Fulbright Scholars Program Recruiting Candidates
The US Diplomatic Mission to Vietnam announced the recruitment of candidates to the US to study in early 2025 with a full scholarship.
According to an announcement on July 26, the American Fulbright Scholars Program - Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) received applications until 5:00 p.m. on October 17. The selected scholars will come to the US to study for 3-4 months next year, must return after finishing the program.
The program is open to university lecturers, officials of diplomatic missions, government agencies, private sector specialists, research institutes or non-governmental organizations in Vietnam. Persons who are teaching, studying or researching in the US or have received a Fulbright grant within the past 5 years who came to the US on an exchange (J-1) visa in the last two years as a professor or research scholar. be recruited.
The selected person will research on the top important issues in US-ASEAN relations. Unlimited fields such as education, journalism, law, public management, food technology, information science, public health...
The US Diplomatic Mission said that the scholarship includes round-trip airfare, a monthly allowance of $2,710 to $3,145 (more than VND 64-74 million), depending on the city where the candidate comes from. In addition, candidates are supported with some other study and living expenses.
According to the announcement, candidates must submit an online application, including curriculum vitae, research proposal (maximum 3-5 pages), list of references, two letters of recommendation, and an invitation letter (optional). .
The US-ASEAN Fulbright Scholars Program began recruiting in 2012 with one entry for each country in the ASEAN region. Since last year, the number of scholarships has increased to 2.
Fulbright Scholarship Hunting Experience
Master Vinh Huy, who was a member of the selection committee of the Fulbright scholarship, shares the best way to prepare and complete the US study abroad application.
Master Vinh Huy twice won the Australian Government's AAS scholarship and the US Government's Fulbright scholarship. In 2016, Master Huy was invited by the Fulbright program to be a member of the selection committee.
Attending a seminar on providing and sharing information about Fulbright scholarships for the academic year 2022-2023 of the US Government in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Huy said that this year the subjects of the Fulbright scholarship program have not changed and are still available. priority is given to the social sciences and humanities. However, if you are a STEM manager, you can still apply.
The finalists shared their experiences at the recent US Government Fulbright scholarship information seminar in the academic year 2022-2023 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: NVCC.
According to statistics of the Fulbright program in Vietnam, every year the number of applications fluctuates from 300-500. By the screening round, there were about 150 applications left for the selection committee to consider. The number of applications to be considered for the inner round depends on the quality. Each year the program selects 30-50 resumes for the interview round.
About the selection criteria: Fulbright highly appreciates the academic goals, no matter what unit the candidate works in, regardless of public or private agencies, and there is no preference for religion or region. domain.
The Fulbright is one of the few scholarships that doesn't ask for a college degree or specify a GPA. The goal is to open the door for everyone. The audience that Fulbright looks for are candidates who have the potential to contribute to the community and society in the future.
Two PS (Personal Statement) and SO (Study Objectives) essays: Fulbright's regulations for PS personal essay and objective essay, SO study plan up to 1,000 words for each. The finalists (candidates who have passed the interview round and are waiting to be officially accepted by US schools) this year also shared some notable points when presenting their essays.
Essays need:
- Emphasize and demonstrate your specific contribution to the community and society after studying.
- Must carefully study the 7 criteria of Fulbright to meet the best.
- Write and present in a way that can be understood by outsiders and non-experts, particularly members of the selection committee.
- Apply the "Show, don't tell" writing technique by using specific stories or personal experiences in life, study, and work to illustrate the essay.
- The introduction and conclusion of the PS essay are very important, which can be opened with a dialogue, or illustrated with pictures to open and end for an impression.
- The two essays PS and SO are two stories that complement each other to fully express themselves to the board.
Boldly brag about yourself in two essays.
According to Master Huy, the majority of finalists participating in this year's seminar are more or less aware of the importance of mentors (instructors and consultants) and seek their help when writing a profile to hunt for a Fulbright scholarship. A finalist even categorizes specific mentors into groups:
- Same field of study when applying for a Fulbright scholarship.
- Different fields of study when applying for a Fulbright scholarship.
- Have a master's degree and IELTS.
- Know the candidate best.
- Indigenous people.
Master Huy (right cover) with the finalists of Fulbright 2020 at a recent experience sharing session. Photo: NVCC .
Letter of Recommendation (LOR): Fulbright requires submission of 3 LORs that represent aspects, perspectives, or stories of the candidate. These three LORs help the panel have an objective view of the candidate in addition to the PS and SO essays.
LORs are the three pieces of the puzzle that complete the candidate's story or picture. According to the finalist's experience, when looking for a LOR writer, one should proactively contact and provide information about himself and Fulbright's evaluation criteria to the referrer.
Interview round: The main purpose of the interview is an opportunity for the panel to have the opportunity to get in touch to know more about the candidate's real personality besides the profile. As a result, panel members will ask more about the aspects they still have questions about when reading the record. Therefore, in order to prepare well for the interview round, the basic and important thing to do is that the candidate must know the information about his profile.
A finalist also shares experiences if a particular gifted candidate can perform in front of the panel. This finalist performed a song in front of the panel and made a special impression.
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