This semester I have been busy with my courses: Financial Management; Financial Accounting; Business, Government, and World Economy; Statistics for Business; a waiver course in Mathematics for Financial Analysis. My midterm exams went well, and I even had the highest score in two courses.

I attended an international conference on “Corporate Governance Standards and Capital Market Competitiveness” organized by Transatlantic Corporate Governance Dialogue and Security Exchange Commission (SEC). In addition to several events organized by IIE, including a meeting with its president, Allan Goodman, I also participated in a meeting of current and former Fulbrighters organized by the National Capital Area Chapter of the Fulbright Association Chapter and visited the local Baltimore Ukrainian community.

There are countless economic, social, political, and infrastructural differences, which I keep discovering. Yet, most striking is the emphasis on the development of valuable skills in the learning process in my department. Information on finance is usually very practical and based on real life. Normally, professors are practitioners who are doing their best to ensure that students gain knowledge, which can have functional application in their future career.

It has also become clear to me that the better you speak English, the more likely you are to score high on cultural adaptability. It is a good idea to hone one's language skills a long time before beginning to study at an American institution.

Place: Capitol Hill, Washington, DC Capture: Ivan and Khrystyna Kushnir (Fulbright Graduate Student in DC) in front of the Capitol Date: September 15, 2007	Place: Baltimore, MD Capture: Ivan in front of the Downtown Center of Johns Hopkins University Date: September 20, 2007
Place: Goethe Institute, Washington, DC Capture: Ivan and Ugnius from Lithuania at "Get to Know Your Fulbright Association Chapter” event organized by DC Area Fulbright Association. Date: October 16, 2007	Place: Headquarters of Security Exchange Commission, Washington, DC Capture: I was a participant, (not a presenter) at the Conference “Corporate Governance Standards and Capital Market Competitiveness”. More on http://www.ecgi.org/tcgd/2007/programme.php Date: October 9, 2007
Place: Washington, DC Capture: Ivan and good old George Mason, the "Father of the Bill of Rights” and one of the best loved "Founding Fathers" of the United States. Date: September 28, 2007	Place: Fells Point, Baltimore, MD Capture: Ivan with the friends at Annual Halloween Parade in Baltimore Date: October 31, 2007
Place: Baltimore, MD Capture: the Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University Date: September 20, 2007	Place: Baltimore, MD Capture: Inner Harbor of Baltimore where those Ukrainians who came to America worked. Date: October 20, 2007
Place: Miami, FL Capture: Boat trip, Ivan with a Fulbrighter from Moscow in front of Miami business center Date: August 26, 2007

Host University

As a Graduate Student in the Fulbright Program, I am studying at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). The University is named for Johns Hopkins, who left $7 million in his 1873 will for the foundation of the university and Johns Hopkins Hospital. However, its name sometimes confuses the public because “Johns” is spelled with an “s”. Mark Twain was no exception. He wrote about JHU in a letter to a friend: “A few months ago I was told that the Johns Hopkins University had given me a degree … and so I started in to help as I could there. I told them … the public is sensitive to little things, and they won't have full confidence in a college that doesn't know how to spell the name 'John'.” Despite the “incorrect” spelling, in the 2007 evaluation of universities on the dual basis of distinction in research and international diversity, Newsweek magazine ranked Johns Hopkins University 15th worldwide. JHU is particularly known for its school of Public Health, School of Advanced International Studies, and School of Engineering.

Carey Business School, where I study, has cross-disciplinary program offerings with other top-ranked Johns Hopkins schools. Although my major, Corporate Finance, sounds appallingly practical, I am planning to focus on the theoretical side. Luckily, JHU has a lot of hard science courses offered at the School of Engineering that I might choose to audit in addition to the ones in the program. East Coast seems to be the place in the United States with the highest concentration of economics departments. Therefore, I hope I will be able to attend several conferences at the nearby universities in the next three semesters.

In my first semester, although I took four courses and one waiver exam (i.e., an exam that is taken in order not to take the whole course), some limited time was available for other academic activities. In October 2007, I participated in “Corporate Governance Standards and Capital Market Competitiveness,” an international conference at Security Exchange Commission headquarters in Washington DC. Also, I completed an article on “Corporate Governance,” which has been accepted for publication in the journal, Post-Communist Economies.

Fulbright Experience

America has welcomed people from other cultures, nations, and continents. It is not by chance, but through a complex series of historical phenomenon that the USA has developed a friendly attitude towards representatives of world cultures. The same principle applies to the Fulbright Program - it has welcomed all sorts of people from around the world in its more than 60 years existence.

I think that this is very encouraging to Fulbrighters. Knowing that whatever happens to you has already happened to someone else makes you feel comfortable. Knowing that everything you need is pretty much provided permits you to focus on your work at the host university.

When in 2007 I was selected for the Fulbright Graduate Student Program, Ms. Inna Barysh (Fulbright Program in Ukraine) was very helpful in choosing the university, identifying books to prepare for GMAT as well as studies in the U.S. After my arrival in Miami and participation in the Fulbright Gateway Orientation, I got a d?j? vu feeling that both Fulbright and International Institute of Education (IIE) staff were very supportive and well trained. The orientation provided sessions on graduate school survival skills and an understanding of current issues in U.S. society.

Later, in Washington, I learned more. I attended a meeting with the President of IIE, Allan Goodman, and meetings with current and former Fulbrighters. Ms. Saroj Siegler (IIE Program Officer) is very helpful and seems to be an expert in what she does. To educate us about the intricacies of studying and living in the U.S., she even came to visit the Fulbrighters at JHU at the main Homewood Campus in Baltimore, known as “Charm City.” It is thanks to IIE, that I spent Thanksgiving with an American family, which turned out to be an unforgettable experience. Now, I am looking forward to the tour of the Supreme Court, also organized by IIE.

Although Fulbright and IIE are very supportive, I would add that being prepared sounds like a good recipe for success in the United States, in the city of residence, and ultimately (if not most importantly) at one's host institution. By this I mean being prepared morally, academically and physically to sustain the bombardment of new ideas, events, and people that cross one's path here. The geyser of political correctness, diversity, and knowledge is something this nation offers to Fulbright Program participants. It is something that fortunately I have been offered.

Interesting Facts

The first thing that impressed me was the emphasis on networking. Perhaps this phenomenon is partly due to studying at the business school. Professional career services provide various networking events to all graduate students and alumni. The events usually feature representatives from the finance industry who are interested in attracting talented graduates. Furthermore, professors often request that students wear nametags so that interaction is facilitated.

The majority of my instructors are very helpful. They usually provide their telephone numbers and emails to students, so that we can get in touch and clarify questions or problems. My financial accounting professor put it straight: “Call whenever you want to… do not worry, my wife and children have already gotten used to this.” Not only do professors offer extra help, but also more hours are spent in class discussions. Normally, classes begin with a discussion of homework and end with student presentations. One disadvantage of such an approach is that this eats up lots of time and leaves some topic areas blank. I would venture to say that roughly half of the information found in an exam is typically covered in class. To find and learn (or cram) the remaining half is the student's responsibility. The rule of thumb is that about three hours of study are needed for every hour of class.

Last of all, everything must be done on time. Despite the fact that I have had classes in two different cities (yes, such things happen), I met all the deadlines. Honestly, I never met anyone who missed a deadline. Time is money to both the professors and students. The number of exams is usually three per subject. If you miss one test, it automatically means that you fail the whole course. On several occasions I saw people who took exams while in poor health. Obviously, there are some procedures that allow you to take an exam another time, but if you do it, you risk falling behind the group. Unsurprisingly, one of the first things I bought at Barnes & Noble Bookstore was the JHU 2007-08 Academic Planner.

To Future Fulbrighters

In the first place, make sure the Fulbright Program is what you want. Read several articles from the past and current participants at www.fulbright.org.ua and then surf the web - there is plenty of information. If you decide that this program is exactly what you are looking for, be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort before you actually come to your host institution in the U.S.

To make your application look better, you could do several things. One of them is passing TOEFL or GRE on your own. To the best of my knowledge, it is a plus if your score is high. Alternatively, if you change your mind, the score may be used for other purposes.

Next, make sure your application has a sufficiently strong academic background. Good grades, conferences, educational visits abroad most likely help rather than hurt. If you mention some relevant working papers, you may want to find out who is doing similar research at one of the U.S. universities and what those main findings indicate. If you are already an established scholar, it is advantageous to highlight your achievements in the field and your leadership potential. This might also help you to answer the central question of why you want to take part in the Fulbright Program. My strong belief is that the Fulbright Selection Committee considers the above-mentioned things as an advantage because the past performance of the candidate is a good indication of his/her future potential.

Last thing that we tend to put off or ignore altogether is participating in sports. A healthy body keeps a healthy mind and a healthy mind reflects, no doubt, healthy thoughts. Exercise, diet and nutrition all lead to a positive attitude and productive work. The program is very demanding and it is wise to regularly “recharge the batteries” both in Ukraine and during the studies or research in the U.S.

If you believe that Fulbright Graduate Student Program is for you, I am open to your inquiries. My email: istetsy1@jhu.edu