Tips for Requesting a Fulbright Letter of Reference

Transcription

1 Tips for Requesting a Fulbright Letter of Reference What is a Fulbright letter of reference? Study/research applicants need letters from three individuals who can speak to their ability to carry out the project being proposed. They should discuss your intellectual and professional preparation and ability to represent the U.S. abroad. These letters should not simply be a character reference. Letters should be printed on institutional letterhead and signed by the authors. Letters must be written in English; if the original is written in another language, it should be accompanied by an official English translation done by someone other than the applicant. The English-language translation should be printed on institutional letterhead as well, and must include the name, title, contact information, and signature of the translator. Please consult the NSO staff for further guidance if your recommender wishes to provide a letter in another language. ETA applicants need references from three individuals who can speak to their ability to teach English in a classroom abroad, based on their intellectual and professional preparation. The ETA reference is not a traditional letter; recommenders will instead be asked to complete a series of short-answer questions on an online form, regarding items such as your communication skills, interest in teaching, and ability to work in unstructured environments. These references are not simply character references. A sample ETA reference form is available on the Instructions for ETA References section of the Fulbright website. All reference forms must be completed in English. Who should my recommenders be? Ideally, they should be the three people who can best speak to your ability to carry out your proposed study/research project OR to teach English abroad. Most candidates ask professors or instructors, but you might also consider: An academic advisor Job or internship supervisor Supervisor of a volunteer opportunity or research project Other university staff with whom you have worked closely, i.e. living-learning community staff, faculty advisor to a student organization, etc. Think holistically and consider what unique aspects of your work/experience/personality that each reference might be able to address. Ideally,

2 each should have a different perspective, and when read together, the three letters will provide a fuller, more well-rounded picture of you, your preparation, and your achievements. When choosing amongst professors and instructors, it is best to look for someone who: Has taught you in a class (especially a small class) whose subject matter is relevant to your Fulbright project Graded you highly or praised your work Can attest to your strengths/experience in any area that would be relevant to your proposed Fulbright project or English teaching Can verify that you have the characteristics necessary to be a good cultural ambassador or citizen diplomat, such as: o Language learning ability o Intercultural experiences, skills, and ability to connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds o Resourcefulness, tenacity, and problem-solving ability o Open-mindedness o Self-awareness o Flexibility and comfort with ambiguity o Balance of confidence and humility With some exceptions, it is better not to ask: Family members Peers High school teachers People who know you only in a personal capacity A prominent tenured professor you once took a class with, who is wellknown in his/her field, but for whom you were just a face in the crowd (Prestige can be an advantage, but it is much more important that they know you well and can write a detailed, genuine letter.) A prominent politician who you happen to know, but not very well (see above) Members of the NSO staff (We do not really know you in an academic or professional capacity, so we cannot give Fulbright the information they are seeking. Also, our feedback will be going into your Campus Committee Evaluation, which we write and/or edit after your 2nd panel meeting.) When should I request my references? EARLY! We cannot stress this enough. Most people start to get serious about Fulbright about 6 months before the deadline (March or April), and it is fine to contact them then. Your recommender may be going on leave or even leaving the

3 country the following semester, so it is good to give them a heads up and ask about the best way to reach them. If you are late in starting the application process, contacting recommenders should be one of the first things you do. To get a good reference, it is important to give your recommenders as much lead time as possible. What should I say when I ask? If it is not someone you know well or are currently interacting with regularly, remind them of who you are and how they might remember you ( I really enjoyed taking your ENGL 390 course last year and writing my final paper on the nature symbolism in Thomas Hardy s novels ) Update them on what you are doing now ( I m currently finishing my English major requirements and planning to graduate in December. ) Identify what you are applying for and why. ( I m interested in teaching English abroad, so I m applying for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Cambodia for the school year. ) Include a link to the About section of the Fulbright website so they can easily get more information, if they want it. Ask if they would be willing and able to write a strong reference for you, and explain what is required for your specific grant (see above). You might also provide the link to Fulbright s instructions for referees: o Study/Research o ETA (Be sure to point out that it will be a form with short-answer questions, not the traditional letter format! A Sample ETA Reference form is available at that link.) It is important that you ask if your proposed recommenders can write a strong reference for you. Weak references can doom your application, even if everything else is strong. Be sure to let them know the final deadline. If they say yes, what are my next steps? Thank them graciously. Let them know that NSO staff will be ing them with further details. Provide their contact information to the NSO via our Google form. Begin pulling together materials that will aid your recommender in writing a good reference, such as: o Drafts of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement o A resume or CV o Copies of assignments you completed for their course (preferably graded/marked up copies, if you have them)

4 o Brief notes about which aspects of your work/background/personality that you would most like them to address, if possible. Consider how all three references will fit together and compliment each other to provide a comprehensive picture of you. Send these materials to your recommender in ONE batch, attached to an with a clear subject heading, such as Fulbright Reference Materials for (your name). Try to continue the chain from your previous conversation so that your recommender can find all of the relevant information in one place. Make it easy! Do not attempt or agree to draft the recommendation for your recommender. Brief notes are ok, but writing your own reference is not. Please tell the NSO staff if your recommender requests that you draft your own reference. Do not register your recommenders in the Fulbright online application just yet! Wait until after your first panel in mid-september. What is the NSO s role and what info do we provide to recommenders? Once you send us your recommender contact information, we will them to introduce ourselves and explain more about Fulbright, the NSO s role in supporting VCU applicants, and what is required for the recommendation for your specific grant. We request that recommenders a draft recommendation to the NSO before your first meeting with the review panel in late August or early September. We do this for several reasons: o NSO will read over it to check for typos and errors. o We send a copy to your panel members to read alongside the rest of your application materials. This helps the panel members get a more complete picture of your application, and they sometimes have suggestions of how recommenders could edit or amend their letters to strengthen the application. If this is the case, the NSO staff will contact the recommender directly to see if they are willing to make edits (they almost always are). o Recommenders are less likely to miss the final, national deadline if they have prepared a draft in advance. If we have suggested edits for your recommenders, we will let them know by mid-september. After that time, you may register them in the Fulbright online application, and Fulbright will send them instructions for submitting their recommendation online. If your essays or project have changed significantly since you first communicated with your recommender, please send them an updated draft and brief explanation of why/how your project has changed, so they are aware of the need to edit their recommendation accordingly. Recommenders MUST submit to Fulbright via the online application by the national deadline. No late recommendations will be accepted. Thus, it is vital

5 for you to monitor the status of your recommendations in the online application and be in regular contact with your recommenders. Please be aware (and help us clarify to your recommenders) that ing a draft to the NSO does not mean they have submitted to Fulbright and are finished. They will ultimately submit their recommendation twice once to the NSO (by ), and once to Fulbright (through the online application). Recommenders may decline to send a draft to the NSO, which is fine; they may choose to submit it directly to Fulbright only. If a recommender suddenly stops responding or you are consistently unable to reach them, and it is less than a month before the deadline, consult the NSO. It is ultimately your responsibility to communicate with recommenders and make sure they are aware of the national deadline. The NSO will provide guidance, but you should be the primary contact and take responsibility for communicating with your own recommenders. What if my prospective recommender says no or never responds? Thank them graciously if they say no, and try not to take it personally. If you have reached out several times through multiple channels ( , phone, office hours) and have had no response, it is best to find a new recommender. The NSO staff can guide you if you are unsure about who to ask. All three of my recommenders have submitted to Fulbright! Now what? Promptly send a thank you note. Make sure you let them know the outcome of your application. Keep in touch and periodically update them on your accomplishments and future plans, regardless of whether your Fulbright application is successful. It is likely that you will need to ask them for another reference in the future, and they may be able to rework the Fulbright reference for use in other situations.