mcelone

To everyone who got rejected: if you really want a Boren, don't give up! I applied for the scholarship as a 3rd year student but I was turned down. However I reapplied this year for the fellowship with a better idea of how to make myself more competitive, and things worked out for me this time around. In retrospect, I'm happy the scholarship didn't work out because I am more passionate about the language and region I am studying now (Swahili, East Africa) than what I was doing several years ago (Zulu, South Africa). Rejection sucked but it was a good learning experience for me and ended up helping me in the long run.

I got it too! Officially going to tanzania!

Anyone else getting anxious? haha I'm finding it hard to concentrate on anything

They notify you via email, not on Facebook or snail-mail

@desmonster I thought it was strange that they requested that budget clarification for me, since I had included all the information in my original budget. The revised budget I sent to Boren was almost identical, but just formatted a little differently.

Well we did have an intensive isiZUlu class with 1 teacher and 2 locals who were like teacher assistants; maybe they could help. Although SIT Durban is a little disorganized so I would not expect a quick answer.

@aepafrica I'm afraid I don't have much to offer you. I studied abroad with School for International Training (SIT); I don't know if you're familiar with this program, but I was pretty isolated from the academic community. I was with a bunch of American students, and not studying at a local university. I do know that UKZN is the big university in the city and they absolutely have isiZulu language programs, although I'm sure you know that already. Good luck!

@ aepafrica I did a semester in Durban, SA and went to Ghana last summer. I am still an undergrad so my travel opportunities have been limited!

Where have you been in Africa previously? I stayed in Durban for awhile, so I got my fill of Zulu. It was fun but I'm ready to move onto another language haha Ngiyaqoqa amaqanda

aepafrica that's unfortunate. Were you applying for NIgeria?

desmonster did you apply to the AFLI? What's your plan for studying Swahili? I applied for the AFLI but I am allowed to bypass the Florida program because I tested Intermediate High for my OPI luckily.

Hey Guys, Sorry I am late to the discussion; I just discovered this website. So I received an email several weeks ago from the Boren staff and I was wondering if it is the budget email that everyone is talking about. This is what it said: Hello from the Boren Awards. We need to see a budget breakdown for your non-AFLI related expenses. We don’t need the AFLI program costs itself, just your home institution fees (What you might be paying your U.S. university) and any spring program expenses you might have (Assuming you have an extra spring or summer semester outside of AFLI). Please attach a spreadsheet to this email and send it back to me by Friday. Please use the same format you used in the application when you make your budget. If you need a copy of your budget please let me know. Regards I am applying for a fellowship to Tanzania btw. Any thoughts?