Fullbright for gap year?

[Endoxifen]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Has anyone here ever done Fullbright during their gap year? What was/is that like? What did you do? What does it take to be competitive for that fellowship? Thanks!

Edit: Research Fullbright specifically

 

[Master_of_Savage]

Has anyone here ever done Fullbright during their gap year? What was/is that like? What did you do? What does it take to be competitive for that fellowship? Thanks!

Are you specifically looking for people who taught English or did research?

 

[Endoxifen]

Are you specifically looking for people who taught English or did research?

Research. Sorry, I should have clarified.

 

[tessellations]

I'm hopping in on this thread because I was actually just wondering this myself.

 

[flapjack3d]

Will cost 4 arms and a leg to go back and forth internationally for interviews.

EDIT: I was doing something internationally during gap year, and one of the reasons I came back early was bc of interviews. I had read elsewhere that it'd be no problem bc you can schedule your interviews all together, but the reality is that most schools interview on only mondays and friday and they only give you like a 3 week window. I ended up interviewing from September all the way until February despite a serious effort to schedule all interviews as early as possible.

 

[enchantediris]

I would suggest taking two gap years if you receive the Fulbright (they're competitive so nothing is guaranteed): one for the Fulbright, and one while you apply. You only have two weeks off during the Fulbright year, and many schools will not Skype interview. Your options may be limited if you apply during the Fulbright, and you will be much more competitive applying after your experience.

 

[JJRousseau]

I did a PhD abroad, and I'm writing it up in the states during this application cycle; the application process is expensive enough without adding a grand to every interview. If you are interested in a Fulbright, I'd say go for it. There's no rush on the medical school application process and you can find some interesting research or paid clinical experience for the year you apply upon your return. If you are able to get one of those fellowships, it is a once in a lifetime experience. I will have spent five years between graduation and matriculation, and I do not regret one bit of it.

 

[md-2020]

where would you be applying for the research award at? given the large number of countries your chances and experience will differ widely.

 

[Endoxifen]

where would you be applying for the research award at? given the large number of countries your chances and experience will differ widely.

Well I've been doing cancer research for all of my undergrad and I like it a lot. I read about a research position in Denmark in a children's cancer hospital. That would be pretty amazing. I haven't really gone through the list of places thoroughly yet, but cancer is definitely what I want to be doing.

 

[JJRousseau]

Well I've been doing cancer research for all of my undergrad and I like it a lot. I read about a research position in Denmark in a children's cancer hospital. That would be pretty amazing. I haven't really gone through the list of places thoroughly yet, but cancer is definitely what I want to be doing.

If you are interested in cancer research and want a location where English is spoken, another alternative is the Karolinska in Sweden. They do great work in many fields, and I think there is at least one international private cancer institute branch there.

Feel free to PM for names of scientists in Europe; depending on the kind of work you are interested in, I've been doing cancer research in the UK for the last 5 years, I'm pretty well informed about the cancer research community across the pond.

 

[md-2020]

Well I've been doing cancer research for all of my undergrad and I like it a lot. I read about a research position in Denmark in a children's cancer hospital. That would be pretty amazing. I haven't really gone through the list of places thoroughly yet, but cancer is definitely what I want to be doing.

If you are interested in cancer research and want a location where English is spoken, another alternative is the Karolinska in Sweden. They do great work in many fields, and I think there is at least one international private cancer institute branch there.

Feel free to PM for names of scientists in Europe; depending on the kind of work you are interested in, I've been doing cancer research in the UK for the last 5 years, I'm pretty well informed about the community across the pond.

i dont have the denmark stats on hand, but given that its in europe id imagine its atleast above average competitively (<20%). other than the basic stats (gpa, recs, ecs etc) for these you probably want a functional language ability (you need a third party eval for some places not sure about denmark tho). also a strong affiliation, so consider where you might be able to get that as well.

tldr: fulbrights in europe (esp UK) are unreasonably competitive and you prob want to find a good affiliate and have good language skills to be more competitive

 

[Endoxifen]

If you are interested in cancer research and want a location where English is spoken, another alternative is the Karolinska in Sweden. They do great work in many fields, and I think there is at least one international private cancer institute branch there.

Feel free to PM for names of scientists in Europe; depending on the kind of work you are interested in, I've been doing cancer research in the UK for the last 5 years, I'm pretty well informed about the cancer research community across the pond.

Thanks! Once I get my ducks in a row, I'll be sure to reach out!

 

[Endoxifen]

i dont have the denmark stats on hand, but given that its in europe id imagine its atleast above average competitively (<20%). other than the basic stats (gpa, recs, ecs etc) for these you probably want a functional language ability (you need a third party eval for some places not sure about denmark tho). also a strong affiliation, so consider where you might be able to get that as well.

tldr: fulbrights in europe (esp UK) are unreasonably competitive and you prob want to find a good affiliate and have good language skills to be more competitive

Well, I have pretty good stats, but you're right, I should keep my expectations reasonable. Thank you.

 

[md-2020]

Well, I have pretty good stats, but you're right, I should keep my expectations reasonable. Thank you.

if youre the typical pre med (like i was) and care more about just getting the fellowship over where it is, you might also look into eastern europe or asian countries. far more reasonable.

 

[JJRousseau]

Well, I have pretty good stats, but you're right, I should keep my expectations reasonable. Thank you.

@md-2020 is correct, western Europe is extremely competitive. Especially the UK - it's often said if you want to do research in the UK with a fellowship you are more likely to be successful applying for a Rhodes, Marshall, or Gates than a Fulbright. In other words, it's harder to be awarded a UK Fulbright than it is to be awarded a Rhodes.

 

[Endoxifen]

@md-2020 is correct, western Europe is extremely competitive. Especially the UK - it's often said if you want to do research in the UK with a fellowship you are more likely to be successful applying for a Rhodes, Marshall, or Gates than a Fulbright. In other words, it's harder to be awarded a UK Fulbright than it is to be awarded a Rhodes.

How is that possible? That seems totally unreasonable.

 

[TheRealJohnDorian]

How is that possible? That seems totally unreasonable.

I was awarded Research Fulbright a few years back. The UK is the hardest country to get a fellowship in, and Western Europe is pretty up there. The website will tell you (or at least it used to tell you) how many applications each country got and how many people got them. I would reference that if you don't have to have a certain location to complete your research...however, one of the main points of a Fulbright is you have to be able to explain why your research can ONLY be done in the host country you are proposing and cannot be completed in the United States.

 

[JJRousseau]

Well, for UK open Fulbright awards (there are lots of University specific awards that are a bit less competitive) it looks like there are 2 seats and there were 162 applicants ~ 1.23%. For the Rhodes, 32 scholarships were given out from a pool of 882 ~3.63%. Both applicant pools are extremely self-selected as well.