How helpful is a Fulbright Scholarship?

[Joobaroo96]

Will a Fulbright Scholarship be looked highly upon for medical school? Obviously I know it's a big positive, but will it make a difference for a candidate with already really high stats? I am debating whether it is worth forgoing medical school for a year to apply and do a Fulbright award, and if it will make a significant difference in my medical school prospects. I know it will be a life-changing and great experience, but I also don't want to be super old when I finish residency and lose out on a year of attending salary. Also, are certain Fulbrights viewed as better than others? I know that research Fulbrights look better than ETAs, but does a Fulbright to Germany (25% acceptance) look better than Brazil (50% acceptance)?

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[Kamill]

Not as much as you’d think. I have a few friends who applied with Fulbright experiences and they got about 3-4 IIs during their cycle.

I personally think it’s a great thing to do for your own sake and maturity. You don’t get that kind of opportunity during your lifetime.

Also the UK one is probably the best and also the toughest one to get into.


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[Joobaroo96]

Not as much as you’d think. I have a few friends who applied with Fulbright experiences and they got about 3-4 IIs during their cycle.

I personally think it’s a great thing to do for your own sake and maturity. You don’t get that kind of opportunity during your lifetime.

Also the UK one is probably the best and also the toughest one to get into.


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Did they do research Fulbrights or ETA? From what I understand, ETA is really good for personal development, but is not that difficult to get either. The UK one is also incredibly difficult, and TBH only the ones in the top tier universities interest me, like LSE or UCL. Those are probably doubly hard. Anyways, I don't want to do a masters, I want to do research.

 

[Means]

If you already have high enough stats to get into medical school, then you need to consider if getting the scholarship and delaying matriculation by a year is worth a year of missed attending salary.

 

[Joobaroo96]

If you already have high enough stats to get into medical school, then you need to consider if getting the scholarship and delaying matriculation by a year is worth a year of missed attending salary.

I have high enough stats, but applying and getting into top med schools is always a crap shoot. I would honestly be OK with sacrificing one year of attending salary if it meant I could go to HMS or similar med schools. I'm just wondering if Fulbrights will give me a leg up. The research I could do at places like that are incredible.

 

[Franzd'Epinay]

Doing this fellowship can only help your application, if not directly on your resume, then indirectly by talking about those unique experiences during your application cycle.

But that's besides the point. You will likely never again have the opportunity to do something like this--certainly not while you're young. If this is something you want to do, then go for it. Medicine is not a race. You won't get an award for finishing residency at 28.

 

[Kamill]

Did they do research Fulbrights or ETA? From what I understand, ETA is really good for personal development, but is not that difficult to get either. The UK one is also incredibly difficult, and TBH only the ones in the top tier universities interest me, like LSE or UCL. Those are probably doubly hard. Anyways, I don't want to do a masters, I want to do research.

They did research. From different top programs I wouldn’t divulge but they were all in the UK.



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[Joobaroo96]

They did research. From different top programs I wouldn’t divulge but they were all in the UK.



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Are you sure they didn't do a masters also? From what I have read, all the UK ones are degree programs. Maybe they did research concurrently? Also, them getting only 3-4 IIs is surprising, as you basically need a 3.9+ to even have a shot at UK, much less actually getting the grant. I feel like with a 3.9+ without Fulbright you should be getting more than 3-4 IIs...

 

[Kamill]

Are you sure they didn't do a masters also? From what I have read, all the UK ones are degree programs. Maybe they did research concurrently? Also, them getting only 3-4 IIs is surprising, as you basically need a 3.9+ to even have a shot at UK, much less actually getting the grant. I feel like with a 3.9+ without Fulbright you should be getting more than 3-4 IIs...

Oh I thought research and masters is the same thing. My apologies. I skimmed through your reply.

But that’s what I exactly thought as I saw their app cycles though. But they are all in great medical schools now, enjoying their lives.


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[Joobaroo96]

Oh I thought research and masters is the same thing. My apologies. I skimmed through your reply.

But that’s what I exactly thought as I saw their app cycles though. But they are all in great medical schools now, enjoying their lives.


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You apply for research and masters in the same application, technically. However, all research ones don't have a degree. You can do only research and not pursue a degree. Also, what do you mean by great med schools? Like what level we talking? Harvard level, Duke level, or UNC level?

 

[Kamill]

I will PM you about this one instead.


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[Kamill]

Can’t PM you. PM me


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[Joobaroo96]

Can’t PM you. PM me


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I sent you one

 

[OfMiceAndWomen]

If you want to do a gap year that will actually give you a leg-up for HMS-level schools, Fulbright ETA will not do it. I imagine the only things that will do it is Rhodes (definitely Rhodes because it is more competitive than HMS), maybe Marshall, and maybe Fulbright Research with very productive/cool research that gives extra oomph to the narrative in your application.

As someone mentioned above, Fulbright (ETA or research) is really exceptional opportunity that won't *hurt* your application. Reading through past threads from past Fulbrighters, it seems that Fulbright comes up often in interviews, so it's something that can make you stand out. If it is something that you're actually passionate about, then the extra gap year is worth it.

Also, I hate the notion of taking an extra gap year = loss of 1 year of physician salary. Life experiences shouldn't be one-to-one tradeoffs. I also plan to work until I literally can't anymore, so by the time I'm 65+, a year's salary hopefully will not make any difference in my life.

TLDR: Don't do Fulbright if your only goal is to get into HMS, because it won't work. Do Fulbright if you're actually passionate about the international community you'll be serving/living in.

 

[p4m123]

I can't speak to the Fulbright scholarship, but I met several ETAs while living abroad and, while I'm sure this varies greatly by country and even city, they seemed practically useless. Many barely worked, and the work they did do was basically sitting around a classroom watching someone else teach. This was especially true for people who didn't speak the native language. That's not even touching on the lack of support they had in-country. Of course, the experience is what you make it, and you could probably bs how much work you are actually doing in an application, but as I've seen from reading some of their job and school applications, it doesn't come across as genuine. I agree the scholarship route or possibly other fellowships might be a better option. That being said, one year is such a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things and I think people grow and mature exponentially when they are in the real world in some capacity. I only think a gap year could help you. Assuming you'd be 23 when starting med school, you'd be younger than the average med student. And as others have pointed out, you may never have an opportunity like this again.

 

[Joobaroo96]

Thank you, everyone. If I do a Fulbright, it will be in a deep clinical setting with constant avenues to learn about the culture I am in and medicine. It would def be at a large research university and with the goal of being published. I wouldn't want to waste my time otherwise.

 

[CoitusInterruptus]

Will a Fulbright Scholarship be looked highly upon for medical school? Obviously I know it's a big positive, but will it make a difference for a candidate with already really high stats? I am debating whether it is worth forgoing medical school for a year to apply and do a Fulbright award, and if it will make a significant difference in my medical school prospects. I know it will be a life-changing and great experience, but I also don't want to be super old when I finish residency and lose out on a year of attending salary. Also, are certain Fulbrights viewed as better than others? I know that research Fulbrights look better than ETAs, but does a Fulbright to Germany (25% acceptance) look better than Brazil (50% acceptance)?

I think you’re in the running for a T9 school

 

[Joobaroo96]

I think you’re in the running for a T9 school

T9 school meaning top 9? Sorry, I don't really know the lingo here.

 

[CoitusInterruptus]

Yup top 9 school by Us news and world report. That’s a top shelf accolade. If Stanford has a checkbox for your award (like Schwartzman or Fulbright or Rhodes scholar) then you know you have a winning af award, boi

 

[Joobaroo96]

Yup top 9 school by Us news and world report. That’s a top shelf accolade. If Stanford has a checkbox for your award (like Schwartzman or Fulbright or Rhodes scholar) then you know you have a winning af award, boi

Got it. I def wouldn't group Fulbright with Rhodes and Schwarzmann, and I would apply for those but my GPA was a tad too low. I don't think I have a shot at those, but I def do for Fulbright. But it is good to hear Fulbright is held in high regard with those awards for med school.

 

[Naruhodo]

Not directly relevant to you currently, but another thing to consider would be doing a Fogarty *after* medical school. It's a very cool program for those interested in global health.

 

[OfMiceAndWomen]

Ditto that most Fulbright awards are not on the same level as Schwarzman or Rhodes. And full disclaimer, I’m applying for Fulbright ETA myself. I just like to think it serves very well as the cherry on top to a well-rounded application, but it won’t make or break your application.

 

[RJ McReady]

So...
I applied for a Fulbright and got it, but decided not to do it bc my personal circumstances had changed and I couldn’t fulfill the commitment. In retrospect I’m so happy I couldn’t take it. It’s a very prestigious scholarship for sure, but if you’re already high stats it’s probably nothing more than a feather in your cap.

 

[VioletAdventuring]

I'm a current MD-PhD applicant with this sort of scholarship on my CV. If you have questions, feel free to message me.

 

[theKingLT]

A few things to note:

1.) If you do a fulbright you're most likely looking at a 2 year delay, not one, unless you're using it to replace an already planned gap year, as applying to med school from abroad is difficult to impossible.

2.) Make sure you check you when your mcat expires at the schools you're interested in before delaying applications.

3.) Fulbright awards are competitive in their own way as they're not looking for the same metrics as med schools. ETA is the easiest statistically speaking, but would be quite difficult to get if you don't have any sort of teaching experience or know the local language. I'm sure some people may get through just with well-crafted essays in less desirable countries, but it's not the norm. Research award selection is based much less on your CV and more on the strength of your project which requires a lot of work getting in touch with PI's and planning.

4.) You should not do fulbright to boost your CV. They're looking for people who are doing it because it's the right next step in their career development and because they can serve as cultural ambassadors, if you're doing it to boost your CV you will need to lie or will be rejected.

5.) For people who are already competitive for med school apps without such an experience, I actually would recommend applying to both med school and Fulbright concurrently. Ideally you get accepted to both. Most med schools will grant a deferral to pursue Fulbright and that way you can do it without med school apps hanging over your head, MCAT expiring, etc. If you get accepted to med school but rejected from Fulbright, you just go to med school, and vice versa

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