next »

[vergon]

Hello, all

I've just spent the last two months working on a sabbatical proposal/Fulbright application to spend a portion of 2007-08 in Brazil. I had one collegial conversation with the program manager a few months ago, have a letter of invitation from my host institution, and a couple of other high-placed letters of support.

However… I don’t think I have the CV to pull it off. I spent the day Googling everyone who’s received a Fulbright to Brazil in the past five years. They are all Latin American experts. I am not. They are all accomplished academics. I just received my tenure promotion, but have an anemic publishing resume from a 4-4 teaching school with token research support. My previous life was in law/politics, so much of my time has been spent on board work, commission appointments, etc. My language skills are, at best, elementary (though I am committed to working on them). Many past recipients had books on the region written before they were awarded their Fulbright. I’ve been to the country once for three weeks. I have supreme confidence in my project, but very little on paper that makes me look like any of the past award recipients.

So, do I spend the next two weeks hammering out the application and sending it in? Will I embarrass myself? Will a relatively pathetic application now taint future applications? Should I call the program officer again and describe my supreme insecurities? Or should I just ditch the project, go hiking for the rest of July, and look for funding elsewhere?

Many thanks for your input!

[iomhaigh]

From a sheer work spent/time left to completion ratio, I say finish it since you're most of the way there.  Plus, if it doesn't come through, you'll have a solid proposal to tweak into something else. 

I will defer, though, to our more esteemed colleagues who've been at this longer. 

[expatinuk]

go for it... the worst that can happen is that you don't get it!

[betterslac]

Vergon:

I have served on a Fulbright peer review panel, and I am not optimistic that you would have a good chance from the information you provided, unless the pool for Latin America is weak this year (in my understanding, it is usually rather strong).

You do have the requisite invitation from a host institution. However,  panels generally look for very advanced language skills, especially from faculty applicants. You probably need to work for a few years developing language skills in country to have a good chance. That would also take care of another item-- time in country. You do not mention whether you have spent time there, and whether your letters of support are from in-country and represent solid contacts, both of which are essential.

The panel also wants people who have invested themselves in particular areas of the world and in particular cultures. You should work on identifying yourself (through publications and professional activities) as a specialist in Brazilian politics/culture/literature, or whatever area of inquiry you work in. Make sure your proposal is intrinsically linked to Brazil, not just a generic project that can be done in Brazil. Finally, make sure that your institution has a program (not just a course or two) in Latin American Studies that would benefit from the experience and knowledge you would gain from the grant.

That being said, if you have already invested a significant amount of time on the application, you might want to complete it and get feedback from the panel. This could give you valuable information for a future application, and you could get lucky.

Good luck.

[waxwing]

This thread may be dead now but I think some of my comments should have a general appeal, so here goes:

I noted that although Vergon may have a professional interest in Brazil, s/he doesn't mention it and might be just as happy applying to a country that is not so competitive, particularly if what you are after is an exciting and new experience, as opposed to the opportunity to pursue a project that can only be carried out in Brazil.

On a slightly different topic, s/he mentions googling recent recipients.  That's a good idea, but you might as well contact them as well.  I get fairly frequent requests from applicants who hear about me from someone else in Fulbright, or who google me.  It's an excellent opportunity to get great inside information.

Good luck!

WW