Benefits and concerns of Fulbright Pakistan

The Fulbright Program provides funds for students, scholars and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching etc. It is estimated that over 1000 Pakistanis have already had the opportunity to participate in such programs. Since there are several institutions/organizations involved in the entire process, you will come across different names and acronyms in this article. The names and roles of some of them are explained below:

• Fulbright: The Fulbright Fellowships and Fulbright Scholarships, founded by the United States Senator William J. Fulbright, are educational grants funded (in part) by the United States Department of State.

• USEFP: The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan is a Fulbright Commission that supervises Fulbright-related programs in Pakistan. For Pakistani applicants, this organization is the main point of contact, who receives applications and carries out interviews etc.

• USAID: USAID is a US government organization responsible for non-military foreign aid. They provide funding for the Fulbright program, which is why you will often see scholarships labeled as “Fulbright/USAID” scholarships.

• HEC: The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan is a government organization that helps USEFP with funds to create scholarships labeled “Fulbright/HEC” scholarships (as opposed to purely Fulbright or Fulbright/USAID scholarships).

• IIE: IIE is a non-profit international education organization who interact with universities on behalf of Fulbright applicants. When USEFP applies to universities on your behalf, they use the services of IIE to do so.

The whole process, in a nutshell, works as follows: USEFP administers the Fulbright scholarship program in Pakistan and remain the only point of contact for Fulbright applicants. They receive funding from USAID and HEC. When applying for university admission, USEFP will forward your file to IIE who will interact with the universities on your behalf (read more on the process below).

The whole process, in a nutshell, works as follows: USEFP administers the Fulbright scholarship program in Pakistan and remain the only point of contact for Fulbright applicants. They receive funding from USAID and HEC. When applying for university admission, USEFP will forward your file to IIE who will interact with the universities on your behalf (read more on the process below).

Benefits

In a nutshell, it pays the bill and carries a lot of prestige. However, that comes at a price, especially for those in the Fulbright-HEC category. If you have alternate sources of funding, you may want to consider each of the following benefits in context of alternatives, as given below.

Some Concerns

Fulbright is a very appealing option for someone who would need to spend out of his own pocket otherwise, but there are two major issues. The first is obviously the issue of the J1 visa with a stipulation of leaving the US and returning to your home country for a specified number or years. More troubling is that the number of years or any of the other conditions are subject to change without warning. This not only can happen, it already has happened on more than one occasion. In 2006, the terms and conditions were modified, as described under Conditions above. Not only were these sweeping changes, causing several grantees to not avail the scholarship, they were made at the last moment, nearly a year after the application deadline, by which time people were ready to apply for their visas and had already forgone other job and admission offers in favor of the scholarship. In another case in 2006, Pakistani Fulbrighters discovered to their amazement that one of the provisions for continued training after graduation was banned all of a sudden, for older grantees and new applicants alike. This seriously messed up future plans of existing grantees, and after much debate it was decided to deal with them on a case-by-case basis while banning it for newer applicants. These are dangerous signs that further changes, just as significant, can occur at any time, even when you’re half-way through your studies, and all of this is on top of the fact that you are already legally bound to return to Pakistan anyway. The second issue is comparison with other forms of funding, if you have any. With a 20-hr TAship/RAship, which is a typical funding package for graduate students, you get almost the same benefit. It is less risky, you don’t have to deal with an uncertain future, and will not be forced to leave the country at the end of your program. However, not everyone is offered such funding (if your university thinks you’re coming on Fulbright, you may want to explicitly ask them for this instead) and you still have to work for it. Working as a TA in grad school is generally not a big deal, and the actual time spent is much less than 20 hours, mainly consisting of grading homeworks and exams. There are many applicants who choose to overlook their alternatives because they plan on returning to Pakistan anyway. Even in that case, the following concerns need to be addressed:

• Even though you may have decided to return to Pakistan, things can change in the next few years. The reasons behind those decisions may not be valid anymore by the time you graduate, or you may simply feel differently about it. If you change your mind later, you will not be able to find a loophole to undo this condition, and will have to return. It is also important to realize that it is not as if getting an F-1 visa instead of J-1 will prevent you from returning, so it is a matter of keeping your options open.

• Another important consideration is what you want to do with your degree. Post-graduate decisions can broadly be divided into three categories: a) be happy that you got an advanced degree even if you don’t have a use for it, b) work in the industry, c) join academia
  • If your goal is to get a US university ka thappa before joining the family business or just to be more qualified, then the 2-year (or 5-year) stipulation may not hurt you at all (unless your family business is in the US).
  • If you are looking to make some money or get some post-graduation training in the US, this option is not for you. The tech industry is doing well these days and the job market is looking good. You don’t want to be in a position where you regret having your hands tied as a result of a contractual agreement. Remember graduate students work for peanuts, lucrative offers from the industry can be very tempting, but if you are on a J-1 visa, you will simply not be eligible. You can still do internships in the meantime, but most companies would be hesitant to invest on an intern that they cannot hire later.
  • If you are looking for a future in academia, then returning to Pakistan for 2 or 5 years immediately after your PhD could mean professional suicide and largely a waste of a degree from a good university. Attending a so-so university, but without these stipulations, may be a better option. If you’re in it just for a PhD ka stamp, look under the first option. Another concern for PhD students is that Fulbright will only fund you up to 3 years, with a possible extension of up to two more semesters. PhD in computer science or related fields, on the other hand, can take 5 to 8 years (on average). If the funding doesn’t cover your entire program and you will have to look for your own sources anyway, why be subjected to all the terms and conditions? PhD students are almost always supported by the university in one form or the other, making Fulbright much less attractive for PhD as compared to Masters degree.

  Application Process & Follow-up

  Download the relevant forms from the USEFP website (http://www.usefpakistan.org/). Fill them out and send them to the postal address indicated on the forms by the deadline. Application is free, but you will need to report your TOEFL/GRE scores via ETS. You will also need letters of recommendation. If you are selected, you will be contacted by phone for a panel interview that will take place in Islamabad. If you are selected, then the forms, letters and test scores you submitted at the time of application will be used by USEFP (via IIE)to apply to your selected universities on your behalf. In recent years, the typical dates have been as follows: deadlines typically lie in May or June, and applicants receive interview calls by July or August. There can be two rounds of interviews, so interview calls may be given out till September. The candidate generally knows about the outcome by late October or November. At this time USEFP may ask for additional documents like “writing samples” or other things that may not have been part of the initial application in order to proceed with the university applications. University deadlines for the “public” are different than the ones used for IIE, so don’t be alarmed if your preferred university’s deadline has already passed and IIE has not yet applied. They will apply to up to 5 universities for you. You should start receiving university decisions by the following April. (someone with more recent experience can update these dates) The timing of the rest of the process depends on how quickly you hear back from the universities. There have been cases where the universities have asked to interview the candidate by phone, which is primarily meant to attract the candidate and ensure he’ll come to your university rather than testing him to see if he’s good enough for admission. As soon as you receive the first acceptance, you are ready to proceed with the formalities, or you may wish to wait to hear other universities’ decisions. You need to receive an offer from at least one university. Once you finalize your university, USEFP (via IIE) will take care of the formalities and cancel your admission at the other universities. Some time later, around May, you will be invited to an orientation in Islamabad, which will inform you (among other things) about an initial orientation in the US before you start your studies. Around the same time-frame, USEFP will be working with you to help you apply for a J-1 visa

Myths & Misconceptions

• Failure to complete the degree means you have to pay back all the money that USAID/HEC spent on you.

Wrong! USEFP or HEC do NOT penalize for failure to complete the degree. They penalize for failing to serve Pakistan after your time in the US. So, if you drop out after 3 years with no degree whatsoever, you still have to serve Pakistan for the 3 years that you took funding from Fulbright/HEC).

• Property pledged cannot be sold during the period of bonding (i.e., time taken for the degree plus the subsequent time serving in Pakistan).

Wrong! Grace C. Clark from USEFP sent an email on 10th May 2007 to the 2007 grantees stating: 1. The HEC legal department has confirmed that bonded property CAN be sold or transferred during the period of bonding. 2. Everyone on the Fulbright/HEC/USAID program in 2006 who completed the HEC bonding process departed for the U.S., including many people whose families own property worth less than Rs. 14 million. 3. Only people who request a full waiver have a limitation on property. Those who request a partial waiver can rent or own their residence. Please go ahead and complete the HEC formalities. If you encounter problems, we will work with you and the HEC to try to sort them out. Please remember that the bond would only be enforced for someone who failed to return to Pakistan. Since I am sure you will all return, I don’t expect any of you will have any problems.

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