The Essays

Your Fulbright Research/Study application requires two essays: a Statement of Grant Purpose and a Personal Statement Essay. The essays are your opportunity to state who you are and what you want to do. Since you will not have any interviews beyond the campus level, you should put as much time and energy into these essays as possible.

Writing these essays can be a frustrating, interesting, and revealing experience. Your final essays should produce a picture of you as a person, a student, a potential scholarship winner, and (looking into the future) as a former scholarship recipient.

Think carefully about the approach you should take to each essay—the Grant Purpose Statement vs. the Personal Statement—because each will serve a different purpose in your application. Each essay should make a statement about your academic life and plans, as well as your personal goals and beliefs. Your writing should grab the interest of the reader and make him or her want to meet you. Write simply and directly, and do your best to strike that difficult balance between modesty and persuasiveness.

NOTE: If you are pursuing an English Teaching Assistantship, you should not complete a Statement of Grant Purpose essay. Rather, you should prepare an English Teaching Assistantship proposal, which is described here.