<p>While I really… enjoy… hearing your confidence, I agree with jahiliyya in the sense that you should focus on your studies and relationships. You’ve done one year, which for some people can be a tough transition resulting in lower grades, but in all reality covers much more basic material. At least that’s the experience I had in engineering undergrad.</p>
<p>Apart from that, I don’t have much to contribute except to say that you might benefit from using a semester to study abroad. I have a friend that is a Fulbright Scholar and she knew where she wanted to go because she had already been there; this is complementary to 12rmh18’s comment, since your experience abroad will potentially allow you to gather another contact and make a better informed decision about returning. </p>
<p>Furthermore, while grand aspirations are good to have, it’s wise to:
a) plan alternatives (read: Apply to grad school at the same time),
b) realize you don’t make the decision about who becomes a scholar,
c) know there are factors at place which you can control only so much but will greatly effect your success – school, contacts, etc, and lastly,
d) you have a long time ahead of you in which your goals could/will change, and you can’t do everything or much of anything at this moment to assure yourself that spot.</p>
<p>What’s your motivation for being a Fulbright Scholar, anyways? You mention grad school, so is it just a stepping stone in your mind? A line on your future resume? You can get research grants and training in other ways (ie undergrad research, grad school, become a lab tech/assistant before grad school, etc), so why is the Fulbright the thing you want most in the world?</p>