Where to begin?

I should probably start by introducing myself, but I'll only be regurgitating what you'll find here. (Cheng Chen, Summer Institute for Outstanding Students, Drexel University)
Instead, here is a little about how I first heard about the Fulbright Commission, and why I decided to apply.
It was back in June 2009, when I was in Year 12, thinking about my university application for Medicine. I was considering Newcastle medical school, but had missed the open day. Then, I heard from a friend that an organisation called Pure Potential was running a course, which included an campus tour, at various universities across the country. This was a free course, aimed at helping people from all backgrounds to apply for the most competitive courses at the top universities and so included advice on personal statements and interviews. Very luckily, there was still space at Newcastle University, and so even though it was quite a distance to travel for a course that was actually available at a university much closer to my home, I decided it would be worth it for the campus tour at least. It was a good day, and I got some pretty useful advice about studying Medicine, a look around the university, as well as meeting some lovely new people.

Newcastle Medical School

After then, I started receiving some emails from Pure Potential about further education. Many were irrelevant to me, such as conferences on investment banking, or even choosing a degree. However, in mid-February, 2010, I received information from them about the Fulbright Commission Summer Programme for Outstanding European Students. At first, I thought, like the other emails, it was probably irrelevant to me, and presumed it would require a specific interest in studying about America, or completing a degree in the US. I then re-read it, and figured that I was actually eligible!
So, from there, I clicked through to the Fulbright website and read through what the Summer Programme actually entailed. It looked amazing, almost too good to be true. The application process seemed reasonably straight forward, especially compared to all the UCAS malarky I had just gone through, so I decided to have a try at it. I mean, I had nothing to lose. It was a pretty quiet time at school, and up until then, I had no plans for the long Year 13-uni Summer at all.
So actually, my tale is quite insignificant, but without it, (fate/luck/coincidence), I wouldn't have ever come across this amazing opportunity.