Applying for grad school and Fulbright at the same time

[geosynchronous]

I want to go to grad school. I also want to do the Fulbright program. Is it possible to apply for these both in the same year, or will I go insane from the amount of work it takes? If I'm accepted to both, I would go on the Fulbright and defer grad school for a year.

A little about me: I'm in my third year of undergrad at a highly ranked private university in the US. I have a 3.4 gpa, and ~2 years of research experience during the school year, plus an international research internship last summer and an REU coming up this summer. I'm female, if that matters. I haven't taken the GRE yet. I am interested mostly in high energy physics, but I've done some astrophysics research too. I haven't decided where I want to go to grad school, but I expect to apply to 6 or so programs. I also haven't solidified a research project for the Fulbright, but I have contacts with a lab in my target country.

I am planning to study for the GRE and start the application process (figuring out who to ask for recommendation letters, starting to write the essays, and writing up the Fulbright project) over the summer, alongside my REU. When I get back to school in the fall, I'll take the GRE and finish the applications. Is it reasonable to expect that I will be able to complete all these applications at once during fall quarter, or is that an overwhelming amount of work? Thanks for any advice you can provide!

 

[radium]

The people I know who won fellowships like that applied while they were applying for grad school and then deferred for a year (they had accepted the grad school offer). Be aware that those fellowships are incredibly competitive though.

Depending on where you are applying, 6 grad school apps may not been enough. If you get started early, grad school apps aren't too bad though. I did 12.