Okay, so you’ve submitted your Fulbright application and now you’ve been called to interview. Eek!
First off, well done. Loads of people apply for this, so you’ve done incredibly well to get to this stage. I also think that by this point, everyone who is called to interview is entirely deserving of the award. They’re no longer looking for who is “better” on paper; they’re just looking to see if something live tips the scales.
To give you an idea of the interview timeline: I submitted my application on the 5th of May, and it wasn’t until the 24th of July that I heard back with an invite. They ask you to confirm pretty quickly whether or not you can make the interview, and they give you a date then and there. The date for my interview was Friday the 22nd of August.
They also let me know that two days prior to the interview they would send out the exact questions they were going to ask. The interview itself is done via Zoom, lasts approximately 20 minutes, and consists of two distinct parts.
Note: The scholarship I applied to (and won) was the Fulbright BAFTA Scholarship, self-placement, UK-US. My advice speaks directly to that process, but hopefully it’s useful for anyone else applying for a Postgraduate Fulbright Award.
Part 1: The Presentation
I was asked to prepare a short presentation lasting no longer than five minutes. Your presentation has to cover the following criteria:
An outline of the study/academic work you intend to carry out in the United States.
How you became interested in your field of study and what your journey has been like to this point.
The potential wider impact of your intended academic work, and how you intend to disseminate the outputs.
The US universities you have applied to (or intend to apply to) and what motivated you to choose them (for self-placement), OR why you decided to apply through the IIE placement.
Crucial Rules: I was asked not to prepare a PowerPoint or any other AV, and they explicitly didn’t want me reading from notes. We were also told that while our application had been read by the entire panel, the interview panel itself was made up of individuals who might not specialise in our specific field. So you’re talking to people who might not completely understand your research.
Part 2: Questions from the Panel
I was told ahead of time that the panel’s questions would cover various aspects related to the ethos of the Fulbright programme, aiming to learn more about my experiences and plans.
True to their word, exactly two days before the interview, they sent over the following four questions:
Can you tell us what you know about the US-UK Fulbright Commission and what excites you about carrying out your project through the Fulbright Programme?
We are interested to hear about situations where you have taken initiative and made a difference, either in your academic community or in your wider communities (that you are part of). Can you give us a brief example?
This question has two strands to it: Firstly, beyond academia and life at your host institution, which aspects of American culture are you interested in? Secondly, how will you meet people outside of your academic field during your time in the U.S.?
As a Fulbrighter, you will be expected to help people in the U.S. understand more about life in the UK. Please take a moment to choose a current issue related to life in the UK. Describe and explain it to us the way you would to someone who is completely unfamiliar with the issue. It can be any cultural, social, or political issue.
We were also warned that we would get one random, unscripted question at the very end. I can’t remember the exact wording of mine, but it was tailored to my application - specifically about the fact that my films were quite culturally localised, and how did I expect them to resonate with an American audience.
Keep in mind these were tailored to my specific project and host country (UK-US) - your panel may focus on entirely different topics!
How I Prepared (And What I Learned)
I will caveat this by saying that I had a very chaotic life in the lead-up to my interview. If you can, carve out a day or two - or even just a solid hour or two right before the call - to just calm down and centre yourself. It is a massive opportunity, so give it the time it deserves to work on your answers.
At the time, I was working full-time and had a massive work event the day before. I then travelled down to Edinburgh the night before my interview. Because I was stressed, I over-rehearsed all my answers to the point where it felt like I was following a strict script.
I strongly advise against doing this. I think you can practice your points, but you still need to leave yourself room to think on the spot. I just felt far too rigid.
The presentation at the start went really well - I had prepped for it intensely and delivered it naturally. Similarly, because they sent the questions two days early, I was able to do little rehearsals in my head. However, what really threw me was that final, unscripted question. My adrenaline was pumping, and because I was so rigidly attached to my practiced script, I lost the ability to pivot. I really bluffed the final question (and that’s not just me being overly critical). It was pretty bad.
I came away from the call feeling like I’d fallen at the very last hurdle because I convinced myself that you needed to absolutely nail every single question to even be in with a shot.
If you feel this way after the interview, please give yourself some grace. I’m sure you will have done brilliantly, even if you walk away thinking it was awful.
It wasn’t until the 22nd of September that I finally found out that I’d won the award!
My Top Tips for Success
Read over your application: If you’ve gotten an interview, it’s because they loved what you wrote. Read over what you said and what you promised; it will give you the perfect foundation for their questions.
Get into a good headspace: Try to clear your diary the week of the interview. Take a couple of days off work if you can afford to, or just lighten your workload. We are talking about a $66,000 scholarship, and you have exactly 20 minutes to convince them that you’re worthy of it. Give it the time you would give a life-changing job interview.
Check your tech early: Make sure your Wi-Fi is strong and you know how to log into Zoom. It sounds silly, but on the morning of my interview, my laptop forced a massive update and then booted me out of Zoom. Luckily, I’d given myself a time buffer so I wasn’t late, but it was a major moment of panic you want to avoid.
Practice, but don’t script: Like I said, I got too caught up in my exact wording, which meant I fluffed my final answer. It was fine in the end, but on another day, that could have been make-or-break for me. Be prepared to just talk like a human being.
Answer the question: This one may seem obvious, but it’s so easy to forget to do. They send the questions two days in advance so you can think over answers and be specific. Really focus on what the questions are asking and make sure you answer them.
Nail the presentation: This is their very first impression of you. Unlike the questions (which you only get 2 days before), you have a whole month to prepare for the presentation. The fact that you aren’t allowed slides is actually a blessing - you won’t get caught up in technical difficulties. Get it running smoothly and make sure it gives a real flavour of who you are. Practice. Practice. Practice.
Be kind to yourself: Once the laptop clicks shut, let it go. I was so tough on myself and convinced myself I hadn’t gotten it. It always goes better than you think it did, and if you stumble on one question, it is absolutely fine (nobody is perfect and they don’t expect perfection). They want to see that you’re human and you’ll be able to make human connections in America.
Hope this helps someone out there!
If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out to me at roise_nab.