The Fullbright Program

I would like to take this opportunity to begin discussing grants with my readers. I would like, every once in awhile, to talk about specific grants, scholarships, and loans to better inform my readers what is out there. I feel this will enable all of my readers to obtain a broader knowledge of the topic at hand, and outline programs they can research and select the right program for them.

Today, specifically, I would like to introduce you to the Fullbright program. This program was created in 1946, named after its benefactor, Senator J. William Fullbright, to foster understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges. Since its rather humble beginnings in 1946, the Fullbright program has risen to become the U.S. Government's premier scholarship/grant program. It has also blossomed into a wonderful way in which U.S. students, artists, and other professionals share work, thoughts, ideas and collaborate, building a better and brighter future. This program allows its participants to gain something more than knowledge learned from books: international experience and competence, something that in 1946 seemed only to be a dream for the far off future.

The Fullbright program has allowed American students to study, conduct research and various other tasks in more than one hundred nations. To many, this is considered highly beneficial, and is arguably the most effective way in which to study and gain knowledge of other cultures.

The Fullbright program operates to give B.S/B.A. graduates, Master's and Doctoral candidates, young professionals and artists opportunities for both personal development and subsidized works. Some of the projects assigned to these students and young professionals include, but are not limited to:

• University Coursework - assigned work from any approved school, and can be credited to either the student's humanity or required credits.
• Independent library or field research - consists of any topic assigned by a professor or teacher.
• Classes in a music Conservatory or Art School - all of which goes toward a humanities credit
• Special projects in social or life sciences - this can include such things as work experience or internships. Recently, students have participated in projects such as cancer research in the U.K., free market development in Mauritius, women's rights in Chile, and contemporary artistic expression in India.

Even more significant than the basic cultural and other knowledge that the students receive while in the host country are the day-to-day aspects of the experience. In promoting understanding of other cultures, the Fullbright program also promotes cross-cultural interaction and involvement on a person-to-person basis. In other words, you will meet some new friends, and gain experience that you can never get from a book or from simply hearing about it. The basic atmosphere in the Fullbright program is that of openness, academic integrity and intellectual freedom, which is the backbone of the Fullbright program. This program stands by its belief that one cannot truly benefit from a culture unless one can interact with it on a personal and day-to-day basis.

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