Last Tuesday, I sat down in a conference room with my Fulbright Advisor and four campus committee members. My nerves were jacked way up (as they always are for interviews) despite how much I had prepared over the weekend. All of the committee members are faculty at UWT and three of them are previous Fulbrighters themselves. I definitely felt a little intimidated in their company.
Their questions began abruptly, and even though I had practiced answers for ones I knew would come up, all of my prepared responses vanished from mind. I felt like I was scrambling for words and not making much sense. I tried to tell myself to take it easy, that this wasn’t a job interview, but my brain kept sending freak-out mode messages to my body anyway: my hands started shaking, my mouth went dry, and my body temperature soared.
The interview is a total blur in my mind. I don’t remember much. But after all the Q&A the meeting took a very different turn. It was at this point that they began to give me feedback on my essays and overall application. The room became comfortable and relaxed. The committee members began outlining the strengths of my application and they said it was already very good. They gave me advice on what to elaborate and where to go into more depth. They also gave recommendations on what to add, based on my answers to their questions.
Later that day, I received an email from my Fulbright Advisor that provided her notes on our meeting. She began by saying that the committee was very impressed by my maturity, experience, and commitment to students. She also noted that my application was already very strong, and the recommended revisions would only make it better. What a huge confidence boost. Even though I feel like I messed up on a couple of my responses due to stress-induced amnesia, I left feeling like I might actually have a shot at this.
Now I have until Oct. 14th (the national deadline) to make these revisions and submit my entire application to Fulbright. This will be a challenge, but I am excited to finally finish and focus on other responsibilities, like my NAFSA project. I will also start looking for other international opportunities to apply for, in case my Fulbright dream doesn’t come true. Until then, I will be working three days per week in the study abroad office, training and guiding the new Study Abroad Ambassadors. I am so excited for this new year of international programs at UWT!
More to come as I begin putting the finishing touches on my essays.
University of Cartagena – Cartagena, Colombia. (Qué linda, no?)
Gypsy Feet 