The U.S. ExperiencePresented by the Commission for Educational

Exchange Between the United States and Belgium

Mission

Education Advising Center

Website

Email - Phone

Outreach

Resource Library

Fulbright Grants

Study/Research

Journalism/Law/MBA

European Union

Teachers/Language Assistants

Why the U.S.?• Wide array of options• Collaboration of scholars• Active development and presentation of

research• Not just academic study• Internationalize your CV• Opportunity to travel to the US

Belgian Mobility

Interesting Facts

  1. Columbia University  2. Harvard University  3. New York University  4. Stanford University  5. University of Chicago

Top Graduate Institutions

• Five to seven years beyond a bachelor’s degree• Academic or Professional• Comprehensive exam and dissertation

Doctoral Degree

• Doctoral research or post-doctoral positions• May require fees• Requires a letter of invitation/letter of admission

Visiting Researcher

Your Options

Typically 5-7 years in length

2 years of intensive course work before thesis

Admission varies: centralized/decentralized

Big names, not best names in your field

Reputation of your program

What you should know

Differences to Expect

• No central government authority• No ranking system• Sometimes there are entrance exams• Application process- letters of

recommendation, personal statements• Teaching and classroom styles• On-campus life and opportunities

Start early

REGISTERNOTE

…for any required tests

…all deadlines on a calendar

12 – 18 months…prior to departure

EVALUATE

CHOOSE

DETERMINE

…your motivation & objectives

…1 – 4 programs to apply to

…all requirements

How to chooseo Location

o Academic fit

o Size of department

o Opportunities – teaching, publishing, conferences, alumni

o Resources – desk, libraries, MBA programs and commercialization offices

o Cost?

Searching• http://

www.petersons.com/graduate-schools.aspx

• http://www.gradschools.com/

• http://www.princetonreview.com/schools/gradSchoolResearch.aspx

• http://www.topmba.com/

• http://www.phds.org/

• Search academic publications to see where the authors are coming from

• Network at conferences and through your current professors

• Check the websites of professional organizations in your field

Understand your admission

requirements

Request Transcripts

Take your standardized tests

Request your recommendation

letters

Write your personal statement

•Courses completed•Grades/marks received in each course

Graduate coursework

•Original transcript or certified copy•Verification from a foreign credential evaluation service

Original or certified

Transcripts

Entrance Exams

o For admission to Graduate Schools (except Law programs)

o Subject-specific tests required for certain programs

o Scores range from 130-170 and are available 10-15 days after the exam. They are good for 5 years.

o http://www.takethegre.com/

o For admission to Business Schools

o Scores range from 200-800 and are available 20 days after the exam. They are good for 5 years.

o http://www.mba.com

GREGraduate Record Exam

GMATGraduate Management Admission Test

• $ 240• Brussels,

Luxembourg, Paris, Arnhem

• Speak with a computer

• http://www.ets.org/toefl

• http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/

€ 198 Accepted by many

but not all universities

Speak with a human http://www.britis

hcouncil.org/brussels-exams-ielts.htm

€ 270 Accepted by many

but not all universities

3 hours, Brussels Score in 5 days http://www.pearso

npte.com/PTEACADEMIC/Pages/home.aspx

English Tests

TOEFL Registration Fri., Oct 25, 2013

Sat., Nov 09, 2013

Fri., Nov 22, 2013

Fri., Dec 06, 2013

Sat., Dec 07, 2013

Sat., Dec 14, 2013

Fri., Dec 20, 2013

Recommendation Letters

Who can write them?

•Professors, administrators, or employers•Choose someone who knows you well, inside and outside of the classroom

What should they include?

•Length and capacity of relationship•Quality and examples of your academic and/or professional work•Comparison to others, when appropriate•Potential to do well

• Develop strong relationships with academic and professional colleagues

• Ask for letter of recommendation early and in-person• Talk about your motivation for applying• Provide them with resources like your CV to help

them know what elements to include• Give them a pre-addressed stamped envelope• Follow up to make sure the letter is sent!

21

Recommendation Letters

Personal Statement

Past qualifications

and where your interest stems from

Why now is the right time and there is

the right place

Details about how you plan

to use the degree in the

future

ClearConciseSpecific

Persuasive

Compelling statement of purpose (research plan)

CV plus extracurriculars

Writing sample or portfolio

Interview (if required)

Additional Documents

Post-Doctoral Positions

Purpose

1. Further training 2. Broaden research experience3. Enhance teaching effectiveness4. Make contacts with peers in field5. Gain experience in grant writing & presenting6. Opportunity to publish and position yourself

for a full-time position

Purpose

1. Research Associate – Usually in sciences– Employment, not training– Tax implications

2. Fellowships (sciences vs. humanities) Specifically for training or research Training grant can come from university, federal agency, or foundation or association

3. Internships/Apprentinceships4. Jobs in the industry5. Instructor positions6. Assistant professor

Types of Positions

Network with your own contacts first When you read articles, whose direction/scope appeals

to you? What impact does this individual have in this field? Speak with present or past students/postdocs Do they have time for you? Is this field growing? What next?

Finding a host

Contact a year before you will finish your degree More funding resources and number of positions with that

adviser. Plus, it gives you an incentive to finish! Write them a 1-2 paragraph email that BRIEFLY states

Any personal connections with them Your reaction/questions about their research Your academic fit Any funding you will bring with you

You can follow up with more details later

Contacting Potential Hosts

Keep them informed of your progress Be realistic about when you can actually arrive Duration of training? Goals during training? Salary? Health care? Visa? Family status? Student or professor? Are you working on their project or your original works? Collaboration with others?

Once you have a host

• On official department letterhead• Contact details included• Should outline:– Your official status – visiting researcher, professor, etc.– Specific dates of stay– Resources available to you – desk, mailbox, salary, etc.

• Signed

Letter of Invitation

3 Simultaneous Actions

1. Choose 1-4 universities 2. Determine what is needed to apply

for each one3. Look for financial support.

1. Personal funding2. Loan

o From a banko From Lazard Foundation in Belgium

3. Money from U.S. universityoResearch fellowshipoTeaching assistantshipoSalary

4. Scholarship from other organizations◦Fulbright, BAEF, Rotary◦http://www.fulbright.be/awards/non-fulbright-awards/

Funding Sources

– NRC Research associateship programs (science, engineering, atmospherical, aeronautical, OSHA, Energy, NOAA)

– National Science Foundation– National Labs (ex. Lawrence-Livermore, Los Alamos)– National Academy of Engineering– American Western Universities (AWU)– NIH, NSF, HHMI– Foundations for disease research: American Cancer Society, Parkinson’s Disease

Foundation, Leukemia Society, March of Dimes– Industry: Pharma companies like Pfizer, DuPont, Amgen, Genentech, SAIC, Merck– General med research: Damon Runyon, Helen Hay Whitney, Charles King Trust, Jane

Coffin Childs, Markey, Life Sciences

Fellowships: Sciences

• Woodrow Wilson Post Doc Fellowships in Humanities• Social Sciences Research Council• American Philosophical Society • Arts (Ahmanson, Getty)

Fellowships: Humanities

Fulbright Awards

“ to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries " former Senator J. William Fulbright

o Students, Researchers, LecturersoMid-career journalistso Language teaching assistants o Secondary school teachers

*Anyone without a Ph.D. at the time of departure is a student!*

Who can apply?

• Up to $30,000

• Sickness and accident insurance

• J-1 visa sponsorship

• Discount on Brussels Airlines plane tickets to NY & DC

• In-country programming– including Gateway Orientations, Enrichment Seminars, and the Occassional Lecturer Fund

• Prestigious title and alumni network

Benefits

• Belgian citizenship

• English proficiency

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree

• Academic excellence (generally a distinction every year or grand distinction in the last year of study)

• Admission or affiliation with an accredited US university or think tank

Eligibility

• No J-1 visa in the student or scholar categories within the past two years

• Ambassadorial qualities necessary for educational and cultural exchange

• Must return to Belgium/EU for 2 years following grant http://prado.consilium.europa.eu/en/searchByIssuingCountry.html

Conditions

DeadlinesDecember 1:• Foreign Language

Teaching Assistants Program

• Summer Seminar in American Studies

• Frank Boas Scholarships for Harvard

March 1:• Fulbright - Hays Journalism

Grant • Fulbright Awards for

Graduate Study • Fulbright Awards for

Research Scholars & Lecturers

• Fulbright - Schuman Grants

PreliminaryApplication

3 letters of recTranscripts

Essays

Final OnlineApplication

Provide letter of acceptance

NotificationInterview

July 1 – November 1November 1 – February 1

December 1March 1

December 11March 19

March/April

PrepareAs soon as possible

How to apply

• For candidates whose FIRST CHOICE is Harvard• International Legal Studies – Offers partial scholarship based on

financial need and a travel grant from Fulbright Belgium• Graduate Studies Award – Offers one year scholarship and travel

stipend. Preference is given to full-degree seeking students with at least one year of professional experience, but this award is open to Visiting Scholars, too.

• Applicants must apply to Harvard and Fulbright at the same time, and they must email a copy of their final Harvard application to fulbright@fulbright.be for consideration during the scholarship selection process

• Notifications in December and March• Unsuccessful applicants allowed to re-apply in the spring

Harvard BOAS

Journalism Award• Earn a journalism degree or

research how US journalists approach a certain aspect of the field

• Preference is given to candidates with at least two years of professional experience

• $15,000 or $30,000

• Graduate Study, Pre-Doctoral Research, Post-Doctoral Research, or University Lecturing

• Open to all EU citizens whose projects relate to U.S.-EU relations, EU policy, or EU institutions

• Must have minimum of three months experience in two or more Member States

• Preference given to candidates with at least two years of professional experience

• €2,000 travel stipend and €3,000/month

Fulbright Schuman

Visit the Commission’s website in your home country for more information

Austria www.fulbright.atBelgium www.fulbright.beBulgaria www.fulbright-bg.orgCyprus www.fulbright.org.cyCzech Republic www.fulbright.czDenmark www.daf-fulb.dkFinland www.fulbright.fiFrance www.fulbright-france.orgGermany www.fulbright.deGreece www.fulbright.gr Hungary www.fulbright.huIceland www.fulbright.isIreland www.fulbright.ieItaly www.fulbright.itLuxembourg http://luxembourg.usembassy.gov/fulbright.html

Netherlands www.fulbright.nl Norway www.fulbright.noPoland www.fulbright.edu.plPortugal www.ccla.ptRomania www.fulbright.roSlovak Republic www.fulbright.sk Spain www.fulbright.esSweden www.fulbright.se Turkey www.fulbright.org.tr United Kingdom www.fulbright.co.ukRussia http://fulbright.ruUkraine www.fulbright.org.ua

EU Fulbright Offices

Royal Library Albert I, 3rd FloorBoulevard de L’Empereur, 4, Keizerslaan

B-1000 Brussels, Belgium

Tel: +32 (0)2 519.57.72

fulbright@fulbright.bewww.fulbright.be