So you are a Fulbright Alternate…
I distinctly remember receiving the news in late March of 2022 that I was an alternate for a Fulbright grant. My hands trembled as I clicked the link emailed to my inbox and viewed the decision letter:
“The Institute of International Education (IIE) wishes to inform you that you have been designated as an Alternate candidate for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for 2022-23. While you have not currently been selected as a Finalist, your selection as an Alternate for a Fulbright award is itself an achievement for which you can be justly proud.”
Until I opened this letter, I had only considered two possibilities: receiving the award or not being recommended. I had forgotten that there was the possibility of being an “alternate.” While the decision letter congratulated me for achieving this recognition, I felt disappointed: If this is how it ends, I might as well have been denied outright.
Even so, there were a few glimmers of hope. A professor told me that decades ago, she had been a Fulbright alternate before being promoted to finalist weeks later, and a colleague mentioned a friend who recently had the same experience. But as the summer months went by and I received no news, I quietly moved on.
Based on my experience as a Fulbright alternate, I share the following thoughts with this year’s alternates:
It is ok to feel disappointed. You worked so hard for this, and it is frustrating to be left hanging. Even so, try to keep up hope. You never know if you’ll get the news that you have been advanced to alternate! Even more importantly…
Celebrate your achievement! Being a Fulbright alternate is not just a consolation prize. Your work and dedication were recognized by panels in the U.S. and in your host country. They see something worthwhile in your project or research idea. Multiple friends in academia, from professors to my campus advisor, were impressed when they heard I was an alternate for a Fulbright award. Be sure to include “Fulbright alternate [country, year]” on your résumé!
And… please consider applying again! If you don’t end up advancing to finalist this year, consider giving it another shot. You may find it helpful to take a look at my blog post on this very subject:
Applying for a Fulbright… Again
I also have a handful of coaching slots available this summer for Fulbright applicants. To see if a session with me could be a good fit for you and to join the wait list, click here:
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.