[Hertie School MPP]

On 12/24/2016 at 6:45 PM, aidenspektor said:

I was recently admitted to the 2017 intake as well, and would be interested to hear other perspectives. I like Hertie for the ability to focus on applied quant skills. For context, I'm a 25-year-old American who has been working in places like Iraq and Afghanistan since graduating and want to focus more on policy research and policy advocacy. The school is pretty high on my list, but I am very wary of an over-emphasis on EU policy and politics, which, for a variety of reasons, do not interest me greatly when taken in isolation. Does anyone else have any more direct experience they can share?

Hi - I am an American second year student at Hertie. I do not think there is an excessive emphasis placed on the EU and its accompanying policies and politics. There is still a great deal of attention paid to the American system -- too much at times, I think. I would not be worried about this. 

[Hertie School of Governance MPP]

I e-mailed earlier this week and was told to expect a response the first week of May. 

[Hertie School of Governance MPP]

I haven't officially accepted yet, but I absolutely will be attending!

[Fulbright 2015-2016]

I have this same question, but I always imagined that it would be totally feasible. I considered the possibility, but honestly, if I get the USTA, I don't think i can wait a full year to go to Austria. I think USTA often feels like they are short on good candidates though (one of the Professors at IES Study Abroad Vienna told me this, and I think her husband is on the Fulbright commission), so I don't think Fulbright would count against you! Totally just my two cents though.

 

It's definitely possible; I know of two people off the top of my head who were accepted into USTA after our Fulbright year. 

[Hertie School of Governance MPP]

two weeks is not that long. Are you going to contact them or waiting for them to contact? I am in somewhat similar situation. I have been accepted longer than that though, I think around a month or so, but haven't heard from them and am a little worried. 

 

I feel like a month is a reasonable window in which to politely ask if they have an idea when decisions will be mailed out. I will be waiting a bit longer before I reach out. 

[Hertie School of Governance MPP]

Hey, has anyone had correspondance about funding with the addmissions office recently?

 

I was accepted two weeks ago and have not yet heard back regarding funding. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Argentina ETAs, I would definitely expect some movement on the ETA list. I have a friend that applied to the ETA and was recommended, but she has since already decided that she wants to stay in her current city and take a stable job rather than head to South America. I'm not even sure if she was awarded the grant (my guess is should would have been a strong candidate though); regardless, with decisions coming in this late, my guess is that she's not the only person who already decided to commit to something else. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

On the subject of how much time you can spend in a country to be considered competitive for the grant...

 

As often is the case, I don't know that you can say there is a hard and fast rule here. My guess is it depends a lot on the program. I am a current Germany ETA and prior to starting my grant, I had done one 5-month study abroad and two short trips to Germany. But, I know at least three other ETAs who have parents who are German or Austrian and who have spent longer periods of time in German-speaking countries. They still got the grants. I know plenty of people who studied abroad in high school as well as college, leading them to have amassed more than a year in Germany... I wouldn't say that having more than 6 months of experience in your grant country is a kiss of death. It might not make you seem more competitive, but I don't think it's right to say it will damn you right from the start. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

My FPA told me to focus on my project. I think it really depends on the region you are going to, but in general you want to say why you will stand out from all the applicants out there. The top 4 would be your background/teaching experience/ project/ and why the specific country. In my case I emphasized the Model United Nations project in Spain because I participated in the MUN back home, had teaching experience, and wrote a lot about my proposed project. To tell you the truth, some countries require more experience than others.

For example my friend who just got extended a 2nd year as a Fullbright ETA in Colombia said that they really wants their fulbrighters to have some teaching experience. My friend actually applied while getting a certificate as an ESL teacher so that helped her a lot because if I'm not mistaken Colombia puts their ETAs in universities...so they definitely prefer people with teaching experience/ESL certificates. Don't quote me on this because there's some people who have gotten in w/o an ESL certificate, but either do some volunteering or get a teaching job because that will help you a lot in the fulbright application. Also, get as many professors as you can to read your essay. I had about 4 of them, one being the chair of the writing department. And it would be helpful if one person who writes your letter of rec knows about your teaching abilities. Again, it really depends on the country and not EVERY fulbrighter has teaching experience...it's just helpful IMO. Use this summer to do some teaching ! Good luck!

 

To chime in on this discussion, I would say that the importance of teaching experience definitely depends on the country in question; some programs I think are more explicit about preferring candidates with strong teaching backgrounds; others, like Germany, don't necessarily require it. I'm an ETA in Germany with no real background in teaching. In my application, I just related experiences I had working for my university's newspaper, helping international students, etc. to situations I might encounter as a teacher, but I didn't have any actual tutoring or teaching experience to speak of. I am definitely not alone among Germany ETAs.

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

So happy for all of you new Germany ETAs! And that's amazing that you already have your placement, jensenhl! That's a big change from last year; hopefully it means the rest of you also won't have to wait so long. 

 

For the alternates -- don't lose hope! With 140 grants available, you can definitely expect some people to turn theirs down for various reason. I know of three current ETAs off the top of my head who were originally alternates.

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Thanks for all of the helpful information! My preferences were (1) Berlin (2) Hamburg (3) Baden-Württemberg. So maybe, if get accepted, they will just throw me somewhere random . I take it very few people get Berlin or Hamburg then?

 

Not necessarily -- there are probably 10 or so ETAs in each city, plus more in the area. But there are likely a lot more people putting those cities/states as their choices than there are actually spots available in either. But, for example, they might put you in Brandenburg instead of Berlin, which isn't a whole lot different. Or maybe they'd put you in far northern Niedersachsen rather than Hamburg. Really, I wouldn't sweat it. I know very few people 100 percent unhappy with where they are right now. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Lalakey, I'm so sorry for you... I remember you from last year and I was really pulling for you. I know you don't want people to tell you to keep your head up, focus on your PhD program, etc... you can have some time to be sad and angry, that's your right and perfectly normal. But I know the sting will lessen in time, and it sounds like you still have some wonderful opportunities ahead of you. Best of luck to you.

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Thanks Torrid! I have a few more questions, if you don't mind. Was Hesse one of the places you listed as a preference? Did a lot of people seem to get their first or second choices? Also, did you have any say in whether you would be teaching primary or secondary school students?

 

Hessen was my top choice, so I was pleased. I think for the most part people got one of their top 3 choices, and in cases where they didn't there seemed to be somewhat of an effort to compromise (i.e. people who indicated Northern Germany via Hamburg, Bremen, Niedersachsen ending up in Schleswig-Holstein). Certainly if your top 3 are Bayern, Berlin and Hamburg there's a decent chance you won't necessarily get any of those, but otherwise I think they try hard to match people with their preferences. 

 

Very few people are at Grundschulen... I can only think of one first-year TA off the top of my head, and I think she specifically talked about experience working with younger children in her application. I know there is also one 2nd year at a Grundschule. Thus most everyone is working with kids between 12-22, though the actual range depends on what type of secondary school you're at (many people are at Gymnasien, but not all -- I am at a Realschule, and a fair amount of people are at Berufschulen). 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

I found it on the Paedagogischer Austauschdienst Website (http://www.kmk-pad.org/programme/ausl-fsa.html#c5639) in German. It says "Generally, all Foreign Language Teaching Assistants can apply for a second year in this program" but a third year is not possible. Plus I know a few people who did it. There are also blogs online where new Fulbrighters meet second-year TAs. Anyway, it is a possibility, but it is up to the PAD. Hope that helps.

Oh, and by the way, I was wrong about the site placement. I just received my acceptance to USTA and immediately found out (tentatively) my placement in Tirol. I doubt Germany can beat that.

 

Yes, you can apply for a second year, though my understanding is that it's fairly competitive -- far fewer slots than there are interested people. Not sure of specific numbers, but I'm guessing there aren't more than 15 returnees this year. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Does anybody applying for Germany ETA (or who's done it in the past) know if they tell you where you are placed upon acceptance? If so, do they just tell you the Bundesland, or the school, too? If not, how long do you wait?

 

Thanks!

 

Based on last year, it will probably be at least a month (if not longer) between when you get your initial acceptance and when you find out your placement. It was handled differently by each Bundesland. In my case, I received two letters at the end of May -- one telling me I was in Hessen, and the other telling me my actual placement. They weren't sent the same day so I think it was just happenstance that the arrived at the same time. A handful of people found out via e-mail, I believe, but for the most part everything came through snail mail and some people didn't know their actual cities until July :/

[Fulbright Early Termination vs International Affairs Fellowship]

Hi All,

 

I am in a situation where I am a current Fulbright ETA who signed a contract to be in country for 11 months (until June 30). However, I have also been selected for a International Affairs Fellowship that requires me to be in Washington by May 15. This breaches my Fulbright contract. I have spoken to my Fulbright director about this and the director was very serious that I keep with the contract. If I were to breach contract, I was told that the director would write to DC to excommunicate me from any Fulbright affiliation and also write to my graduate schools to explain that I can no longer claim Fulbright alumni status. 

 

I guess if you're aware of the few International Affairs Fellowship then you have basic idea of which one I am participating in (so much for anonymity). The director of the Fellowship said that they are also not flexible with their requirements, which puts me between a rock and a hard place. I suggested a compromise such as going to DC for orientation then flying back (out of pocket) and then leaving a little earlier once school exams were finished. Exams are done by 6/20. However, this was not an okay option. 

 

What are the pros and cons of early termination of this grant? I will have been in country for 9.5 months by the time I will have to leave for orientation, meaning that I have fulfilled 90% of my grant period. Furthermore, my students do not suffer because all the major lessons and school activities will be done by the time I leave (minus finals). 

 

Thoughts?

 

I am very, very surprised that your Fulbright director is so stringent on this. I know of Germany ETAs that are leaving early for TFA, for jobs they have found or for other reasons, and the impression I got is that they are willing to be accommodating. 

 

Is there anyone else you can speak to? Maybe if you have a good relationship with your school, they can try to go to bat for you on this issue (basically say, "We loved Madagonk but we don't want him/her to miss out on this opportunity; it's fine if he/she leaves early")?

 

Moreover, even if they say you can't claim "Fulbright alumni" status, I don't think that means you can't say you were a participant in the program on resumes and such. Maybe you include a line that says you terminated early due to extenuating circumstances (circumstances I think any respectable person would understand), but as far as I can tell they can't stop you from listing this as an experience. They can only stop you from publicly proclaiming yourself to be a "Fulbright scholar" or something of that nature. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Do you know if there are different orientations for every country? I just figured they would have everyone there on the same weekend.

 

Larger programs (like Germany) tend to do in-country orientations; smaller programs usually do the DC orientation. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

For people doing research grants in Germany, I'm pretty sure the standard for the language requirement is that you need to speak enough German to complete your project. So, if you're planning on poring over German language manuscripts, you probably should be stepping up your German, but if you're going to be doing laboratory research and working with a lot of English-language texts, you don't need to worry. 

 

Like others mentioned, that pre-grant course is just to bring everyone up to a basic level (I think they might sort you according to your abilities?). There are plenty of full grants that come over with very little experience with the language, so I wouldn't stress about it too much so long as you think you know enough to complete your project. And anyway, your German will improve significantly the first few months regardless of where you started. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Hi olioliwoo, I do not believe that research grants and ETAs necessarily hear back on the same day. Does anyone else have more clarification on this?

 

I don't think the two are usually synched up. In the case of Germany, there is a specific government agency that administers the TAs, and I suspect other countries are similar (especially larger programs). Thus I would think the two would be on different timelines because they are being overseen by different groups. 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Hey, I know this is random, but has anyone been successful in finding a post on a previous Fulbright forum showing what principle, alternate, and/or non-select emails look like? I found an alternate email but not the others... Just thought I'd find a new way to torture myself with the wait hahaha

 

Not sure how I feel about contributing to your torture, but here is the e-mail I got from IIE last year:

 

Subject was just "Fulbright Application Status"

 

Congratulations!  We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for a Fulbright U.S. Student award for 2013-2014 to Germany.  Shortly you will receive a letter from the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board with further details of the award.  This letter will be sent to the mailing address listed in your application and noted above. This address will remain your corresponding address unless you notify us in writing, via email to your IIE Program Manager.

 

In the meantime, be aware that this award is contingent upon your obtaining: medical clearance; a bachelor's degree, if graduating this year; official research clearance from the host country, where applicable; and required visas.

 

Please note that all selected candidates will be required to submit a Medical History and Examination Form before the grant can be finalized.  The form must be completed and signed by a licensed physician and reviewed by the U.S.  Department of State for medical clearance. 

 

The medical form has been posted online along with instructions and other information pertinent to your grant. You should print out the form and have it completed in accordance with the timelines described in the cover memorandum.

Please bookmark this url:

Pre-Departure Resources: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/resources-for-pre-grantees 

 

We urge you to visit this page regularly for important pre-departure information and updates.  It is your responsibility to keep fully informed of and to comply with all grant award requirements.

 

The Fulbright Commission in Germany will contact you soon with further information on grant administration and pre-departure preparation. If at any time in the coming months, you determine that you will not be able to accept the Fulbright award, please be sure to notify IIE immediately.

 

Again, congratulations on your accomplishments and we look forward to working with you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Daniel Kramer

Director, U.S. Student Programs

Institute of International Education

809 United Nations Plaza

New York, NY  10017

 

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Hey all, I'm a doctoral candidate applying for a full research grant for Zambia. My proposed project is to write a history (cultural and intellectual) of the Chewa people in Zambia. Is anyone out there applying to Zambia or anywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa? Also, has anyone heard anything about age discrimination in the selection process? I'm nervous because I'm 53 and worried they may favor younger students who have a longer career ahead of them.

 

Last cycle, there was one woman in her 40s who ended up an alternate for Estonia, and, according to her, she was told that her age was a contributing factor to her non-selection. I can't speak to whether or not this is indicative of how all countries operate, but I do suspect there would be a preference toward younger candidates for the reason you mention (more potential for greater achievements over the long run)... Sorry to not have something more positive to say here, but it's my honest opinion. That said, I really really hope I'm dead wrong and that Zambia is able to look to the quality of your research proposal as most important. Good luck!

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

If I remember right from last year, they were very chill about transcripts. It wasn't the kind of thing that would make or break your chances; they would just contact you if they hadn't received them by a certain date. I wouldn't sweat that part of it too much.

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Hi all, I've been lurking this thread for awhile and have a question.  Does anyone know if applicants for Full Research grants to Germany are interviewed? I've made it to the next round and have mailed my transcript, but haven't heard anything about an interview.

 

I am an ETA so I am not certain, but based on last year's spreadsheet I believe the answer is no. No one applying for a full grant last year indicated an interview date on the spreadsheet.

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

Okay, this is going to sound unbelievably stupid, but I don't know the difference between Full Research/Study. I don't actually know what I applied for exactly. I applied to simultaneously study at a Hochschule and also carry out a project that is supported by a professor who would be my primary teacher, as I am a voice student. Sooo... which did I apply for? lol. Just curious because I'm looking at the spreadsheet, and someone applied for my same subject area in the same country So I'm feeling weird about my chances. 

 

My understanding is that they are one and the same? I.e. a research/study grant is one grant. I think the two are lumped together because you need a university affiliation to conduct your research, so you'll be fully matriculated into the Hochschule while you carry out your project -- thus, you are doing your research whilst, technically, studying.

[Fulbright 2014-2015]

thanks! do you know how long it was until you got the email from PAD? and how do you like being an ETA?

 

The e-mail actually came from IIE, and it looks like it was sent the week following recommendation notifications.

 

I've had a great time thus far! I don't think I would want to do a second year just because teaching is really not my calling, but I've had so much fun and I don't regret this at all.