Dash123

Still clinging to a vestige of hope that some Czech finalist will get an amazing opportunity and I'll get bumped up from alternate :'( But because that seems extremely unlikely, I will say: I applied three years in a row for three different Fulbright awards (in retrospect, the first one was not well-suited to my current trajectory), the second two were ETAs. I thought my credentials were decent, essays strong, excellent undergrad GPA from a well-reputed college. The first two times I didn't make it past the first round. This time I was chosen as an alternate. One of my good friends was chosen for a different ETA with a pretty lousy undergrad record from a small little-known school in the midwest. From my experience it seems like Fulbright really doesn't value academic work or prestige the same way that a lot of other grants do, which is great for a lot of people! But for people like me who want it so badly to have an opportunity to travel abroad, it's so hard to know how to improve my applications/experiences from year to year. I guess I should give up at this point and just acknowledge that I don't have a certain quality they're looking for but ugh it stings when you want something so badly and feel like you worked your butt off for it. A twisted part of me keeps thinking "you were so close this time - do it again!" but I don't think my app would be any different at this point. Sorry had to get that off my chest because being an alternate sucks in so many ways

Yes that's what's frustrating. I'm confident in my Spanish-speaking ABILITY (I have a lot of Spanish-speaking friends so I've had that kind of immersion) and a cursory look at Portuguese makes me think it wouldn't be too much of a challenge for me to learn. But it seems like Fulbright ETA's don't value self-teaching - you need the academic credits. Which is silly to me also because there are loads of people fluent in a foreign language who have never taken classes through their university! (Also I've just remembered that I DID take AP Spanish in high school before I took my year of intermediate Spanish in college. I wonder if that would count. Prob not.)

Ugh I really want to apply for this! I'm an alternate for Czech ETA (they sent me an email about this opportunity today). Even though I don't know any Portuguese or much about Brazil the way I do Europe, I'm confident I could learn by the start of the grant! Unfortunately it looks like you need at least two years equivalent of a romance language and I only have one (Spanish). Any thoughts on if this could be circumvented? (Also would it be weird to get in touch with a professor I had five years ago for a foreign language eval?). It's always the darn recs that dissuade me from trying for cool things!

Officially one month since being declared Alternate for Czech ETA. Still clinging to hope!

Oh I hope that's true! Maybe there's still a chance then

As an alternate, I've like pretty much given up hope already and am thinking if it's worth applying a fourth time. I'm totally fine with all the application work; it's the references that I hate. It's so embarrassing for me to ask for favors especially as I get further away from college and fuzzier in the minds of people writing me recs. I've always been that way though - letters of recommendation and references often preclude me from applying to things I want. Don't know how to get past that anxiety/shame

Congrats, m8! You so deserve it - knock their socks off and rep the States well <3

Been ten days since I was notified with the sinister (A). No word yet. Losing hope every day. (I've turned this into a diary)

Hey just wanted to rectify something I said earlier - I assumed that a friend of mine had gotten accepted his second time applying to YLS because he's padded his resume with teaching experience in South America. But I just spoke with him a few days ago and he said he had retaken the LSAT and scored much higher and he attributes getting into his top choice law school to that. According to everyone I've talked to, an ETA won't help with law school (still seems pretty strictly LSAT and GPA unless you have something truly exemplary). But it's a valuable human experience to spend time in another country if you ask me!

So many alternates! Welcome to purgatory, fellas. Will be rooting for you all in the coming months - don't forget to let us know if you get promoted so we can all keep our hopes up!

Question - if I'm an alternate, do I have to be afraid that if they send me another email it will be to say "sorry everyone has accepted and we don't have a place for you" or is any news from this point safely assumed to be GOOD news? (obsessively waiting/hoping)

I honestly think it comes down more to luck at this point than anything. We could try to scrutinize but really it all has to do with which (if any) primary select denies their grant. My biggest concern is like if there was a last minute need for me, I wouldn't have time to prepare by learning Czech (language wasn't required for applying but they recommend working knowledge of the language by the time you go). If they somehow called me up in August saying "hey a spot opened up last minute," I'd be like uhhhhhhhh can you learn a whole language in a couple weeks? hah Anyway, I really just wish they published the numbers of how many alternates there are.

I'm sure it's different between countries (I'm an alternate for Czech ETA). But the email I received seemed to imply that the finalists are encouraged to give their answers within a month. I take that to mean that our best chance is in the next month, if someone denies their grant (maybe because they found another opportunity or can't go). After a month, I'll probably give up hope personally and then just treat it like a lottery that I might magically win but probably won't hah.

Haha this is my thought exactly. Hoping someone got something they want more than the Fulbright so little ol me can sneak in and snatch it up!

I wonder how many alternates are promoted because someone declined their offer vs how many are promoted because extra funding comes through? ME: speculating wildly for the next month and you'll all have to see it, sorry

Hey @AnnMarie where did you find this info? I've been looking for something similar for Czech Republic alternates but there doesn't seem to be much

@AnnMarie Welcome to the club, pal. I'll be rooting for you!

Hey everyone - sorry to those who are dying to hear back! As you know, I was given the dreaded "alternate" status for my ETA. In case anyone is curious, I'll post the email below for what they send to alternates (basically "hey not right now...but you should be honored...but no...maybe..."). I was wondering if you guys think I should reply to the email thanking them and reiterating my interest? I'm really just praying to the international gods that I get promoted in this next month! Or are things like that annoying to people on the receiving end? I never know with email etiquette in situations like these! We wish to inform you that you have been designated as an Alternate for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Thus you would receive an award only in the event that someone withdraws or additional funding becomes available. While you have not currently been selected as a Principal candidate, your selection as an Alternate for a Fulbright award is, in itself, an achievement for which you can be justly proud. Please know we have no way of predicting the chances of an Alternate’s promotion to Finalist, nor do we maintain ranked lists of Alternates. Promotions may depend on the profile of the Principal who declines a grant offer or other factors. The majority of finalists are given one month to make their decisions regarding acceptance or declination of an award. You can assume that the finalists for your country are being notified simultaneously with this notice to you. Therefore, you can estimate the time frame in which most students will accept or decline their award offers. The chance of promotion will be greatest during the spring months, and then steadily decline as time goes on. However, we maintain Alternate lists until it is no longer feasible to offer new grants for this academic year and will ONLY contact you if an opening occurs. It is our hope that you would be available to accept a grant should it be offered. In the meantime, it is important that you advise us immediately if there is any factor that could preclude you from accepting an award. You will remain on the Alternate list unless you withdraw, in writing, from the competition. No additional information should be sent to us in support of your application, as it will have no effect on your status. Also, please be advised that in the event that we can offer you a Fulbright award, we will try to contact you by telephone or email first. If you need to update any of your contact information, please email your IIE Program Manager. You will receive no further correspondence on your status unless potential funding becomes available. I want to emphasize that your Alternate status in no way prejudices your chances for success in future Fulbright U.S. Student Program competitions. Each year's selection is separate. If you are not promoted to a Principal candidate and you wish to apply again for a Fulbright Award, your application will be considered solely on the basis of eligibility requirements, merits, and the placement possibilities in the country of your choice. We appreciate your interest in the Fulbright Program.

Thanks for the well-wishes! As I understand it, GPA and LSAT are the main indicators for law school admissions, much more mathematical than most. But I know someone who got waitlisted to YLS, did a year of volunteer teaching in in South America (not through Fulbright mind you) and reapplied the next year and got in. So I think international experience is a good "strong soft" but that's just from what I've heard! I think it depends a lot on the individual school's admissions preferences; some seem more rigidly focused on the numbers while others seem more apt to diversify. Re: my alternate limbo - I wish I knew more of the numbers so I had a better idea of my chances! There are supposedly 30 ETAs to the Czech Republic this year. Anybody know how many alternates are usually chosen per award? If I were the only alternate for those 30, I'd feel pretty good about those chances haha but if there's an alternate for every spot, less so.

Not gonna lie, kind of wish I'd been flat-out rejected rather than designated alternate. I hate being in limbo and there's no way of predicting my chances - could be 1/5 or 1/500 that I'm bumped up! I wish this fate on no one! Also, does anyone else feel like if they're ultimately chosen as an alternate that it won't really feel the same?

Damn just an alternate for Czech ETA - best of luck all

Just to weigh in on this discussion of the relative value of an ETA as someone completely unqualified to offer insight into such value: I'm one of those lost souls who doesn't know enough of what I want in the world to commit to graduate school or a career path right now. But I know that I'm interested in gathering more experience internationally. I might end up going for an MPP/MPA program or a master's in education or to law school or directly into an entry level job somewhere. I don't think an ETA would count against me in any of those possible trajectories. But I'm also not expecting it to give me a leg up, more like a year of clarifying my goals. I'm confident I could spin it in my favor for a lot of things, more about the skills I'd be able to develop abroad. But then, I'm not the five-year plan kind of person. I'm just kind of rolling with what interests me right now while I'm untethered by responsibilities in my early 20s.

Hey there! Czech ETA semi-finalist here also. Hope we get to see more of each other

I keep trying to tell myself it's normal haha, that hardly anyone here would've had the opportunity to learn Czech before now and that once (if) we get the ETA then we have several months to get some basic language under our belts. That's what I hope anyway

Thanks pal! Yes, I'm hoping it will sort itself out soon and everything will work out. Sadly, I haven't exactly had the time to start learning Czech with everything going on. Have you? Fingers crossed for us both!