bibliographies, publications, citations, etc., except those that will fit in the two-page limit. Citations are not required for your Statement of Grant Purpose.
• Use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12-point font.
• On line 1: Statement of Grant Purpose
• On line 2: Your Name, Host Country, and Field of Study
• On line 3: Your Project Title as it appears in the Program Information page
• On the second page of the Statement, enter the same information or just Last Name, Grant Purpose, Page 2.
• Do not include information in headers, footers or margins.
• Do not include links to websites or external files/materials. Adding any URLs to external websites may affect the eligibility of your application.

Affiliation Letter

For Study/Research Applicants, affiliation with an educational institution or other sponsoring entity in the host country is required , even if the grant project is primarily research, an artistic activity, or does not require enrollment in regular classes. All applicants are required to list a proposed affiliation, with some awards requiring a letter of affiliation to be submitted at the time of the application deadline. Please refer to the award description for specific requirements on which institutions or organizations can serve as an affiliate.

Failure to submit a letter of affiliation for an award which requires one at the national deadline may result in an application being deemed ineligible.

The affiliation letter should come from the institution and/or individual in the host country with whom you are proposing to work. It should be written in or translated to English, printed on official letterhead, and should be signed by the author (electric signatures are permitted).

Understand the affiliation requirements for the country to which you are applying: Affiliation arrangements vary by country and may not be required at the time of application. Carefully review the affiliation information provided in the award summary for your host country. All academic grantees must have an affiliation in the host country listed in their application, even if a letter is not required at the deadline.

Countries differ in the kinds of host affiliations that are acceptable. Examples of affiliations include universities, laboratories, libraries, non-governmental organizations, and so on. Pay special attention to the requirements in some countries to attend classes and/or affiliate with academic institutions. Proposing an affiliate that does not meet the requirements for your chosen award may affect the eligibility of your application.

Identify an appropriate affiliation for your project: The affiliation is your proposed host in the country to which you are applying. Fulbrighters have used a number of methods to contact potential hosts and solicit support for their projects. One primary method is to use the contacts and advisers that you already have. Ask current or former professors to put you in contact with the appropriate people in the host country. If the proposal contains a strong research component, you must have host country contacts that can support the research, provide access to required resources, and/or advise you during the grant period. It is your responsibility to identify, contact, and secure an affiliation from a potential adviser.

Potential avenues to identify an appropriate affiliation/host country adviser include:

• Faculty at your home campus.
• International students.
• Visiting Fulbright Professors in the U.S. or U.S. Fulbright Scholars who had grants to your host country. Directories are available here .
• Internet searches of faculty at potential host institutions with your interests, or organizations in the host country that work with issues related to your topic.
• Other U.S. academics with expertise in the location/subject matter of the proposed project.
• Contacts from previous experience abroad.
• Educational Advising sections of Embassies or Consulates of your potential host country.

Start early: Obtaining an affiliation letter from overseas can be a time-consuming process, and sufficient time must be given to receive signed affiliation letters before the application deadline. Late affiliation letters will not be accepted after the application deadline.

Request the Affiliation Letter: After identifying the appropriate host institution and the individual at that institution best suited to serve as an adviser for the proposed project, contact the potential adviser to determine if they are willing to write an affiliation letter. Before requesting the letter, you should provide the author with a copy of the Statement of Grant Purpose. The affiliation letter should indicate the author’s willingness to work with you on the intended project and it should speak to the feasibility and validity of what is being proposed. The letter should also indicate any additional resources or contacts that the adviser can provide to support the work.

• Scanned versions of the original hard-copy letters with hand-written signatures should be uploaded into the application. Letter writers can either send the original hard-copy letters or electronic copies to the applicants.
• Since affiliation letters are not confidential, you will upload the letter yourself into the online application system. Affiliation letters written in a foreign language must be translated into English and both the original letters and the English-language translations must be uploaded into the application. An ‘official’ translation of the letter is not required.
• Instructions on uploading letters of affiliation are available in the Fulbright online application system.  IIE will not accept any affiliation letters via email, fax, or mail.
• The affiliation letter must be printed on an institutional letterhead and must be signed by the author.
• Copies of email correspondence will not be accepted.
• Do not upload any documents other than a letter of affiliation to this field of the application. Uploading extraneous materials to this field may result in your application being deemed ineligible.

Personal Statement

The statement should be a 1 page narrative that provides a picture of yourself as an individual․ It should detail your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual development, the educational, professional, and cultural opportunities  that you have (or have not) accessed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you and your personal growth․ Include your special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals, etc․ It should not be a list of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your Statement of Grant Purpose․ Rather, it should be but specifically related to you and your aspirations   as they relate to the specific Fulbright Program award to which you have applied․

                                 Do not repeat information from other parts of the application.

• Length is limited to a maximum of one single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow statements longer than one page to be uploaded.
• On line 1: Personal Statement
• Do not include information in headers, footers, or margins.

Foreign Language Forms

Language requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should review the specific language proficiency requirements of your selected award. You must possess the necessary language skills to successfully complete the project you are proposing.

For programs where language skills are required , you must complete the Language Self Evaluation form within the application, and register an individual to complete the Foreign Language Evaluation Form. The Foreign Language Evaluation Form is completed by a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor. 

Submission of both the Language Self-Evaluation portion of the application and Foreign Language Evaluation form is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or are a native speaker of the language. The application system will not allow the submission of an application if a required Foreign Language Evaluation form is not registered.  Failure to submit the required language forms may affect your eligibility.

For programs where language skills are r ecommended or not required , if you possess some language skills relevant to the host country or proposed project, you should complete the Language Self Evaluation and submit a Foreign Language Evaluation Form. It will be beneficial to have your language ability documented, even if it is not required for the award. Remember, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of engaging with your host community, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.

For programs in countries where English is one of the national languages, you do not need to submit any foreign language forms unless a foreign language is required for your project.

If language proficiency is not required for the award and you have little or no knowledge of the language relevant to the host country but plan to acquire proficiency prior to the start of the grant, you may discuss your plans in the Language Self Evaluation. In this case, you should not obtain a Foreign Language Evaluation.

For Commonly-Taught Languages : The Foreign Language Evaluation should be completed by a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant.

For Less-Commonly-Taught Languages : If a professional language teacher is not readily available, a college-educated native-speaker of the language can be used. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant.

Provide your language evaluator with the Instructions for Foreign Language Evaluators . You can print these out and discuss them with the person completing the form.

If you wish to have the same person complete both a recommendation and a Foreign Language Evaluation, you will need to register the person once for the recommendation and once for the Foreign Language Evaluation. Please check with your evaluator/recommender to ensure they receive the correct forms. If your evaluator/recommender is having issues accessing the forms, please instruct them to email [email protected] for assistance.

Recommendations

You must submit three recommendation letters as part of the application. The authors should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed; they should discuss your intellectual and professional preparation, and your ability to represent the U.S. abroad. You should provide the recommender with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose before requesting the recommendation letter. The recommendation letter should NOT simply be a character reference, as this will be of no value in assessing your ability to complete the proposed project.

• Recommenders cannot be related to you. Do not submit recommendations from a parent, sibling, or other relative.
• Provide reference writers with copies of the Statement of Grant Purpose and the Personal Statement so that they can write well-informed recommendation letters.
• It is common courtesy to give recommenders at least 4-5 weeks to complete the recommendation letters.. Confirm with your recommenders that they can submit your recommendation letters within this timeframe, and ahead of the national deadline.
• You must register the recommenders in the online application system so that they can upload their recommendation letters directly into the application. When available, it is preferred you register your recommenders using their professional or institutional email address. Let your recommenders/evaluators know that they should be expecting an email message with the following information in the header:
• From:  Fulbright U․S․Student Program ([email protected])
• Subject:  Fulbright Recommendation for [Your Name]
• Recommendations must remain confidential. Applicants cannot upload recommendation letters on behalf of their recommenders, and recommenders should not share their recommendations with applicants.
• Recommendation letters should be on institutional letterhead, signed by the authors, and then uploaded into the online application system. Digital signatures are also acceptable.
• Provide your recommenders with the Instructions for Study/Research Recommendation Writers
• All recommendations must be written in English. If the original recommendation letter is written in a language other than English there must be an official English translation. Because the recommendation letter is confidential, the translation cannot be done by the applicant. Both the original recommendation letter and the English-language translation must be uploaded into the Fulbright application as a single document.
• After the recommendation is submitted, it cannot be edited. However, if there is a significant error and the recommender agrees to submit a revised recommendation, the following process must be followed:
• The deadline to request a letter be un-submitted is Friday, October 4, 2024 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.
• The recommender sends an email from the registered email account to [email protected] to request that the recommendation be un-submitted.
• The email to [email protected] must include the applicant’s full name and country of application.
• The recommender will need to allow at least 48 hours for the request to be implemented.
• Once the recommendation is un-submitted, the recommender can edit the recommendation and resubmit.
• All recommendations must be submitted by the application deadline, Tuesday October 8, 2024 . Late recommendation submissions are not accepted  under any circumstances.
• If a recommendation letter needs to be removed from the application after being submitted, the recommender must send an email from the registered email account to [email protected] to request that the recommendation be deleted from the application.

Note: Applicants and Fulbright Program Advisers cannot request that a recommendation be un-submitted.

Applicants can follow the status of the recommendation (In progress, Submitted) from the Applicant Status Page. Additional instructions and details on the submission of recommendations are available in the online application system.

Transcripts

The Fulbright Program requires a complete academic record of your higher education. You must provide transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which you received degrees. Transcripts must also be submitted from other institutions where you studied and received credit for coursework.

You may submit documentation of certificates (e.g.: non-degree programs) only if relevant to your Fulbright Grant Purpose․ However, do not submit extraneous documents as they will not enhance your application․

Failure to submit any required transcripts will result in your application being declared ineligible.

• You must upload one unofficial academic transcript from each post-secondary institution from which you received (or expect to receive) a degree. Additional transcripts should be uploaded for coursework and grades not reflected on degree-granting transcripts.
• If a degree is still in progress, you may upload a copy that shows the most recently completed semester.
• Make sure that the document that you submit clearly shows your name, the name of the institution , and appears as an academic record that is organized chronologically--with course dates, titles, credits, and grades. Screenshots of online academic portals (e.g. a course schedule) will not be accepted․
• Graduate-level students who do not include undergraduate transcripts will be considered ineligible.
• Consult the Transcript Upload Instructions page for more detailed information.

Ethical Requirements

Applicants proposing research involving human beings or animals as research subjects should have their projects vetted by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at their home institutions. Pending selection, grantees may also be required to obtain research clearance from the host country (where applicable). Strong letters of affiliation should include the host institution’s commitment to guiding the applicant through any in-country clearance processes.

At-Large applicants should conduct an individual ethics review ensuring that their proposed projects are consistent with ethical standards for research involving humans as research participants as outlined in the  National Guidelines for Human Subjects Research  (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health), and in the National Guidelines for Animal Welfare at the  National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare  or other applicable internationally recognized ethics guidance documents.

Human subjects research includes: 

• Clinical investigations (any experiment or study on one or more persons which involves a test product/article, whether a drug, treatment, procedure or device); 
• Social-behavioral studies which entail interaction with or observation of people, especially vulnerable populations (i.e., as minors, pregnant women, inmates, drug-users, the mentally impaired, displaced/refugee populations); and, 
• Basic scientific research to study the biology of animals, persons, or organs and specimens thereof. 

The most fundamental issues in studies involving human research subjects include: valid scientific questions and approaches; potential social value; favorable risk-benefit ratio; fair selection of study participants and an adequately administered informed consent process.

On the ‘Affiliation’ page of the application, applicants must note if their proposed project will involve activities that may require a license to practice and/or involve clinical training and/or patient care.

While IRB approval is not required at the time of application, individuals selected for grants must abide by all ethical requirements before commencing their research on human and/or animal subjects through a Fulbright award.

Study/Research Application Components Overview

Checklist For Academic Candidates

Download a PDF copy of the application checklist to use while you prepare your Fulbright application.

Starting The Application

• Contact the Fulbright Program Adviser at your school to discuss the campus application process and note any campus deadlines (pertains only to candidates applying through a U.S. institution).
• Carefully review the program summary for the country and award to which you are applying.
• Draft responses for the following required short answer questions: 1) Abstract/Summary of Proposal, 2) Host Country Engagement, 3) Plans Upon Return to the U.S.
• Draft a Statement of Grant Purpose that is feasible and culturally appropriate for the country of application.
• Identify a potential affiliation in the host country and make contact with an appropriate person there who might be able to serve as an adviser and who could write the Affiliation Letter for the Fulbright application. Provide the author of the affiliation letter with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose.
• If you are proposing a graduate degree program, review the admission requirements and application deadlines of the proposed host institution and program. Applicants proposing to pursue a graduate degree program must apply to the degree-granting program separate from their Fulbright application.
• Draft a Personal Statement that provides the screening committee members with a fuller picture of who you are and what has motivated you to pursue this Fulbright opportunity.
• Consult with professors and/or colleagues with background in the country to which you are applying or those who have expertise in the field of study of the proposed project.
• Solicit critiques on the draft Statement of Grant Purpose from professors, advisers, mentors, colleagues, etc., and make revisions as appropriate.
• Contact 3 individuals to write recommendations. These individuals should be those who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed. You should provide a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose to each recommender. Allow enough time for the recommender to complete their recommendation before your institution’s campus deadline and/or national deadline.
• For candidates submitting Foreign Language Evaluations: Contact the professor or other professional foreign language instructor who will complete the Foreign Language Evaluation form for the application.
• Obtain transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended.

Before Submitting The Application

• Make any necessary revisions based on feedback from the Campus Interview Committee (pertains only to candidates applying through a U.S. institution).
• Check for typos—misspellings, capitalization errors, grammatical mistakes, etc.
• Make sure that all of the required fields on the Biographical Data pages have been filled in, including the Project Title and Abstract of Proposal sections.
• Check to make sure that the Statement of Grant Purpose, the Personal Statement, and the transcripts have been uploaded into the correct sections of the application.
• Confirm that recommenders and language evaluators are registered in the application system and have received the email link to complete the recommendation/evaluation. Applicants can submit their application before the recommendations/evaluations are submitted. After application submission and before the national deadline, applicants can log in to the application and resend email links.
• Preview the completed application in the Fulbright online application system by going to the Review page.
• Print a copy of the application for your records.

Sample Personal Statement for Fulbright Scholarship

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In fulbright documentation | fulbright scholarship | personal statement samples for scholarships.

Over the past year or so I have been getting a lot of requests from students regarding sharing a sample personal statement for the Fulbright scholarship.

The sample Fulbright personal statement below has been shared with me by an anonymous but successful Fulbright applicant who has allowed me to share her personal statement on this blog. It can be used as an example to give you an idea of how to write and structure your own personal statement for the Fulbright program.

If you feel you need a little extra help, you can always contact me to check if I can help but please DO NOT copy chunks from this essay, or plagiarize them directly. You will not only lose your chance of getting the Fulbright scholarship but it is also unfair to copy someone’s original work. Simply use this to as a reference guide for writing your own authentic personal statement.

Before you go on to read this sample personal statement for Fulbright scholarship, let’s do a little exercise to warm you up for writing your own statement of purpose.

So here it goes: Which of the following sounds more appealing?

I went down the building to the cafeteria, which looked good, and bought a burger that I ate.

I strolled down the building as the cafeteria fragrances wafted through the air. I then bought the best chicken burger I have ever tasted.

Of course you would say that the second one is better. This is so because it is more descriptive and creates a more vivid and inspiring picture in your mind. But at the same time it requires the right set of words to describe the situation which is slightly more challenging.

So a word of advice – just write more descriptively so that its all the more exciting to read!

Some examples:

BORING:   I performed in my first GRE exam today. EXCITING:   I blew the GRE test away in my first attempt.

BORING:   I ran an antivirus, and got the computer to work EXCITING:   Ignoring risks and malfunctions, I did a complete antivirus run on my new computer.

Just know that you all have remarkable stories to share – you just need to dare to be more descriptive!

Jinnah once said, “Failure is a word unknown to me.” His triumphant struggle for a separate homeland was a testament to this statement. Yet sixty years down the road, we have proved our founding fathers wrong as our nation is poised to become a failed state. Since its inception, my homeland has witnessed anything but failures. Despite having vast potential for renewable energy, one of the most significant coal reserves, millions of hectares of cultivated land, and an enormous labor pool, my country’s survival depends on the massive inflow of foreign aid and loans. It’s a pity that our economy continues to be the sick man of the sub-continent even after 60 years of independence. In the face of such economic upheaval, we, as citizens of this embattled nation, can either stand on the sidelines and pass judgment or take a stand and fight for our nation’s progress. I, for one, have chosen the latter!

Belonging to a social setting where typically most young women voluntarily or involuntarily rest their case to marriage at an early age, I, nonetheless, immediately after high school, sought admission to a top-ranking university in the country. Owing to the booming banking industry and fruitful career prospects in the sector, I was faced with immense pressure from my family to opt for a degree in finance; however, having great empathy for issues of economic backwardness and an ardent passion for being a change agent, I chose to major in Economics instead.

My college days, however, were not just about earning an internationally reputed degree – it was an education in all dimensions. My most rewarding experiences were outside of the classroom walls. Though the initial separation from my family’s direct support was challenging, it provided me with an opportunity to discover my capabilities in making and living with my decisions. It made me recognize that survival in a competitive freelance environment depends on how well you do and how well you relate to people. Fortunately, I was able to accomplish results and develop lasting working relationships, not only with my friends and instructors but with people from derelict circumstances through the LUMS Community Service. My association with such services did not end here; instead, it further catapulted me to help those in need. Subsequently, I took up a job as a Teaching Assistant, whereby my colleagues and I worked to retain students with academic difficulty through conducting tutorials and peer counseling.

My introduction to the energy sector was a coincidence at best. Having only an undergraduate degree in economics, I was academically ill-equipped for my first job as an integral member of the corporate finance team of Uch Power. The technical jargon used at work eluded me, and I had to put considerable effort into tasks that others performed with complete ease. However, I soon realized that To survive in the fast-paced life of Uch and with no time to learn the ropes, I had to make a run for it or risk being caught behind. With time, what started as a struggle to survive slowly became a passion: a desire to understand and decode whatever complexities my work entailed. Today, I am working not only with the corporate finance team of Uch itself. Still, I am also a valuable part of the Uch-II team – the expansion project adding another 4040MW to the existing grid.

However, this is merely the beginning, for I aspire to achieve much more. Despite such productive work experience, I continue to thirst for the knowledge needed to give back to my community, help others, and, most importantly, prove that what matters is not where one comes from but where one’s heading! I’ve worked hard to make the most of this chosen career path – in the most derelict sector of the economy, and I intend to continue doing so in the future.

Fulbright Scholarships-

Fully Funded Scholarships 2024-2025

How to Format a Personal Statement

How to format a personal statement for scholarship/cv | personal statement examples.

The only way to write a personal statement that will get you a scholarship. Thus, use these samples of personal statements to assist you in writing your own. Similar to the motivation letter and recommendation letter, personal statements, sometimes called declarations of purpose, are a crucial component of your application. Thus, keep in mind that these serve as the cornerstones of your scholarship submission. Composing a personal statement is challenging. Why? One must carefully consider how to produce the greatest personal statement because it requires time. Have you ever heard the phrases personal statement, statement of purpose, or SOP? True? Allow me to clarify in straightforward terms, How to Format a Personal Statement for Scholarship/CV.

Moreover , a test individual explanation for a grant that helped in my acknowledgment into the US Trade Program is given . After perusing my explanation , you’ll too get it what I was talking around and how I tied my individual articulation to the prerequisites of the course for which I am applying. Hence , in this paper , I’ll go over the fundamentals of composing a individual articulation for a grant . It’s basic to consider your statement’s word check , format , and starting .

Personal explanations can assist you stand out from the competition by giving the peruser with the finest impression of your identity interior your application. It requires ability and effectiveness, and the sincere words bolster the individual message. In addition , it is one of the foremost critical records or basic components of any worldwide venture , inquire about , or trade . You may also check: How to Write a Cover Letter

Important key points to remember when writing a Personal Statement

Your bio, achievements, educational background, accomplishments, and reasons for enrolling in a particular programme are all included in your personal statement, also known as a statement of purpose.

• A succinct overview.
• Education-related background.
• How this programme will help you accomplish your goals going forward.
• The benefit of taking part in the programme.
• Most of the assertions have a word count of little more than 250–300. There are situations when they permit up to 500 words. Give yourself plenty of time.
• Take your time.
• Also, open a Microsoft Word document and start writing. Jot down any words or sentences that occur to you or that you feel like writing.
• Make good use of Google. Look up related topics on Google to see what people are talking about. Your best teacher and helper is Google.
• Select phrases that you think will leave a positive impression. Organise the lines, words, and phrases in the appropriate order.
• Go on reading. Eliminate typos, grammatical mistakes, and other issues.
• Have it read by someone else, and ask them to point out any mistakes or suggestions for improvement. Take note of it. Talk to an expert about your idea and personal statement.
• Reorganise one once again.
• It won’t be possible to finish a strong personal statement in a few hours.

So, i completed my graduate school statement of intent in around thirty days and sometimes it helps to take a few days off and come back to the situation fresh.

Which Information Should Include in a Personal Statement? Guidelines | Tips

Before you start filling out your scholarship application, consider how to create a scholarship personal statement that shows who you are and why you deserve the scholarship.

• Start writing your personal statement. Take plenty of time to reflect on your thinking and appreciate the reasoning behind each question. Present your argument and Stay focused.
• Preparation: Make sure your personal statement has a reasonable framework. Think about how this will sound to a completely unfamiliar audience. Do you think this is a story? Do You Think You Are A Smart Person?
• Make it your own: In the first 1-2 lines, tell us a little about yourself. After all, it’s not called a personal statement for nothing. This is your chance to tell readers everything you think they need to know about you to make an informed decision.
• Also, proofreading involves listening to your work out loud to someone else and adjusting it for clarity of subject and style. Remember grammar and punctuation standards and don’t forget to spell check.
• If you are applying for a prestigious scholarship, send your entire personal essay to a reputable scholarship advisor for editing and rewriting assistance.

How to Format a Personal Statement? Important Steps

Here are the steps how to format a personal statement for Scholarship.

1. Ist Paragraph

So, you might pique the interest of your reader with an intriguing opening and tell us about your background, your family’s history, and yourself. Also, dd any unique familial or personal circumstances that have impacted your need for money.

2. 2nd Paragraph

Justify your superiority above other applicants for the scholarship. What achievements have you ever made accordingly far? This is where your argument construction should begin. What drew you to study at LaGuardia University? What field do you specialise in? How were you able to choose a major? What are your leadership qualities, accomplishments, employment history, volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, and so forth?

3. 3rd Paragraph

So, how do your goals relate to the possibility of receiving a scholarship, and what are your intentions going forward? Additionally, be specific about the direction and means by which you wish to pursue your goals. What is your long-term learning objective? Associate, bachelor, master, and doctorate degrees are available. What are your goals in your career? How do you intend to use your degree to further your professional goals? Justify the significance of your major in light of modern culture.

4. Last Paragraph (Conclusion)

Lastly, this is your last chance to convince and impress the reader and how will the scholarship impact your education and future opportunities? Summarise your eligibility for the award.

Download Personal Statement Examples/Samples in Pdf

For your convenience and future reference, Personal Statement Examples or Samples are now accessible in PDF format.

• Click Here to Download Personal Statement in PDF

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Fulbright Essays: Personal Statement and Study/Research Objective

by Umair Khan | Mar 22, 2019 | Fulbright Scholarship | 0 comments

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Personal Statement vs Study/ Research Objective- Fulbright Scholarship

Article Index

Zariya Mushtaq, Fulbright Scholar, and Harvard law school graduate, explains the difference between Study Objectives and Personal Statement in the video below:

Personal Statement and Study objectives Fulbright Scholar and Harvard Law School student Zariya Mushtaq shares invaluable tips regarding personal statement and study objectives. Posted by Quva on Sunday, February 24, 2019

Fulbright scholarship program requires you to write two essays as part of your online application, namely the personal statement and the study objectives. In this article, we’ll discuss in detail how to effectively write each of these two essays. Before we do that, it is very important to understand the mission of the Fulbright program and what it expects of successful applicants. That will help you define the tone of essays and overall application, and also the mindset with which you apply for the scholarship.

The mission of the Fulbright program is to help people with strong academic histories to study in the United States as ambassadors for their country. More importantly, they expect their candidates to be passionate about serving their country. Successful applicants in the past have returned to their countries and assumed leadership positions in their fields, and the same is expected of future applicants. Frame your Fulbright objectives with these considerations in mind.

Personal Statement for Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan

Most of what you need to know regarding the Fulbright personal statement has already been covered in my article regarding a general personal statement . (Please read the complete article on Personal statement before reading this article). In addition to the guidelines provided in the previous article , there are some important details relevant to Fulbright’s Personal Statement that we recommend you cover.

How to Write Personal Statement for Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan?

The Fulbright Scholarship states on their website

In addition to academic work, persons selected for Fulbright programs are expected to share information about Pakistani life and culture with their U.S. colleagues and with community groups in the U.S. On returning to Pakistan, Fulbright grantees are expected to share their U.S. experiences with colleagues and community groups in Pakistan. Successful candidates should be poised to assume leadership positions in their fields and must be committed to returning and serving Pakistan.

In light of the information provided by the organization itself, we recommend students to discuss the following points in their personal statement to better inform the reviewer of how they are a good fit for the scholarship.     

• Leadership Roles
• Contribution to Society
• How will your degree help you serve Pakistan better?

Since the Fulbright Scholarship is looking for leaders who can come back to Pakistan and contribute to the development of the country, it is important that you clearly communicate your leadership potential to the organization. You can do this by giving the example of an international event you participated in and won, or by talking about a technical project that you led and how it impacted your community, or by discussing your work with a community service organization or in any other way depending on your past experiences.

A lot of students have a natural tendency to look down on their projects, to think that their work is not important or significant enough because it wasn’t hard enough, it is important to remember that the measure of importance depends as much as, if not more, on the improvement it brings to the life of its users as it depends on the technical prowess it required. Simple solutions can be extremely powerful.

Also, there is a thin line between writing an intelligent personal statement that neatly connects your aspirations with education and leadership ability, and writing a personal statement that only revolves around your love for the culture but does not make a compelling case for your academic ability. Lastly, if you have not contributed significantly, do not forge examples for the sake of making your personal statement compelling.

Takeaways from the application:

Here are the most important takeaways from the instructions provided by Fulbright on how to write your personal statement:

It should be a narrative account that describes how you achieved your goals related to your area of study. It should not merely be a list of achievements and accolades, but a compelling story of your struggles and motivations to achieve them. Watch the video at the top for details.

INCLUSIVENESS

It should be a comprehensive account, including everything from your education and practical experience to career plans and interests worth mentioning.

FORMATIVE FACTORS:

It should describe the most important factors that shaped your educational or professional development.

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE:

It should contain information on the number of years of practical experience relevant to your intended field of study.

NO MENTION OF UNIVERSITIES:

There should absolutely be no mention, whatsoever, of specific universities in the US in which you want to get enrolled. There is another section in the application for that.  

Sample Personal Statement for Fulbright Scholarship

The following are some personal statements of Fulbright grantees. Please do not try to plagiarise personal statements, they are meant to act as reference and USEFP clearly states that plagiarizing can lead to disqualification.

Sample Personal Statement Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan -1

Personal Statement for Fulbright Pakistan

Study/ Research Objectives for Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan

As the name indicates, study/ research objectives communicate the desired learning outcomes from your degree in US. Study/ Research Objectives are an opportunity for candidates to communicate what they want to study in the US.

How to write study objectives/ research objectives for Fulbright Scholarship?

Writing study objectives/ research objectives clearly is only possible if you are clear about what you want to achieve from your Master’s degree.

Some students are certain about the answer because they are passionate about a certain subject/ area and want to pursue specialization for the love of the subject. Some students are not necessarily passionate about the subject but they like a few subjects/ areas and decide they will pursue one of those areas based on which area adds the most value to their career prospects. Generally, having an understanding and knowledge of subjects/ skills that will be most required a few years from now adds the most value to one’s career.

While there are multiple ways of approaching the question of how to write study/research objectives, one way of doing this is to go to the programs you desire to enroll in and make a list of the learning outcomes given. Then, using the list, create a draft of the learning outcomes that you are passionate about and discuss how those outcomes connect with your past education/ work experience and your future goals. You don’t need to limit yourself to learning outcomes from just one program, you can select outcomes from multiple programs as long as they connect with your future goals and past academic/ work experience. However, selecting too disparate study objectives may not be a good idea.

Here are the most important takeaways from the instructions on how to write your essay on study objectives:

Takeaways from instructions:

AIMS & THEIR REASONS

As the name indicates, it should describe your study/research objectives, supported by your reasons to pursue them.

SPECIFICITY

It should specifically describe your prospective major field and specialized interests within this field.

RELEVANCE      

It should describe the intended program and explain how it aligns both with your past education and experience and your future goals.  

A common temptation here is to not just state what the objectives are but also to list the program and the university that you want to pursue. It should not mention specific universities. In a nutshell, while the personal statement for your Fulbright application has more to do with what you have done in the past, your study/research objectives relate more to your future in the field of your intended graduate studies.  

Sample Study Objectives for Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan

Sample Study/Research Objectives for Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan- 1

Sample Study/Research Objective Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan- 2

Sample Study or Research Objectives for Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan- 3

Evaluation Criteria of Fulbright Scholarship Pakistan

While the Fulbright Scholarship or the USEFP has not endorsed the following images, they were published online by a Fulbright Alumnus and reading them might give you a better idea of how reviewers approach the scholarship essays and how you should.

You may also like: Pros and Cons of Fulbright Scholarship      

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Fulbright Scholarships

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Personal Statement for Scholarship

Personal statement for scholarship 2022 | personal statement examples.

The definitive approach to writing a Personal Statement for Scholarship application. Hence, see personal statement examples to help you create your own. Personal statements are also known as Statements of Purpose and like the Motivation Letter and Recommendation Letter, is an essential document for your application. So, remember that these are the foundations of your scholarship application. Writing a personal statement is difficult. Why? Because it takes time, one must think carefully on how to write the best Personal statement. Have you heard the terms SOP, Statement of Purpose, or Personal Statement before? Yes? Let me explain in simple terms.

In addition we have attached an example of a scholarship personal statement that got me accepted into the US Exchange Program. Also, after reading that statement, you will understand what I was talking about in my statement and how I linked my personal statement to the nature of the programme for which I am applying. Hence, In this essay I’ll go through the essentials of writing a personal statement for a scholarship and the number of words, how to format your statement, and how to begin a personal statement for a scholarship are all important considerations.

Further, Personal statements provide the reader of your application the best sense of who you are as a person and what distinguishes you from other applicants. It requires both efficiency and proficiency and the words from your heart strengthen the personal message. Also, It is one of the most crucial documents or one of the most fundamental and essential components of any scholarship, exchange, or international programme. You may also check: Recommendation Letter for Scholarship | Motivation Letter for Scholarship | English Proficiency Certificate

Important points to focus while writing a Personal Statement

Personal Statements or Statements of Purpose include your introduction, bio, educational history, accomplishments, and motivation in joining a certain programme.

• A brief introduction.
• Background in Education
• Achievements.
• How this Program will assist you in achieving your future objectives.
• The advantage of participating in the Program.
• The majority of the statements are limited to 250-300 words. They allow up to 500 words in some circumstances.
• Allow yourself plenty of time.
• Take your time.
• Begin writing in a Microsoft Word document. Write every word or sentence that comes to mind or that you wish to write.
• Use Google to your advantage. Google relevant subjects to see what others are talking about. Google is your finest instructor and assistant.
• Take sentences that you believe will make a good impression. Rearrange the words, lines, and phrases as desired.
• Continue reading. Remove typos, grammatical errors, and other problems.
• Request that someone read it for you and let you know if there are any errors or if it needs to be improved. Note it. Discuss your concept and personal statement with an expert.
• Rearrange one again.
• A fantastic personal statement will not be completed in a matter of hours.

It took me almost a month to finish my statement of purpose for graduate school. It’s sometimes beneficial taking a vacation for a few days and then returning to it fresh.

What Should a Personal Statement Contain? Tips | Guidelines

Before you begin filling out your scholarship application, think about how to create a scholarship personal statement that communicates who you are and why you deserve a scholarship.

• Begin writing your personal statement. Allow yourself plenty of time to think about your themes and carefully evaluate the reasoning behind each inquiry.
• Make your point. Maintain your concentration. Be organized: Make certain that your personal statement has a logical framework. Consider how it would sound to an audience that is unfamiliar with you. Does that seem like a narrative to you? Are you well-organized?
• Make it Personal: In the first 1-2 lines, tell us a little about yourself. After all, it is referred to as a Personal Statement. This is your opportunity to tell the reader all you believe they need to know about you in order to make an informed decision.
• Proofreading is reading your work aloud to others and revising it for clarity in both substance and style. Pay attention to grammar and punctuation norms, and don’t forget to spell-check. If you are applying for prestigious scholarships, send all personal statements to the Prestigious Scholarship Advisor for editing and re-write help.

1st Paragraph of Personal Statement for Scholarship

With an eye-catching opening, you can capture your reader’s attention. Tell us about yourself, where you’re from, and your family history. Include any unique personal or family situations that have influenced your need for financial help.

Second Paragraph of Statement

Describe why you are the best candidate for the scholarship. What have you accomplished thus far? This is where you start to make your argument. Why did you decide to study at LaGuardia? What is your field of study? How did you decide on a major? What are your strengths, successes, employment experience, internships, volunteer work, leadership experience, extracurricular activities, personal challenges overcome, and so on?

3rd Paragraph of Personal Statement for Scholarship

So, connect your ambitions to the possibilities provided by the scholarship and what are your plans for the future? Also, be precise about how you want to achieve your objectives and where do you intend to relocate? What is the greatest degree you intend to obtain? Associate, Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D. What are your professional objectives? How do you intend to use your education to advance your career? Explain why your major is important in today’s society.

Conclusion (Last Paragraph)

Lastly, this is your final opportunity to impress and persuade the reader and what effect would the scholarship have on your schooling and future prospects? Recap why you are an excellent contender for the scholarship.

Personal Statement Examples | Samples in PDF Download

Download now Personal Statement Examples or Samples in PDF format for your information and further onwards guidance.

Click Here to Download Personal Statement in PDF

So, Apply now for Some Scholarships with the above Guidelines: Scholarships in 2022-2023

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UNDP Internship program 2024

Schwarzman Scholarship 2024

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Fulbright Personal Statement Sample

Here is Fulbright personal statement sample for aspiring candidates. As you already know, the Fulbright personal statement should be a narrative statement describing how you have achieved your current goals. It should not be a mere listing of facts. The personal statement for Fulbright should include information about your education, practical experience, special interests, and career plans. Describe any significant factors that have influenced your educational or professional development. Comment on the number of years of practical experience already completed in the field in which academic work will be done in the U.S. Do not mention specific U.S. universities at which you would like to study.

Fulbright Personal Statement Sample of a Successful Fulbright Candidate

I was born into a middle-class family in Pakistan. At a very young age, I was taught that I need to follow my dreams. In the year 2000, 738 Million people had access to the internet whereas I was exiled to my room for one year doing something as trivial as using it. I was part of a culture that intends to keep women behind familial bars. Suffering but with a purpose, it took all I had to convince my parents that a BS in Computer Sciences will pave the way for a bright future. I was the first female in my family to go to college. Despite the late nights I spent coding, I couldn’t ignore the fact that the accelerated economic growth of 2004 was carried forward to 2005 universally, all except South Asia. Within Pakistan, even though I could see a rise in IT-related business-service sectors, I also saw that inflation picked up. I saw it in the eyes of the people that were scattered on the streets begging for food. Pakistan’s external debt reached an all-time high at $34.04 Billion. That is when I decided to undertake Finance as my specialty during my MBA degree, as I knew full well that revenue generation was the need of the hour for Pakistan. Culturally, I came face to face with yet a new challenge. I was out on the street. I spent two years of college living in a one-room apartment with a family of five, barely having any food or hot water. Against all odds, I completed my MBA with distinction and got my first paid job at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Advocating women’s right to education and opportunity became second nature to me.

Alongside my job, the era of rapid technological advancement allowed me to combine my creativity and technology to capitalize on my entrepreneurial abilities and establish my own clothing line, amongst other things. Three quarters of the profits from this business were used to fund a trust that I established. As of today, The Giving Hand Trust is supporting the education of underprivileged girls and providing food to nearly 200 families.  

Hailing from a developing country, I am privy to some of society’s biggest problems. I worked with a bank, gained experience working in the private sector and served ample time with a human rights organization to know that even though my IT skills and business knowledge will ensure I earn well in life, I will not be able to eradicate the dilemma of economic inequality within the country, the real plight of the people leading to extreme poverty. No real impact, I said to myself.

It was mainly my aspiration to serve the public interest that finally drove me to join the Civil Services of Pakistan. By virtue of my position within the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) of Pakistan, I know now that a progressive tax system is imperative to an equitable economy, though it is just one aspect. I am also aware that a good tax system cannot be developed without involving all the stakeholders. Improved standards of living within a country like mine have a direct correlation with economic growth making me realize the importance of public policy as a field of goal-driven study. This awareness made me step back into school for my MPhil. The recommendations of my thesis on “Efficient Taxation” are becoming part of the finance bill in 2018.

With twenty years of formal education and six years serving as a Deputy Commissioner in the IRS, I understand Pakistan’s special needs and I know that famous economic theories cannot be blindly applied to inform public policy decisions. I am realistic enough to know that complete eradication of inequality is not an attainable goal. In a developing country like mine, an initiative to improve taxation will address the issue of economic disparity in favor of the poor. The ripple effect of progressive taxation will yield economic growth, reduced inflation, a reduction in tax rates and a tax to GDP ratio that is in keeping with the economic potential of the country.

My unique professional position will allow me to develop and implement an amalgamated approach to tackle socio-economic problems of Pakistan and the developing world, in theory and practice. However, I do need that coveted foreign qualification that a Ph.D. from the US will bring.

For more posts on Fulbright , the GRE and other related stuff related to the scholarship applications, please do subscribe to the blog so that you don’t miss an article that might help you out. All the best candidates. I hope this Fulbright personal statement sample would help you in crafting your own personal statment for your Fulbright application. If you want to know further about the Study objective for Fulbright application you can visit our previous posts on How to write Study Objective for Fulbright application and the sample study objective for Fulbright application .

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Interesting….

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Awesome I’m applying this year

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