BlueLightSpecial

Congratulations to the Malaysian ETAs! There will be a Facebook group you will be invited to within the next few months connecting you with us current ETAs to address any and all questions and concerns you may have. Best of luck to the rest of you waiting.

It seems things may be winding down here, so feel free to bring constructive conversations over to our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123328967859396/

Congrats to everyone who has been accepted! Hold tight for those of you selected as alternates or the lonely few who haven't heard back yet. Feel free to join our ETA Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123328967859396/

Hey everyone! Congratulations to those who have been accepted. Hopefully the last couple programs will begin rolling out their notifications soon. Feel free to join our ETA Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123328967859396/

Congratulations to those who have recently received notification of their ETA award!! Feel free to join our Facebook group so we can continue to have a sense of community once GradCafe runs its course: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123328967859396/

Just came here for a shameless plug for a Facebook group for all ETA's: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123328967859396/. Congratulations to those who have recently found out, and good luck to those who are still waiting!!

Sounds great!! I added it to my signature so maybe it will catch on eventually.

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Hi everyone! I followed the same template as the country specific groups. I decided to make a group for Fulbright ETA 2013-2014 as something of a support network and place to exchange ideas amongst other ETAs, especially those who may not have as many colleagues in country. That group can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123328967859396/ I also made a group for Fulbright Malaysia ETA 2013-2014: https://www.facebook.com/groups/128307870688089/. I hope to see some people join! Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear!!

Congratulations!! I look forward to meeting all of you! Should we make a Facebook group since there will be so many of us? Also, has anyone considered making a general Fulbright 2013-2014 Facebook group?

Congratulations!! I don't know about anyone else, but I probably ran the "decision" through my head hundreds of times and visualized my reaction, acceptance or otherwise, sort of like that scene in the Matrix with Neo and the Architect. Oddly, the reaction I had at the specific time and place was not what I had anticipated...

Well if all goes according to plan, I'll be a Divemaster by the end of May and will be able to legally assist with trainings and stuff. It's such a wonderful way to explore our world. It's the closest we will ever be to exploring another planet. The states we could be placed in are all on the east coast, which appears to be where most of the diving is. I guess it would depend how far placement is from the ocean and particular dive sites. I will likely bring all of my stuff anyways. This place looks sick: http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Perhentian_Islands.

If anyone is thinking of bringing gifts, one awesome thing I brought when I went to Rwanda was a portable photo printer: .http://www.amazon.com/Pandigital-PANPRINT01-Portable-Printer-Bundle/dp/B0083CYMHO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1365021590&sr=8-4&keywords=portable+photo+printer. Something similar to that. They are relatively inexpensive and compact. I brought over a 100 blanks and used them all and probably needed more, and I was only there for a month. Makes for awesome gifts and also ways to decorate your bedroom/classroom. Especially in poorer areas, some people may have never had a photograph of themselves or their friends.

There were also some pretty lengthy conversations about this a handful of pages prior if anyone is interested.

Thank you! I hope the best for you! I wonder how much interaction there is between grantees from different countries in the same region that have a fair amount of grants?

I have been sending thank you e-mails to various people and such. I'm generally unproductive at work, so, in a way, I am being productive?

Well he straight up wrote one of my recommendations. He is also a saint in all ways possible and I will never have a better boss for as long as I live. So my situation probably isn't very helpful or representative... It seems your intuition is telling you to keep it kind of secret though?

Mine already knows, and there is about an 8 month lag time between now and departure. It's probably a case by case basis sort of thing.

I received an ETA to Malaysia. Today has been a particularly rough morning, so I went from being really sad to exuberant. Not at all how I was expecting the news to be. Good luck to everyone else applying and hopefully the fellow Malaysia ETAs here will receive some good news soon!

I assume noone from our lot was brave enough to contact IIE or MACEE about tentative release dates?

Thanks for your perspective, a lot of good advice! Ultimately, any of us applying have different financial situations and backgrounds. Earlier in the thread, there were lengthy discussions about significant others and what people were going to do for that. Any of these programs will be life-altering in practical ways, but also in the spiritual and emotional ways you mentioned above. At least for me, personally, and maybe others can relate, the anxiety waiting for the "e-mail" is because of how life-altering it will be. It will be the most important notification I will have received since I started my job around two years ago. Fulbright is also appealing to me for the reasons that you mentioned as, though I have done some extensive traveling in a variety of settings, I have not lived abroad longterm. It's just an odd situation of having a number of (potential) options, any of which would be fine in the long-run as you say. Contributing towards a retirement fund is something that I value, and though I have a substantial amount of money saved, and quite fortunately no student loan debt, I realize I am financially better off than many of my peers. Maxing out the IRA each year is something I want to do, and Fulbright is most compatible with that option. It is a narrow-minded way of looking at things, but with money, savings, and contributions towards retirement, will lead to a lot of flexibility in both the near and long term. You never know when gainful employment may not materialize, so since I have the opportunity to do so, I am trying to be fiscally responsible before diving into graduate school or any type of service endeavor.

For the first part, yeah that's exactly what I will do if it happens. I may have a bit of a warning/lag time before the 3 day window starts ticking as there might be an additional interview (it was a more lengthy and intense process and application than Fulbright, to be sure). I will probably contact my FPA first, see what he thinks, then IIE, and then if necessary, the in-country staff if I am not satisfied with the answers. And that is also correct. My friend who is currently in Fulbright and I have talked about it extensively. She is of the opinion that the other program would be more beneficial and fruitful than Fulbright. It would also be more related to development and human rights and less about teaching english, though I have the skill set to do either. I wouldn't necessarily be disappointed doing the other one, especially if I got my country of preference (Rwanda). If I got Rwanda, it would be very hard to turn down even with a Fulbright. However, I am currently employed and living at home, so I make a lot of money, most of which goes to savings. The opportunity cost of missing out on that income plus other costs incurred by the other program (airfare is not included, for instance), doesn't make as much pragmatic sense as a Fulbright. Malaysia begins in January, and the fall is when I make the most money whereas I would be leaving in the summer with the other. I also heard of previous applicants who have done just that, that they were offered a Fulbright and declined, or were listed as an alternate and put that anyways. I mentioned in a post many pages ago that teaching english is teaching english, whether you're doing it privately through a school or with a program or whatever. Most of the appeal of Fulbright is the prestige attached to it plus the supprort and resources that may not be available through other programs.

Yes, I am well aware of that option. It would be incredibly unprofessional and impractical for both parties for a number of reasons. I would prefer to have neither program then renege on an obligation with the other one.

It's one of those situations where I feel very fortunate to be in the position I am in. The other program has an acceptance rate around 10%, so in some ways it is more selective/competitive than Fulbright. Nevertheless, if I got an offer from them, it would represent an opportunity cost of about $20,000 in lost wages as I am currently employed fulltime by the state. That program would start in July or so and isn't as subsidized as Fulbright. Plus, if neither work out, I have the comfort of job security in something that I currently enjoy greatly. I don't envy you recent and soon-to-be graduates... I'm not sure how their departure stuff works other than they met with the Embassey people in KL at the end of January, presumably when they arrived. My guess is we wouldn't be doing anything until then. The Fulbright Facebook had some pictures and such about it. Couldn't hurt to e-mail them and ask. Also, that is an awesome resource. Nice find. (Wow, a number of things they talked about I directly referenced in my essays. Reaching for straws!) The teaching load sounds pretty standard, 20 classroom hours. Any more than that and you would run into issues effectively planning and executing lessons. It is also nice how they outline the role of the ETA, as it has been a bit ambiguous from sources provided on IIE. On page 20, you see the answer to your question about orientation. There is a main one, presumably in KL, and then a local one, probably where you're stationed. I'm a SCUBA diver currently working on my Divemaster certification. The states that we may be in our close to the coast, so that will be one of the first questions I ask if I receive a grant. Priorities!

Malaysia checking in... Looking at the spreadsheet, there are about ten of us or so who have made a presence here. I was comforted somewhat with 70 less people applying, but that was offset by the ambiguity behind the sequester. There will also be less than 75 grants available assuming some of the people from this year stay on for a second year, though this may be unlikely since they just arrived in country 6 weeks ago or so. I am also a finalist for another program, my second choice, and if they notify me of a placement, I have 3 days to decide. I really hope that doesn't happen as I would be between a rock and a hard place of potentially turning down one program while waiting for Fulbright, only to have the possibility of not receiving a Fulbright either. If it does happen, I'm going to reach out to whoever I can to see what the timeline is for decision releases. Not sure if you browsed their website, but here is a list of their staff: http://www.macee.org.my/about/macee-staffs/. If a brave soul once to contact them and bypass IIE, go for it? I'm not messing with it unless I hear back from the other program and am on a tight timeline. Congratulations to those who have heard, and happy waiting for those of us in admissions purgatory.