Fulbright Program. Secret access to Fulbright

And other countries.

The largest U.S. government-funded international educational exchange program, the Fulbright Program was created to improve mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. In pursuit of this goal, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants selected for their scientific potential and leadership qualities, an opportunity to get acquainted with the work of political, economic and cultural organizations of other countries, exchange ideas and initiate joint projects for the common benefit of the peoples of the world. The Fulbright Program is administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US State Department. Since the Program's inception, 46,800 foreign scientists have conducted research or taught at U.S. universities and more than 45,200 U.S. scientists have conducted similar activities abroad. Each year, the Fulbright Program awards approximately 800 grants to scholars coming to the United States from other countries. The Fulbright Program currently operates in 155 countries around the world.

The main source of funding for the Fulbright Program is annual appropriations made by the US Congress to the State Department. Governments of countries participating in the program, host universities foreign countries and the United States also contribute financially to the program, either by sharing the costs or indirectly through lecturer salary increases, tuition waivers, or university housing.

Provides international educational exchanges for students, scientists, teachers, specialists and artists. On a competitive basis, it provides grants to both American and foreign (including Russian) students, scientists and researchers. Stimulates “cross” education, in particular, American students abroad, and foreign students in the United States. The Fulbright program is one of the most prestigious award programs in the world among its kind, it operates in more than 155 countries, in 50 of which there are special commissions that manage the program, and where there are none, it is supervised by the Department of Information and Culture of the US Embassy.

43 Fulbright alumni have received Nobel Prizes (including two in 2010 - Peter Diamond and Eiichi Negishi), 28 have received MacArthur Foundation grants, and 78 have won Pulitzer Prizes.

Within the framework of the program, a lot has been done in terms of bringing Russian and American researchers closer together. However, such cooperation programs often raise concerns about brain drain in the United States and are a topic of discussion in Russian-American relations. According to Natalia Smirnova, Deputy Director of the Fulbright Program in the Russian Federation:

The Fulbright Program awards about 8,000 grants annually, and as of 2010, the number of participants has reached 300,000 since its inception.

"J. William Foreign Scholarship Council The Fulbright Bureau (FSB), comprised of 12 educational and community leaders appointed by the President of the United States, determines the Program's policies, establishes eligibility criteria, and approves grant applicants.

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs US State Department develops measures to ensure implementation objectives of the program, and in cooperation with educational commissions and foundations, carries out the program in 51 countries around the world where there are existing agreements with the United States on exchange programs. In 90 countries that do not have such an agreement, US embassies provide assistance in implementing the program. In the United States, the program is supported by a number of supporting agencies.

Bilateral international commissions and funds in cooperation with universities and organizations of the host country, they draw up an annual exchange plan. They also pre-screen candidates for student and teaching fellowships through their exchange programs, conduct interviews, and recommend qualified applicants to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Fellowship Council. In countries where such commissions and funds do not exist, the US Embassy's cultural department determines the Program's policies and oversees its implementation.

Council for International Exchange of Scientists (CIES), under a cooperative agreement with the State Department, administers the Fulbright Program for university teachers and scientists. "Council for International Exchange of Scientists" is part of Institute of International Education (IIE) and works closely with the largest educational institutions in the field of humanitarian, social and natural sciences. CIES provides support to teachers and scholars in the United States under a Fulbright Grant.

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Excerpt describing the Fulbright Program

- They brought everyone to perish... robbers! - he said again and walked off the porch.
Alpatych shook his head and went up the stairs. In the reception room there were merchants, women, and officials, silently exchanging glances among themselves. The office door opened, everyone stood up and moved forward. An official ran out of the door, talked something with the merchant, called behind him a fat official with a cross on his neck and disappeared again through the door, apparently avoiding all the looks and questions addressed to him. Alpatych moved forward and at the next exit of the official, putting his hand in his buttoned coat, he turned to the official, handing him two letters.
“To Mr. Baron Asch from General Chief Prince Bolkonsky,” he proclaimed so solemnly and significantly that the official turned to him and took his letter. A few minutes later the governor received Alpatych and hastily told him:
- Report to the prince and princess that I didn’t know anything: I acted according to the highest orders - so...
He gave the paper to Alpatych.
- However, since the prince is unwell, my advice to them is to go to Moscow. I'm on my way now. Report... - But the governor didn’t finish: a dusty and sweaty officer ran through the door and began to say something in French. The governor's face showed horror.
“Go,” he said, nodding his head to Alpatych, and began asking the officer something. Greedy, frightened, helpless glances turned to Alpatych as he left the governor’s office. Unwittingly now listening to the nearby and increasingly intensifying shots, Alpatych hurried to the inn. The paper that the governor gave to Alpatych was as follows:
“I assure you that the city of Smolensk does not yet face the slightest danger, and it is incredible that it will be threatened by it. I am on one side, and Prince Bagration on the other side, we are going to unite in front of Smolensk, which will take place on the 22nd, and both armies with their combined forces will defend their compatriots in the province entrusted to you, until their efforts remove the enemies of the fatherland from them or until they are exterminated in their brave ranks to the last warrior. You see from this that you have every right to reassure the inhabitants of Smolensk, for whoever is protected by two such brave troops can be confident of their victory.” (Instruction from Barclay de Tolly to the Smolensk civil governor, Baron Asch, 1812.)
People were moving restlessly through the streets.
Carts loaded with household utensils, chairs, and cabinets kept leaving the gates of houses and driving along the streets. In the neighboring house of Ferapontov there were carts and, saying goodbye, the women howled and said sentences. The mongrel dog was barking and spinning around in front of the stalled horses.
Alpatych, with a more hasty step than he usually walked, entered the yard and went straight under the barn to his horses and cart. The coachman was sleeping; he woke him up, ordered him to lay him down and entered the hallway. In the master's room one could hear the crying of a child, the wracking sobs of a woman, and the angry, hoarse cry of Ferapontov. The cook, like a frightened chicken, fluttered in the hallway as soon as Alpatych entered.
- He killed her to death - he beat the owner!.. He beat her like that, she dragged her like that!..
- For what? – asked Alpatych.
- I asked to go. It's a woman's business! Take me away, he says, don’t destroy me and my little children; the people, he says, have all left, what, he says, are we? How he started beating. He hit me like that, he dragged me like that!
Alpatych seemed to nod his head approvingly at these words and, not wanting to know anything more, went to the opposite - the master's door of the room in which his purchases remained.
“You are a villain, a destroyer,” shouted at that time a thin, pale woman with a child in her arms and a scarf torn from her head, bursting out of the door and running down the stairs to the courtyard. Ferapontov followed her and, seeing Alpatych, straightened his vest and hair, yawned and entered the room behind Alpatych.
- Do you really want to go? – he asked.
Without answering the question and without looking back at the owner, looking through his purchases, Alpatych asked how long the owner was supposed to stay.
- We'll count! Well, did the governor have one? – Ferapontov asked. – What was the solution?
Alpatych replied that the governor did not tell him anything decisive.
- Are we going to leave on our business? - said Ferapontov. - Give me seven rubles per cart to Dorogobuzh. And I say: there is no cross on them! - he said.
“Selivanov, he got in on Thursday and sold flour to the army for nine rubles a sack.” Well, will you drink tea? - he added. While the horses were being laid, Alpatych and Ferapontov drank tea and talked about the price of grain, the harvest and favorable weather for harvesting.
“However, it began to calm down,” said Ferapontov, drinking three cups of tea and getting up, “ours must have taken over.” They said they won't let me in. This means strength... And after all, they said, Matvey Ivanovich Platov drove them into the Marina River, drowned eighteen thousand, or something, in one day.
Alpatych collected his purchases, handed them over to the coachman who came in, and settled accounts with the owner. At the gate there was the sound of wheels, hooves and bells of a car leaving.
It was already well after noon; half the street was in the shade, the other was brightly lit by the sun. Alpatych looked out the window and went to the door. Suddenly I heard strange sound a distant whistle and blow, and after that there was a merging roar of cannon fire, which made the windows tremble.
Alpatych went out into the street; two people ran down the street towards the bridge. WITH different sides Whistles, cannonball strikes and the bursting of grenades were heard as they fell in the city. But these sounds were almost inaudible and did not attract the attention of residents in comparison with the sounds of gunfire heard outside the city. It was a bombardment, which at five o'clock Napoleon ordered to open on the city, from one hundred and thirty guns. At first the people did not understand the significance of this bombing.
The sounds of falling grenades and cannonballs aroused at first only curiosity. Ferapontov’s wife, who had never stopped howling under the barn, fell silent and, with the child in her arms, went out to the gate, silently looking at the people and listening to the sounds.
The cook and the shopkeeper came out to the gate. Everyone with cheerful curiosity tried to see the shells flying over their heads. Several people came out from around the corner, talking animatedly.
- That’s power! - said one. “Both the lid and the ceiling were smashed into splinters.”
“It tore up the earth like a pig,” said another. - That’s so important, that’s how I encouraged you! – he said laughing. “Thank you, I jumped back, otherwise she would have smeared you.”
The people turned to these people. They paused and told how they got into the house near their core. Meanwhile, other shells, now with a quick, gloomy whistle - cannonballs, now with a pleasant whistling - grenades, did not stop flying over the heads of the people; but not a single shell fell close, everything was carried over. Alpatych sat down in the tent. The owner stood at the gate.
- What haven’t you seen! - he shouted at the cook, who, with her sleeves rolled up, in a red skirt, swaying with her bare elbows, came to the corner to listen to what was being said.
“What a miracle,” she said, but, hearing the owner’s voice, she returned, tugging at her tucked skirt.
Again, but very close this time, something whistled, like a bird flying from top to bottom, a fire flashed in the middle of the street, something fired and covered the street with smoke.
- Villain, why are you doing this? – the owner shouted, running up to the cook.
At the same moment, women howled pitifully from different sides, a child began to cry in fear, and people with pale faces silently crowded around the cook. From this crowd, the cook’s moans and sentences were heard most loudly:
- Oh oh oh, my darlings! My little darlings are white! Don't let me die! My white darlings!..
Five minutes later there was no one left on the street. The cook, her thigh broken by a grenade fragment, was carried into the kitchen. Alpatych, his coachman, Ferapontov’s wife and children, and the janitor sat in the basement, listening. The roar of guns, the whistling of shells and the pitiful moan of the cook, which dominated all sounds, did not cease for a moment. The hostess either rocked and coaxed the child, or in a pitiful whisper asked everyone who entered the basement where her owner, who remained on the street, was. The shopkeeper who entered the basement told her that the owner had gone with the people to the cathedral, where they were raising the Smolensk miraculous icon.
By dusk the cannonade began to subside. Alpatych came out of the basement and stopped at the door. The previously clear evening sky was completely covered with smoke. And through this smoke the young, high-standing crescent of the month strangely shone. After the former terrible roar of guns had ceased, there seemed silence over the city, interrupted only by the rustling of footsteps, groans, distant screams and the crackle of fires that seemed to be widespread throughout the city. The cook's moans had now died down. Black clouds of smoke from the fires rose and dispersed from both sides. On the street, not in rows, but like ants from a ruined hummock, in different uniforms and in different directions, soldiers passed and ran. In Alpatych’s eyes, several of them ran into Ferapontov’s yard. Alpatych went to the gate. Some regiment, crowded and in a hurry, blocked the street, walking back.
“They are surrendering the city, leave, leave,” the officer who noticed his figure told him and immediately shouted to the soldiers:
- I'll let you run around the yards! - he shouted.
Alpatych returned to the hut and, calling the coachman, ordered him to leave. Following Alpatych and the coachman, all of Ferapontov’s household came out. Seeing the smoke and even the fires of the fires, now visible in the beginning twilight, the women, who had been silent until then, suddenly began to cry out, looking at the fires. As if echoing them, the same cries were heard at other ends of the street. Alpatych and his coachman, with shaking hands, straightened the tangled reins and lines of the horses under the canopy.
When Alpatych was leaving the gate, he saw about ten soldiers in Ferapontov’s open shop, talking loudly, filling bags and backpacks with wheat flour and sunflowers. At the same time, Ferapontov entered the shop, returning from the street. Seeing the soldiers, he wanted to shout something, but suddenly stopped and, clutching his hair, laughed a sobbing laugh.
- Get everything, guys! Don't let the devils get you! - he shouted, grabbing the bags himself and throwing them into the street. Some soldiers, frightened, ran out, some continued to pour in. Seeing Alpatych, Ferapontov turned to him.
– I’ve made up my mind! Race! - he shouted. - Alpatych! I've decided! I'll light it myself. I decided... - Ferapontov ran into the yard.
Soldiers were constantly walking along the street, blocking it all, so that Alpatych could not pass and had to wait. The landlady Ferapontova and her children were also sitting on the cart, waiting to be able to leave.
It was already quite night. There were stars in the sky and the young moon, occasionally obscured by smoke, shone. On the descent to the Dnieper, Alpatych's carts and their mistresses, moving slowly in the ranks of soldiers and other crews, had to stop. Not far from the intersection where the carts stopped, in an alley, a house and shops were burning. The fire had already burned out. The flame either died down and was lost in the black smoke, then suddenly flared up brightly, strangely clearly illuminating the faces of the crowded people standing at the intersection. Black figures of people flashed before the fire, and from behind the incessant crackling of the fire, talking and screams were heard. Alpatych, who got off the cart, seeing that the cart would not let him through soon, turned into the alley to look at the fire. The soldiers were constantly snooping back and forth past the fire, and Alpatych saw how two soldiers and with them some man in a frieze overcoat were dragging burning logs from the fire across the street into the neighboring yard; others carried armfuls of hay.
Alpatych approached a large crowd of people standing in front of a tall barn that was burning in full flames. The walls were all on fire, the back one had collapsed, the plank roof had collapsed, the beams were on fire. Obviously, the crowd was waiting for the moment when the roof would collapse. Alpatych expected this too.
- Alpatych! – suddenly a familiar voice called out to the old man.
“Father, your Excellency,” answered Alpatych, instantly recognizing the voice of his young prince.
Prince Andrei, in a cloak, riding a black horse, stood behind the crowd and looked at Alpatych.
- How are you here? – he asked.
“Your... your Excellency,” said Alpatych and began to sob... “Yours, yours... or are we already lost?” Father…
- How are you here? – repeated Prince Andrei.
The flame flared up brightly at that moment and illuminated for Alpatych the pale and exhausted face of his young master. Alpatych told how he was sent and how he could forcefully leave.
- What, your Excellency, or are we lost? – he asked again.
Prince Andrei, without answering, took out notebook and, raising his knee, began to write with a pencil on a torn sheet. He wrote to his sister:
“Smolensk is being surrendered,” he wrote, “Bald Mountains will be occupied by the enemy in a week. Leave now for Moscow. Answer me immediately when you leave, sending a messenger to Usvyazh.”
Having written and given the piece of paper to Alpatych, he verbally told him how to manage the departure of the prince, princess and son with the teacher and how and where to answer him immediately. Before he had time to finish these orders, the chief of staff on horseback, accompanied by his retinue, galloped up to him.
-Are you a colonel? - shouted the chief of staff, with a German accent, in a voice familiar to Prince Andrei. - They light houses in your presence, and you stand? What does this mean? “You will answer,” shouted Berg, who was now the assistant chief of staff of the left flank of the infantry forces of the First Army, “the place is very pleasant and in plain sight, as Berg said.”
Prince Andrei looked at him and, without answering, continued, turning to Alpatych:
“So tell me that I’m waiting for an answer by the tenth, and if I don’t receive news on the tenth that everyone has left, I myself will have to drop everything and go to Bald Mountains.”

The largest US government-funded international education exchange program, commonly known as Fulbright Program a, was created to improve mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. In pursuit of this goal, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 230,000 of its participants with different countries selected for their leadership qualities, the opportunity to become acquainted with the work of political, economic and cultural organizations, exchange views and initiate joint projects for the common benefit of the peoples of the world.

The Fulbright Program was founded in 1946 by legislation introduced by former Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright. The Fulbright Program is administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US State Department.

Since the program's inception, 34,000 foreign scientists have conducted research or taught at U.S. universities, and more than 32,000 U.S. scientists have conducted similar activities abroad. Each year, the Fulbright Program awards approximately 750 grants to scholars coming to the United States from other countries. The Fulbright Program currently operates in 140 countries around the world.

The main source of funding for the Fulbright Program is annual appropriations made by the US Congress to the State Department. Participating governments and host universities in foreign countries and the United States also contribute financially to the program, either by sharing the costs or indirectly through salary increases, tuition waivers, and university housing. In fiscal year 1999, the US Congress allocated $102 million to the Fulbright Program. Other governments, through their bilateral commissions and foundations, have contributed another $28 million directly to the Fulbright Program.

In 1973, six Soviet and six American scientists became Fulbrighters, having received a grant from the Program to conduct scientific research and lecturing, thereby laying a solid foundation for bilateral academic cooperation.

The academic exchange program, named after its founder, US Senator W. Fulbright, began its work in Russian Federation in 1973, when six Soviet and six American scientists became Fulbrighters, receiving a grant from the Program to conduct research and lecture, thereby laying a solid foundation for bilateral academic cooperation.

Over thirty-nine years of continuous work, the Fulbright Program has provided the opportunity to establish new scientific contacts, continue their studies and undergo internships for hundreds of Russian professors, teachers, and young specialists. Under the auspices of the Association, international, all-Russian and regional conferences, meetings and discussions are held annually in Russian cities, and periodicals and other publications are published.

Fulbright programs are very popular among faculty members foreign languages.

English Teaching Assistant Program was first announced in Russia in 2006. As part of this program, about 25 American fellows are sent to Russia every year as English teaching assistants.

In the 2010-2011 academic year, she interned at the faculty as an assistant teacher of English. Katie Diyard. Her responsibilities included 15 (classroom hours per week) hours of teaching per week and up to 6 (six) hours per week of consultations/out-of-class work with Russian colleagues, not counting work in preparation for classes. In addition, another 6 hours per week were allocated to work on your individual study or research project. Katie took an active part in the life of the faculty. They helped organize an English club language English Club, participated in the work of the English Language Teachers Association, and also volunteered in local schools.

I spent the 2010-2011 academic year working in the Foreign Language Faculty as a Fulbright ETA. My main role was to hold conversation classes about issues that would not necessarily be covered in the students" main English classes. We discussed a variety of topics, including important holidays, American and British slang, stereotypes and important issues in our societies. In addition , I introduced students to music and television shows that are not popular outside the United States. The goal of such classes was to overcome the conversation barrier, in order to help students grow more comfortable using English in a more informal, real-life setting. I was the "native speaker" and answered students" questions about English and life in America

I spent on 2010-2011 academic year in the department's Department of Foreign Languages as a Fulbright Fellow. my main task there were classes in communicative English in various topics, which were not always addressed in the classes. We talked about various topics, such as holidays, American and British slang, stereotypes and important social issues. In addition, I exposed students to music and television shows that were unknown outside the United States. The purpose of these classes was to use English in an informal, real-life setting to help students overcome the language barrier and ensure more comfortable professional growth. I was a native English speaker and answered students' questions about life in America.

Also, at the invitation of the faculty, lecturers from US universities regularly come to the university to give lectures and conduct seminars.

Professors were among the first to arrive at the faculty Ben and Christine Fuller from Pennsylvania State University. They spent 3 weeks at the faculty, which everyone remembered high quality teaching. Specialization Prof. Ben Fuller - American Literature. However, the faculty's collaboration did not end with their departure. The professor regularly sends books and magazines on classical and modern American literature and regional studies to the faculty. IN present moment The faculty has already formed a library, which is very popular not only among faculty teachers, but also graduate students and students.

Professor Fuller: I "m glad the literary journals and books prove useful. Unlike fifty years ago there"s little consensus on who are the best ones, these days we have so many people writing prose fiction, poetry, film, theater, and tv scripts that it"s hard to get a grasp on the subject. I"ve sent you several booked published by Tin House which is one of many worthwhile publishers of contemporary American literature by living writers. I know you the Department of Foreign languages are actively involved in international projects. It make me especially happy that students have so many opportunities to host foreign visitors and present festivals of foreign works as well as to travel all over the globe. Only twenty years ago this development seemed so difficult to achieve and now it"s part of every day life at the university

I'm glad that my magazines and books are useful. Unlike the situation fifty years ago, there are now many different opinions about what constitutes good literature, because... These days we have so many authors writing fiction, poetry, film and theater scripts and get general idea about the situation is not easy. I have sent you several books published by Tin House, which is one of the best publishers of modern American literature. I know that the Faculty of Foreign Languages is actively involved in international projects. What makes me especially happy is that students have many opportunities to receive foreign guests and participate in various events, including holidays, and also travel a lot around the world. Twenty years ago such a development would have been difficult to achieve, but now it is part of everyday life university

But the Program for Young English Language Teachers (FLTA) is especially popular. The main goal of this program is to strengthen cultural and academic ties between the peoples of the USA and Russia and improve mutual understanding between our countries.

The program provides young English teachers with the opportunity to improve their pedagogical skill, level of English language proficiency and become more familiar with American culture and traditions. Participants in this Program are assigned to universities and colleges in the United States to work as teachers or teaching assistants of the Russian language. The responsibilities of Program participants include teaching the Russian language/culture of their country up to 20 hours a week. Also, program participants must study at least 2 subjects per semester, one of which relates to American Studies, and the other must be related to teaching English.

American universities greatly benefit from having a native speaker on campus because, in addition to teaching students, Program participants will be required to actively interact with members of the local community by organizing study groups. colloquial speech, conducting extracurricular activities, language clubs, round tables in order to familiarize the audience with the culture and traditions of their country. Direct communication provides an opportunity for teachers and American students to learn more about the cultures and traditions of the countries they represent, as well as to better understand each other.

Ryabova Elena Nikolaevna, graduate of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Moscow State University. N.P. Ogareva, teacher of the Department of Foreign Languages for Humanities, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Moscow State University. N.P. Ogareva.

Chubarova Yulia Evgenievna, graduate of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Moscow State University. N.P. Ogareva, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of English, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Moscow State University. N.P. Ogareva,

I won a Fulbright grant under the FLTA (Foreign Language Teaching Assistant) program for an internship in the USA in 2010-2011. For a year she taught Russian (Russian I, Russian II, Russian Intermediate, Russian Conversation) at Juniata College (Pennsylvania) and was the organizer of the Russian Club and Language Tables. Responsibilities included teaching the Russian language/culture of his country up to 20 hours a week. You also had to study 2 subjects per semester of your own choice. As part of the college program, participation in the Language in Motion program was mandatory, which made it possible to get acquainted with education in high school USA and give presentations about Russia in Pellesylvania schools.

The program began in August with a mandatory one-week orientation in Austin, Texas. After that, all participants went to their universities. After the first semester, FLTA participants from all over the world, about 400 people, came to Washington for the conference. During the conference, participants shared their experience with each other, and also got acquainted with the most relevant and effective methods teaching foreign languages.

The program is unique because it allowed us to study and work in the country, understand the specifics of the US education system, expand professional contacts, improve knowledge of the English language and gain a true understanding of the US, the spiritual and cultural values of Americans. A large number of holidays and vacations made it possible to look at the country and appreciate its beauty in all its scope and abundance!

A good command of English is a mandatory requirement for participation in the program, so it was my studies and work at the Faculty of Foreign Languages that allowed me not only to receive this grant, but also to go to such interesting country like the USA!

Study in American universities, for which the student does not pay a penny - this is precisely the opportunity provided by the Fulbright academic exchange program. Participants from 155 countries can apply for a scholarship, including Ukraine and Russia. The selection system is quite complicated, and all its stages take about a year. Moreover, there is also additional list conditions. ForumDaily found students and graduates of the program who assure that winning a grant is quite possible, and you don’t have to be a genius to do this. The main thing is to submit documents on time: before May 15 for Russians, and before May 17 for Ukrainians.

Arthur Denisenko is studying alternative energy under the Fulbright program. Photo: their personal archive

Artur Denisenko, a resident of Kiev, has been living in Delaware for almost a year. At a local university, he studies alternative energy and can talk for hours about his student everyday life. The guy says that he has never studied so much in his life. And I've never had so much fun with it.

“The workload is simply enormous; in fact, I only have half of Friday and Saturday free, and the rest of the time I study. Due to lack of time, I even deactivated Facebook recently,” says Arthur.

He is currently finishing the first year of his two-year Fulbright Master's program. The grant, which is financed from the American budget, covers everything for the guy: studies, accommodation, insurance, flights from Ukraine and back, plus there is a scholarship, which, as Arthur assures, is more than enough for him.

What is the Fulbright Program?

A unique opportunity for students, researchers, scientists and teachers from all over the world has existed since 1946. Then Arkansas Senator James Fulbright proposed creating an international scientific exchange program. Congress supported the initiative and agreed to fund it. The scholarship was named after Fulbright himself, and since then more than 300 thousand participants from all over the world have benefited from it. The most popular category is the program for senior students and university graduates, which allows you to complete a master's degree in the USA.

The selection process for this grant can be divided into four stages. First you need to fill out the application on the website and submit a set of documents. Next, the applicant will have an interview, then the exam TOEFL exams and GRE, after them - admission to a university. In general, the procedure takes almost a year.

“When I applied, I had the feeling that it was simply unrealistic - there were so many conditions, and such a long process,” admits Arthur. But in reality, he says, everything turned out to be much simpler: if you clearly know what exactly you want and follow all the instructions. They can be found on the official Fulbright website in your country, which can be easily accessed through the program's main page.

Stage one: application form, collection of documents and selection of universities

Arthur says: you need to fill out the form online, and you don’t have to do it at once - you can simply save the results and continue, for example, the next day. In addition to personal data, two essays are required here, which should convince the commission that you deserve to receive a scholarship.

“It’s important not just to have a desire - like, I want to go to study and let it be the States, because it’s cool there and good education. No, that won't do. You really have to understand why this particular direction, the USA and this particular university,” says Kiev resident Lyudmila Lompas, who graduated from Fulbright two years ago.

She studied at the same university as Arthur, majoring in economics. The girl assures: if collecting documents is a technical process, then you need to work thoroughly on the essay. She even went to a special seminar organized by the Ukrainian Fulbright office, where all the requirements for applicants were explained in detail. However, you can also find requirements for essays on the Internet.

“In the first essay you describe yourself and your so-called life path. You also explain why you need a Fulbright. The volume is no more than two pages,” clarifies Arthur. .

In the second, you need to provide a research topic and explain how the acquired knowledge will help your professional development. “In Ukraine, I studied banking and definitely chose the direction - monetary economics. My entire essay was about this,” adds Lyudmila.

Also in the application you will need to indicate three universities and programs that are interesting to you. And this, according to Lyudmila, is the most difficult thing to do, because there are hundreds of colleges in America.

“We were told not to look at the Ivy League right away.” (an association of eight private American universities, which are considered one of the most prestigious in the country - ForumDaily), and choose more modest universities. At first I had a list of a hundred, then of twenty, and as a result, I narrowed it down to three. It took two weeks,” the girl continues.

Another important point is letters of recommendation. There should be three of them, and always in English. Your reviewers themselves register on the site and give you a testimonial, so they won’t be able to write flattering words about themselves. “I had letters from the university, from my employer and one from external organization, with whom I collaborated on work,” says Arthur.

The deadline for submitting the entire package of documents is May 15 for Russians and May 17 for Ukrainians.

Interview: “show your wild interest”

If a candidate passes to the second level, he receives a letter in the summer inviting him to an interview. You need to come to it in person at the Fulbright office in your country. Arthur knew in advance: the interview would be in English. “I didn’t sleep half the night before this, wondering how everything would go. But in reality, when you enter the classroom, time flies unnoticed,” the guy continues. There were 10 people on the commission, and each asked questions that were only on the topic of the study, so Arthur gave answers easily.

“They want to see that you really care about this, they are focused on looking at a person’s real motivation, so you have to show your “wild” interest,” the guy explains.

TOEFL and GRE exams: there are multiple attempts and the program pays for the exams

This is the third stage, the semi-final. Those who have passed the previous two tests will have to take a test at the end of December. English language- TOEFL and a mandatory exam for admission to the master's program - GRE.

“They tell you what minimum score you must dial in order to move on. But even if you get it, then most likely you will be sent to take the exam again to improve the result,” says Arthur. And, what is important, all attempts are paid from the program budget, and not from the candidate’s pocket.

Arthur took the TOEFL three times, the GRE twice, each attempt was better than the previous one. During the exams, he took all his leave and prepared intensively. He says that the English language test was easier, but the GRE had to be worked on. “It consists of both a mathematical part and a linguistic part. I am a humanitarian myself and was sure that the first one would be very difficult for me. But it turned out the other way around. The most difficult part, and for everyone, is the vocabulary part, where knowledge of 4,000 thousand words is tested, which even English-speaking people do not always know and use,” says the guy. Arthur sent the results to the Fulbright office each time, and when, finally, everyone was satisfied with the number of points, the exam phase ended for him.

Choosing a university and enrolling: we dream about Harvard, but we are looking at more modest colleges

Each candidate indicates a list of desired universities in the application form. But only at this stage do they begin to take a closer look at them in order to select several to which the documents will be sent. “The fact that you won a Fulbright doesn’t mean anything at this stage, because you haven’t been accepted into the university yet,” says Arthur. Representatives of the Fulbright office, together with the candidate, decide where it is best to apply. And it may happen that the list of colleges will ultimately be completely different than in the future student’s application form. So, for example, it was with Lyudmila.

“There is already a process of discussion going on - what the applicant agrees to and what the program can offer. With all the possibilities of a simple Google search, I definitely knew less about education in the United States than the Fulbright specialists. They clearly recommended to me those universities and programs that might be of interest to me,” says the girl.

In addition, she was immediately warned that the likelihood of getting into Ivy League universities is very small, since studying at Harvard or Stanford is expensive, and for this money the program can send two students to study at more modest colleges.

In any case, the list of universities is agreed upon with the candidate. And often the college itself can offer a scholarship to its potential student. This is what happened to Arthur, for example: he entered all three universities to which he applied, and two of them offered to partially cover the cost of tuition. “For the program, this means saving money, which they can use to send another candidate to study.”

Everything for the student, scientist, researcher

“Paradise for those who love to study,” is how Lyudmila briefly describes her master’s degree in America. She says that in two years she learned not only what she was going for, but also much more. The opportunity to attend lectures as a “free listener,” the availability of materials and university life—the girl remembers all this with nostalgia.

Tatyana Yaroshenko, vice-president of one of the best universities Ukraine - Kiev-Mohyla Academy. As a scientist, she traveled to the States twice through the Fulbright program: she wrote a dissertation at Yale and a scientific monograph at Columbia University.

“It's not just research in good libraries. This turns a person 360 degrees. It gives you the opportunity to understand your level and compare it with the level of your colleagues,” she says.

Now Tatyana is the head of the Ukrainian Fulbright Circle charity organization, which unites all graduates of the country’s program - more than 900 people.

“There are no former Fulbrighters,” we constantly repeat this, because anyone who has become a scholarship recipient at least once, done research, worked with colleagues, studied at the best American universities will certainly remain faithful to this program forever,” - she continues. The purpose of their organization is to support graduates and general projects. For example, they are now organizing summer school for students from universities transferred from the East of Ukraine, who were located where hostilities are now taking place.

Tatyana says: last year they conducted a survey on how satisfied graduates were with the Fulbright program. 87% responded absolutely affirmatively, while only one percent of respondents were strongly dissatisfied. The teacher assures that there are no unemployed among the Fulbrighters, and this scholarship, without exaggeration, changes lives. At the same time, she insists: the program is not for geniuses, but for people who clearly know what and where they want to learn.

“I am an absolutely ordinary, average person and I can say without exaggeration that this is a very transparent and fair competition. It is possible to receive a scholarship; it all depends on a person’s ambitions. There is no need to be afraid,” she says.

Arthur agrees with her. He says he never had a diploma with honors, and he did not apply to the Fulbright master's program for his main university specialty. By first education, he is a political scientist, which is very far from the alternative energy that he is studying now. Nevertheless, everything worked out. He has already found himself summer internship at an American company and says that the university gives him exactly the knowledge he expected.

The first time I applied for a Fulbright scholarship was in my fifth year of university. At that time, my main goal was to go to study abroad, and where exactly, by and large, I didn’t care. In my fifth year, I wrote a thesis on a topic that was terribly interesting to me - “Translation of audiovisual materials in scientific communication using subtitles,” so I applied for the “Linguistics” major. However, let’s talk briefly about the first attempt - I didn’t even make it to the second round. Despite the fact that my university teachers, in particular, a teacher who herself received a scholarship and went to study in Germany, said that my application was good and strong.

So, as you know from the official website of the program, for the first round of the program you need to submit a certain list of documents, we will focus on only some of them:

1) Reference Letters - letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation can be written by your university teachers, and most often this is what happens. Some teachers, as general practice shows, ask you to write a letter yourself, and then they edit it, sign it and send it. It is very good if, before writing a letter of recommendation, you introduce the teacher to what exactly you want to study, what scholarship you are applying for and what your plans for the future are. This will help you write a review that will be tailored specifically to the specific application you are submitting now. Of course, it is best to contact those teachers with whom you have worked a lot, who know you well not only as a student, but also as a person. One of my letters of recommendation was written by a work colleague. This is also a look at you, but from the other, professional side. I think it is quite logical to ask for letters of recommendation to be written in advance, so that both you and the person writing them have the opportunity to write a good recommendation.

2) Study/Research Objective - essentially this is the main component of your application. In this essay, you tell us what exactly you want to study during your studies in the USA, what you want to achieve, and why you need all this.

When I applied for the second time, I applied for two specialties - “Linguistics” and “Education” (we are talking about a master’s program). For each discipline it is necessary to submit a separate package of competitive documents. To be honest, although I was interested in linguistics, I looked for those research topics that are currently relevant in the USA, read what they are studying right now, because I think that the first time I had no chance, if only because subtitles are not studied at all in the USA.

I would advise you to think and look for information about whether there are any universities in the USA that can offer you to study what interests you. After all, if there are no such universities, then your application is doomed from the very beginning, which is quite logical, isn’t it?

3) Personal Statement - in fact, this is an essay in which they want to hear about how you became interested in this topic and why, what you have achieved in this area. Here is an example of my essay when I Not passed, although it still seems to me that this is a pretty decent Personal Statement.

By the way, in Moscow, EducationUSA conducts free seminars on how to write a motivation letter or other essays for admission to US universities, prepare for the TOEFL or GRE, and also how to get a good letter of recommendation.

Before writing an essay, think about what interests you? What can you talk about for hours? What can you explain well to another person? Read your essays yourself and let others read them. Is it clear what exactly you want to study? Does it feel like the person who wrote these essays really cares about what they write about?