WINTER 2012 - National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and ...

Fulbright Program for Foreign Students
BECOMING AN INTERNATIONAL FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR
My Fulbright journey started as early because I decided to pursue further
studies after receiving my Master of Business Administration (MBA) from a
Pakistani business school. With nonprofit management already as my master’s
degree focus, I wanted to advance my research in public private partnerships and
the Public Administration programs in several American universities appeared
to have expertise in my areas of interest. It was also clear to me that given the
financial meltdown and resultant budget cuts in the United States, it would be
hard for me to get an American public administration graduate school to sponsor
all my academic and living costs over the 4 years or so of the program. With a
lack of personal funds further complicating the situation, my only chance to
accomplish my educational goal was to compete for the Fulbright scholarship.
My scholarship application, therefore, was prepared not only with the rigor of a
keen scholar but also with the desperation of a person with no alternatives. After
going through the lengthy FPFS selection process throughout the spring and fall
of 2007, including taking the mandatory standardized exams Teaching of English
as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and
graduate school selection, I was awarded a scholarship to pursue a PhD in Public
Administration at Arizona State University (ASU) starting in Fall 2008. FPFS
would pay for my tuition, health insurance, living costs, and textbooks.
While USEFP assists Pakistani Fulbright Scholars in applying for their
U.S. visas, the several-weeklong process is still feared for its unpredictability.
Therefore, even with an admission to a well-reputed university and federal
government funding, I still was not completely sure about my ability to start my
studies until I was in possession of the visa. This was ironic because I was going
to study public administration in a country whose public administrators did not
make a good first impression. The next few impressions were not much to speak
of either; being a Pakistani citizen, I was subject to a number of lengthy and
somewhat frustrating immigration and security-related procedures.
An interesting observation that I made after comparing notes with some
of my colleagues not funded by Fulbright was that some of them did not feel
as frustrated as I was with the immigration hardships. According to them, they
were looking forward to making the United States their home and felt that it was
the right of the country to scrutinize as needed the people it would take in. On
the other hand, bound by my Fulbright contract to go back home as soon as I
finished my studies, I saw myself more as an invited guest to the United States
than an applicant to enter. Therefore, in my opinion, an international Fulbright
Scholar sharing my outlook can see the visa application and immigration process,
combined with the uncertainty of living and academic conditions in the United
States, as quite the morale sink. At the same time, this observation presents an
opportunity for graduate school faculty and administration to enhance their
ability to support and facilitate such students by being sensitive to this possibly
weakened emotional state.
Journal of Public Affairs Education 231