My Fulbright Application Timeline
Ask anyone who has applied for a Fulbright award, and they will tell you it is an arduous journey. The waiting period alone is six months, from the yearly October deadline to award announcement the following spring. The application - which includes multiple essays, recommendation letters, language assessment, and a host country affiliation - represents months of work. Depending on when the applicant sets out, the entire process can easily add up to a year or more.
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In today’s blog post, I pull back the curtain to reflect on my own years-long timeline to a Fulbright award:
October of 2016 was the first time, to my recollection, that I heard the word “Fulbright.” My piano mentor Jill and I were flying home from an event, and we discussed my interest in the Spanish language and Hispanic composers. She said I should keep the Fulbright program on my radar for the future.
Summer of 2018: Freshly graduated with my bachelors, I decided to apply for a Fulbright ETA (English teaching assistantship) to Spain with a side project studying Spanish piano repertoire.
January 2019: My application was denied at the first stage.
August 2020: I began the first semester of my master’s at the University of Kansas with a goal of focusing as much as possible on Mexican composers and ultimately applying for Fulbright again, this time to Mexico. To that end, I wrote papers and gave presentations about Manuel Ponce and Carlos Chavez in several of my classes.
Spring 2021: I met with the KU Fulbright adviser and began working toward an application for a research project in Mexico.
October 2021: I turned in my completed application after spending the summer honing my project, writing essays, and networking with affiliates.
January 2022: I found out I was a semi-finalist!
March 2022: I attended a remote interview with COMEXUS (the Fulbright commission in Mexico).
Read more details about my Fulbright interview experience in this post.
End of March 2022: I was named an “alternate” (essentially put on a waiting list). Though it was exciting that my proposal received this recognition, it was tough to be so close but so far from my goal of studying music in Mexico.
More on being an alternate for a Fulbright award in this blog post.
July 2022: After several busy months graduating with my master’s, getting married, and settling in Oregon, I began to seriously consider applying for a Fulbright again. Compared to the momentum I felt the previous application cycle, this time I felt resigned, drained, and even cynical. I told my husband, “This is the last time. If I don’t get it, I will move on to other things.”
October 2022: I clicked “submit” on the application with mostly the same project: study Mexican piano repertoire at the national conservatory in Mexico City while doing some teaching and concertizing on the side.
January 2023: I’m a semi-finalist! Time to get ready for the interview.
March 2023: I went through my second COMEXUS interview experience, definitely feeling more prepared and polished this time.
April 5th, 2023: A few days before my birthday, I received the anticipated email inviting me to click a link to view my status. I opened the letter and read the words: “On behalf of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, I am pleased to congratulate you on your selection...” I couldn’t read the rest through the tears. It took a village, and we did it!
August 2023: Arrival in Mexico City… this is just the beginning!
I hope this seven-year timeline gives a glimpse of the work and time that resulted in the tip-of-the-iceberg moment when I received the award. Additionally, perhaps I can encourage others who are in a daunting and elusive pursuit toward a goal. The cliché is true: fulfillment is in the journey, not the destination.
Check out these blog posts for more on my COMEXUS/Fulbright interview experience, including essential tips for preparation:
Tips for a Successful COMEXUS Interview (especially if Spanish is not your first language!)
This blog (www.melissaterrallpiano.com/blog) is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.