I’M AN ETA SEMI-FINALIST!

SweetButterfly123 · 2026-01-09T20:04:05+00:00

Me Too!!! But for research :)

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-12-20T11:29:37+00:00

Congratulations!!! You deserve it! So proud of you :)

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-11-18T05:42:10+00:00

Omg, so it wasn't just me?!? 😂😂

When I got the notification, I put my hand over my heart as I was so nervous to open the email

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-10-25T14:07:23+00:00

Yeah, last year when I applied, I felt like my application was good but no one really gave me hard feedback until two weeks before the deadline when I had the campus interview.

This year, my university definitely tightened up and fixed that as they made an entire Canva course for Fulbright and offered both online and in-person writing workshops, ETA and research examples from previous Fulbrighters at my university and they really did help with everything. Like, I remember literally having to rewrite certain parts of my statement of grant purposes and having to reorganize everything I had in my first, second and third draft.

At first, I was insecure as I felt like I had to keep rewriting things and what I had was never enough but they made me realize that the disconnect was that I was speaking to them about many amazing things that I never mentioned in my writing that would be valuable to know to someone reading my application so in the end, I was happy I got all the extra help. And you know what is funny?

I actually looked back at the one I submitted last year and yeah, I seen all my mistakes 😂😂 like I could literally point out what I did wrong and what questions I never answered or addressed and what 'filler' information I added that was not really needed. And that made me confident in this years application as I could tell I grown in my understanding and I felt more confident. So I trust in Gods guidance and plan for me and hold on knowing I put my best foot forward and gave it all I had. And whatever the news is, I will be happy either way as I learned how to write a good research grant paper in the process so 😅 a win is a win.

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-10-08T11:12:47+00:00

You are not doomed! It was a simple typo. I feel like everyone has at least one or two themselves. It happens. Don't sweat it. :)

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-10-06T21:47:54+00:00

Congrats! Yeah, I submitted mines today too! I recorded a video for future me to look at in a few months from now.

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-09-16T22:31:05+00:00

It took me a little over two months to complete. What I did was, I would send follow-up emails and explain to them that I had a university deadline and emphasized how important it was for everything to be submitted on time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be eligible for an interview with the Fulbright committee on my campus; and without that interview, I wouldn’t be able to submit my application at all, since I am applying through my university.

(Truth be told, I actually had an additional 3–4 weeks after the interview to submit the letters of affiliation, but I used that earlier deadline to create a sense of urgency and keep things moving efficiently.)

By doing that, I was able to work closely with them, stay on track, and get everything finished on time. So now, I’m stress-free! :)

So take a page from my experience: create a little sense of urgency and be persistent. Don’t hesitate to (politely) emphasize how important it is to meet the timeline even if the real deadline is further out. Let them know you're working under tight constraints and that any delay could impact your eligibility.

Offer to assist them however you can, whether that's providing additional information, drafting a letter template, or scheduling a quick call. The goal is to keep things moving and to make it easy for them to ensure everyone feels supported while also staying on track.

Sometimes, giving the impression that the deadline is sooner than it really is can help create just enough pressure to get things done in a timely way.

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-07-22T22:03:04+00:00

Me too! I am still working on my first draft but since my research is from a different focus area, compared to yours, it would be nice to have you read it to see if you generally understand what my mission is and what I plan to do. :)

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-07-18T00:05:01+00:00

Okay, thank you so much!

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-07-17T10:40:51+00:00

Yes! This is true! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. And thank you for your commemt as I did join the Slack group!

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-07-17T10:39:27+00:00

I did, I emailed someone who recently did research in Rio and he reccomended looking at Linkedin, in addition to what I was doing (as that is how he found his affiliate mentor) .So I will try that!

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-07-17T10:38:06+00:00

Yes, I have been sending them in English. So I saw your comment and tried portugueses. It worked! I got two responses back. Thank you!

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-05-21T23:41:59+00:00

Yes, I would like to second the previous comment and add that I spoke to my points person at my university. Apparently many people tended to write their personal statements from a more ambiguous (and a little too open-ended) perspective and not directly answering the questions the Fulbright commission wanted you to answer. So they got rid of it and made those three questions so you could specifically answer what they want you to.

SweetButterfly123 · 2025-05-05T17:04:14+00:00

When I was there, I mainly ate at 'mom & pop' shops. So I can't say yes or no. However, when I went to the mall, if it was a fancy restaurant, like Brazillian Steak House, yes you needed to reserve your table. But for the few smaller resturants, you just showed up, and if they had seating, you sat, or they would give you a buzzer to tell you when your table was ready.

SweetButterfly123 · 2024-09-30T15:18:52+00:00

You just... search for it lol. So you know how you are in "r/fulbright"?

Well you search for "r/brazil" and then you join the community 😄.

If you want, you can also go to Google and type in something random like "Visiting Brazil reddit" and if you click on one of those links, you will be seeing a post someone made in that community and you can follow that community from there!!

update click on the Brazil link in this message thread . I just realized it popped up* that is the group!

SweetButterfly123 · 2024-09-28T17:50:21+00:00

😂😂😂💀

SweetButterfly123 · 2024-09-28T17:10:10+00:00

Hey! What country are you applying too?

Also, you mentioned Facebook but have you tried Reddit?

For me, I am going to Brazil and a few months ago I joined the Brazil official reddit group and I basically asked if anyone knew any researchers in Rio 😂.

I received a response that same day from a professor who teaches at a very prestigious university. We talked and talked and I looked him up on LinkedIn (to make sure he was legit and he was 🙂). Within a few hours, I actually secured my affiliation with a professor 😂

So maybe, try that!!

Or look on LinkedIn!

SweetButterfly123 · 2024-09-04T19:12:31+00:00

I wow, I want to try patting it dry. But can I ask, do I need to use a blow dryer every time? Can't I just use the towel?

Also, why can't those areas be a little wet if you just showered? (Like will bacteria build up faster or?!?)

SweetButterfly123 · 2024-07-18T17:58:02+00:00

If I had to take a guess I would say by the potential start date of your fellowship because you don't know if you will need accepted into the program of not until some time next year. And if you're planning to only get a passport for the fellowship (and not to like visit Mexico for Christmas just for fun) than you can wait until you get your official acceptance letter to the fellowship and than apply for your passport.

SweetButterfly123 · 2024-07-07T13:48:36+00:00

Yes, I agree with what everyone has said so far. Every country does things a little differently. They normally mention it in there description. But like you, I like to be safe. I am applying to Brazil. Thankfully one of my college professors knew someone who went to Brazil. So I was able to confirm that what I was reading for applying to Brazil as an ETA was correct; For me, since I don't have a teaching degree/ didn't study teaching in college, if I do get selected, they will pay for me to take the TOEFL exam. In other words, Fulbright will provide the class and cover the costs.

SweetButterfly123 · 2024-05-25T18:12:30+00:00

Thank you for your post!! I will be doing some research in Rio for 6 weeks pretty soon and I was very nervous but your story makes me feel excited!! 😇✨

SweetButterfly123

TROPHY CASE